On Shrove Tuesday, people are tucking into a pancake feast, as part of a tradition that has lasted for centuries.
Traditionally, Christians would eat pancakes on the last day before Lent begins, to use up foods like eggs and milk, before starting 40 days of fasting for lent.
Now, Pancake Day is celebrated by people all over the world, and some people even hold pancake-flipping competitions.
If you want to join in, you could try this basic pancake recipe, adapted from celeb chef Delia Smith, to make enough mixture for 12-14 pancakes. Yum!
But don't forget to ask your mum and dad to help!
For the pancake mixture:
110g/4oz plain flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter
To serve:
caster sugar
lemon juice
lemon wedges
(NR TIP: you can try anything you like - be imaginative! You could try fruit and maple syrup, chocolate spread, ice cream, melted chocolate... yum)
Instructions
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it.
Begin whisking the eggs.
Gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking.
Whisk until all the liquid has been added and the batter has the consistency of thin cream.
Melt the butter in a pan.
Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in. Use the rest of the butter to grease the frying pan before you make each pancake.
Get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium - be really careful doing this bit. You might want to get your mum and dad to help at this point!
Ladle 2 tbsp of the batter into the hot pan all in one go.
Tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter.
After about half a minute, and when the bottom is golden in colour, flip the pancake over.
The other side will only need a few seconds to cook.
Slide the pancake out of the pan onto a plate.
To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar.
Barbie, the iconic plastic toy doll model, is getting three new body types this year.
The US company behind the famous toy, Mattel, is adding "tall, curvy and petite" body shapes to its line-up of the fashion dolls.
Several skin tones, eye colours and hair styles will also be added to the collection, the company said.
Barbie's figure has come under fire for years, with critics arguing it set an unrealistic body image for girls.
With the new body shapes, the toy makers say they are "offering girls choices that are more reflective of the world they see today".
Last year, the company introduced 23 new dolls to its so-called Fashionistas line with varied skin and hair colours, and a much touted flat foot - replacing Barbie's signature heels.
With this year's update, the Barbie Fashionistas line will feature:
33 new dolls
30 hair colours
24 hairstyles
22 eye colours
14 face shapes
7 skin tones
4 body shapes - original, plus tall, curvy and petite
"We are excited to literally be changing the face of the brand - these new dolls represent a line that is more reflective of the world girls see around them - the variety in body type, skin tones and style allows girls to find a doll that speaks to them," Mattel executive Evelyn Mazzocco said in a statement.
This amazing electric surfboard, made by a Spanish company, allows the rider to surf over the water without the need for waves.
WOW!
Aquila Boards have spent the last few years developing an electric jet board for their brand Onean, with the help of product engineering company Bizintek. The boards make it possible to surf without any waves.(From Contemporist)
The boards are 100% electric and also almost completely silent.
They work on rivers, sea, lakes and only take two hours to fully charge.
The company, Onean, who are based in Spain made two boards.
They're called the Carver, which is speedier and the Manta which is for a gentler ride. (CBBC Newsround)
On the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city of Hiroshima, on the 6th August in 1945.
What happened in Hiroshima?
On 6 August 1945, at 8.15am Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber plane, called 'Enola Gay', dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
The devastation was beyond anything seen before. The city was immediately flattened.
80,000 people were killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 were injured.
A huge mushroom cloud of smoke fills the sky over Hiroshima, Japan, one hour after it was bombed in August 1945
Even then, Japan didn't surrender.
Three days later, another nuclear bomb was dropped by the Americans on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.
Shortly afterwards, on 15 August 1945, Japan finally admitted defeat.
World War Two was over.
There were celebrations in Europe after Germany surrendered.
But on the other side of the world in the Pacific Ocean, Japan was still fighting against America, Britain and their allies.
The Americans, however, had a secret plan to end the war - by using the most powerful weapon ever created
What damage did the bombs cause?
This building, now called the A Bomb Dome, survived the atomic blast and today it's a memorial in Hiroshima, Japan
When the bomb exploded in Hiroshima, the city has struck by a flash of blinding light then a giant cloud shaped like a mushroom.
The blast flattened buildings within a 2.5 km radius of the bomb.
There were 90,000 buildings in Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped but only 28,000 remained after the explosion.
Thousands and thousands of people were killed. Many were badly injured.
But the suffering didn't end there because it wasn't just a normal bomb.
The nuclear radiation released when it exploded caused people to suffer horrible illnesses.
Thousands more people died from their injuries and radiation sickness in the weeks, months and years that followed.
Why did the US drop the bomb?
The Hiroshima bomb was nicknamed 'Little Boy'. Here it is before being loaded into the Enola Gay's bomb bay
Japan had been at war for many years.
It had invaded the countries near to it such as China and the Japanese had attacked America.
Everywhere the Japanese soldiers went, they were known for their cruelty.
