Quiz of The Week: 5 - 11 August

It’s been another dicey week for democracy. UK intelligence services say they have “found evidence” linking Russia to a cyberattack on the Electoral Commission, which jeopardised the data of up to 40 million British voters: the biggest data breach in UK history.

After the military junta overthrew the democratically elected president of Niger in West Africa, thousands of supporters took to the streets to wave Russian flags and sing the name of Vladimir Putin. It is the latest in a series of anti-Western coups sweeping the Sahel that the Kremlin is exploiting, even as Russia’s war on Ukraine drags on, at enormous cost to both sides.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump appeared in court on charges related to his alleged attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

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In Washington DC, Trump (who has pleaded not guilty to all charges) came face to face with the prosecutor who could put him behind bars: special counsel Jack Smith. The no-nonsense New Yorker has a record of winning cases against war criminals and mobsters. Trump, for his part, has described Smith as “deranged”.

Incidentally, Trump also has a problem with the district judge overseeing the case: Tanya Chutkan. The former president said his legal team would ask her to step aside “on very powerful grounds”. The Jamaica-born hardliner is known for handing out hefty jail time, and has written in a previous ruling against Trump: “Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not president.”

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. The Indian government controversially decided to limit the export of what foodstuff?

• Chai
• Rice
• Ginger
• Pulses

2. Which South African politician has been locked in a war of words with billionaire businessman Elon Musk?

• Julius Malema, of the Economic Freedom Fighters
• Cyril Ramaphosa, of the African National Congress
• John Steenhuisen, of the Democratic Alliance
• Velenkosini Hlabisa, of the Inkatha Freedom Party

3. Scientists from which country claimed to have discovered the world’s first room-temperature superconductor?

• Japan
• China
• South Korea
• Taiwan

4. What is the name of the latest Covid variant surging in the UK?

• Arcturus
• Kraken
• Orthrus
• Eris

5. Which unlikely trade is reportedly losing jobs to AI bots?

• Fortune tellers
• Street performers
• Social media influencers
• Animal psychologists

6. What was the final score in the penalty shoot-out for the FA Community Shield last weekend?

• 5-4
• 3-0
• 4-1
• 4-3

7. Which high-profile actor unexpectedly showed up at an art show dedicated to him?

• Pedro Pascal
• Ryan Gosling
• Timothée Chalamet
• Tom Holland

8. What viral term describes scheduling multiple dates in one day?

• Date cramming
• Date stacking
• Date piling
• Date packing

9. A Texan gardener was attacked by two animals simultaneously while mowing her lawn. What were they?

• A scorpion and an alligator
• A rat and a coyote
• A snake and a hawk
• A fire ant and a spider

10. Who, according to a new poll, is the United States’ most popular public figure?

• Joe Biden
• Donald Trump
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy
• Prince William

1. Rice

India, which supplies about 40% of the world’s rice exports, took the unprecedented step of banning the export of non-basmati white rice, in an effort to curb domestic inflation. But the move is likely to push up prices all over the world.

2. Julius Malema, of the Economic Freedom Fighters

Elon Musk accused Julius Malema, the leader of South Africa’s second largest opposition party, of “pushing for the genocide of white people” after he was filmed chanting “Kill the Boer”, a reference to the country’s historic white settlers. Malema had previously told reporters that Musk seemed “illiterate”.

3. South Korea

A research team from Seoul, South Korea, caused a global stir by claiming to have discovered a compound that can operate as a superconductor at room temperature, a finding that would have almost incalculable value. But the scientific community at large remains deeply sceptical and has thus far failed to reproduce the results.

4. Eris

A descendant of the Omicron variant, EG.5.1 – nicknamed Eris by T. Ryan Gregory, a Canadian professor of biology – now accounts for one in seven new Covid cases in the UK. It is the second most prevalent variant after Arcturus, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

5. Fortune tellers

The jobs of clairvoyants, fortune tellers and traditional mystics are being taken over by AI bots, in “a bleak future they did not see coming”, said the Daily Star. Artificial intelligence mediums apparently use algorithms to divine the customer’s future. For more strange and unlikely stories, sign up to our Tall Tales newsletter.

6. 4-1

Arsenal beat Manchester City 4-1 on penalties in the Community Shield at Wembley last weekend after the match finished 1-1 after extra-time. Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri both missed their penalties, which led to Arsenal’s Fábio Vieira scoring the clincher for last season’s Premier League runners-up.

7. Pedro Pascal

Pedro Pascal, best known for his roles in “Narcos” and “The Last of Us”, turned up to a fan’s art show based on him last weekend – only to find it closed. The art show, named “ADHD Hyper Fixation and why it looks like I love Pedro Pascal”, was created by 45-year-old artist Heidi Gentle Burrell, and is showing at the Rhodes Gallery in Margate, Kent.

8. Date stacking

A Sunday Times journalist recently faced a backlash for trying out a viral dating trend known as “date stacking”, or scheduling multiple dates in a day. Find out more about the trend in The Week Unwrapped podcast.

9. A snake and a hawk

Peggy Jones was attacked by a snake and a hawk while out mowing her lawn. The 64-year-old said the snake appeared to fall out of the sky and wrapped itself around her arm before the hawk, which had seemingly been carrying the snake, swooped down and repeatedly clawed at her, trying to reclaim its prey.

10. Prince William

The Prince of Wales is a hit across the pond, topping a Gallup survey that asked Americans for their views on 15 prominent public figures. Prince William was the strongest candidate, with 59% of the vote, ahead of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at 57%. Donald Trump was in sixth place with 41%.