Kid News This Episode: Spain is sick of tourists, Paris soccer celebrations turn violent, UK piano prodigy, Panama’s kidnapping monkeys and Japan’s curious cheerleaders
In wacky world news this week… It’s summer in the northern hemisphere and that means prime tourist season in many places, but in Spain – we have a special report – about people who are so sick of tourists, they’re taking to the streets in protests. Speaking of demonstrations, after Paris wins a big football championship celebrations turns nasty. We have the story from the French capital. In the UK, a piano prodigy is invited to the Royal Academy of Music – you’ll never guess how he learned to play the keys. And talk about weird – in Panama monkeys are acting beyond odd, abducting other… well, you gotta listen to find out. That’s not the only oddball either, in Japan, businessmen give professional cheerleading a new meaning. All that and more!
EPISODE- 199
LEELA: This episode… Spain sick of tourists, Paris soccer celebrations turn violent, UK piano prodigy, Panama’s kidnapping monkeys, and Japan’s curious cheerleaders.
OPENING STING – LEELA: “Hey, hey, hey. Listen up. New, new, newsy – Newsy Pooloozi!”
THEME MUSIC
LEELA: Hello and welcome to Newsy Pooloozi – the news pool for curious kids and adults! I’m your host Leela Sivasankar Prickitt and, as ever, I’m joined by…
MAMA: Me! The sidekick… Lyndee Prickitt.
LEELA: And this is your one-stop shop for the most interesting and important news happening around the world. This week…
It’s summer in the northern hemisphere and that means prime tourist season in many places… but in Spain – we have a special report – about people who are so sick of tourists, they’re taking to the streets in protests.
Speaking of demonstrations, after Paris wins a big football championship celebrations turns nasty. We’ll have the story from the French capital.
In the UK, a piano prodigy is invited to the Royal Academy of Music – you’ll never guess how he learned to play the keys.
And talk about weird – in Panama monkeys are acting beyond odd, abducting other… well, you gotta listen to find out.
That’s not the only oddball either, in Japan, businessmen give professional cheerleading a new meaning.
All that and more. OK then, let’s dive on in. First up, it’s the…
BIG NEWS STORY STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “The Big news story of the week!”
MAMA: So, Leela, are you excited for summer vacation?
LEELA: Mama, do you even have to ask me that?
MAMA: Ahhh, yes. Summer vacation... a time off school and for some people a time to travel and see something beyond your own neighborhood.
LEELA: Well, I’m certainly excited to go to camping in California this year and see all my extended family!
MAMA: Me too! In fact, this is a great time to remind everyone that Newsy Pooloozi will be on summer break for a bit. More on that at the end of the show. But, yes, for many, manypeople in the Northern Hemisphere, the summer months of June, July and August mean... holiday time.
LEELA: But mama, riddle me this... What about the people who live in the places that otherpeople go to visit? Is it like they’re always on vacation? How cool would that be?
MAMA: Ha! Yes. But, sadly, no. As you know, seasons change. That means when it’s winter or fall, all the places we visit in the summer are not so “vacationy,” if you know what I mean.
LEELA: Hmmm, I guess that makes sense. No one wants to go sightseeing in the rain or go to the beach when it’s cold!
MAMA: Exactly. But you're on to something. There is a lot of news these days about people who live in popular tourist destinations getting a tired of, well, the tourists.
LEELA: And the backlash to Airbnb, too, right, with a lot of cities banning it? Because of people arriving at all hours, lugging their suitcases up joint stairways… and the parties and noise, of some guests, right?
MAMA: Yep, there’s that. But mostly because it turns neighborhoods into places of short-stay accommodation instead of residents invested in building a community.
LEELA: I can see that. Then again, lots of people make money off those tourists, not just the hotels, but also restaurants, cafes, taxi drivers…
MAMA: Yep. Even the local shops can charge more because tourists are willing to pay a little more for everyday things because “Hey, we’re on vacation!” But…
LEELA: I knew there was gonna be another but!
MAMA: But those high prices end up being unfair to the people who live there year-round – who aren’t on vacation.
LEELA: Oh, yeah. Man, who knew tourism was so complicated!
MAMA: Yep, and one place that’s been in the news lately for just this – with demonstrations against tourism – is Spain, which has several locations inundated by (which is a fancy word for overwhelmed by a big amount) tourists, including Barcelona.
LEELA: Isn’t Spain one of the most popular tourist destinations, like, in the world?!
MAMA: You got it – just after France, in fact. In 2024 it was the second most visited country, with around – get this - 94 million international tourists.
LEELA: Oh, oh! Then I think we need to head to our correspondents in Barcelona to give us the big news story – Nina and Marcky Grañena over to you guys!
MARCKY: Thanks, Leela. You got that right. Tourism is a big issue here in our hometown.
