Quiz Diary - 2006-05

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31

• Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki has declared a month-long state of emergency in Basra
• The number of families given tax credit overpayments rose during the 2004/05 financial year
• US says it is ready to join direct multilateral talks with Iran on its nuclear programme
• Former Big Brother contestant Dawn Blake says she is going on hunger strike until the producers hand over tapes of her time in the house
• More than 5,000 patients of a Gwynedd health care worker are to be screened for HIV as well as hepatitis B and C
• Thomas Purcell told he must serve at least 15 years in prison for the murder of Belfast schoolgirl, Megan McAlorum
• Hague tribunal's report says President Slobodan Milosevic died of a heart attack and was not poisoned
• East Timor's PM Mari Alkatiri says he will not resign
• Tim Henman is 2 sets down against Russia's Dmitry Tursunov in French Open 2nd round
• Two hundred passengers aboard The Sea Princess have been struck down with a vomiting virus
• John Prescott is to give up his grace-and-favour home, Dorneywood
• Wembley Stadium bosses refuse to confirm that the new stadium will be ready the 2007 FA Cup final
• Brazil and Barcelona player Edmilson will miss the World Cup following a training ground injury
• Jose Mourinho says he would like to sign Brazil's Roberto Carlos
• Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus are reappointed as captains for 2007 Presidents Cup.
• Kenyan court suspends smoking ban as tobacco firms say they had no time to print health warnings
• Polish court agrees to extradite a youth suspected of killing a teenager in Belgium over his MP3 player
• George Bush says he is troubled by reports of an alleged massacre by US marines in Haditha
• Berlin police say they have foiled German woman's plans to become a suicide bomber.
• Chelsea complete the signing of striker Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan for a fee of around £30m.
• X-Men: The Last Stand tops the UK box office
• Independent Dutch investigators exonerate Lance Armstrong of claims he used illegal drugs in the 1999 Tour de France.

31 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Which Insurance giant has withdrawn its sponsorship of the pro cycling outfit after team boss Manolo Saiz was arrested in a doping swoop?
• Liberty Seguros
• 2. Which athlete has been told the he must repay all the money he won when taking steroids before he can compete again?
• Dwain Chambers
• 3. A 9-month government trial has concluded that which group of people will need substantial help to switch to digital TV?
• Pensioners
• 4. The price of which metal rose $900 over fears of a strike by Canadian mining firm Inco?
• Nickel
• 5. “The List:” Which eight songs did David Cameron choose on Deserrt Island Discs?
• Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West) - Benny Hill, Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan, This Charming Man - The Smiths, On Wings of Song – Mendelssohn, Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd, Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead, Perfect Circle – REM, All These Things I've Done - The Killers

Topic of the Day: General

• 6. Who is the author of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (2000) and Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005), the latter exploring the “adaptive unconscious and “ thin slicing”?
• Malcolm Gladwell
• 7. Dao De Jing is associated with which Chinese philosophy?
• Taoism
• 8. An essential tool of biology what does the science of histology study?
• Tissue
• 9. Where in Germany was Karl Marx born in 1818?
• Trier
• 10. Bill Monroe is associated with which type of country music?
• Bluegrass

30

• 9 EU countries pledge to provide aircraft and patrol boats to support Spain in its effort to stem the flood of illegal migrants from Africa.
• Fresh looting hist the capital of East Timor, Dili
• Andy Murray loses to Gael Monfils in French Open round 1
• Michael Owen has scan on tight thigh muscle after training, , but is okay to play against Hungary
• More than 3,000 people subject to football banning orders are set to hand their passports into police
• Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips says there are too many people in jail and they should be rehabilitated
• Record £14.9bn loss at Vodafone
• Emergency aid has begins to reach survivors of Saturday's earthquake in Indonesia
• England 3 – 1 Hungary
• Lord Stevens says new evidence has emerged in the investigation into the death of Princess Diana
• Henry "Hank" Paulson, chairman of Goldman Sachs, nominated as the new US treasury secretary
• Iraq says it will investigate allegations of a US massacre in Haditha
• Big Brother contestant George leaves the show
• Pictures of Isambard Kingdom Brunel have gone on display at the Science Museum, London.
• Inquiry under way after a boat carrying bodies of 11 men is found adrift off Barbados
• Loyalist paramilitary Mark Haddock is taken to hospital following a gun attack in County Antrim.
• Indonesia earthquake official death toll is put at 5,698

