0:00:11 > 0:00:12Hey.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Whitney here with your top stories this Saturday afternoon.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17First up, today is Holocaust Memorial Day.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Events are being held around the world to remember
0:00:20 > 0:00:23the six million Jewish people and millions of other
0:00:23 > 0:00:26people who were killed by the Nazis in the lead up
0:00:26 > 0:00:28to and during World War II.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Most of the victims were killed because they belonged to certain
0:00:31 > 0:00:35racial or religious groups which the Nazis wanted to wipe out.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40Ricky has this report.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44When World War II broke out in 1939, Germany was run
0:00:44 > 0:00:46by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Hitler thought Jewish people were inferior,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51and planned ways to kill them.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52Anti-Jewish laws were passed.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Jewish shops had their windows smashed.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59And Jewish people were forced out of their homes.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01The Nazis rounded up millions of Jews, as well as disabled people,
0:01:01 > 0:01:05gay people, and other groups Hitler thought were inferior,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09and sent them to prisons called concentration camps.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Families were split up, forced to do hard physical work,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15and there was little food.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Millions of people were deliberately killed there.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20It is thought nearly seven out of every ten Jews
0:01:20 > 0:01:22from across Europe died.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Some children did manage to escape Nazi Germany.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Ruth was one of those who managed to escape.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Street by street, Jewish people were cleared.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32At any moment, it was probably our turn.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35We opened the door to a woman from the British Embassy
0:01:35 > 0:01:39who had braved the curfew.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42She brought the entry visas to Britain, train tickets
0:01:42 > 0:01:46to get through Germany, through Holland, and
0:01:46 > 0:01:48a ferry to Ramsgate.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Heinz also managed to escape the Holocaust.
0:01:52 > 0:01:53There was nowhere to go.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55No country wanted us.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Frank, my brother, was in Leeds.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00And he tried very hard to get me a training post.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04And he finally succeeded, and I came to Leeds.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07We managed to get visas for our parents, and they came -
0:02:07 > 0:02:11thank God, because four days later, war broke out.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Every year, people remember those who lost their
0:02:13 > 0:02:16lives in the Holocaust.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18It helps teach us about these terrible events, and makes sure
0:02:18 > 0:02:24they are not forgotten so that they can never happen again.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26And to find out more about the Holocaust and why events
0:02:26 > 0:02:30are held to remember what happened, you can head to our guide
0:02:30 > 0:02:30at Newsround online.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34And if you're upset by this story or by anything you hear in the news,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38there's loads of help and advice there too.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43Now, big news in the world of tennis, Caroline Wozniacki has
0:02:43 > 0:02:44just won the Australian Open!
0:02:44 > 0:02:48It took an epic match - two hours 50 minutes,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and three sets - to beat Romaninan Simona Halep.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Despite having been world number one in the past,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58this is the first Grand Slam trophy that Wozniacki has won.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Well done from Newsround.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04On to France now, where people in Paris are getting ready
0:03:04 > 0:03:06for flooding this morning, with water levels expected
0:03:06 > 0:03:09to peak over the weekend. Some of the wettest January weather
0:03:09 > 0:03:15in more than a 100 years made the River Seine rise to more
0:03:15 > 0:03:17than five metres above its normal level.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Hundreds of people have had to move out of their houses,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24and several roads, stations, tunnels and parks have been closed.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28The Louvre Museum has even shut down the displays on its lowest floors
0:03:28 > 0:03:32so they don't get too wet.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Next up, you will recognise many of these characters.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37They're from some of the most-loved children's books.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42But have you ever wondered who the person is behind these drawings?
0:03:42 > 0:03:48Well, his name is Axel Scheffler, and we've been to meet him.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Axel Scheffler is an illustrator who has delighted fans
0:03:51 > 0:03:55with his works for decades.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58He was born in Hamburg in Germany, and came to the UK
0:03:58 > 0:04:03to study art in 1982.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Axel spent much of his childhood drawing.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09This is some of his work when he was just eight years old.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Since then, he's illustrated over 100 books, many
0:04:12 > 0:04:16written by Julia Donaldson.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19These are just some of his most famous -
0:04:19 > 0:04:25like Stick Man, the Snail and the Whale, and Zog.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30But the most famous of all has to be the Gruffalo.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34So, how does Axel bring his ideas to life?
0:04:34 > 0:04:37When I get the text, I start doodling.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40I start trying to develop the character first.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Quite often I've got immediately an idea
0:04:42 > 0:04:43of what the character should look like.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46But sometimes, like with the Gruffalo, the editor said,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49"can you draw him a little bit less scary?"
0:04:49 > 0:04:51So sometimes I have to adapt it a little bit.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Usually I like the smaller rodent characters better than people.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57They're easiest for me to draw.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59And what's the best thing about being an illustrator?
0:04:59 > 0:05:03I see so many families who love them, and for whom the books
0:05:03 > 0:05:06are really important as a link between parents and children.
0:05:06 > 0:05:13But it's also of course a nice occupation to just draw.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17And finally, the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan
0:05:17 > 0:05:20is now only a year away, and big news...
0:05:20 > 0:05:24The mascots have just been revealed.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26I know what you're thinking - but no, they haven't given
0:05:26 > 0:05:28the Tellytubbies a make-over.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31This is Ren and Gee, and they're a pair of pot-bellied
0:05:31 > 0:05:34lions, which are mythical creatures in Japan.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37You might have noticed their faces have been shaped like rugby balls,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40and they've also got manes, which...
0:05:40 > 0:05:46Yeah, I have no idea why they're swinging them.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49But it's a good dance move, I'm loving it!
0:05:49 > 0:05:53That's all from me for now, but I'll be back right here in an hour.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56So, if you haven't already, grab some lunch and I'll see you soon.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59If you have, then why not head online and have a nose
0:05:59 > 0:06:00through the rest of today's stories.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01And why not try out our quiz of the day.