:00:00. > :00:08.Nel here with your take on banning calculators.
:00:09. > :00:10.And a sad space robot goodbye coming up.
:00:11. > :00:14.The mega mud bath you do not want to miss.
:00:15. > :00:26.First then to the subject that hundreds of you have been in touch
:00:27. > :00:29.about today - whether it's right to ban calculators from maths exams.
:00:30. > :00:32.Thousands of Year 6 kids across England have become the first to
:00:33. > :00:35.take the new Maths SAT tests today, where no calculators are allowed.
:00:36. > :00:49.Up until this year, ten and 11-year-olds in England were allowed
:00:50. > :00:56.to use a calculator on some of these exams. From today, in the majority
:00:57. > :01:03.of tests, they are banned. The Government says it is because pupils
:01:04. > :01:05.need to become confident with basic sums before they pick up a
:01:06. > :01:10.calculator. That will help young people compete for the best jobs in
:01:11. > :01:15.the future. Some maths experts from three top universities argue there
:01:16. > :01:18.is lots of evidence from places like America that using calculators,
:01:19. > :01:22.alongside more traditional methods, does not affect maths skills and can
:01:23. > :01:26.help. Kids at this school were among the first to take the new exams this
:01:27. > :01:35.morning. I have come to see what they've wrought. I felt a bit
:01:36. > :01:40.rushed. I was on the same question for a really long time. The good
:01:41. > :01:45.thing about not having a calculator is you can use the skills we have
:01:46. > :01:49.learned in school to work out the answer. If you are using a
:01:50. > :01:57.calculator, or you are doing is typing in numbers. A calculator in
:01:58. > :02:02.some tests is OK but I do not think I really need a calculator in that
:02:03. > :02:10.test. That is the view of some of the kids who have taken the test. It
:02:11. > :02:11.will take a while to determine whether this is the right way
:02:12. > :02:17.forward. Lots and lots of you still
:02:18. > :02:20.getting in touch about this. I sat my Maths SATs today and think
:02:21. > :02:25.it's not fair because I've done all I feel confident about doing my SATs
:02:26. > :02:31.today without a calculator. And if you're preparing
:02:32. > :02:36.for exams now and want some top tips on how to improve your memory,
:02:37. > :02:39.head to the Newsround website, And that's also where you can
:02:40. > :02:44.see more on this little guy. He's a talking space robot called
:02:45. > :02:47.Kirobo, who has been living on the International Space Station
:02:48. > :02:50.for the last six months. Sadly,
:02:51. > :02:52.he had to say an emotional goodbye when his Japanese astronaut friend,
:02:53. > :02:54.Koichi Wakata, returned to earth. Cameras on board caught the farewell
:02:55. > :03:05.moment between the two friends. And, in a few hours,
:03:06. > :03:08.the first European trophy Benfica take on Sevilla in the
:03:09. > :03:13.Europa League final, having lost at That was the latest
:03:14. > :03:18.in a long line of defeats that, legend has it, could all be
:03:19. > :03:21.down to a mysterious curse. Benfica, one of the most prestigious
:03:22. > :03:36.clubs in the world, with a record 33 Benfica, one of the most prestigious
:03:37. > :03:40.clubs in the world with a record 33 league titles to its name. Here at
:03:41. > :03:47.their home, fans are used to celebrating. When it comes to
:03:48. > :03:52.European football, it is a completely different story. So, how
:03:53. > :03:58.can the most successful clubs in Portuguese history have such a bad
:03:59. > :04:04.record in European competitions? Some believe that Benfica 's bad run
:04:05. > :04:12.is all down to a 100-year-old curse they -- made by a former manager.
:04:13. > :04:14.There was a curse that when Benfica won the second European cup they did
:04:15. > :04:20.not renew the contract with their manager, who was furious with them.
:04:21. > :04:24.Legend has it he put a curse on Benfica. He said in the next 100
:04:25. > :04:30.years Benfica will never win a European trophy. It has been more
:04:31. > :04:34.than 50 years since they have won a European trophy. They have been in
:04:35. > :04:44.seven European cup finals and lost every single one. Benfica go into
:04:45. > :04:50.this final as favourites. They are fresh and their minds are lighter
:04:51. > :04:55.than last year. I think, this year, they have more chances to proceed.
:04:56. > :05:01.They seem to be in good shape on the pitch. Can they win it this time
:05:02. > :05:02.will the legendary curse stop the Eagles soaring to victory once
:05:03. > :05:06.again? Finally, to the ultimate game
:05:07. > :05:08.of stuck in the mud. Thousands of people
:05:09. > :05:11.in France turned up to take on this obstacle course with a difference
:05:12. > :05:14.in the annual mud day challenge. The 13 km race in the capital,
:05:15. > :05:17.Paris, gets runners crawling, swinging and climbing through pools
:05:18. > :05:20.of mud and other challenges. But don't try this at home,
:05:21. > :05:24.just imagine the washing after! I'm back with more Newsround
:05:25. > :05:26.at 6:50am.