30 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Which Insurance giant has withdrawn its sponsorship of the pro cycling outfit after team boss Manolo Saiz was arrested in a doping swoop?
• Liberty Seguros
• 2. Which athlete has been told the he must repay all the money he won when taking steroids before he can compete again?
• Dwain Chambers
• 3. A 9-month government trial has concluded that which group of people will need substantial help to switch to digital TV?
• Pensioners
• 4. The price of which metal rose $900 over fears of a strike by Canadian mining firm Inco?
• Nickel
• 5. “The List:” Which eight songs did David Cameron choose on Deserrt Island Discs?
• Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West) - Benny Hill, Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan, This Charming Man - The Smiths, On Wings of Song – Mendelssohn, Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd, Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead, Perfect Circle – REM, All These Things I've Done - The Killers

Topic of the Day: General

• 6. Who played the Russian boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV?
• Dolph Lundgren
• 7. What type of animal is the Alaskan Malamute?
• Dog
• 8. Which German composer has been called the “Father of Finnish music”?
• Fredrik Pacius
• 9. Which word meaning “liberation” in Sanskrit means the liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth in the Hindu mythology?
• Moksha
• 10. What was the name of the Ancient Games for women first sanctioned in the 6th Century BC, a women's athletic competition, similar to the Olympic Games?
• Heraea Games

29

• X Factor: Battle of the Stars starts today
• Children suffering from brain tumours are being given Thalidomide
• President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, is visiting the UK
• Butcher tested in E.coli outbreak in the South Lanarkshire village of Law
• A 21-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of student *Thomas Grant on a train in Cumbria
• Bangladesh court sentences 2 Islamic militant leaders and 5 others to death
• Mahmoud Zahhar I, Hamas foreign minister dismisses threatened referendum
• Europe-wide child trafficking gang has been broken up by Italian police
• US TV crew killed in Baghdad bomb attack
• East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao has appealed for calm
• Michael Vaughan hits a half-century for Yorkshire on his return from injury
• British number one Greg Rusedski lost in four sets to Chile's Paul Capdeville in the French Open first round
• Next scan on Wayne Rooney's foot will take place on 7th June
• Guantanamo hunger strike spreads to include 75 inmates
• Attorney General Lord Goldsmith says conviction rates for serious offences are too low
• EU adds Sri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tigers to its list of banned terrorist organisations.
• Defence witnesses at Saddam Hussein’s trial say death sentences given to 148 Dujail men were fair
• Phil Taylor retains the Holsten Premier League title
• Britain finish 3rd in 2006 European Judo Championships medal table
• 2 new housemates join the snorefest that is BB7 - Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace and Sam Brodie – in a ho-hum “controversial” ratings grabber Sam is a man but he dresses as a woman

29 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Who scored the goal for England B against Belarus?
• Jermaine Jenas
• 2. Which car manufacturer produces the Eos?
• Volkswagen
• 3. Which goalkeeper was injured in the friendly against Belarus recently?
• Robert Green
• 4. Every customer of which UK bank who uses online banking is being offered free anti-virus software?
• Barclays UK
• 5. “The List:” Who were the first three people to be nominated for eviction in the current Big Brother show?
• Bonnie, Dawn and Glyn

Topic of the Day: “Foreign” Films

• 6. In 1997 who became the 1st Chinese man to win the Best Director Award at the Cannes film Festival with “Happy Together”?
• Kar Wai Wong
• 7. Who directed the 1987 film Nayakan starring Kamal Hassan and Saranya, Janagaraj, a “Godfather” like story of Velu, a boy who embraces a life of crime after his father is killed by the police?
• Mani Ratnam
• 8. Anna Karina and Danièle Girard star in which 1964 film by Jean-Luc Godard?
• Bande à part
• 9. What is the collective name for the three films based on the works of Bengali author Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay directed by Satyajit Ray?
• The Apu Trilogy
• 10. Released in 1994, “Madadayo” was the last film directed by which great of the cinema?
• Akira Kurosawa

