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What happened in our world? December 6th, 2015 is TWO crosswords based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzles… Prince Charles and French cheese. Galleons of emeralds off Colombia's coast. NASA's holiday snaps from Pluto. No smart-alecs allowed in Chinese schools. Justins Bieber and Trudeau. A one and a half metre lizard on the side of an Australian man's house. (This week there is a bonus puzzle based on contemporary trivia. Perfect for filling in a few minutes at the end of a lesson, or when substituting for a colleague.) The document is a simple PDF so it is quick to download and print for your class (and the solution is included). This activity is suitable for middle and high school students and will encourage students to discuss and learn about their world's current events. These crosswords are ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. They can be completed individually or in small groups or as week-long homework activities, or even as a time-out activity. They are an excellent excuse for students to make good use of their smartphones. Maybe you could start up a lunchtime news and current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics. Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague when the kids have nothing or not enough to do? Print these puzzles and have them in your classroom or in your bag ready for a vibrant class discussion. Don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for next week's 'What happened in our world?' puzzle - ready and waiting for Monday morning.

What happened in our world? January 10th, 2016 is THREE crosswords based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzles… North Korea detonated a hydrogen bomb (or did they?) A dog in South Africa was awarded a medal and dogs in New York had a concert performed just for them, and someone tried to kidnap one of Barack Obama's two dogs. Or would that have been a dognap? But a catnap is… Twitter shares crashed, Huawei's revenue almost doubled, Coca Cola angered Russians and Ukrainians, and did Volkswagen's sales go up or down? Some Russians were stuck in the snow and a Russian doctor is stuck in court. Guatemala’s Fuego Volcano erupted, an Indian boy scored 1009 runs in a cricket game, and Tim Winton had a whole fish species named after him. This week's puzzles include the answer key to last week's Mathematics crossword. The document is a simple PDF so it is quick to download and print for your class (and the solutions are included). This activity is suitable for middle and high school students and will encourage students to discuss and learn about their world's current events. These crosswords are ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. They can be completed individually or in small groups or as week-long homework activities, or even as a time-out activity. They are an excellent excuse for students to make good use of their smartphones. Maybe you could start up a lunchtime news and current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics. Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague when the kids have nothing or not enough to do? Print these puzzles and have them in your classroom or in your bag ready for a vibrant class discussion. Don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for next week's 'What happened in our world?' puzzles.

What happened in our world? October 11th, 2015 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It is a simple PDF so it is quick to download and print for your class. (The solution is included.) This activity sheet is suitable for middle and high school students. It will encourage students to learn about their world's current events. What did Naughty Nick Kyrgios (the tennis player) do in the Japan Open? What did the angry Air France workers do to their bosses? (No! Teachers should not do this, even if they're angry.) Who won the Nobel Prize for Physics? And what was John West accused of doing (again)? This crossword is ideal as a Monday morning writing and reading activity, individually or in small groups, as a week long homework research activity, even as a time-out activity. Samsung and Apple spend a fortune convincing our students to use smartphones so we teachers don't stand a chance! Here though is something more educational than Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja for the students to use their smartphones for. Ideal for Language and Social Studies classes, this week's resource includes a BONUS puzzle called 'In what country am I if I am standing on or in...?' Lake Van? The Seine? Madison Square Garden? Mt Ruapehu? The Atlas Mountains? It's quick and simple. By the way, crosswords are a good way for children to practise writing neatly. Don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for next week's 'What happened in our world?' puzzle - ready and waiting for Monday morning.

What happened in our world? November 29th, 2015 is TWO crosswords based on last week's news events. The document is a simple PDF so it is quick to download and print for your class (and the solution is included). This activity is suitable for middle and high school students and will encourage students to discuss and learn about their world's current events. In this week's puzzles… Where was Pope Francis last week? What did Belgians do during their capital city's lockdown? Why did seven men sew their mouths shut? More than a year's worth of what fell in Qatar in just a few hours? Why did the Zagreb goal keeper not play against Arsenal? What was the story with the gigantic gingerbread house in San Francisco? And that red panda that escaped from the California zoo… eureka! It was found. This crossword is ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. It can be completed individually or in small groups or as a week-long homework activity, or even as a time-out activity. Samsung and Apple spend a fortune convincing our students to use smartphones so now we can make good use of that. Maybe you could start up a lunchtime news and current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics. Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague when the kids have nothing or not enough to do? Print some of these puzzles and have them in your classroom or in your bag ready for a vibrant class discussion. Don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for next week's 'What happened in our world?' puzzle - ready and waiting for Monday morning.

