:00:08. > :00:11.Evening all. Ricky here with your top stories.
:00:12. > :00:15.First, to France, and residents and tourists in Paris would have noticed
:00:16. > :00:17.a lot less traffic on the roads today. That's because only cars with
:00:18. > :00:22.odd-numbered registrations have been allowed on the cities roads - all in
:00:23. > :00:25.a bid to reduce the amount of smog, the build up of factory and car
:00:26. > :00:29.emissions, in the city. But as Nel's been finding out, this isn't the
:00:30. > :00:32.first time a major city has had to come up with a way to battle against
:00:33. > :00:37.the smog. Paris looking at its best - the
:00:38. > :00:41.Eiffel Tower in all its glory. Paris on a bad day - smog hanging over the
:00:42. > :00:45.city. The smog in the French capital is mainly caused by fumes from cars
:00:46. > :00:49.and factories, and has been made worse by unexpected warm weather and
:00:50. > :00:53.cool nights in the city. Because smog can make it hard to breathe,
:00:54. > :00:59.people in Paris decided to ban half the cars on its roads until things
:01:00. > :01:02.improve. But it's not just in France where smog is a problem: Milan,
:01:03. > :01:06.Italy - cars have been banned from streets when air pollution reaches a
:01:07. > :01:11.certain level. Beijing, China - and some of the worst smog levels in the
:01:12. > :01:14.world. In the past, half the cars were banned and factories closed,
:01:15. > :01:18.but the smog hasn't gone away and dealing with it is back on the
:01:19. > :01:22.government's to do list. And Los Angeles, America - In the 1950's the
:01:23. > :01:30.smog was so bad that schools and factories were temporarily shut
:01:31. > :01:33.down. The ban on cars in Paris is set to continue until the smog
:01:34. > :01:36.clears, but, if it returns, drivers will need to get used to keeping
:01:37. > :01:39.their cars at home. A strong earthquake has been felt
:01:40. > :01:43.near Los Angeles in California today. The quake measured 4.4, and
:01:44. > :01:48.struck shortly before 6.30am in the morning, local time. Authorities say
:01:49. > :01:51.there have been no reports of damage or injuries, though. This local TV
:01:52. > :02:01.station captured the moment the quake struck.
:02:02. > :02:16.Wow! There's a big earthquake, right now. It's really strong. A strong
:02:17. > :02:19.jolt, and it's still going. NASA's Messenger spacecraft has
:02:20. > :02:22.discovered that Mercury has shrunk since it first formed.
:02:23. > :02:26.NASA say the planet has reduced in size by four and a half miles from
:02:27. > :02:29.its centre to the surface with one theory that Mercury may have formed
:02:30. > :02:33.further out in the solar system before drifting towards the sun.
:02:34. > :02:36.What do you get if you cross a giant swing with a bungee rope? This
:02:37. > :02:39.amazing ride, of course, and its creators say it's the most insane
:02:40. > :02:42.extreme rope-swing bungee ever! This swing was created by Mike Wilson and
:02:43. > :02:45.Andrew Kirkpatrick who travelled to South Africa to build it. Users
:02:46. > :02:49.plunge 600ft down, and riders experience a four second free-fall.
:02:50. > :02:51.I would love to have a go on that. Amazing!
:02:52. > :02:54.When you're online, later, don't forget to check out the Newsround
:02:55. > :02:58.website to see more pictures of these purrrrfect pets from a feline
:02:59. > :03:01.fair in South America. Leah's back in the morning.