28

• Michael Schumacher starts from the back of the grid in Monaco Grand Prix after losing pole position for an infringement
• Vodafone expected to post an annual '£20bn loss' and announce hundred of job cuts
• Colombia's presidential election exit polls put Alvaro Uribe well ahead
• 43-year-old man kills his 2 sons by throwing them 15 floors off a Miami balcony, then kills himself
• Rome Grand Prix: Nick Skelton and Arko III win - 4th British winners since it began in 1926
• Ronnie O'Sullivan signs up for the World 9-Ball Pool Masters in Holland.
• Nightime, ridden by Pat Smullen, wins the Irish 1,000 Guineas.
• UK Charts:
  • Singles:
    • 1. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
    • 2. Sandi Thom - I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker
    • 3. Infernal - From Paris To Berlin
    • 4. LL Cool J/ Jennifer Lopez - Control Myself
    • 5. Primal Scream - Country Girl
  • Albums:
    • 1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
    • 2. Feeder - The Singles
    • 3. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
    • 4. Zero 7 - The Garden
    • 5. Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental
• Institute for Public Policy Research says property is no alternative to a proper pension
• 7 people killed by a landmine in Sri Lanka in Wilpattu National Park
• Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has been re-elected
• Amnesty International urges users to stand up against online censorship
• Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai warns of country’s bleak future
• Monaco Grand Prix
  • 1 F Alonso (Renault)
  • 2 JP Montoya (McLaren)
  • 3 D Coulthard (Red Bull)
  • 4 R Barrichello (Honda)
  • 5 M Schumacher (Ferrari)
  • 6 G Fisichella (Renault)
  • 7 N Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
  • 8 R Schumacher (Toyota)
• “The Wind That Shakes The Barley” wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes
• MoD figures show that over 1,000 soldiers have deserted since the start of the Iraq war
• Most of the 32 people stabbed in Berlin are released from hospital
• 21-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a student on a train in Cumbria
• Pope Benedict XVI visits former Nazi camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau
• Relief effort continues in Java following the massiv quake yesterday

28 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. How many times has Valentino Rossi been World MotoGP champion?
• 5
• 2. What is officially known as the Tournoi de Roland-Garros?
• French open tennis tournament
• 3. Who revealed that they had spent £9.3m in the last three years to send some of their people to psychiatric clinics?
• The Ministry of Defence
• 4. Which increasingly out of touch self-promoting MP said killing the PM would be "logical and explicable" but he would not support it?
• George Galloway
• 5. “The List:” With the latest series of American Idol coming to a close can you name the winners of the first 5 series?
• Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Hicks

Topic of the Day: Social Development

• 6. Who in 1902 re-issued a previous book as “Garden Cities of To-morrow” the start of the Garden City Movement?
• Ebenezer Howard
• 7. “By law, all buildings should be white" is a “rule” proposed by which architect?
• Le Corbusier
• 8. By what name is the set of general guidelines for the creation of beautiful architecture adopted in the East known in Britain, its name being a translation of “wind-water”?
• Feng Shui
• 9. Which Japanese architect is responsible for the Peace Park in Hiroshima and also the design of Abuja in Nigeria?
• Kenzo Tange
• 10. Which other Japanese architect is responsible for “Silver Hut”, “White U” and 2002’s “Serpentine Gallery Pavillion”?
• Toyo Ito

