Quiz of The Week: 17 - 23 February

The UK parliament's ancient and obscure rules don't often make the headlines, but they did this week after furious MPs walked out of the Commons in protest at a controversial procedural decision.

Members on both sides left the chamber after speaker Lindsay Hoyle upended parliamentary convention by allowing amendments from both the government and Labour on an SNP motion calling for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza. Hoyle cited concerns over the safety of politicians, but dozens of Tory and SNP MPs signed a motion of no-confidence calling for him to resign.

Also falling foul of the rule book this week was Rishi Sunak, after broadcasting watchdog Ofcom launched an investigation into his appearance on a GB News Q&A show. The watchdog is probing whether the right-leaning channel breached impartiality requirements, after receiving more than 500 complaints about the programme, "People's Forum: the Prime Minister".

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Investigations into alleged wrong-doing dominated US headlines too, after long-time FBI informant Alexander Smirnov reportedly admitted to prosecutors that individuals linked to Russian intelligence played a role in passing a false story about Hunter Biden to the FBI. Smirnov was indicted last week on charges of having made up claims that Joe Biden and his son sought $5 million bribes from a Ukrainian energy company – an allegation central to the House impeachment efforts.

In more uplifting news, an American company has made history by becoming the first commercial outfit to put a spacecraft on the Moon, and the first US mission to touch down on the lunar surface in more than 50 years. Nasa hailed the "giant leap forward for all of humanity" after Intuitive Machines's spacecraft landed near the lunar south pole on Thursday.

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.  A new biography of Keir Starmer reveals that he was beaten up as a teenager while trying to defend an openly gay friend where?

• At a nightclub
• At a football match 
• At school 
•  At a Labour Party youth convention

2. Which actor is suing Disney over their firing from TV series "The Mandalorian"?

• Carl Weathers
• Emily Swallow
• Gina Carano
• Nick Nolte 

3. Japanese scientists have achieved a world first by creating a satellite made from what?

• Concrete
• Plastic
• Rubber
• Wood

4.  Which country became the first Orthodox Christian nation to legalise same-sex marriage? 

• Romania
• Egypt
• Greece 
• Bulgaria

5. The Supreme Court of Alabama ruled that what biological materials are considered "extrauterine children"?

• Frozen embryos 
• Frozen sperm cells
• Frozen megagametophytes 
• Frozen stem cells

6. Champion equestrian Shane Rose was cleared to continue Olympic preparations after apologising for wearing what at a showjumping event?

• A T-shirt with an obscene slogan
• A motorcycle helmet
• A mankini
• A clown costume 

7.   Director Sam Mendes is to make separate films about each member of which band?

•  The Beatles
•  Queen
•  Led Zeppelin 
•  The Rolling Stones

8. Mexican drug cartels are targeting Native American communities in which US state, according to an NBC investigation? 

• Ohio
• New Mexico
• Massachusetts
• Montana

9.  A newly published German study found that the English language has at least 546 words for what? 

•  Rainy weather
• Drunkenness
• Water courses
• Embarrassment

10. What is the name of the Intuitive Machines spacecraft that landed on the Moon? 

• Polo 
• Odysseus
• Dora
• Gulliver

1.   At a nightclub
Starmer told biographer Tom Baldwin that the violent run-in occurred at a Cornwall night club in the 1980s. "Keir Starmer: The Biography" includes personal anecdotes about topics ranging from the Labour leader's family relationships to his love of football.

2. Gina Carano
In a lawsuit backed by Elon Musk, the former actor in the "Star Wars" universe is suing Disney and its subsidiary Lucasfilm for discrimination and wrongful termination. Carano alleges she was fired for voicing right-wing opinions on social media and is seeking a court order that would force Lucasfilm to recast her in "The Mandalorian".

3.  Wood
Japanese scientists are building the world’s first wooden satellite in an attempt to reduce the pollution of space by metal junk. The LignoSat probe is the size of a coffee mug and is made of magnolia wood, which in experiments carried out on the International Space Station (ISS) was found to be particularly stable and resistant to cracking. 

4. Greece
Lawmakers in the Orthodox Christian country voted by 176 to 76 in favour of legalising same-sex marriage. Under the new legislation, same-sex couples are also now legally allowed to adopt children. 

5.  Frozen embryos
In a decision that could have implications for reproductive health across the US, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created via in-vitro fertilization (IVF) are children, and therefore protected under Alabama state law. The ruling came in response to a wrongful death lawsuit filed after a patient at an Alabama fertility clinic mistakenly dropped a couple's frozen embryos.

6. A mankini
Three-time Olympic medallist Shane Rose briefly stood down from competition after Equestrian Australia (EA) launched an investigation in response to a complaint over his skimpy attire at a showjumping event. For more unusual news, subscribe to our Tall Tales newsletter.

7.  The Beatles
Oscar-winning filmmaker Mendes will make four separate movies about the band, each telling the story of the Fab Four from a different member's point of view. The films will be financed by Sony Pictures Entertainment and are slated for release in 2027.

8. Montana
Mexican drug cartels are specifically targeting the state's six Native American reservations, where "pills can be sold for 20 times the price they get in urban centers closer to the border", according to NBC News.

9. Drunkenness
In a recently published study, German linguists found that in Eng­lish, virtually any noun can be transformed into a "drunkonym" – a synonym for intoxication – by adding "ed" at the end. To find out more, listen to The Week Unwrapped podcast. 

10. Odysseus 
The uncrewed robot lander was built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines with funding from Nasa and is the first US spacecraft to touch down on the Moon since the space agency ended the Apollo programme in 1972.