Europe is supposed to come together on Saturday to be “United in Music”, as the slogan for Eurovision 2024 would have it. But a glance at the week’s headlines – from Britain’s Tory party tearing itself apart to allegations that Russia is jamming GPS in the Baltics – will tell you that this year the song contest has its work cut out.
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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. A British think tank this week suggested the government could reduce loneliness by offering subsidies for what?
Coach tripsPub crawlsStreet partiesWeddings
2. What type of ape became the first wild animal reported to have tended to a wound with a substance known to have medicinal properties?
GibbonChimpanzee OrangutanGorilla
3. Which institution this week announced that it was changing its name to be more inclusive?
Cheltenham Ladies’ CollegeThe YMCABoy Scouts of AmericaThe Women’s Institute
4. Which country this week halted all trade with Israel?
GermanyTurkeyIndia China
5. Which country reportedly hacked the UK’s Ministry of Defence and accessed details of armed forces personnel?
RussiaChinaIran North Korea
6. Which US state is poised to become the 13th to ban child marriage?
North DakotaNew HampshireAlabamaMaine
7. A new Ipsos poll found what percentage of Brits have a favourable impression of the royal family?
56%40%33%71%
8. What is the name of Panama’s newly elected president?
José Raúl MulinoLuis Manuel MulinoJuan Carlos MulinoAlejandro Jesús Mulino
9. Drake appeared to call an end to his two-week rap feud with fellow superstar Kendrick Lamar on Sunday with a track titled what?
“Not Like Us””Family Matters””The Heart Part 6″”Meet the Grahams”
10. US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr claimed that what caused him to have memory loss?
A brain-eating wormA comaAn alien abduction A drug experiment
(Image credit: The Week)
1. Weddings
Research by the Centre for Social Justice found that married couples were the least likely to report feeling lonely, but a majority of low-income people said they were priced out of getting hitched. The think tank suggested a government subsidy of up to £550 to cover the basic costs.
2. Orangutan
Rakus, a Sumatran orangutan, was observed chewing and applying juice from the akar kuning, or yellow root, plant to a wound on his face, then using the chewed leaves like a bandage. A month later the wound had completely healed.
3. Boy Scouts of America
The organisation will now be known as Scouting America, 114 years since it was founded. Britain’s equivalent, The Scout Association, dropped the ‘Boy’ from its name in 1967.
4. Turkey
Turkey has suspended all trade with Israel over the “worsening humanitarian tragedy” in Gaza. It will join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice until the Israeli government “allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza”.
5. China
The breach targeted a third-party payroll system containing personal data of about 270,000 military personnel, including regulars, reservists and veterans. China has denied any involvement.
6. New Hampshire
Governor Chris Sununu is considering whether to sign a bill passed by state representatives that would raise the minimum age for marriage to 18. Find out more about the growing movement to end child marriage in the US on the latest episode of The Week Unwrapped.
7. 56%
The same percentage told the Ipsos survey they had a positive impression of the King. However, he came only third in the royal popularity stakes behind the Prince and Princess of Wales, both of whom had a favourability rating of 69%.
8. José Raúl Mulino
José Raúl Mulino won Panama’s presidency as a last-minute stand-in for former President Ricardo Martinelli after he was convicted of money laundering and sentenced to five years in prison. Martinelli has been campaigning for Mulino from inside the Nicaraguan Embassy, where he was granted asylum.
9. “The Heart Part 6”
A play on Lamar’s series of “Heart” tracks, Drake’s latest salvo contained the line “I don’t wanna diss you anymore” – perhaps because rap tastemakers have conclusively judged Lamar the winner of the sometimes brutal war of words.
10. A brain-eating worm
In a newly reported divorce case deposition from 2012, independent presidential candidate Kennedy disclosed previously unreported health issues. He claimed his mental fogginess was the result of mercury poisoning and a parasitic “worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died”.