27

• Researchers have finally pinpointed the effects of Prozac on the brain
• Tony Blair has called for the reform of the United Nations
• Steel-maker Arcelor has announced plans to merge with Russian firm Severstal
• Barnsley beat Swansea on penalties at Millennium Stadium in Coca-Cola League One Play-Off Final
• 21-year-old man arrested after another man is stabbed to death on a Virgin train in Cumbria
• After a £200m redevelopment taking nearly 2 years Ascot hosts its 1st race meeting
• Nepalese government and Maoist rebels end first round of peace talks
• Hamas paramilitaries leave the streets of Gaza
• UN pulls staff out of East Timor
• David Cameron says he believes KGB agents may have tried to recruit him during his gap year
• Over 70 people are held in Moscow as activists try to hold the city's first gay rights rally despite a ban
• Wales beat Trinidad & Tobago 2- 1 in a friendly
• Gwen Stefani gives birth to her 1st child (husband Gavin Rossdale)
• Mogadishu hospitals overwhelmed by casualties from recent violence
• 1st drought order in England and Wales for 11 years comes in to force
• Burma extends Aung San Suu Kyi's detention
• At least 1,400 people have been killed in an earthquake in Indonesia
• UK offers £3m in aid to Indonesia after huge earthquake kills thousands on the island of Java
• Carl Froch beats Brian Magee to retain British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles
• Araafa wins Boylesports Irish 2000 Guineas

27 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Which British golfer has said that he wants golf ball manufacturers to limit the distances modern-day players are able to achieve off the tee?
• Colin Montgomerie
• 2. What is the subtitle of the current X-Men film?
• The Last Stand
• 3. Who captained the B team against Belarus in a football friendly recently?
• Michael Owen
• 4. How many Broadway performances will Elton john’s musical “Lestat” have completed when it closes?
• 39
• 5. “The List:” The French Open starts today, name the winners of the 5 competitions last year (i.e. men's singles, women's singles, etc...)
• Rafael Nadal, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Jonas Björkman/ Max Mirnyi, Virginia Ruano Pascual/ Paola Suárez and Daniela Hantuchová/ Fabrice Santoro

Topic of the Day: Films of a foreign disposition

• 6. Which 1960 film bu Ingmar Bergman was the inspiration for Wes Craven’s “Last House on the Left”, 12 years later?
• Virgin Spring (accept Jungfrukällan)
• 7. Man of Iron” by Andrzej Wajda is a thinly disguised story about which Nobel Prize winning activist?
• Lech Walensa
• 8. Which 1940 film by Alfred Hitchcock stars Joel McCrea and George Sanders?
• Foreign Correspondent
• 9. Flying Snow, Broken Sword and Long Sky are characters in which beautiful film from 2004 by Zhang Yimou?
• Hero
• 10. Which 1973 film by Federico Fellini centres on his home town of Rimini in the 1930’s?
• Amarcord

26

• Wayne Rooney will miss the group stages (before coming on a sub and scoring a hat trick in the last 10 minutes of the final)
• Bush and Blair admit they made mistakes in Iraq
• Pope Benedict XVI celebrates an open Mass in the centre of Warsaw
• Reggae legend Desmond Dekker has died
• Plane evacuated after cabin crew mistakenly think they hear 3 passengers joking about "a bomb"
• Edouard Michelin, joint managing director of French tyre-maker, dies in a boating accident.
• George Galloway says it could be "morally justified" to assassinate Tony Blair
• Danish research says that drinking alcohol every day protects against heart disease in men but not in women
• Nur-Pashi Kulayev, the only surviving suspect from the Beslan school siege found guilty of murder and terrorism at a court in southern Russia
• Bonnie Holt and Glyn Wise face first BB7 eviction night
• Tony Blair calls for an overhaul of the UN
• Care worker Bonnie Holt is the first person to be evicted from the Big Brother house - as a result of public vote
• Price of nickel rises 4% on news that union members of Canadian firm Inco could strike
• Tiger Woods will skip Memorial Tournament as he continues grieving after death of his father
• Every Barclays UK customer who uses online banking is being offered free anti-virus software.
• Insurance firm Liberty Seguros ends sponsorship of pro cycling team because of doping investigation
• 9-month government trial concludes that pensioners will need substantial help to switch to digital TV
• 16-year-old is found guilty of manslaughter after fatally stabbing man in a row over cigarettes
• US Congress building reopens several hours after the sound of construction equipment was mistaken for gunfire and sparked a security alert