NINA: Tourists. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em.
MARCKY: That about sums it up. Tourists bring in a lot of revanuu, as you said in the intro.
NINA: But five euro for a cortado? Por favor!
MARCKY: Since when do you drink coffee?
NINA: I’m simply repeating what I hear from our elders.
MARCKY: He's right, though. Prices are going up for things like a cup of coffee, pharmacy stuff......
NINA; And, also, according to the elders, our rent! Did you know that 2a in our building is now an Airbnb?
MARCKY: And all of this has somelocal residents pretty upset.
NINA: Two words. Water guns.
SFX OF SQUIRT GUNS
MARCKY: Yeah, last year there were anti-tourist demonstrations that got a lot of attention. Locals were squirting water guns at the tourists down at the Barceloneta.
SFX OF TOURIST DEMONSTRAIONS
NINA: That’s our famous beach. But I mean, haven’t they ever been tourists? Surely my Barcelonian brethern have traveled beyond our lovely city?
MARCKY: True. Shooting water guns at tourists isn’t the answer. Neither is spray-painting “tourists go home” across the city.
NINA: But what is the answer?
MARCKY: Well, last year the city started charging a tourist tax. And by 2028 there will be no more short-term apartment rentals.
NINA; Goodbye Airbnb in 2a!
MARCKY: Exactly. These are good first steps. But people are still mad, so there are more demonstrations planned for later in the month.
NINA: Good to know. I’ll be avoiding Plaza Catalyna like the plague
BOTH: From Barcelona this is Nina and Marcky Granena for Newsy Pooloozi!
LEELA: Wow – who knew there was such emotion and feeling about tourists, huh? Thanks a lot for that report, you guys!
[SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/travel/tourism-protests-europe.html
https://www.dataestur.es/en/blog/spanish-destinations-most-internet-searches/
SPORTS STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “It’s time to play ball… Score… Sports News!”
MAMA: So, yes, we have some big football, errr, soccer news from Europe.
LEELA: Oh, is this a good but bad story?
MAMA: I’m afraid so…
LEELA: So, should we head to our reporter in Paris, Maya Neuquelman, for this?
MAMA: Yes, let’s do that. Over to you, Maya.
MAYA: Thanks, you guys.
So, yes, this is a kind of happy-but-sad story we have from Paris.
The main football team here, Paris Saint-Germain – better known as PSG – have won the UEFA Champions League.
UEFA stands for the Union of European Football Associations, by the way.
So PSG smashed Inter Milan (that’s an Italian team from the city of Milan) 5-0.
What a score!
That means PSG are officially the best football club in Europe this year.
Of course, thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate cheering and waving flags.
SFX OF STREET CELEBRATIONS
BUT—hold on! Not all celebrations were peaceful…
Things got out of control in some places.
While most fans celebrated peacefully, some groups clashed with police, throwing fireworks and damaging property.
Hundreds of people were arrested.
Two people were killed.
Even a police officer was injured by a firework.
City leaders say violence has NO place in football – a game that’s about teamwork, respect, and fun!
Let’s hope people remember that as now all eyes are on the FIFA World Cup next summer.
In Paris I’m Maya Neuquelman, reporting for Newsy Pooloozi.
[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgqyg325gno
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20250531-paris-psg-champions-league]
ACE STING – LEELA/MAMA: “Now it’s the ace part of our podcast: Arts, Culture and Entertainment. Darling.”
MAMA: So, if I say prodigy, you say…
LEELA: Child.
MAMA: Interesting. Yes, I suppose that’s the nut of it. But ummm, give me more…?
LEELA: Genius.
MAMA: Yes, pretty much. The actual definition is a young person with unusually good intelligence or skills for their age.
LEELA: Ah, so it’s not necessarily exactly a “genius,” then? OK… Well, since this is the ACE part of our show – arts, culture and entertainment –
BOTH: Dahling. (Laughing)
LEELA: Well, then I guess this must be… let me guess… a musical prodigy?
MAMA: Right again. Add a little YouTube self-learning and you’ve got it.
LEELA: Huh?
MAMA: Well, let’s head to the England, where our correspondents Maya Bull – and her sister Aniya have the story.
LEELA: Well, take it away, girls!
MAYA: Thanks, Leela! So, you know that you can learn music from certain apps?
ANIYA: Oh, yeah. I’ve heard about that. Though I can’t say I’ve done it myself… YET!
MAYA: Well, a boy called Harvey, from Norfolk, England, has done just that – learned how to play piano from YouTube!
ANIYA: Is this the boy who used to be into computers and design, but suddenly wanted to learn music?
MAYA: You got it! He was – and still is – so keen to learn that he practices around 2 hours a day.
ANIYA: Wow… That’s a lot of dedication!
MAYA: Or concentration, more like. Well, in just five months, he’s reached grade eight standard! Isn’t that cool?!
