26/05/2017 Newsround

Morning, everyone.

I'm Whitney and this is Newsround.

So, the general election is just under two weeks away

and that's when millions of adults across the UK get to vote

for the person they want to be in charge of the government.

But what is the government?

What's an election and a party?

Well, here's Ricky to explain.

It's almost time for the general election!

It doesn't sound like the most exciting thing in the world

but it is a huge deal and over the next few weeks,

you're probably going to hear a lot of...

This election...

General election... General election...

A bit of this...

MPs... The Government...

And almost certainly a few...

The general election... Vote...

Government...

So, strap in and listen up and let me

try and explain what those words actually mean.

First up, the election.

Well, a general election usually happens every five years,

but not always.

It's when people get to decide who should form a

Government and run the country.

Next, the Prime Minister.

He or she is head of the Government here in the UK.

That person is responsible for most of the big decisions

that affect your lives.

They're in charge of the Government.

And it's usually formed by the party that wins the election.

Hey-hey!

No.

Not that kind of party.

You won't find cake and sausage rolls here.

In politics, a party is a group of people

who share the same ideas.

There are quite a few parties.

That takes us on to MPs or Members of Parliament.

In fact, there are 650 of them in total.

Their job is to look after the people in their constituency

and that's the area where people voted for them.

Those MPs also work in the Houses of Parliament which is where

new laws and ideas on the way the country should be run

get talked about.

On election day, if you're 18 or over, you'll get to vote.

That means you get to choose who you want

to be your MP, the person who speaks in Parliament

for the area where you live.

But this is nothing like voting for the X Factor

or Strictly Come Dancing.

There is no app, you can't use your mobile phone

and you only have one vote.

You mark an X on a piece of paper at a polling station

which is usually inside a school.

So that means, on the day of the general election,

loads of you get the day off!

So, there you have it.

MPs, Government, vote...

Simple!

Thanks, Ricky.

Next up and it's the oldest competition

in international sport, arguably one of the most

difficult trophies to win.

The Americas Cup is the most famous sailing event

in the world and guess what - it's back this weekend.

In its 166-year history, it's never been won by a British team

but Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie is looking to break

the curse and lead his team team to a first victory.

Take a look at this!

Those shots of the planet Jupiter have been sent back earth

by Nasa's spacecraft Juno.

The team of scientists who have been studying them say the pictures

have taken their breath away.

They've been amazed by the storms at the gas giant's poles.

And in some of the pictures, dozens of hurricanes -

each the size of Earth - can be seen clustered together.

Pretty amazing!

And it's the World Surfing Games right now in France

with surfers from more than 40 countries taking part.

That's a lot of people.

But how do you score in surfing?

Well, it's not about being the fastest to the finish line,

or the most goals scored.

So how do you win?

To win at surfing, you have to impress a panel of judges,

but what are they looking for?

Difficulty.

Surfers get rewarded for picking big, steep, challenging waves

and going for difficult moves.

Innovation.

Don't just copy everyone else.

Judges are impressed when competitors show moves

that are different and unique.

Combining major moves.

Doing one big move is impressive enough, but if you can go

smoothly from one to another, you get even more points.

Variety.

Competitors need to show that

they've got lots of different skills.

Speed, power and flow.

This is how fast you move in the water,

how much power is in your turns and how well you connect

your moves together.

Handy hint - if you can see lots of spray,

it's probably a powerful ride.

Master all of these and you might just become a champ.

That's all from me for now but Newsround's back right

here in about half an hour, and if you can't wait until then

go online to catch up with the strangest stories

of the week or why not try our news quiz?

Bye.

Tilly's cooking a slap-up meal for big bro Jack

in Matilda And The Ramsay Bunch next, and it's brand-new.

Lucky Jack! And today's Fave At 5 is The Secret Life Of Boys.

Hey, Karim, we're boys.

Yes, very observant.

And, and, we have a secret life.