What happened in our world? November 1st, 2015 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It is a simple PDF document so it is quick to download and print for your class. (The solution is included.) This activity sheet is suitable for middle and high school students and will encourage students to discuss and learn about their world's current events. In this week's puzzle… Who won the Rugby World Cup? What did Rome's city councillors do? What did six people in NIgeria tried to sell? Where was the earthquake last week? Australia's Labour Party promised to what to the voting age? And more. This crossword is ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. It can be completed individually or in small groups or as a week-long homework activity, or even as a time-out activity. Samsung and Apple spend a fortune convincing our students to use smartphones so we teachers don't stand a chance! Here though is something more educational than Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja for the students to use their smartphones for. Maybe you could start up a lunchtime current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics. Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague when the kids have nothing or not enough to do? Print some of these puzzles and have them in your classroom or in your bag ready for a vibrant class discussion. This week's BONUS puzzle reworks the same clues with a different grid and different answers. Have the students do the bonus puzzle later in the week as a 'what did you remember?' activity. Don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for next week's 'What happened in our world?' puzzle - ready and waiting for Monday morning.

What happened in our world? November 8th, 2015 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It is a simple PDF so it is quick and easy to download and print. (The solutions are included, of course.) These activities are suitable for middle and high school students and will encourage students to discuss and learn about their world's current events. In this week's puzzle… Russia condemned Charlie Hebdo. Planes crashed in South Sudan and Sinai. The US unemployment rate fell and Candy Crush's parent company sold for $US5.9 billion (which is crazy). This crossword is ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. It can be completed individually or in small groups or as a week-long homework activity, or even as a time-out activity. Samsung and Apple spend a fortune convincing our students to use smartphones so we teachers don't stand a chance! Here though is something more educational than Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja (and Candy Crush) for the students to use their smartphones for. Maybe you could start up a lunchtime current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics. Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague when the kids have nothing or not enough to do? Print some of these puzzles and have them in your classroom or in your bag ready for a vibrant (that's good-noisy) class discussion. This week there are TWO bonus puzzles. The first simply reworks the same clues with a different grid and different answers. Have the students do this puzzle later in the week as a 'what did you remember?' activity. The second bonus puzzle asks questions about the news items, for example, Where is Burundi?, What is Charlie Hebdo?, and What competes for the Melbourne Cup? These can be given as a follow-up activity to either of the main news crosswords. Don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for next week's 'What happened in our world?' puzzle - ready and waiting for Monday morning. Please feel free to post feedback about the puzzles. How did you use them with your students? What discussions followed?

What happened in our world? November 22nd, 2015 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It is a simple PDF so it is quick and easy to download and print. (The solutions are included, of course.) This week though, there are TWO crosswords with different clues. So where was the biggest diamond found - Botswana or Canada? What did the boy in Australia sing the national Anthem with and why did Youtube go silly about it? A volunteer firefighter from Mississippi got a new what? And the Swiss cherry orchardist picked up 4000 of what? (You just know it wasn't cherries, right?) New Zealanders began voting for a new what? And the United Nations issued a strongly worded condemnation about what? These crosswords are ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. Better than that, these crosswords will stimulate very interesting discussions. The puzzles can be completed individually or in small groups or as a week-long homework activity. Samsung and Apple spend a fortune convincing our students to use smartphones so let's have our students use their smartphones for a positive learning activity. Maybe you could start a lunchtime current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics. Or maybe you can hand them out to colleagues and have a ready, get set, go! competition to see who's the smartest in the staffroom. This week there's a BONUS crossword called, 'Which Sport?' Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague when the kids have nothing or not enough to do? Print some of these puzzles and have them in your classroom or in your bag ready for a vibrant (that's good-noisy) lesson. Don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for next week's puzzle, ready and waiting for Monday morning. Please feel free to post feedback about the puzzles. How did you use them with your students? What discussions followed? Who was the smartest teacher in your staffroom?

What happened in our world? June 19th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. Some will be very surprised to know that there was more happening in the world than Britain's chitty-chat about the EU, Le footy en France, and Donald Whatshisname. In this week's puzzle… A Colorado mother beat a mountain lion that was attacking her son. Led Zeppelin said they didn't copy a riff. Meatloaf collapsed, which is more serious than a soufflé collapsing. Radiohead fans were beaten, as was the Australian rugby team. Rory didn't make the cut (into the last rounds or into this week's crosswords). Dory did though. A 68 year old Nepali man returned to school. About 20 Russian footy fans returned to Russia, early. Tim Peake returned too. And Reuter News Agency did some research and found out what we teachers already know… more young people read the news on mobile devices than in other formats. This is a fairly simple crossword to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected? What's so important about the UEFA tournament? Why ban the export of a valuable vase? And why would Prince William urge men to speak with their families about mental illness? As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students about famous people. Who's the head of the IMF and the UN and Germany? Who wrote A Handmaid's Tale and Oliver and Romeo and Juliet? Can they do these without their smartphones? Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare). Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being used and enjoyed by you and your students.

