This week, as part of the Be Hope Podcast Takeover, we talk to guerilla gardener and nature rights campaigner Kalpana Arias about her work and what makes her feel hopeful.

We also talk about new social media rules in the EU, a scheme to encourage more people to read in Singapore, and whether e-scooters should be banned.

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It's the Hope Issue! Bex is joined by Eve and Joe from The Week Junior.

Joe reveals how a potato-shaped sea creature from Antarctica could one day help scientists treat skin cancer, and Eve explains how thermal-imaging drones are being used in Germany to rescue baby deer hidden in tall grass.

There's also a big debate — should adults have screen-free days? — and a special visit from Editor Vanessa to mark the International Day of Hope.

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The UK has a new Prime Minister. The team explains who Andy Burnham is and how he landed the top job so quickly. There's also the Queen's surprise Christmas present for every Year 6 pupil, an electric guitar that may – or may not – have been made from the burned wood of Notre Dame, and a debate on whether pets should be allowed everywhere.

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The Commonwealth Games have come to a close, and Bex, Joe and Stevie look back at what happened. There’s also a hero rescue dog retiring, a nine-year-old author, and a big debate on whether it’s wrong to farm octopuses after a Spanish company dropped plans for the world’s first octopus farm. Plus the STEM shortlist for The Week Junior Book Awards, Pamela Butchart on this week’s Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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A new defence agreement has been signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and Bex, Joe and Dan talk through what it means. There’s also a woman in Italy whose winning lottery ticket was rescued from a bin lorry, pufflings being saved in Iceland, Parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt as hero of the week, and a big debate on whether cars have got too big. Plus the picture book shortlist for The Week Junior Book Awards, Rashmi Sirdeshpande on this week’s Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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A total solar eclipse passed over Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain, and Bex, Eve and Martha talk through what happened, including Eve’s trip to Spain to see it. There’s also an 18-year-old in Belgium who uncovered £7.5 million of gold while doing a summer job on a building site, robot cleaners for hire in San Francisco, trainee volunteer firefighter Talara as hero of the week, and a big debate on whether there’s too much football. Plus the audiobook shortlist for The Week Junior Book Awards, Catherine Doyle on this week’s Book of the Week, Believe, and your chance to win a copy.

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The Food Standards Agency has warned young children, older people and pregnant women to avoid runny eggs in cafes and restaurants after an outbreak of salmonella, and Bex, Eve and Joe talk through the advice. There’s also a queue forming at the summit of Snowdon, a Spider-Man screening in Colombia emptied by a foul smell, 11-year-old museum curator Anderson Taylor as hero of the week, and a big debate on whether UK airports should get bigger. Plus the breakthrough shortlist for The Week Junior Book Awards, Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie on this week’s Book of the Week, Jamaal Target: Phantom Agent, and your chance to win a copy.

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Flash floods hit communities along the border between Nepal and Tibet on 26 August after a glacier collapsed high in the mountains, and Bex, Eve and Joe talk through the rescue effort and the aid arriving from around the world, including a £5 million package from the UK and 68 tonnes of supplies from India. There’s also the 360-tonne castle tower in Hirosaki, Japan, hauled back to its original position by 1,800 volunteers pulling on ropes and rollers, a giant hairball loose in New York for Real or Rubbish, Barnsley Youth Choir as heroes of the week after being crowned double world champions in Sweden, and a big debate on whether humans will ever find alien life. Plus the Bayeux Tapestry going on display in London, Catherine Rundell’s The Neverfear as Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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