It’s been a turbulent week as global powers push for a 21-day ceasefire to prevent a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the UK is looking to Texas for solutions to its overcrowded prisons. Labour ministers plan to study how the US state reduced its inmate population through a points scheme that cuts sentences for good behaviour and rehabilitative programmes.
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And now, find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.
1. Keir Starmer had an embarrassing moment at the Labour Party’s annual conference involving what food item?
SausagesBaconEggsMushrooms
2. Prosecutors used a law targeting what terror group to convict a man who took part in a siege of Joe Biden’s campaign bus?
Ku Klux KlanAl QaedaIslamic StateWeather Underground
3. Boxer Anthony Joshua faced calls to retire after a shock defeat at the hands of which rival heavyweight?
Tyson FuryAndy Ruiz Jr.Daniel DuboisOleksandr Usyk
4. Microsoft is turning to which energy source to support its artificial intelligence operations?
Solar powerWind powerNuclear powerHydroelectric power
5. Self-proclaimed Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been sworn in as president of which country?
NepalSri LankaBhutanBangladesh
6. X has reportedly asked Brazil’s top court to lift the block on the platform after agreeing to do what?
Block websitesMake a public apologyBan usersNothing
7. The UK is increasingly unprepared to face what phenomenon, according to leaked government data?
FloodingRight-wing extremismHeatwavesInfectious pandemics
8. How many members of Peru’s Sodalitium Christianae Vitae movement were expelled by Pope Francis?
46810
9. “Normal People” author Sally Rooney has released a new novel with what chess-inspired title?
“Endgame””Intermezzo””Stalemate””Gambit”
10. Coca-Cola is discontinuing which new flavour after only six months on the shelves?
OreoSpicedRaspberryHappy Tears
(Image credit: The Week)
1. Sausages
The PM had an awkward slip of the tongue while speaking to conference delegates about the situation in Gaza, calling for the “return of the sausages” rather than the “hostages”.
2. Ku Klux Klan
Eliazar Cisneros was one of six Donald Trump supporters involved in boxing in a Biden campaign bus in 2020 in what was judged to be an act of political intimidation under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. Cisneros was ordered to pay $10,000 in compensatory damages and $30,000 in punitive damages.
3. Daniel Dubois
Joshua lost his IBF world heavyweight title to underdog and fellow Briton Dubois in a one-sided bout at Wembley Stadium. Joshua has shrugged off retirement speculation, insisting he will continue to fight and believes he can regain the title for a third time.
4. Nuclear power
Microsoft has struck an exclusive deal to source power from the dormant Three Mile Island nuclear plant to meet the high energy demands of its artificial intelligence operations. The tech company plans to restart the plant by 2028.
5. Sri Lanka
Dissanayake was sworn in on Monday after winning a three-way race that pitted him against former president Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. The leftist positioned himself as an outsider who has promised to fight corruption and raise the standard of living following Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic collapse.
6. Block websites
Elon Musk’s social media platform has agreed to block sites identified by Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes as spreading misinformation and undermining democracy, reappoint a representative in Brazil and pay accrued fines.
7. Flooding
According to internal data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency, only 92.6% of England’s flood defences are deemed fit for purpose – well below the 98% target. The data was leaked to The Observer ahead of what is forecast to be a wetter than usual autumn.
8. 10
Pope Francis expelled 10 members of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, including a bishop and several priests, for their involvement in “sadistic” abuses of power. The Vatican cited a range of offences, saying the expelled individuals were guilty of various forms of physical, mental and spiritual abuse.
9. “Intermezzo”
Rooney’s new novel centres on the lives and relationships of brothers Peter and Ivan, the latter of whom is a chess prodigy. Reviews have been positive so far, with The Independent’s Jo Hamya saying it shows Rooney at the “full potential of her prowess”.
10. Spiced
The company is discontinuing its latest flavour, Coca-Cola Spiced, just six months after its launch due to poor sales. Marketed as a new option for younger consumers, the flavour was confusingly non-spicy, but rather a mix of classic Coke and raspberry.