What happened in our world? February 28th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… Japan's population fell. The Cambodian's spent $40,000 building a toilet for a visiting princess. It wasn't used. Most rural Cambodian homes don't have any toilets. Croatia and Slovenia set limits on the number of refugees being admitted. While a drought scorched Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe ate cake. The Nigerian government found more than 20,000 people on it's payroll - oh wait, names only. The people don't exist. The Indian government's budget aimed to boost farm incomes and alleviate rural poverty. Members of the New Zealand public did a crowd-funding thing and bought a pristine beach for about 2 million dollars and then gifted it to the government so it can be added into a national park. A naughty little Australian boy had his hand stuck in a vending machine for about 5 hours. And finally, a ceasefire (perhaps better described as a reduction in fighting) was declared in Syria. These are simple crosswords aiming to make our students talk about what's happening in their world, why it's happening, where, and to whom. As a bonus, there's a crossword identifying some good books and their authors. Use the crosswords in your home room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (or even in a staff meeting if you dare). I'm sorry for not uploading a crossword on February 14th. No I wasn't 'otherwise engaged' on Valentine's Day. It was a small matter of malaria and hospital. Hopefully, we're back on schedule...

What happened in our world? February 14th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… An earthquake in New Zealand. Pakistan tried to ban St Valentine's Day. Cuba returned a missile - no crisis though. A Spanish civil servant didn't show up for work, for six years. The Europeans are investigating the 500 Euro note. And 150,000 penguins were killed by an ice berg. Nothing this week about Donald Trump though. These are simple crosswords aiming to make our students talk about what's happening in their world, why it's happening, where, and to whom. As a bonus, there's a crossword. Name the country in which these cities are. (Or perhaps teachers could think of it as summer holiday planning.) Use them in in your home room class, in for subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom.

What happened in our world? March 6th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… The ceasefire in Syria is holding. Russia might be up to something with regards to the refugee situation in Germany. British people are applying for Irish passports. FIFA's gone hi-tech. The tsunami warning buoys didn't shout out anything when the earthquake struck. An Australian won one of the world boxing titles. South African gold miners won compensation for lung diseases. And police cracked down on protestors in Istanbul. As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to name the country in which a city is located. These are simple crosswords aiming to make our students talk about what's happening in their world, why it's happening, to whom - and where. Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (or even in a staff meeting if you dare). Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being used in your school.

This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happened in their world during the last week or so. The puzzles are excellent for a lively and informative home room period or even a substitution lesson when the absent colleague hasn't left enough work. You save your precious time and the students get to learn about last week's news events... India launched a communications satellite that may be able to find some rats that drank the banned alcohol. Mark Selby won the world snooker championships and Always Dreaming won the Kentucky Derby and Eliud Kipchoge didn't quite break the 2 hours for the marathon. An Argentinean was rescued from Canadian mountain and an 85 year old Nepali man died on Mount Everest. Wolves returned to Denmark and rhinos returned to Rwanda. The Pope doesn't approve of a bomb being called the mother of all bombs. Bombs were defused in Hannover. France held presidential elections and also passed a law requiring fashion models to produce a medical certificate to prove they're healthy. Schoolgirls were hospitalised after a gas leak in India and some of the more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls were returned by Boko Haram in Nigeria. Of course, this puzzle activity is not about getting the crossword completed correctly. The real goal os to get the students asking about the stories in the news. Why did Nike sponsor the sub 2 hour mile attempt? Why were there bombs in Hannover?Why did Venice ban new fast food outlets? Download and then print the simple and easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next Economics, Geography, Business, or PSHE lesson. This week, there are 2 BONUS crossword puzzles: one is about Asia's countries and capitals and the other is about Africa. These are handy to print and have ready for emergencies.

