The escalating violence in Sudan has dominated global headlines this week amid fears of a potential civil war in the Northeast African country that could cause chaos in the wider region.
More than 300 people have been killed and thousands more injured since fighting erupted last Saturday between forces loyal to Sudan's de facto leader, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Following calls for a ceasefire from the US, EU and UN, the RSF agreed to a 72-hour truce on humanitarian grounds, but bombing and shelling was reported in capital Khartoum after the 6am deadline today.
In UK news, the government faced calls from WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging services to “urgently rethink” its controversial Online Safety Bill. Ministers want regulator Ofcom to be able to ask platforms to monitor users in order to root out harmful online content, but the operators of encrypted messaging apps warned in an open letter that the proposed law poses an “unprecedented threat to the privacy, safety and security” of UK citizens.
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The letter was published days after children’s rights activists urged Facebook’s parent company Meta to block minors from its virtual reality platform, Metaverse. A group of more than 70 advocacy groups wrote to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking him to “immediately cancel” reported plans to “lure” users aged 13 to 17 to the platform, which is currently only open to people aged 18 and over.
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 food chain is launching a legal battle after being refused a 24-hour licence at its Leicester Square store?
Greggs
McDonald’s
Pret a Manger
KFC
2. The president of which South American country has been invited to visit Ukraine to “understand the real causes and essence of Russian aggression”?
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Argentina
Brazil
Colombia
Bolivia
3. Rishi Sunak has faced scrutiny as a subject of how many investigations or probes in the past year?
Two
Four
Six
Eight
4. Why did German artist Boris Eldagsen refuse to accept a Sony World Photography Award for his image Pseudomnesia: The Electrician?
He thought rival entries were better
The cash prize was “inadequate”
It was generated by artificial intelligence
The judges included his former partner
5. The quiche chosen to be the signature dish for King Charles’s coronation features which of the following ingredients?
Spinach, broad beans and tarragon
Red pepper, courgette and parsley
Ham, cheddar cheese and mustard
Roast tomatoes, parmesan and basil
6. Which social media platform expanded its link-sharing feature this week?
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
Snapchat
7. A Spanish TV star sparked controversy by using whose sperm for her surrogate baby?
Her deceased father
Her deceased husband
Her deceased cousin
Her deceased son
8.The Italian town of Portofino is banning tourists from doing what?
Lingering in photogenic spots
Taking alcoholic drinks into the sea
Kissing in public
Wearing short shorts
9. Fox News agreed to pay electronic voting company Dominion how much to settle a defamation lawsuit?
$737.5m
$757.5m
$787.5m
$797.5m
10. Just Stop Oil activists disrupted play at which sports tournament on Monday?
Premier League Darts
World Snooker Championship
Uefa Champions League
Grand National
1. Greggs
The British bakery chain is set for a courtroom showdown with Westminster Council after being denied permission to sell hot food at its flagship London outlet after 11pm..The application was rejected last year after police warned that selling late-night sausage rolls risked fuelling “crime and disorder”.
Ukraine’s government invited Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit after he caused consternation among Kyiv’s Western allies by urging the US to “stop encouraging the war” there and calling for a peace deal with Russia.
3. Six
The prime minister is under investigation by Parliament’s sleaze watchdog over allegations of a possible failure to declare shares held by his wife in a childcare agency boosted by the recent Budget. Sunak has also faced scrutiny over issues including his wife’s non-dom tax status, his US green card and his dog-walking habits.
Eldagsen explained on his website that he submitted the black-and-white image “as a cheeky monkey, to find out if the competitions are prepared for AI images to enter”. He concluded: “They are not.”
5.Spinach, broad beans and tarragon
The coronation quiche was chosen by the King and Queen Consort as the suggested centrepiece for big lunches, street parties and other community events on 6 May. Royal head chef Mark Flanagan came up with the recipe.
6.Instagram
Mark Zuckerberg announced that Instagram users will now be able to share up to five links in their profile “bio”. Previously, only one link to external websites was allowed. Find out more with The Week Unwrapped podcast.
7. Her deceased son
Ana Obregón has been the focus of public debate since having a baby girl via surrogacy (which is illegal in Spain) in the US, using the sperm of her son Alessio, who died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 27. The 68-year-old TV presenter told Hola! that her son’s “dying wish” was to have a child, so the baby “isn’t my daughter, but my granddaughter”.
8. Lingering in photogenic spots
The Italian Riviera town is introducing fines of up to €275 for loitering in designated no-waiting zones, in a bid to prevent street blockages caused by tourists taking snaps and selfies.
9.$787.5m
Fox News avoided a high-profile defamation trial by reaching the last-minute deal with Dominion, concluding two years of litigation over the news network’s airing of false claims that the 2020 US presidential election was rigged.
10. World Snooker Championship
Play was disrupted after a protester climbed onto a table and covered it with orange powder, while another activist tried to glue herself to a different table. The duo were arrested following the invasion at Sheffield’s Crucible.
Harriet Marsden is a senior staff writer and podcast panellist for The Week, covering world news and writing the weekly Global Digest newsletter. Before joining the site in 2023, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, working for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent among others, and regularly appearing on radio shows. In 2021, she was awarded the “journalist-at-large” fellowship by the Local Trust charity, and spent a year travelling independently to some of England’s most deprived areas to write about community activism. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, and has also worked in Bolivia, Colombia and Spain.