ANIYA: Very cool!
MAYA: I mean, I’ve been playing violin for the past 4 years and I’m nowhere near grade eight!
ANIYA: You can say that again.
MAYA: Ahem! Anyway, he’s just started taking formal lessons at The Norfolk Academy of Music. He’s also performed at the care home where his mum works and at railway stations where there are pianos.
ANIYA: Ahhhh. That’s sweet!
MAYA: He said, “It’s really nice when you get applause from people. It makes you feel like your performance has been accepted.”
ANIYA: I wouldn’t mind doing something and getting applause for it…
MAYA: I hear ya! But guess what?
ANIYA: What?
MAYA: He’s even been invited to The Royal Academy of Music (if you please!) for an induction day.
ANIYA: Whoa!
MAYA: Yep, he’ll head to the famous London academy, and the teachers there will help him explore what he can do with his talent.
ANIYA: He gets to go to London too. Lucky guy.
MAYA: Not luck, Aniya. Hard work and – like you said earlier – dedication. For instance, if you want to be a good student, you could be more like a piano, Aniya.
ANIYA: Uhhh… Why? Are pianos good at studying or something?
MAYA: I should think so! They always take notes, after all!
ANIYA: What…? Huh…? Oh, oh! I get it! Good one!
MAYA: Thank you. Applause, please…
SOUND EFFECTS OF APPLAUSE
MAYA: In Nottingham, I’m Maya –
ANIYA: And I’m Aniya!
BOTH: And we’re reporting for Newsy Pooloozi!
LEELA: Oh, thanks so much! Love that story and… especially, of course, that joke!
MAMA: Oh, yeah! We love us some good jokes! Nice one, y’all.
[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8rekvx8r0do
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/piano-prodigy-11-invited-top-043353019.html]
NATURE STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “The call of nature. Get on your safari suite. Or squeeze into your scuba gear. And get ready to hop into a jeep. Or submarine. Submarine. Because Mother Nature is calling! Nature.”
MAMA: So Leela, remember the story we did back in Episode 190, about killer whales that seemed to be wearing dead salmon on their heads?
LEELA: Yes, I do remember that! That was a very strange case! I believe scientists never found out why exactly they were doing that.
MAMA: Correct. Well today’s story is about a group of monkeys that are doing something that scientists also don’t understand.
LEELA: Wearing banana hats?
MAMA: Ha! No, there is a group of male adolescent capuchin monkeys...
LEELA: Those are the little ones with black fur except on their faces and chests, which are white or light brown, right? The organ grinder monekys.
MAMA: Those are the ones! And they were called "organ grinder monkeys" because, sadly, they used to be by street performers who played hand-cranked organs to perform tricks and collect coins from the crowd.
LEELA: Thank you for that fab fact.
MAMA: Anytime. Well, a group of these capuchin monkeys on an island off Panama – which is that narrow country in central America – are ... ready for this?... kidnapping baby monkeys from another species!
LEELA: What the whaaaaaa???
MAMA: I know, right? Scientists from an animal behavior institute in Germany plus some from the Smithsonian Institution –
LEELA: Which is in the U.S....
MAMA: Yes, thank you, well they had set up some cameras to observe a group of capuchin monkeys as part of some other research. But when they watched all the video footage they saw something very strange.
LEELA: Here comes the kidnapping part!
MAMA: Yes! They saw a capuchin monkey with a baby howler monkey clinging to its back.
LEELA: Howler? Those bigger primates with a huge square-like face? What would a capuchin be doing with a baby howler monkey?
MAMA: Exactly! The cameras, which were on the ground, showed the capuchin going up a tree, then coming back down with a baby howler on their back.
LEELA: And the baby was, just like, hanging out on the capuchin? I know baby monkeys of all species have really strong grip.
MAMA: They do. The scientists said the capuchins would steal a baby howler, and if the mama howler came looking for her baby she would be overpowered by the capuchins.
LEELA: And then what happened?
MAMA: Well, then the capuchin would just get on with his life, doing normal things that teenage capuchins do.
LEELA: As if there were no baby howler on its back?
MAMA: Yep. Most of the capuchins just wore baby howlers, a bit like an accessory. Not giving it much attention, and certainly not giving it any food.
LEELA: Ugh… poor thing.
MAMA: Yep, unfortunately, the babies ended up dying of starvation because well, without their mother’s milk....
LEELA: Yeah, I get it. Well, that’s a bummer! And mean!
MAMA: Yeah, scientists say they have no idea why the capuchins would steal another baby, boredom perhaps. They did notice that after one capuchin did it, others followed. They are known for being very adaptive, copy-catters, so to speak.
LEELA: So, it was a case of monkey see, monkey do?