They treated prisoners of war very badly, including American and British soldiers who had surrendered. (CBBC Newsround)
Move over Tom Daley, because there's a new diving champ taking flight.
At St Peter's Pool in Malta this man and his Jack Russell are apparently a regular sight, doing their synchronised dives into the naturally formed pool.
The footage was shot by photographer Mark Casser and has already notched up 150,000 views on social media. (CBBC Newsround)
Tara the cat has been given a National Hero Dog Award in America after saving her six-year-old owner Jeremy when he was attacked in 2014.
Jeremy was ok after and the video of the heroic kitty went viral, attracting over 24 million views.
It has been over a year since the attack happened in California, America, and now Tara has been honoured for her bravery.
The president of the organisation that gave the award said: 'We were so impressed by Tara's bravery and fast action that the selection committee decided that a cat this spectacular should be the National Hero Dog.'(BBC News)
They are one of TV's longest married couples, but of late there have been rumours that it's divorce-ville for Homer and Marge Simpson.
A scene from the new series of The Simpsons.
Not true, says the animated couple.
In a video posted online, called Together Forever, Marge says: "Homie and I are here to address baseless rumours that we are going to split up."
The rumour-mill kicked in after Al Jean, one of the original writers of the show, said that there could be a legal separation for the pair.
He made the comments in an interview with Variety magazine, which discussed various future storylines.
Marge and Homer have been married for 26 series of the cult TV show.
In the Youtube post, their first official statement on their marriage, Marge goes on to explain how the story was first reported before news spread around the world.
Homer then goes on to ask why "news media guys can't cover more important things".
"Now listen here, Marjorie and I are as solid as a rock," he adds.
Britain's love of fish and chips is so great that a play has been written about it.
One of Each is a tale of storms at sea, saucy secrets and sibling rivalry centred around two fish and chip shops who are battling to win the coveted title of "Golden Fish Fork". (BBC News)
Fish and chips is a hot dish of English origin, consisting of battered fish, commonly Atlantic cod or haddock, and deep-friedchips. It is a common take-away food.
Fish and chips became a stock meal among the working classes in England as a consequence of the rapid development of trawl fishing in the North Sea, and the development of railways which connected the ports to major industrial cities during the second half of the 19th century, which meant that fresh fish could be rapidly transported to the heavily populated areas. Deep-fried fish was first introduced into Britain during the 16th century by Jewish refugees from Portugal and Spain, and is derived from pescado frito. In 1860, the first fish and chip shop was opened in London by Joseph Malin.
Deep-fried chips (slices or pieces of potato) as a dish may have first appeared in Britain in about the same period: the Oxford English Dictionary notes as its earliest usage of "chips" in this sense the mention in Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities(published in 1859): "Husky chips of potatoes, fried with some reluctant drops of oil".
A blue plaque marking the first chip shop in Britain, in Oldham
The modern fish-and-chip shop ("chippy" or "chipper" in modern British slang) originated in the United Kingdom, although outlets selling fried food occurred commonly throughout Europe. Early fish-and-chip shops had only very basic facilities. Usually these consisted principally of a large cauldron of cooking fat, heated by a coal fire. During World War II fish and chips remained one of the few foods in the United Kingdom not subject to rationing.
In the United Kingdom the Fish Labelling Regulations 2003 and in Ireland the European Communities (Labelling of Fishery and Aquaculture Products) Regulations 2003 respectively enact directive 2065/2001/EC, and generally mean that "fish" must be sold with the particular commercial name or species named; so "cod and chips" now appears on menus rather than the more vague "fish and chips". In the United Kingdom the Food Standards Agency guidance excludes caterers from this. but several local Trading Standards authorities and others do say it cannot be sold merely as "fish and chips". (in Wikipedia)
A group of musicians in Mexico have made their own instruments using rubbish.
We could say this is a kind of recycled band. Certainly this is a good way of producing musical instruments without causing any harm to nature. Quite the contrary this is a big help in reducing rubbish and creating useful items like these
Well done guys!
They're called the Garbage Orchestra and have made three albums.
The band couldn't afford to buy their own instruments and so decided to make their own.
Using rubbish and recycled materials such as bits of wood, vinyl and plastics bricks, they've made 25 instruments such as guitars and banjos.
On 6 August 1945, at 8.15am Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber plane, called 'Enola Gay', dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
In the United Kingdom the Fish Labelling Regulations 2003 and in Ireland the European Communities (Labelling of Fishery and Aquaculture Products) Regulations 2003 respectively enact directive 2065/2001/EC, and generally mean that "fish" must be sold with the particular commercial name or species named; so "cod and chips" now appears on menus rather than the more vague "fish and chips". In the United Kingdom the Food Standards Agency guidance excludes caterers from this. but several local Trading Standards authorities and others do say it cannot be sold merely as "fish and chips". (in Wikipedia)
