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.
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1. The UK opened its first legal drugs consumption room in which city?
- Glasgow
- Manchester
- Belfast
- Bristol
2. Which app has soared in popularity in the US in light of a prospective ban on TikTok?
- KakaoTalk
- RedNote
- Neptune
- Fanbase
3. Who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, the United States’ highest civilian honour?
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Pope Francis
- Hillary Clinton
- Bill Gates
4. Republican representatives have introduced a bill with what name that would allow Donald Trump to purchase Greenland?
- “Make Greenland Great Again”
- “America First, Greenland Second”
- “Make Greenland the 51st State”
- “Greenland the Beautiful”
5. The huge Maha Kumbh Mela festival began in which country?
- India
- Bangladesh
- Thailand
- Indonesia
6. Which rare comet payed us a visit this week for the first time in 160,000 years?
- C/2024 G2
- C/2024 G3
- C/2024 G4
- C/2024 G5
7. Blue Origin reached orbit for the first time with a new rocket named after which Nasa astronaut?
- Jim Lovell
- Frank Borman
- John Glenn
- Gus Grissom
8. What is the name of the wild boar at the heart of a much-publicised legal dispute in France?
- Rillette
- Charlotte
- Bonbon
- Cherie
9. Which oil giant announced plans to cut 4,700 jobs?
- BP
- ExxonMobil
- Chevron
- Shell
10. In which South Korean city did more than 3,000 police officers conduct a pre-dawn raid, leading to the detention of President Yoon Suk Yeol?
- Busan
- Seoul
- Incheon
- Daegu
1. Glasgow
The centre, to be known as The Thistle, will offer addicts a space to take drugs in a clean and safe environment with nurse supervision, with the long-term goal of supporting recovery. Its opening represents victory in the city council’s decade-long legal battle to depart from Westminster’s hardline drugs policy.
2. RedNote
One of the fastest-growing social platforms in China, Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, has experienced a significant surge in downloads as American users prepare for TikTok’s shutdown on 19 January. Similar to Instagram, the app allows users to upload photos and videos.
3. Pope Francis
Joe Biden had been scheduled to bestow the honour on the Pope in person, but presented it over the phone instead after calling off his Rome trip due to the California wildfires. Fewer than 10% of recipients fall into the highest “with Distinction” category – and that handful includes Biden himself, who received the honour in 2017 from outgoing president Barack Obama.
4. Make Greenland Great Again
House Republicans unveiled a bill allowing President-elect Donald Trump to negotiate the purchase of Greenland, despite Denmark and Greenland repeatedly stating the territory is not for sale.
5. India
Up to 450 million Hindu pilgrims are expected to visit the city of Prayagraj, at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, to take part in purification rites. The Kumbh Mela takes place every 12 years, but the Maha or “grand” Kumbh Mela occurs only every 144 years.
6. C/2024 G3
The Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) may be visible to the naked eye. Its peak brightness occurred on 13 January, when it was closest to the Sun. It will stay in the evening sky until around 20 January, after which it will dip below the horizon and offer better viewing opportunities for those in the southern hemisphere.
7. John Glenn
“New Glenn”, the latest spacecraft developed by Jeff Bezos’ SpaceX rival, became the first Blue Origin rocket to reach Earth’s orbit following a successful launch in Florida. The rocket is more than five times taller than the company’s existing New Shepard rocket, which has taken passengers into space but has never been sent into orbit.
8. Rillette
Authorities threatened to remove and potentially euthanise Rillette, the wild boar adopted by French horse breeder Elodie Cappe. The case ignited protests and a court ruled in Cappe’s favour, allowing Rillette to stay with her and ordering the state to pay €1,500 in damages.
9. BP
The UK-based oil firm will cut around 5% of its 90,000 global workforce this year, in addition to around 3,000 external contractors. The job losses, understood to affect office-based staff, are part of cost-saving measures designed to reduce spending by $2 billion (£1.6 billion) by the end of 2026.
10. Seoul
The Impeached South Korean president was detained for questioning following a staged police raid on the barricaded presidential compound in Seoul. Yoon Suk Yeol had been holed up in the residence since his impeachment last month after his brief attempt to impose martial law.