MAMA: Exactly! And although we may never know why the trend took off, they say if it doesn’t stop the howlers might adapt their behavior.
LEELA: And put an end to this monkey business, once and for all!
MAMA: You said it!
LEELA: Well, as if that story weren’t odd enough… we’re still gonna head over to the Lucky Dip machine and see what it’s got for our final story.
[SOURCE: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/19/nx-s1-5395983/baby-monkey-kidnappings-capuchin-howler-culture
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/19/science/monkey-kidnappings-jicaron-island-panama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mooQNOPM3RE]
ODDBALL STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “Step right up, step right up… Have a go at the lucky dip machine… What’s it gonna be today, eh? An oddball, no doubt!”
LEELA: So, when I say cheerleader, you think...
MAMA: Pom poms, short skirts and half time?
LEELA: Yesssss! But what if I told you in Japan, cheerleaders wear trousers, a suit jacket and a tie?
MAMA: I would say, they must get hot!
LEELA: Ha! Well, there are a group of cheerleaders in Tokyo who do their cheer routines wearing... wait for it... their office clothes!
MAMA: Errr… what? Or… why?
LEELA: Well, I think we need to hand this over to our Japanese correspondent, Shimo Ito, for the story.
SHIMO: Thanks, Leela.
So yeah, a group of former cheerleaders from Waseda University’s male cheerleading squad is entertaining crowds as the “Cheer Re-Mans.”
They’re part cheerleader and part “salary man,” which is what we call a professional, white-collar worker in Japan.
But I know what you’re really wondering – WHY do they do this, right?
Well, yes, they all have regular jobs that they do Monday to Friday, which they like but find a bit stressful.
Some are real estate agents; some are software developers and others work in marketing.
But… they all love cheerleading.
So, they formed the group two years ago as a way to let off steam and release stress from their day jobs – while also bringing joy and stress release to others too.
They perform their acrobatic routines on the weekends, wearing office clothes to set them apart.
They even went on Britain’s Got Talent and came in third in their semi-final.
Well, done!
Or should I say, three cheers for the Cheer Re-mans!
I’m Shima Ito, reporting for Newsy Pooloozi!
LEELA: Great story, Shima! Or should I say, give me an S, give me an H, give me and I, give me an M, give me an A.
MAMA: Yeah, that’s a story that gives new meaning to the phrase professional cheerleaders!
[SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/japan-salarymen-cheerleading/
https://talentrecap.com/all-male-cheerleading-group-wows-the-judges-in-bgt-early-release-audition/
FAB FACTS STING – LEELA: “And it’s time to wrap up the podcast with the top five fab facts heard today. Here goes…”
MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 1 – People in Spain – the second most popular tourist destination in the world – are holding demonstrations against tourism, as they feel overwhelmed by tourists.
How many tourists visited Spain last year?
94 million international tourists
LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 2 – Violence breaks out during the celebration party after the PSG soccer team in Paris wins the UEFA Champions League. What does UEFA stand for?
The Union of European Football Associations
MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 3 – Scientists are puzzled over bunch of baby monkey kidnappings by another species of monkeys called capuchin monkeys – the ones who used tp be used by street performers. What was their nickname?
Organ grinder monkeys
LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 4 – And these kidnappings are taking place in that slim country in central America called, what?
Panama
MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 5 – A group of businessmen from Japan love cheerleading so much, they have a squad called the “Cheer Re-Mans”. What is the Japanese way of calling professional, white-collar businessmen?
Salary man
And don’t forget, if you want to test yourself later on, then go to the Lucky Dip page of our website, newsypooloozi.com, that’s pool-o-o-z-i, and take this quiz online in your own time!
LEELA: And that almost brings us to the end of this episode of Newsy Pooloozi! But first…
MAMA: We would like to thank the lovely Jyoti Chauhan for her production help and Julie Noce for helping write this episode!
LEELA; Thanks, you guys! Also… we should say since it’s summer, we are about to hit the road and travel around the world in our quest to find you the best and wackiest world news stories.
MAMA; Yep. And ummmm, take a little rest Please. Can’t we rest a little...?
LEELA: OK – just a bit.
THEME MUSIC
LEELA: If you enjoyed this dip in the coolest pool of news and information then HIT that subscribe buttons on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Alexa or wherever you get your podcasts.
MAMA: And if you like what you’re hearing – why not tell a friend about us?
LEELA: Go on j- you can listen together to all our back episodes as they might be news, but most of them are ongoing interesting stories about the weirder side of the world.
MAMA: Alrighty then, see you back in the middle of July – or maybe August – we’re gonna figure that out as we go along, if you don’t mind.
LEELA: But we WILL be back because – did you know – this was our 199th episode.
MAMA: OMG
LEELA: So see you next time for our very special 200th episode back in the happy, splashy giant Newsy Pooloozi!
-ends-