Quiz of The Week: 27 July - 2 August

All eyes have been on Paris this week, where the Olympic Games have been showcasing the best in global sporting talent, including the triumphant comeback of Simone Biles. But the week has also seen dramatic developments in Israel's proxy war with Iran, unrest on the streets of Britain and fresh twists in the US presidential election campaign. 

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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.  

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1. Which country's men's basketball team were greeted by the wrong national anthem after a blunder by Olympics organisers?

• Kosovo
• Taiwan
• Montenegro
• South Sudan

2. What reform to the US Supreme Court did Joe Biden propose on Monday?

• Increase the number of justices
• Decrease the number of justices
• Implement term limits for justices
• Televise court hearings

3. Which Democratic governor is credited with popularising the term "weird" to describe Donald Trump and his allies?

• Gavin Newsom
• Tim Walz
• Andy Beshear
• Gretchen Whitmer

4. In the largest US/Russia prisoner swap since the Cold War, how many Americans will return to the States?

• 16
• 11
• 19
• 9

5. Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a rocket strike while in which city?

• Rafah
• Beirut
• Tehran
• Damascus

6. Unionised employees from Maryland reached a collective bargaining deal with which tech company? 

• Amazon
• Microsoft
• Apple
• Tesla 

7. "Iron Man" star Robert Downey Jr stunned fans when he confirmed he was returning to the Marvel universe as what villain?

• Mephisto
• Thanos
• Doctor Doom
• Red Skull

8. The Park Fire, a wildfire in Northern California, has grown to cover an area larger than which city? 

• New York
• San Francisco 
• Chicago 
• Los Angeles 

9. Swimming experts blamed the lack of world records being set at the Paris Games on what?

• The depth of the pool
• The temperature of the water
• Covid outbreaks
• Lack of crowd enthusiasm

10. Residents of Nairobi are in uproar over the city's plans to tax ownership of which animal?

• Dogs
• Cats
• Goats
• Cows

1. South Sudan

The "Bright Stars" were introduced before their opening match with the national anthem of neighbouring Sudan. The audio was stopped as spectators jeered and replaced with the correct anthem, and South Sudan went on to defeat the Puerto Rican team 90-79.

2. Implement term limits for justices

President Joe Biden announced a series of legislative reforms, including term limits, a code of ethics for Supreme Court justices, and rolling back the expansive presidential immunity granted to Donald Trump last month.

3. Tim Walz

The Minnesota governor's comment that Trump was a "strange, weird dude" during a "White Dudes for Harris" online fundraiser on Monday has kick-started a new line of attack for the Democratic campaign, one focused on their opponents' perceived strangeness.

4. 16

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is among the American detainees who have been allowed to leave Russian prisons in a deal that also sees eight Russians released from detention in the US and other Western nations to return to their home country.

5. Tehran

Iran has vowed a "harsh and painful response" to Israel, which has yet to publicly claim responsibility for the apparent assassination of Haniyeh, who was in the Iranian capital for the inauguration of incoming president Masoud Pezeshkian.

6. Apple

The tech giant has established its first labour agreement, not only for an Apple retail store but for any American employees of the company. The agreement remains subject to approval by the 85 unionised employees but includes a 10% pay increase.

7. Doctor Doom

If you know only one thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's that Robert Downey Jr plays Iron Man. So how does charismatic plutocrat Tony Stark become mad scientist Doctor Doom? Well, it's a bit complicated, but we've had a crack at breaking it down…

8. Los Angeles 

The Park Fire has burned over 390,000 acres and is one of the largest wildfires in the state's history. It is one of several blazes currently in the western US and Canada. 

9. The depth of the pool

Swimmers have said that the hastily constructed facility at La Defense Arena, ordinarily a rugby stadium, is a "slow pool" because it is unusually shallow – 2.15 metres. That is well below the three metres recommended as optimal by Fina, the sport's governing body.

10. Cats

The so-called "cat tax" – a 200 Kenyan shilling (£1.20) mandatory annual licence for all pet cats in Nairobi – comes at a time of tension and mass protest in Kenya over tax rises intended to offset the country's debts.