26 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Hicham el-Guerrouj has announced his retirement, what nationality is he?
• Moroccan
• 2. Which social misfit has walked out of Big Brother 7?
• Shahbaz Chauhdry
• 3. Which F1 diver has said that he can take a record-equalling sixth Monaco win without starting on pole?
• Michael Schumacher
• 4. The government in the north-east Indian state of Nagaland has decided to ban which film a "blasphemous and offensive"?
• The Da Vinci Code
• 5. “The List:” Name the actors who play the following X-Men characters in the latest film, Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Beast, and Iceman.
• Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammar, and Shawn Ashmore

Topic of the Day: X-Men

• 6. Which member of the X-Men is a holocaust survivor with the real name Erik Magnus Lehnsherr?
• Magneto
• 7. What is the metal contained in the body of James Howlett, aka Logan, aka Wolverine?
• Adamantium
• 8. Which member of Magneto’s brotherhood was born as Raven Darkholme and has the power to change her appearance and mimic anyone else?
• Mystique
• 9. Which of the mutants is the son of Raven Darkholme and Azazel?
• Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner)
• 10. What is to be found at 1407 Graymalkin Lane in New York?
• Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters

25

• The state pension age is to rise to 68 from 2044
• Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling have both been found guilty on fraud, conspiracy and other charges
• Big Brother contestant Dawn has been thrown off the show
• Wayne Rooney undergoes an MRI scan on his broken foot
• Hamid Karzai visits southern Afghanistan province of Kandahar
• DEFRA report says English are buying more healthy food
• eBay and Yahoo agree an online alliance
• SIVcpz, thought to be the origin of HIV, is found in wild chimpanzees
• Second Test, Edgbaston: England 138-3 v Sri Lanka 141 (day one, stumps)
• England B lose 1 –2 to 10 man Belarus in Reading
• Benin tanker explosion kills 54
• Old Bailey hears trial of alleged British terror cell who planned to blow up London's Ministry of Sound nightclub
• Pope Benedict XVI visits Poland
• Tony Blair arrives in US for talks with George Bush
• Argentina Rugby Union enters protected receivership
• The family of Ronald Maddison who died after a nerve gas experiment at the Porton Down in 1953 has won £100,000 in compensation

25 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Which former US vice-president has warned the world is facing a "planetary emergency" due to global warming?
• Al Gore
• 2. Who is the England chairman of selectors that dismissed reports that Michael Vaughan may never play again?
• David Graveney
• 3. The German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has urged extra vigilance from the public to help tackle a rise in what?
• Far-right extremism (Neo-Nazism)
• 4. Suspected Tuareg rebels attacked and seized military bases near the town of Kidal. In which country is Kidal?
• Mali
• 5. “The List:” At the recent 2006 British Academy Television Awards three programmes won two awards, name them
• The Thick of It, The Government Inspector and Bleak House

Topic of the Day: Cars

• 6. What name is given to cars built between 1925 and 1948?
• Classic
• 7. Which company manufactured the Impala and the Caprice?
• Chevrolet
• 8. Which marque of automobile produced by General Motors is named after a North American Indian chief?
• Pontiac
• 9. Which car company takes its name from the Latin for “I roll”?
• Volvo
• 10. Which car manufaturer makes the Vanquish, Vantage and the Lagonda?
• Aston Martin