What happened in our world? May 15th, 2016 is a delicious and nutritious crossword based on last week's news events. It's low-calorie, high-fibre, high-interest, and nothing at all to do with SATs. In this week's puzzle… New Zealand's Mt Ruapehu is grumbling and may erupt soon. Japan now has more electric car recharging places than petrol stations. Shell set up a new division all about renewable power. Ukraine won Eurovision, much to Russia's annoyance. A prehistoric whale washed up on an Australian beach. The OED added 500 new words, and removed just one (gullible). Hong Kong glued pavement bricks down so they can't be thrown by protesters. Andy beat Novak, Barca beat Granada, and Man U's game was cancelled. (And still nothing about Donald Trump because I'm hoping that if I ignore him, he'll go away). These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world - what happened in the world? Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected? As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to squish fruit and vegetables into a crossword. I wrote squish there because squash would've seemed a bit punny. Who knows, one child somewhere in the world may be inspired to eat a carrot or an orange. Why weren't oranges called greens? And tomatoes are a funny thing, aren't they? Some people hate them. Some people just hate the skin. Their pronunciation is controversial. Their spelling is iffy. And are they a fruit or veg.? Meanwhile the potato just does its humble potatoey thing. And how's thins for a clue… Orange, but not an orange. Or this one… Straw. Rasp. Black and blue. See - healthy, nutritious, non-controversial and very very cherry berry educational. Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (or even in a staff meeting if you dare). This week you can even use them in the garden or orchard. Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being eaten by you and your students.

What happened in our world? July 3rd, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. A lot happened this week; so much that not all of it could be squeezed into the crossword. In this week's puzzle… Mosques were attacked in Florida, Britain and Myanmar and cafés were attacked in Serbia and Dhaka. Turkey apologised for shooting a Russian warplane and Russia lifts the ban on tourism to Turkey. Cocaine seized in New Zealand. Australia's uncertain election result and Austria's recent election result overturned. Hillary Clinton was questioned by the FBI. Nicolas Sarkozy will contest the nest presidential election. Djokovic, England, Belgium, Italy… all out of their tournaments (football and tennis). A Taiwanese warship accidentally fired a missile towards China. A newly discovered helium gas field found has Tanzanians floating on air, but will the bubble last? Or burst? India's police arrested a teenage girl for cheating in school exams. A South African teenager was attacked by a hyena and an American cyclist was attacked by a grizzly bear. These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world - Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected? Why was Austria's presidential election result overturned? Why was Australia's election result uncertain? Why were mosques and cafés attacked? Where is Machu Picchu? Where are the Maldives? And why are the Chagos Islanders still not allowed to return to their homes (and why was this news released during the week when Britain was obsessed with their EU in-out result? So no one would notice the Chagos Islands news? As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to identify countries' capitals. There was a time when we all knew these. That time was called 'the old days'. [Sigh.] Perhaps the students will know the capitas of the UK, Switzerland and Austria. But Azerbaijan? Greenland? East Timor? Where is East Timor? This is a job for… the smartphone. This crossword might just kick off some 'discussion' in the staffroom. Or, even better, at a pub after work. Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare). Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being enjoyed by you and your students. You can 'click-click' and 'follow' us, so you'll receive a notification email when new puzzles are uploaded.

What happened in our world? March 13th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… Maria Sharapova aced by Porsche but not by chocolate. Skiers killed in Italy and tourists killed in Ivory Coast. Japan remembers the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. The South Korean who is challenging the go in google. Two French teenagers arrested on terrorism charges and a Danish woman charged with people trafficking - for giving some Syrians a ride in her car. As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to name the country in which some news events occurred. These are simple crosswords aiming to make our students talk about what's happening in their world, why it's happening, to whom - and where. Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (or even in a staff meeting if you dare). Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being used by you and your students.

What happened in our world? June 6th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It's a pdf document so it's simple and quick to download and print. And the answers are included in the same file. In this week's puzzle… Novak beat Murray and Garbine beat Serena in France. Japanese officials raided Suzuki. Mitsubishi apologised for using Chinese workers in wartime. The Tokyo Governor apologised for lavish spending. And the lost Japanese boy was found safe and well. A huge storm attacked Australia's east coast and sharks attacked the west coast. Where should Nikola Tesla's remains be held? (It's a 'current' and 'alternating' debate in Serbia.) A monkey robbed a jewellery store in India and a Delhi hospital was busted for a kidney transplant racket. A concert in Germany was cancelled because of bad weather and the Seine rose 6.5 metres above normal. (By the way, if you dip your feet in the Seine and then take them out, were you temporarily insane?) These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected? Use the crossword in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare). You can 'follow' us to receive an email when a new puzzle is uploaded. But you can also just check every Sunday night or Monday morning.

