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Many landmarks and historical buildings in Mosul, northern Iraq, are reopening following a major international rebuilding project. Between 2014 and 2017, much of the city was destroyed by war. What happened to Mosul? In 2014, Islamic State (IS), an extremist and violent group based in the Middle East, took control of Mosul. The city, the second-largest in Iraq, was part of a wider area taken over by IS that included parts of Iraq and Syria. While it occupied Mosul, IS destroyed many landmarks, including mosques, churches and shrines, because it considered them to be symbols of idolatry. Idolatry is worshipping an image or statue as if it’s a god. Then an army made up of Iraqi troops, fighters from the Kurdish region of Iraq and US soldiers, among others, drove…

Thousands of artists have asked for an auction of art made using artificial intelligence (AI) to be cancelled. An auction is a public sale in which items are sold to the person who offers the most money. The Augmented Intelligence auction is due to take place between 20 February and 5 March and will feature digital art, sketches, sculptures and paintings that have been made using AI. AI is a computer system that can be taught to do things that usually require human intelligence. The online auction is being held by Christie’s auction house (a company that allows people to buy and sell art) in New York, US, and features works with prices that range from around £8,000 to £200,000. In a letter to Christie’s, which has been signed by…

15 February 1989 Last Soviet troops leave Afghanistan It is 36 years since the end of the Soviet-Afghan war. In 1979, the Soviet Union (a country made up of Russia and some of its neighbours) supported the new Afghan government, but many Afghans didn’t. Led by the mujahideen – who were Muslim and disliked the government’s lack of religious faith – people rose up. In response, the Soviet Union invaded. Pakistan and the US supported the mujahideen and finally, in 1989, the last Soviet soldiers left.…

In the run-up to 14 February, shop displays overflow with Valentine’s Day goodies, from romantic cards and gifts to giant teddy bears and extravagant flower arrangements. In fact, an estimated 250 million flowers are sold on Valentine’s Day worldwide. Although companies make lots of money from Valentine’s Day, a lot less is known about the origins of the day. It’s not entirely clear who Saint Valentine was. One legend suggests he was a priest from Rome, Italy, in the third century AD. He is said to have written “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter after he restored her sight. Traditionally, Valentine’s Day celebrates romantic love but some people say it unfairly excludes people who aren’t in love. So, what do you think? Is it time to ditch Valentine’s Day?…

Salamanders don’t have wings but they can glide over treetops. The creatures are very skilled at grabbing onto, and letting go of, branches as they move. Researchers from Washington State University in the US have discovered that the secret to the animals’ super grip lies in the blood in their toes. The team was studying the behaviour of wandering salamanders and noticed that when they wanted to take a step forward, blood rushed to fill the ends of their toes. Once the salamanders put their foot down on a surface, the blood in the toes flowed back out. The blood movement changed the stiffness of their toes, which the scientists think affects their grip. Christian Brown, who led the study, said that the research could be useful for developing robotic…

A patient in Sunderland, England, said he felt “cured” after an operation to reduce the symptoms (effects) of his Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is a condition that damages parts of the brain and the nervous system (the network of nerves that sends messages between the brain and body). Parkinson’s affects around 153,000 people in the UK. There are more than 40 symptoms but the condition affects people differently. Common symptoms include tremors (shaking), stiffness in the muscles and slowness of movement. These worsen over time and there is no cure, but treatments have been developed to make people’s lives easier. In 2022, Kevin Hill received deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment, where a tiny computer was inserted into his chest. This computer generates electrical pulses that travel through fine wires up to…

YOUR PHOTOS Email photos you have taken to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If your photo is printed in the magazine you’ll receive a Roving Reporter badge. Photos could be of buildings, pets, nature or anything you find interesting.…

