01/12/2015 Newsround

Hello, I'm Jenny, live with all the top stories

from around the world this Tuesday. Keep watching.

The short list for footie honour, the Ballon d'Or is announced.

And, find out what this Star Wars super fan is making.

The attacks that took place in Paris, on Friday November 13th,

shocked the world.

The people that claimed responsibility for these acts, call

themselves Islamic State, or IS. But who are they?

And what can, and should, the world do to stop them?

That's the question now being asked here in the UK.

IS are a group based in the Middle East, mainly in Iraq and Syria,

who have extreme religious beliefs.

They use brutal violence against anyone who doesn't agree

with their views.

They claim to follow the religion of Islam, but many people say their

beliefs of hatred and violence have little to do with Islam and what

the majority of Muslims believe.

Since early 2014, IS has grown quickly - using

the internet and social media to recruit followers and spread fear.

They have been able to take over large parts of Syria

and neighbouring Iraq, declaring this their own state -

and punishing anyone who doesn't follow their strict rules.

Lots of different groups are fighting in Syria, and nations

around the world can't agree on who they want to control the country.

What does unite most of the world is the desire to stop IS because

of how violent their methods are.

The UK has bombed Islamic State-controlled areas in

Iraq but two years ago politicians voted against bombing in Syria.

However, since IS have started attacking places around the world -

like Paris - there is more pressure on the UK to stop them.

Prime Minister David Cameron wants MPs to vote to decide

whether or not the UK should start to bomb IS in Syria, and expects

this to happen very soon.

..is to address the threat we face

and to do so now.

Both France and the USA have already launched airstrikes in the country,

but some feel that the bombs also affect too many

innocent people living there, and that the UK shouldn't be involved.

There's much more on the Newsround website about what's happening

in Syria if you want to know more.

A thick haze of smog has covered cities across northern China.

Pollution levels are well above safe limits, so local authorities

have given out warnings.

The poisonous smog comes from coal burning in factories and homes.

The pollution is so bad that some factories have had

to stop work and heavy trucks have been banned from the roads.

Large parts of South Africa have been declared

drought disaster areas.

The water shortages across the country, which is in the peak of

summer, have been blamed on a lack of rain and an ongoing heat-wave.

The worst affected are farmers who have been unable to harvest crops,

or feed livestock.

South Africans have been told to save water.

The short list is for out for this year's

BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.

There are 12 contenders for the top prize, including Jessica

Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah, Andy Murray, Lewis Hamilton and Chris Froome.

The full list is on our website.

The world's best footballers are also hoping to get their hands on

Fifa's famous Ballon D'Or trophy.

There are just three players to choose from - Brazilian Neymar,

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The winner will be announced in January.

It's December 1st today so for many

of you that means you'll be opening day one of your advent calendar.

Here at Newsround we've made our own for

you guys to enjoy on our website.

We'll be finding out about your Christmas traditions each day

as we count down to the big day.

Hi, guys, my name is Yannis and I have a really cool tradition in

my family which is, I shout, it's Christmas, to wake everybody up and

then we go downstairs and eat...

Well, we smash eggs first and then we eat them together

which is a great tradition and then afterwards we open the presents.

We'd love to hear about your Christmas traditions - send your

videos into the Newsround website.

You might have seen Yoda, Luke Skywalker or even Darth Vader

fight with one of these before.

But this Star Wars fan has gone one step further.

Bob Cleggett, who lives in America, made these giant lightsabers

from cardboard tubes he found bought from his local DIY store.

Ah, the force is strong with that one.

That's all we've got time for now, but Newsround's back right here

at 8.15am with lots more. See you then.