What happened in our world? June 26th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. Some will be very surprised to know that there was more happening in the world than Britain's chitty-chat about the EU, Le footy en France, and Donald Whatshisname. In this week's puzzle… Wildfires in California. Floods in West Virginia. In Australia, a 5.2 metre python in a bedroom and a senator in a tank crushed a car. Rugby. Football. Rory pulled out of the Olympics. An anti-doping lab. in Rio was banned because it doesn't meet international standards. Thai protestors jailed. The end of civil war in Colombia. A mammoth uncovered in Mexico. A new president in Iceland. (Do you think Iceland is a nice land?) And something about the UK in the EU not being OK. This is a fairly simple crossword to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why did it happen and where? Why did that civil war go on for 50 years? Why is it important that a mammoth was in Mexico? And a very important thing to know, why would a python come into a bedroom? As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students about the countries and capitals of the … European Union (of course). Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare). Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being used and enjoyed by you and your students.

What happened in our world? October 31st, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare). See which department's teachers are the smartest. In this week's puzzle… Another severe earthquake in Italy. Three astronauts touched down in Kazakhstan. Police fired tear gas in Islamabad. An American Airlines plane caught fire in Chicago. Two London-bound trains were delayed because of a souvenir. And a Russian blogger may go to jail for five years for playing 'that game' in a church. These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why did Prince Charles talk about soil? Why did the Saudis bomb a Yemeni prison? Why did the Croats and Slovenes feel an earthquake and why were a famous Italian poet's manuscripts moved to Bologna? What's wrong with WhatsApp giving users' information to Facebook? As a bonus, there are TWO more crosswords. One asks students to identify the countries in which well-known landmarks are located. Where are Ben Nevis, K2, The Eiffel Tower, the Brandenburg Gate, The Great Barrier Reef, and Machu Picchu? The other bonus puzzle is for the scientists and asks students simple questions about physics, biology, chemistry, a little about the history of science.

What happened in our world? October 17th, 2016 is a crossword puzzle that explores and plays with news events that happened last week. The resource is a six-page PDF so it's quick to download and print. (Note that the resource will be discounted to £1.50 from Tuesday onwards.) What was in the news last week? Thousands of kilometres of New Zealand's coastline was swamped with jelly babies. Some Cardinals were upset about a McDonalds 'restaurant' opening in their building. The price of Californian oranges increased. And the World Health Organisation told governments of all countries to tax sugary drinks to combat child obesity. Of course it's less about what happened, and more about why. Hopefully the students will ask about the news as they solve the puzzle. Why might Russia be charged with war crimes in Aleppo? Why are people protesting about China reducing the size of its military? Why is Samsung's Galaxy7 phone banned from planes? Why is Norway now not giving Finland the birthday present it had planned to? Aren't they friends anymore? And jelly babies, oranges, McDonalds, and child obesity - is there a link? Wait, it wasn't jelly babies; it was jelly fish. This week there are FOUR more crosswords attached to this news crossword, all of which can be used in substitute lessons, time-out rooms, homeroom classes. Print these and have them ready for emergencies. I find these puzzles work best when solved in small groups or pairs. They're good for homework too. They work very well when I have to substitute for an absent colleague. (And a few of my colleagues say they enjoy doing the puzzles during our staff meetings.)

What happened in our world? October 9th, 2016 is a crossword puzzle that explores and plays with news events that happened last week. The resource is a six-page PDF so it's quick to download and print. (Note that the resource will be discounted to £1.50 from Tuesday onwards.) What was in the news last week? Nobel prizes. Kim K West was robbed in Paris. An Italian journalist revealed the identity of an author. A referendum in Hungary failed and so did another one in Colombia. A woman was burned for 'being a witch' and in Pakistan, finally, no one can avoid prosecution for so-called honour-killings? Of course it's less about what happened, and more about why. Hopefully, as the students complete this crossword, they'll ask 'why?' Why did Russia's ambassador to the UN veto the call for a ceasefire in Syria? Doesn't he care about all those children being killed? Why is the Zimbabwe government allowing young elephants to be sold to China? Don't they care about elephants becoming extinct? Why is a statue of Gandhi being pulled down? Wasn't he a great person? There are three more crosswords attached to this news crossword, all of which can be used in substitute lessons, time-out rooms, homeroom classes… One is about Europe, another is about Africa, and another is about good books worth reading. Print these and have them ready for emergencies. I find these puzzles work best when solved in small groups or pairs. They're good for homework too. They work very well when I have to substitute for an absent colleague. (And a few of my colleagues say they enjoy doing the puzzles during staff meetings.)