Have you heard the saying “Tidy space, tidy mind”? The new year is a great time to clear out all the things you don’t need any more. As well as freeing up space, it clears your mind and boosts your wellbeing. How does mess happen? Maybe you’ve been given new clothes, toys or books for Christmas and haven’t yet found a place to store them in your room. Cold, wintry weather means spending more time indoors playing games, drawing and taking things out to use or play with. Before you realise it, your bedroom gets messy and there’s not enough space to tidy everything away. The benefits of tidying up Having a big clear-out of things you don’t want or use any more feels good. Dr Diane Roberts Stoler is…

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced that it is adapting The BFG by Roald Dahl into a stage play. The RSC is the theatre company behind Matilda the Musical. The BFG is about an orphan called Sophie who makes friends with a giant. Although most giants like to eat children, the Big Friendly Giant (BFG) is different. Instead, he likes to catch dreams and eat snozzcumbers (a type of vegetable). The two of them decide to work together to save children from being eaten by giants. Daniel Evans, who will direct The BFG, told BBC News that he thinks the show will appeal to adults and children. He added, “The story shows that if you believe hard enough, your dreams can come true.” The BFG will be performed at…

by Erica Gomez (Knights Of) Siddy and Zadie are two normal children – just a couple of best friends who love the idea of solving mysteries, like in their favourite detective podcast. Then, one night, they follow a mysterious trail of fireflies that leads them somewhere incredible – the School for Fireflies. Although it seems like an ordinary school, the friends are about to be enrolled to learn magical skills. Far from being normal, they are “fireflies”, plunged into a strange new world of potions, powers and family secrets. The pair must use all their detective skills to solve an old mystery, by tracking down a lost diary and learning the truth about why Siddy’s dad disappeared several years before. Set in the modern world, this new spin on the…

Growing up, author Jenny McLachlan and her brother and sisters loved playing imaginary games, building dens and inventing epic fantasy adventures. Some went on for hours, such as climbing snowy mountains and crawling through a folding camp bed that they said was home to a mysterious creature. “The games seemed real,” McLachlan tells The Week Junior. “I can remember thinking my imaginary world was much more fun than the real world.” McLachlan realised that through her writing she could bring those games to life. “The thing about books is they make your dreams come true,” she says. “You get to fly dragons and fall off dragons and nearly get eaten by sharks!” The author adds, “It’s the closest there is to magic in the real world.” Her latest book, Dragon…

Hello, my name’s Olaf Falafel; I’m an author, illustrator, dad and stand-up comedian. I also have an online Art Club offering drawing tips, information about artists and jokes, like this: Have you heard of the film, Constipated? It hasn’t come out yet.* The BAFTA film awards take place on 16 February in London and, for that reason, I want to talk about Saul Bass. He designed posters and opening credits for films, using simple shapes and bold colours. He worked on films including West Side Story and Vertigo. This is my Bass-style poster for a made-up film called Constipated, but to make it seem classy I’ve made it French – Constipé! You can copy this or create your own design. Sketch out some ideas on paper. What you need •…

One of the best things about working at The Week Junior is all the facts we discover. As we work on each story the writers, fact checkers and editors research it and in the process unearth all sorts of interesting things. We try to fit them all in to the articles but sometimes there just isn’t space – or they’re not essential to the story. This week, for example, while reading about Concorde on page 14, I found out that Britain’s first female pilot to captain a jet airliner was Yvonne Pope Sintes. She started out as a stewardess (cabin crew) but learned to fly planes in the 1950s. Did you enjoy our story about the fossilised sick on page 27? I thought 66 million years was pretty old but…

“With cuts from my old The Week Junior magazines, I created a vision board for the year 2025, with the goals that I want to achieve and my wishes.”Barbora “Folding pages of past editions of The Week Junior, me and my brother Alberto worked together on this skirt.”Ona “We really enjoy reading but it’s hard to choose at the library which book to pick!”Hamza and Ibraheem…

