25/01/2012 Newsround

Hello! Newsround has arrived on BBC 1. We are staying put until you are

up-to-date with the day's top stories. Leah and Ricky here to

guide you through it all. Don't switch over, otherwise you miss

this. We find out why the popularity of

some pooches could mean curtains for British breeds. And find out

how you could be cooking for the Queen.

First, to the debate that is not going away, Scottish independence.

Today, the people who want Scotland to break away from the rest of the

UK have been outlining their plans for a big vote on the issue. Joe is

live for us at Holyrood, the Scottish Parliament, where it has

all been happening. He has the latest news for us. Bring us up to

date. Well, it has been quite a day here. A couple of hours ago, right

here in this very room, the most important politician in Scotland,

the First Minister Alex Salmond, outlined his plans to let people

here vote on whether they want Scotland to be independent. The

headlines are that he wants a simple vote on independence, so

people who live in Scotland will be able to say yes or no, rather than

have other options to increase Scotland's powers which had been

suggested. He has said the vote should be held in 2014 and that 16

and 17 year-olds who were normally too young to vote on political

decisions should also be allowed to have their say. Here is what he

said. Independence will give us the chance to design policies for

Scotland's needs. That means we can make Scotland the country we all

know it can be, a fairer nation. Now he received a big round of

applause at the end of his speech, so does that mean that most people

are in favour of Scottish independence? Well, not necessarily.

The UK prime minister David Cameron has already said he does not want

the United Kingdom to split up and also says the majority of Scottish

people don't want it either. don't think we have enough industry

to go it alone. It is a big step to take. Yes, I think we have the

power to do it ourselves. People want something better and they may

think independence will give them back but I have my doubts.

So, how big a deal would it be if Scotland could become independent?

A very big deal. Scotland has been part of the UK for more than 300

years, but aside from that, there are a lot of questions about how

things would be divided up. Scotland has access to a lot of oil

in the North Sea and they would want that all for themselves. But

the UK as a whole also has a lot of debt, so if Scotland were to leave,

it would need to take on a portion of that. There are other things

like Scotland needing its own army and no longer having the BBC/ but

at the moment, there are no suggestions that you would need a

passport to cross the border from England. The next step though is

for Alex Salmond to meet David Cameron to discuss the plans

further. Thanks, Joe and we will have more

from Scotland tomorrow. Now, picture the scene. December

2012 and the whole country is in the grip of royal fever. The

Queen's Diamond Jubilee is in full swing and there are parties on the

street, banners being waved and people cheering as Her Majesty get

ready for a splendid meal fit for royalty. A meal you could be

making! Yes, you could bag a trip to the Buckingham Palace to serve

up grub for the Queen. And that is just where I have been.

In the summer of this year, a select number of children will get

to come to the kitchens at Buckingham Palace, to see if their

winning menu can be created for the Queen. So I have come to find out

what she likes. To answer that important question, I got to meet

the Palace's head chef, Mark Flannaghan. What does the Queen

like to eat? I could not possibly go into the specifics. So, coming

up with a menu for Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, is going to be

tough. Tell us what would make a winning menu. I would hope to see a

lot of regional choice. I would encourage them to talk to their

grandparents to see what they like to eat and to use the vegetables

and fish from their local area. This is not the first time a dish

has been created for the Queen. To mark Her Majesty's coronation in

1953, this was invented, coronation chicken! What would you guys come

up with almost 60 years on? I would cook a big chocolate cake with

strawberries on the top. I would probably bake a Victoria sponge

that -- because of Queen Victoria but I might call it an Elizabeth

sponge! I might make some chicken tikka masala because everyone likes

it. The food has to be British and represent the region you live in.

They need to be easily produced in the form on these posh canapes. The

winners will get to cook right here and serve the Queen at a special

reception to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.

All day we have been asking you online what it you would cook for

Her Majesty. Meghan from Berkshire said she would cook macaroni and

cheese. If she doesn't like it, she can have bread! Jason from Derby

says, I would cook her noodles for starter, gammon and pineapple for

her main and spotted dick for pudding.

Now, when you think of extinct animals, your mind might turn to

dodos? Already gone! Or pandas? Always at risk. But what about

British dogs? Well, not all of them. A new study says some breeds are at

serious risk because people have turned their attention to more

exotic dogs. Flick through the pages of any

magazine these days and you'll see that certain breeds of dog have

become the must-have celebrity accessory. Thanks to Paris Hilton,

actress Katherine Heigl and film star Mickey Rourke, breeds like

chihuahuas and huskies are in demand like never before. But now

there is a warning that could have a devastating effect on some other

more traditional breeds of man's best friend. Dog experts, the

Kennel Club, said the obsession with celeb-like pooches has left

some types of dog on the verge of extinction. Old-fashioned breeds

are beginning to lose their popularity with the public because

so many new breeds are coming into the country. One of the worst

affected is the English setter. Demand for them has gone down by

two-thirds in the last ten years and last year, there were less than

300 setter pups registered in the whole of the UK. Not all breeds are

in trouble. The popularity of the official royal dog, the corgi, has

gone through the roof since the royal wedding last year, with sales

up 134 per cent! But after years as man's best friend, it seems some

other breeds of very sadly going out of fashion fast.

And finally, yesterday we told about the northern lights that were

visible from some parts of the UK. Now check out these new pictures of

what has been causing them. They show a solar storm heading towards

Earth. It can interfere with technology down here like

electrical power grids, communications systems and even

sat-navs. But don't worry, it will not do you any harm. That is your

lot, everyone. Thank you for stopping by. I will be back just