24

• Tariq Aziz testifies for Saddam Hussien at his trial
• Massive anti-terrorist operation carried out by police across the country
• Sir Elton wins £100,000 damages from Daily Mail
• Over 50 Taleban fighters and at least 4 Afghan soldiers have died in a major clash in south of Afghanistan
• A three-week knife amnesty has started in Northern Ireland
• Speculation abounds that Robert Pires may be leaving Arsenal for Villareal
• Firefighters tackle fire at Istanbul's Ataturk International airport
• World Health Organization (WHO) expresses concern about 7 human H5N1 deaths Indonesia
• Anne Keothavong and Alex Bogdanovic fail to qualify for the French Open.
• Paul Carberry is sentenced to two months in jail for setting fire to a paper on an aeroplane.
• John Reid is said to be furious after he had to admit giving MPs the wrong figures on foreign prisoners
• London Irish and England centre Mike Catt is named Guinness Premiership player of the season.
• Valentino Rossi says he will stick with motorbikes for the moment rather than switch to F1
• Sir Elton John's vampire musical Lestat is to close on New York's Broadway after just 39 shows.
• Makers of “The Da Vinci Code” agree to insert a legal disclaimer demanded by Indian censors.
• The Law Lords rule two ex-wives (Melissa Miller and Julia McFarlane)are entitled to their former husbands' millions in landmark rulings:

24 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. In which country did rebel group FARC blow up an electricity generating plant?
• Colombia
• 2. What is the name of the Watford manager, whose team have secured a place in the Premiership?
• Aidy Boothroyd
• 3. What is the name of the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) who died after having emergency surgery for a blood clot on his brain?
• Lee Jong-wook
• 4. Who is the star of the new TV series “Beat the Boss”?
• Saira Khan
• 5. “The List:” Bruce Willis has said that 4th Die Hard film is close to getting under way. Name the second and third films?
• Die Hard “:Die Harder and Die Hard With A Vengeance

Topic of the Day: History

• 6. In which year did the Lateran Treaty establish the Vatican City?
• 1929
• 7. Which battle sometimes called the Connor Battle severely depleted the Arapaho Indian forces?
• Battle of the Tongue River
• 8. The Golpe Borghese was an attempted takeover of political power in which postwar European country?
• Italy
• 9. After which battle was the phrase Pyrrhic victory coined?
• Asculum
• 10. What was the name of the failed coup d'état by Adolf Hitler in 1923?
• Beer Hall Putsch

23

• Home Secretary John Reid says his department's immigration operation as "not fit for purpose"
• A group of doctors urges NHS trusts to stop using complementary therapies
• Greek and Turkish F-16 jets collide and crash in the Aegean
• Marks and Spencer (M&S) announce a sharp rise in full-year profits
• Israel captures Hamas commander - Ibrahim Hamad
• Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Tomas Rosicky from Borussia Dortmund
• Doctors treating former Indonesian President Suharto say he is deteriorating
• Shahbaz Chauhdry threatens to kill himself on the show
• BT announces plans to take on 1,300 new staff as part of a £1bn upgrade of UK phone lines
• Alan Bennett shortlisted for the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction
• Da Vinci Code takes £9.5m in UK and Ireland in 1st weekend –15th best opening on record
• Siberia fishermen find the complete skeleton of a mammoth
• Arsenal sign Czech Republic midfielder Tomas Rosicky from Borussia
• Serbia accepts the result of a referendum in which Montenegro voted for independence
• Tim Berners-Lee warns of the dangers of introducing a two-tier internet

23 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Up to a 100 people have died in fighting in which Province in Afghanistan?
• Helmond Province
• 2. Which ticket agency has been wound up by the High Court?
• Get Me Tickets Ltd
• 3. How many contestants entered the Big Brother house last week?
• 14
• 4. Which of this year’s crop of contestants is a singer with tourette’s syndrome?
• Pete
• 5. “The List:” The World Cup is almost up on us, name the last 5 players to win the Golden Boot (Shoe) for the highest scorer of the competition.
• Ronaldo, Suker, Salenko, Stoichkov, and Schillaci

Topic of the Day: Lakes

• 6. Which of the African Great Lakes lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda?
• Kivu
• 7. What dangerous gas is given off by a limnic eruption, an example of which killed nearly 2000 people in 1986?
• Carbon Dioxide
• 8. In which American state is the Pyramid Lake to be found?
• Nevada
• 9. From the Russian for “East” which is the largest subglacial lake in Antactica?
• Vostok
• 10. Which lake of Kazakhstan is the second largest in Central Asia after the Aral Sea?
• Balkhash