1 What is the name of the former Foreign Office cat who has moved to Bermuda? ☐ a) Larry ☐ b) Palmerston ☐ c) Boris 2 True or false? Welsh Language Music Day marked its fifth anniversary this February. ☐ True ☐ False 3 Which new animated film has broken records in China? 4 How many flowers are sold on Valentine’s Day worldwide? ☐ a) 250,000 ☐ b) 25 million ☐ c) 250 million 5 True or false? The longest period of time that one person has danced nonstop is 27 hours. ☐ True ☐ False 6 How many countries are home to wild tigers? 7 The largest hailstone ever reported fell in which country? ☐ a) The US ☐ b) China ☐ c) Poland 8 True or false? Going…

WILD BIRDS IN ESSEX Prisoners at a jail in Chelmsford, England, have been making wooden bird boxes to boost local bird numbers. The boxes are made during workshops at the prison and then sold at visitor centres and cafés in nearby country parks. Mark Durham, of Essex County Council, called the scheme “vital” because it boosts prisoners’ skills and confidence while supporting local wildlife. A NEW PLAY A stage version of Spirited Away has won Best New Play at the WhatsOnStage Awards. The award is voted for by theatre-goers and was presented on 9 February. WhatsOnStage’s chief critic, Sarah Crompton, who reviewed the show in May 2024 when it appeared at the London Coliseum theatre, said it was “captivating”. GETTING THE PURR-FECT JOB On 4 February, Palmerston the cat, who…

The UK Government has given £17 million to the Northern Ireland Assembly (also known as Stormont) to repair damage caused by Storm Éowyn. The money will be spent on repairing roads and public buildings such as schools and hospitals. The Met Office, the agency that monitors the UK’s weather, said it was the strongest storm in the past 10 years. It left around 285,000 homes and businesses without electricity.…

When Kévin Coquelard was first told about Birdboy, he said, “This show is going to be bonkers. I’d better stick with it.” Since 2019, he’s danced all over the world in the 40-minute play – a solo dance show about a lonely boy. Coquelard started dancing when he was nine after a friend told him he was going to a class after school. He said, “I didn’t know it was possible (that boys could dance). I went home and told my mother I wanted to go.” From then on, Coquelard said he felt happy on stage. When he was older, he studied at a performing arts school in France – the Conservatoire de Paris – for five years. Coquelard believes dance has helped him express himself and deal with trapped…

A new study has found that India has doubled its tiger population in about 12 years. It is now home to the world’s largest population of these big cats. There are several types of tiger (see panel) but the type in India is the Bengal tiger. Tigers are endangered because they face many threats. One of these is poaching, the illegal hunting of animals. Big cats have lost their habitats over time because land has been developed for humans to live on or farm. This has led to conflict as people living near tigers have killed them to protect themselves and their farm animals from attack. In recent years, wildlife conservationists have tried to boost tiger numbers by protecting them from poaching and habitat loss. They also make sure the…

A humpback whale recently became caught in some rope in the waters around the Isle of Skye, off the coast of Scotland. Rescuers used special knives attached to poles to safely cut the rope and free the animal. • LIFESPAN: Up to 90 years. • HABITAT: They are found in every ocean in the world. • SIZE: Up to 36 tonnes. • DIET: Krill (small creatures that look a bit like prawns and shrimp) and small fish. • FUN FACT: Humpbacks can travel as far as 5,000 miles in their yearly migration to breed.…

For the first time since 2003, a civilian (nonmilitary) aeroplane has gone supersonic. This means it travelled faster than the speed of sound. The XB-1 jet managed the feat above the Mojave Desert in California, US, during its 12th test flight. The speed of sound is the speed at which sound waves travel through a substance. When sound travels through air, its speed changes depending on its altitude. Altitude is how high something is above sea level. In normal conditions at sea level, the speed of sound is about 761 miles per hour but higher up it travels a bit more slowly. Flown by pilot Tristan Brandenburg, the XB-1 reached an altitude of 10,700 metres, before accelerating to 750 miles per hour. This was about 12% faster than the speed…

