:00:00. > :00:00.Morning, all, Ricky here, kicking off a brand new week
:00:00. > :00:13.The lights go out to help stargazers.
:00:14. > :00:25.And the Para-athlete going for medals on both types of track.
:00:26. > :00:28.Let's start this morning with some great nature news.
:00:29. > :00:31.Giant pandas are officially no longer an endangered species.
:00:32. > :00:36.After decades of work by conservationists,
:00:37. > :00:41.their numbers have gone up 17% in the ten years up to 2014.
:00:42. > :00:43.They now fall into the "vulnerable" category - so protection
:00:44. > :00:47.The increase in numbers is being put down to special breeding programmes
:00:48. > :00:53.Stunning starry scenes like this can be hard to come by if you live
:00:54. > :00:57.Well, today, 17 new "dark sky" spots in the UK have been announced -
:00:58. > :01:00.to help give more people the chance to go stargazing.
:01:01. > :01:19.When the sun sets across the towns and cities in the UK, night falls,
:01:20. > :01:23.what can you see when you look up? The thing most people will see the
:01:24. > :01:30.cloud illuminated by high-pressure sodium. Nobody gets a chance to see
:01:31. > :01:36.the true beauty of the night sky. Unless that is you come to a place
:01:37. > :01:40.like this in Northumberland. It is Europe's biggest dark sky park, a
:01:41. > :01:45.place protected from city light pollution, so you can clearly see
:01:46. > :01:51.the night skies. It is incredible because when you look at the sky,
:01:52. > :01:57.you don't imagine how many stars and planets are out there, it is
:01:58. > :02:02.incredible. 17 new dark Sky Sports across the UK have been announced,
:02:03. > :02:12.so more of you guys can get closer to the stars -- dark sky spots. The
:02:13. > :02:17.fact more and more places in the UK are starting to switch on and think
:02:18. > :02:20.about preserving the darkness, that's got to be great, it's got to
:02:21. > :02:23.be good for the future of astronomy and education.
:02:24. > :02:26.The Paralympic Games get underway this Wednesday and Britain
:02:27. > :02:28.is sending more than 260 athletes to Rio to compete.
:02:29. > :02:31.One of Paralympics GB's brightest stars is Kadeena Cox.
:02:32. > :02:34.She's not only aiming to win medals on the athletics track
:02:35. > :02:49.The BBC's Disability Correspondent Nikki Fox has been to meet her.
:02:50. > :02:56.Kadeena Cox is aiming to do something very few have achieved,
:02:57. > :03:01.win four gold medals across to sports, cycling and athletics, in
:03:02. > :03:07.one Paralympic games. Why did you choose to do to sports? It is
:03:08. > :03:11.exciting. I was doing well in both and when it came to making a
:03:12. > :03:14.decision, I couldn't do it. I might not be in this decision in four
:03:15. > :03:21.years' time so I took the opportunity. But she hasn't always
:03:22. > :03:27.competed in disability sport. Back in 2012, just four years ago, her
:03:28. > :03:31.dream was to compete in Rio as an Olympian. Here she is racing in the
:03:32. > :03:37.100 metres at the British University Championships, the first event held
:03:38. > :03:42.at the Olympic Stadium in London. But in 2014, everything changed. I
:03:43. > :03:50.was diagnosed with a stroke at May 2014 and MS in September. My body
:03:51. > :03:55.didn't quite do what I wanted it to do, it still doesn't. It was worse
:03:56. > :04:02.then. I struggled going from being an 11 second runner to being a 14
:04:03. > :04:07.second runner. She dealt with it, becoming world champion in both
:04:08. > :04:13.sports. What is the difference between the athlete and you at home?
:04:14. > :04:21.The athlete is cool and look supercool, whereas Kadeena Cox at
:04:22. > :04:27.home falls over a lot. Multiple sclerosis fluctuates, so Kadeena Cox
:04:28. > :04:34.has to be checked Wrigley, which means it will be checked which sport
:04:35. > :04:38.she competes in -- regularly. She will be up against Buster athlete at
:04:39. > :04:44.Rio, but this is not something which will faze her, who in just two years
:04:45. > :04:45.can cross the line from Olympic hopeful to multiple Paralympic
:04:46. > :04:47.champion. And you can keep up to date with all
:04:48. > :04:50.the action on Newsround online. Head there now to read our quick
:04:51. > :04:53.guide to every Paralympic sport and check out Britain's top ten
:04:54. > :04:55.gold medal hopes, too. That's all from me, Newsround's back
:04:56. > :05:01.right here in about half an hour.