Quiz of The Week: 26 March - 1 April

The withdrawal of Russian troops from around Ukraine’s capital city this week has fuelled hopes worldwide that a breakthrough in ongoing peace talks could be imminent.

The Kremlin has said that Russia is refocusing its efforts on consolidating control over areas in the east of the neighbouring country. But reports from Kyiv suggest that fighting on the outskirts of the city has not ended entirely.

As speculation about a potential peace agreement continued, US, UK and European intelligence services warned that Vladimir Putin is out of the loop about the reality on the ground, because his advisers are fearful of delivering bad news.

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White House spokesperson Kate Bedingfield told reporters that the failure to keep the Russian leader properly informed had created “persistent tension between Putin and his military leadership”.

An unnamed ​​US official told CNN that Putin was not even aware that his forces were “using and losing conscripts in Ukraine, showing a clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information”.

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:

Need a reminder of some of the other headlines over the past seven days?

• The Metropolitan Police began handing out fines over lockdown breaches in Downing Street.
• Prince Andrew was embroiled in yet more scandal as the High Court heard that the royal accepted a £1m “gift” from a Turkish “fraudster”.
• Keir Starmer launched Labour’s local elections campaign as the clock ticks down until the May vote.
• A Conservative politician announced his wish to become the country’s first openly transgender MP.
• Laura Kuenssberg announced her new role as host of BBC One’s flagship Sunday morning politics show, ramping up speculation about who will succeed her as the broadcaster’s political editor.
• The Ethiopian government announced a “cessation of hostilities” with Tigrayan rebels, raising hopes that the long-running conflict may be nearing an end.
• And opposition parties in Pakistan announced plans for a vote of no-confidence in prime minister and former cricketing hero Imran Khan.

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