Cyclist Zoe Roche says she “couldn’t have asked for a better start to 2025”. The 16-year-old has already enjoyed great success this year, competing in cyclo-cross competitions and shown how skilled she is in the saddle. Cyclo-cross is a tough but fun sport where riders race laps around an off-road circuit such as a park or field. They ride up and down hills, through twists and turns and sometimes over low obstacles or steps. At times they may decide to get off their bike and run through the mud while pushing their bike or carrying it on their shoulder. Races usually take place in autumn and winter when the ground conditions and weather make it even tougher. Roche won gold with Great Britain’s relay team at the recent 2025 Cyclo-cross…

From the late 8th century, many people from Scandinavia (part of northern Europe) sailed on longboats to lands such as Britain and Ireland. They fought for control of towns, which earned them the name Vikings. This is thought to come from a word in the Old Norse language meaning pirate or raider. Not all Vikings were warriors, though. Some just wanted to settle peacefully in their new homes and farm the land. One of the places where the Vikings settled was York, in northern England. The Vikings called it Jorvik and they ruled the city for about 100 years. Today, York is home to the Jorvik Viking Centre, which gives visitors an idea of what Viking life was like more than 1,000 years ago. Every year, it holds the Jorvik…

DC League of Super-Pets New on Netflix When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are captured, Krypto the Superdog must find a way to rescue them. He forms a team of shelter pets with superpowers, including a squirrel, a pig and a turtle. Pokémon Horizons: The Search for Laqua Available now on BBC iPlayer Liko and Roy are travelling the world on a quest to find the remaining Six Hero Pokémon and a legendary land called Laqua. To succeed, they need to take on a new challenge: Tera Training at Naranja Academy.…

What inspired you to create this story? I bought a lightbulb desk lamp with fairy lights inside that look like fireflies to me. I remember staring at it one day when it was raining and got struck with the idea. Tell us about your favourite library. The University of Liverpool’s library. I liked studying there but I loved daydreaming with five cups of tea about writing books and one day becoming an author. What would be your favourite magical subject? Elixirs! All day, every day. Zadie’s elixir lessons were inspired by my love of making home remedies. My mum calls me an apothecary (potion maker). Magic or not, I think it should be a real school subject. What’s your favourite thing about Siddy and Zadie’s friendship? They accept each other…

“I am very fond of your nerves – they are old friends of mine.” Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of the most famous romantic novels of all time. It tells the story of the Bennet sisters, whose mother is hoping to find husbands for. When Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr Darcy at a ball, she doesn’t like him and finds him arrogant. But slowly, Elizabeth realises that there’s more to Mr Darcy than she initially thought. This edition, a retelling by Katherine Woodfine, is suitable for young people.…

Word fill in All these words fit in the grid. Can you work out where each word goes to complete it? 3 Letters Cub Kid 4 Letters Baby Calf Fawn 5 Letters Chick Owlet Puppy Whelp 6 Letters Eaglet Piglet 7 Letters Leveret Tadpole 8 Letters Duckling Juvenile Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. BEDBUG BEETLE BUTTERFLY COCKROACH CRICKET DRAGONFLY EARWIG FIREFLY FLEA GNAT GRUB HORNET LADYBIRD LOCUST MANTIS MIDGE MOSQUITO MOTH SCARAB WASP Number tower Place a number in every circle to complete the tower. The value in each circle is the sum of the numbers in the two circles directly beneath it. Spot the difference These two pictures appear to be…

Name: Noah and Sam “In the Christmas holidays we climbed to the top of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, the highest point in Cornwall. It is 420 metres above sea level. On our trip we also climbed Rough Tor, which is 400 metres. The moors are not inhabited because the ground is marshy and wet a lot of the time and because of that you can see for miles and miles (pictured). It was a great feeling when we got to the top after the hours of climbing. Noah placed his stone on the cairn (a cairn is a pile of rocks at a significant place) at the top, making it the highest stone in Cornwall. We would recommend a trip to Bodmin Moor, though be prepared for some mud!”…

