Quiz of The Week: 24 - 30 June

The government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda hit another legal obstacle this week, as the Court of Appeal ruled that the deportation scheme was unlawful.

The court concluded that the African nation could not be considered a “safe third country”, overturning a previous High Court ruling.

Confirmed that the government would appeal the latest decision in the Supreme Court, Rishi Sunak said he would do “whatever is necessary” to get the controversial plan over the line. The UK has already spent £120 million on the scheme, which is central to one of Sunak’s “five key pledges”: to “stop the boats” and combat surging migration to the UK.

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Immigration is also a hot topic in other countries across Europe, where right-wing parties have made a series of recent gains. In Germany, far-right group Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has won a council election for the first time in its 10-year history, in what public broadcaster ARD called a “watershed moment”.

In Greece, main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras resigned as leader of the left-wing Syriza party on Thursday, after being trounced by the centre-right New Democracy party in an “earthquake” election last month. Spain’s ruling left coalition has also suffered a series of defeats in recent local and regional elections, potentially heralding triumph for the far-right Vox party in next month’s snap election.

With populist nationalists seemingly poised to take power across the continent, pundits are asking whether Europe’s radical left is in permanent decline.

To find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest developments in the news and other global events, put your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

1. Which racquet sport has been blamed for driving a surge in health insurance claims in the US?

• Tennis
• Badminton
• Pickleball
• Squash

2. In which nation did every citizen officially become one or two years younger this week?

• South Korea
• Japan
• China
• Thailand

3. Which iconic 1990s children’s toy is set to be relaunched?

• Beyblade
• Tickle Me Elmo
• Poo-Chi
• Furby

4. New research suggests that ancient megalodon sharks were what?

• Warm-blooded
• Vegetarian
• Blind
• Highly intelligent

5. Russia reassured which West African country that Wagner fighters would continue operating there?

• Mali
• Ghana
• Nigeria
• Mauritania

6. The world’s last gaslit cinema is reopening in which city?

• Lincoln
• Liverpool
• Leicester
• Leeds

7. Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) claimed its first ever victory in a district election where?

• Stade, in Lower Saxony
• Sonneberg, in Thuringia
• Siegen-Wittgenstein, in North Rhine-Westphalia
• Sigmaringen, in Baden-Württemberg

8. Racism, sexism, elitism and classism is prevalent at every level in which English sport, according to a new independent report?

• Rugby union
• Cricket
• Tennis
• Football

9. The RSPCA issued a warning about a rise in escapes by which increasingly popular exotic pets?

• Lizards
• Sugar gliders
• Tarantulas
• Snakes

10. Latest data shows that which country lost the most tropical rainforest in 2022?

• The Democratic Republic of Congo
• Malaysia
• Brazil
• Colombia

1. Pickleball

According to investment bank UBS, an analysis of US health insurance claims found that up to $500 million of medical costs were “directly attributable” to the sport, a cross between tennis, badminton and table tennis that is especially popular with pensioners, For more odd and unexpected news, sign up to the Tall Tales newsletter.

2. South Korea

On Wednesday, the East Asian country enacted a new law scrapping a centuries-old system that deemed children to be one year old at birth, with a year added every 1 January – meaning a baby born on 31 December would turn two the next day. A separate system, under which babies were zero at birth but turned one on 1 January, has also been abolished.

3. Furby

Maker Hasbro is relaunching the robotic fluffy toy for the 25th anniversary of its original release, but with one important design change – the new model has an off switch. The original Furbys could not be shut down and were prone to “wake up” and start chatting in the night.

4. Warm-blooded

The giant sharks were much warmer blooded than other similar species, according to new analysis of teeth fossils. The findings may provide clues about what caused the megalodon to go extinct more than three millions years ago.

5. Mali

Moscow sought to reassure Mali’s ruling military junta that Wagner forces would continue to fight Islamist insurgents in the war-torn African country, amid fears about the wider fallout of the mercenary group’s failed uprising in Russia. The revolt occurred weeks after Mali called on UN peacekeepers to leave “without delay”, denouncing the decade-long mission’s “failure” to respond to security challenges.

6. Leeds

The Yorkshire city’s Hyde Park Picture House reopened on Friday 30 June after a £4.8 million restoration. The cinema first opened its doors in 1914, with gas lights installed to deter “inappropriate behaviour” by patrons.

7. Sonneberg, in Thuringia

AfD candidate Robert Sesselmann claimed 52.8% of the vote in Sunday’s district council run-off election, beating the incumbent district administrator, from the centre-right Christian Democrat Party (CDU). The victory comes as national polls show a surge in support for the AfD.

8. Cricket

A two-year investigation by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket found that racism was “entrenched” in the “elitist and exclusionary” sport, while women were “frequently demeaned, stereotyped and treated as second-class”.

9. Snakes

The RSPCA said calls to its snake hotline were at an all-time high, and warned of an expected increase in escapes over the summer as the reptiles become more active in hot weather. Find out more with The Week Unwrapped podcast.

10. Brazil

According to a new report based on data from the University of Maryland, the loss of the world’s tropical forests increased by 10% year-on-year in 2022, with Brazil accounting for 43% of the global total. Experts warned last year that the Amazon was approaching a “tipping point”.