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It is time for the Thursday news quiz, where you must cling on to knowledge with both hands – even if, thanks to our quirky illustration by Anaïs Mims, they seem to have curled themselves into question marks. Like our primate friend above, you may find yourself swinging wildly between certainty and guesswork. Fifteen questions on the week’s news and culture await. There are no prizes, but we always enjoy hearing how you got on in the comments. Allons-y!
The Thursday news quiz, No 244
- 1.Bulgaria’s Moscow-friendly former president (pictured) has won an absolute majority in parliamentary elections. What is his name?
- 2.Pedro Pascal, star of The Last of Us, The Mandalorian, Fantastic Four and Game of Thrones, among many franchises, is taking legal action against a company making a drink called what?
- 3.Three people have gone to prison in California over a car insurance scam that involved what …?
- 4.Which pop star has appealed for information after her car, containing vital medical equipment for her children, was stolen?
- 5.This Pokémon is Bouffalant, hanging out with some cousins in Cambridge. Which region of Italy does buffalo mozzarella traditionally come from?
- 6.Here's Melvyn Bragg, he loves a flag. The flag of Guatemala features a bird, a scroll, a bay laurel crown, some rifles and some swords. But what are the two predominant colours it uses?
- 7.'It's Friday, it's 5 to 5, it's Crackerjack!' was a famous TV rallying cry said by Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart (pictured here at a Tory party conference). It would have been his birthday today. Which of these was NOT a regular host of Crackerjack over the years?
- 8.This week's guest feline is Jimmy, who lives at the Cinema Museum in Kennington and is a very handsome boy. He wants to know the title of the poem written by Simon Armitage to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Zoological Society of London. What is it?
- 9.Farther or nearer with Geordie Alan Shearer! This week we imagine the England soccer legend wants to know, if he leaves his home town of Newcastle upon Tyne, which is farther or nearer – Tbilisi, Georgia, or Abuja, Nigeria?
- 10.Dave Mason (pictured), a co-founder of the band Traffic, passed away this week. Which of these was in the band with him?
- 11.Who (not pictured) is taking over as chief executive of Apple in September?
- 12.The very religious US secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, has been accused of mixing up a verse of the Bible with the script of which movie?
- 13.The Thursday quiz fondly remembers Keith Chegwin, so here is Cheggers plays population! According to the 2026 CIA World Factbook, which of these African nations has the largest population?
- 14.On this day with Brian May! And his badger! 23 April is the anniversary of Edmund Ironside succeeding his father as king of England in 1016. The Thursday quiz imagines Queen's legendary guitarist wants you to tell him – and his badger – who was Edmund Ironside's father?
- 15.The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was most definitely a collection of sounds and images that some people made and decided was worth releasing. What is Mario's brother's name?
If you really do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers – and can show your working and are absolutely 100% positive you aren’t attempting to factcheck a joke – you can complain about it in the comments below. Why not watch Milk on Linoleum by Cruel Billie instead?