Teacher’s name: Miss Parfrey School: Gotherington Primary School, Cheltenham, England “Miss Parfrey is the best. I love her style. She’s fun, nice and caring. She makes everyone feel included. If she wasn’t my teacher, well I don’t know what would happen. When it’s the school holidays I still want to go to school just so I can see Miss Parfrey, she is the best. She gives us stickers for always being the best you can be (getting secret student). If anyone’s sad, she’s there. If anyone’s hurt, she’s there. She is the best Year 5 teacher EVER!” Bella If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll send your school three free issues of The Week Junior. Send your nominations, along with a picture of your teacher and your…

On 8 February, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (also known as the Baltic states) disconnected from Russia’s electricity network. This means they no longer have to rely on Russia for their energy. Instead, the countries have connected to the European Union’s electricity grid. The European Union (EU) is a group of countries that work and trade together. The Baltic states, which all share borders with Russia, used to be part of the Soviet Union. This was a huge country that included Russia and many of its neighbours. During the time of the Soviet Union, the states were connected to a power grid with electricity supplied by Russia. Although the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, the Baltic states stayed connected to the network. They stopped buying electricity from Russia after it…

On 7 February, the UK Government announced that Grenfell Tower is going to be taken down. Grenfell Tower was a block of flats in London, where there was a fire in 2017 and many people died. What happened at Grenfell? On 14 June 2017, a fire broke out at Grenfell Tower and spread very quickly. It was made worse by a material called cladding on the outside of the building, which caught fire easily. 72 people died. The remains of the tower are now wrapped to protect it from the weather and cover it from view. In 2024, a report into the tragedy was published after a six-year investigation called the Grenfell Inquiry. It said that the deaths were “avoidable” and found that companies who made the cladding had hidden…

Czech Republic Beavers step in to build dam Beavers in the Brdy Protected Landscape have helped the local authorities by building a dam (barrier made to hold back water). Officials planned to build a dam to drain water away from the Vltava River and create a reservoir (a controlled lake where water is stored). The beavers built one – and it saved authorities nearly £1 million. Santorini, Greece Island experiences earthquakes Schools on the Greek island of Santorini have been closed after a series of earthquakes in the area. Since 1 February, there have been more than 800 tremors. No one has been injured and there is no serious damage but authorities are worried about the risk of a larger earthquake. Around 11,000 local people and tourists have left the…

At this time of year, stormy weather creates rough seas that can throw things ashore, including sea urchins. When alive, these creatures are covered in spines but these drop off when the animals die, leaving raised bumps on a delicate skeleton called a “test”. The round, shell-like structures are made mainly of calcium (the same mineral in teeth and bones). There are three common species in the UK. The edible (common) sea urchin is up to 15cm wide and is a pink-purple colour. Its test has bands of colour, giving it a star-like pattern. The green sea urchin is small and has spines with purple tips. The sea potato looks brown and has backwards-facing, furry looking spikes that leave a heart-shaped dotted white test.…

Meteorologists are scientists who study weather. Teams of them are constantly observing changes in the Earth’s atmosphere to create weather forecasts and predict storms. Experts say that there are about 16 million thunderstorms on Earth every year and at any moment, about 2,000 are happening in different places across the planet. What is a storm? The word storm is used to describe lots of extreme weather conditions. These can include strong winds, heavy rain, hail or snow, and thunder and lightning. The strong winds that often come with storms are caused by cooled air sinking quickly towards the ground. Tropical cyclones are huge systems of fastspinning air, often hundreds of miles wide. They form over oceans but can sweep over land. The tropical cyclones that form over the north Atlantic…

