01/11/2013 Newsround

Good afternoon! I'm Leah, guiding you into the weekend with your

Friday Newsround. Coming up: Why thousands of firefighters are

refusing to work on one of the busiest nights of the year.

And how do you tell the difference between a left and a right wag?

First, have you ever imagined what it would be like to live in a war

zone? We have covered the conflict in Syria for more than two years.

Thousands of people have died in fighting between government forces

and rebel groups. Millions more have fled the country. It is often hard

for us to find out what life is like for those right in the heart of the

war, but BBC reporter Lyse Doucet has had a chance to see it first

hand. I've been talking to her from the capital, Damascus. Day-to-day

life is not what's life should be like at all. In Syria, tragically,

children are not getting hit by accident, they are being targeted in

this war. children, you are of course

targeting the future of Syria. And yet, I have to say, the youngest

Syrians are always the ones who tell me the most courageous stories.

Sounds really powerful. Let's talk about some of the children you spoke

to. Most of the ones I met in refugee camps, what do they want?

They are not dreaming of living in a castle in the sky or being a

princess or a superhero, they want a normal life. They want to go to

classes and have a routine and go home and find their parents still

alive. They want to spend time being with their friends, brothers and

sisters. Achieving that is the most important thing for them.

Next, it's set to be a busy weekend for Bonfire Night parties, but

tonight, many firefighters across England and Wales are refusing to go

out to work. They are going on strike for four and a half hours

because of a row over the age you can get your pension, the money you

get after you retire. The government wants firefighters to work until

they are 60. Any major blazes will be put out, but fire bosses are

urging people to not set off any fireworks or start bonfires tonight.

Next, when a dog wags its tail, it's happy, right? Turns out that's not

always the case. A bunch of scientists in Italy have been doing

some very in-depth work on the wagging of dogs' tails. This is what

they worked out. All dogs wag their tails from side to side. When they

veer more to the right, they are happy, but when they wag over to the

left more, they might be scared They also worked out that other dogs

picked up on the differences, becoming more anxious at a left wag,

and relaxed when the wag was to the right. All day on the Newsround

website, you have been telling us how your pets communicate, and it's

not just dogs! Well, I am joined on the Newsround

sofa by Danielle Middleton Beck who is an expert in pet behaviour. Hi,

Danielle. Loads of Newsround viewers got in touch about all sorts of pets

today. Can animals really tell you how they're feeling? Yes. They have

a vast array of body language they can use. As the study suggested

they can wag their tails or move their ears to try and emphasise the

emotions they are feeling, and we can learn to read that. Are all pets

the same, though? Not precisely the same. They all have emotions, but

they will convey information differently. This information was

all about wagging tails. Why did the scientists focus on that? A lot of

it is to do with safety. Many of us have dogs in our homes, and they

have been known to bite people. If we can understand them, we might get

more of a warning. If they are anxious, they might be more likely

to bite us, so we can move away and prevent that happening. When my pet

dog knows she is in trouble, she hides her face. It is all about us

learning how to pick up on those signs.

Don't forget to check out the Newsround website for loads of

brand-new exciting stuff tonight and over the weekend. Find out how an 80

tonne dinosaur could have walked, and try our Bonfire Night quiz.

That's all from us today. Don't miss Match Of The Day Kickabout at 7 30

tomorrow morning for an exclusive chat with Manchester City's Sergio

Aguero. Exciting stuff. Have a great afternoon, and see you soon. Bye!