Scientists from Wales, London and Chile are designing a material that could be used to build “self-healing” roads. Roads are covered with asphalt, which is a mixture of small stones or sand and a sticky black substance called bitumen. Cracks gradually form inasphalt as the bitumen hardens. Scientists have now created an asphalt mixture that contains very small plant materials and recycled oils. The oils are released when the asphalt starts to crack, so the asphalt can “heal” its own cracks as they appear. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth shocked Liverpool, winning 1-0 in the men’s FA Cup. Plymouth play in the second level of English football and Liverpool are in the top level. Philadelphia Eagles The Eagles won the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans. England netball team On 9 February, England won the Netball Nations Cup for the first time. They beat South Africa 61-55 in the final at the Copper Box Arena in London. Georgia Bell The British athlete finished first in the mile race at the Millrose Games, an indoor athletics event that takes place in New York, US.…

Terrible True Tales: The Stone Age by Terry Deary. Illustrated by Tambe (Bloomsbury Education) Horrible Histories author Terry Deary takes us on a journey back to the Stone Age in this collection of four funny stories, all based on real history. From floods and storms to mega monsters, it’s a fun way to imagine what life might have been like in prehistoric times. The Wild Life of Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Animals by Mike Barfield. Illustrated by Paula Bossio (Michael O’Mara Books) Explore the prehistoric animal kingdom with this entertaining comic-style book. Beginning with the earliest life forms living in the ocean, you’ll also meet dinosaurs, mammals such as the woolly mammoth, and some strange creatures you’ve probably never heard of. 24 Hours in the Stone Age by Lan Cook.…

Name: Orry Jolly Foul Play by Robin Stevens “Murder, boarding-school and secrets. This book has twists and plot catches that can make you happy or mad! There is friendship and a ton of emotions!” YOUR TURN Please email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If it is printed in the magazine you will receive a Roving Reporter badge. Describe your chosen book in three words, tell us what you liked about it and why you would recommend it to others. Don’t forget to include your name and address.* *If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize. Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be found at www.futureplc.com/privacy-policy…

When you’re 12 years old, many of you will be getting to grips with secondary school. For Frank Scott, it was a very different situation. When he was 12, in 1823, Frank was sent to work as an apprentice (when you learn a job while you’re doing it) at the Quarry Bank cotton mill in Cheshire, England. He wasn’t paid and he had to stay there until he was 21. Frank’s real life story is told in a new mobile app called HistoryScapes, which has been created by the National Trust charity to help people learn about three of its properties in England. The app, which works on Android and Apple phones and tablets, leads visitors on a trail around the properties, with the voices of people who lived there…

Spooktacular maps of the UK An artist has created illustrated maps to highlight “haunted hotspots” across Yorkshire and the Peak District, in England. Sian Ellis told the BBC that one of the more unusual places to feature on her map is the Starbucks at Carbrook Hall in Sheffield. Ellis said there are stories about people hearing babies crying, and coffee bags throwing themselves around inside the coffee shop. Parts of the building date back to the 1600s. Ellis, who is fascinated by “all things spooky” describes her maps as a guide for tourists who are “interested in the strange and unusual”. People who buy one of the maps also get a zine (booklet) that explains more about the haunted places. Fossilised fish vomit discovered A fossil hunter in Denmark has…

Creative Awards 2025 Animals, like humans, need oxygen, food, water and rest to survive. Many animals have emotions too. In other words, humans and animals have lots of things in common – which is why We Are All Animals is the theme of the Creative Awards 2025. These awards are organised by the charity Humanimal Trust. To enter, you need to create a piece of art, take a photograph, make a video or write something that celebrates the wonderful connections between humans and animals. You must be at least seven years old to enter and you have until 30 April. The entries will be judged by a panel that includes Professor Noel Fitzpatrick from TV’s The Supervet and you can out more at tinyurl.com/TWJ-creative GET INVOLVED Email your news, views…

We love hearing from you! It’s easy – just write a comment when you vote in our online Big Debate poll, or even record a voice note for The Week Junior Show. Last week we asked if children should be allowed to use AI… “No, children might use it to cheat on tests and essays.” “Yes, so if children are on their own they have someone to play with.”  “It is not currently safe for children to use but could probably be safe in the future.” “Yes, to learn how to control AI is important.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…