22

• Tony Blair visits Baghdad to show support for the new government
• Home Office embarrassed by accounts of 300 disappearances from Leyhill Open Prison in last 3 years
• New report says Heath Service needs more beds
• 50 Taleban rebels killed in an air strike in Kandahar
• John Reid is consdering plans that Victims of crime could be given a say on whether offenders should be freed from jail
• A media think tank has called for the BBC to sell off Radio 1 and 2 "as soon as possible"
• Madonna criticised for being "offensive" for using a mirrored cross in her latest tour.
• 4 people sentenced to death in Pakistan for suicide attack on PM Shaukat Aziz in 2004.
• Morocco's double Olympian Hicham El Guerrouj announces his retirement.
• Set-top box shortage means 17,000 Sky HDTV subscribers cannot watch the service
• Valentino Rossi believes he can still claim the 2006 MotoGP title
• Jordanian security services say they have arrested a senior member of al-Qaeda in Iraq
• According to a BBC survey 75% of people in UK say drugs are a problem in their area
• 57 coalminers trapped underground in a flooded mine in China
• German interior minister urges extra vigilance from the public to help tackle far-right extremism.

22 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. In the newly released The Da Vinci Code, what is the name of the albino monk assassin?
• Silas
• 2. In which new literary adaptation for TV does Dan Stephens play Nick Guest?
• The Line of Beauty
• 3. Which Renault boss expressed concern that Ferrari will gain from new tyre rules in 2007?
• Flavio Briatore
• 4. Which former Peruvian leader was recently freed from a Chilean jail?
• Alberto Fujimori
• 5. “The List:” In the recent Eurovision song contest, 14 countries qualified automatically for the final, the hosts, the next top ten at the last contest and the 4 largest countries taking part. Which countries qualified automatically as the four largest in he competition?
• France, UK, Spain and Germany

Topic of the Day: Animals

• 6. Artiodacytla and Perissodactyla are even and odd toed what?
• Ungulates
• 7. How is the family of animals known as Phocidae more popularly known?
• True Seals (or earless seals)
• 8. Name the “Big Five” African animals?
• Black Rhinoceros, Cape Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard and Lion
• 9. What is the largest living lizard in the World?
• Komodo Dragon
• 10. Which animal has the largest eye?
• Giant Squid

21

• Gloucester win European Challenge Cup final with extra-time victory over London Irish
• Head of the World Health Organization has emergency surgery for blood clot on his brain
• Richard McIlkenny, one of the Birmingham Six wrongly jailed for IRA bombings, dies in Dublin
• 2,700 innocent people have been wrongly labelled as criminals by the Criminal Records Bureau
• Da Vinci Code movie takes $224m (£119m) around the world in its first weekend
• Iraq's new Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has vowed that he will use "maximum force" against terrorism
• Dee Caffari the first solo yachtswoman to circumnavigate the globe the "wrong way", lands in Southahampton
• Terry Venables has hinted that he has been offered the vacant manager's position at Middlesbrough
• UK Charts:
  • Singles:
    • 1. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
    • 2. Infernal - From Paris To Berlin
    • 3. LL Cool J Ft Jennifer Lopez - Control Myself
    • 4. Christina Milian Ft Young Jeezy - Say I
    • 5. Beatfreakz - Somebody's Watching Me
  • Albums:
    • 1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
    • 2. Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
    • 3. Feeder - The Singles
    • 4. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
    • 5. Gnarls Barkley - St Elsewhere
• Marco Antonio Barrera retains WBC featherweight title from Rocky Juarez (initially scored a draw)
• Heavy metal group Lordi hailed as heroes in Finland after winning the Eurovision Song Contest
• Michael Dawson replaces Luke Young as England World Cup squad standby
• Montenegro votes for independence from its union with Serbia
• Leeds 0-3 Watford, Watford promoted to Premiership
• Ray Nagin beats Mitch Landrieu to be re-elected as New Orleans Mayor
• Volvo Ocean Race won by ABN Amro One
• Watford beat Leeds 3-0 to secure Premiership football next season
• Martina Hingis beats Dinara Safina to win the Italian Open

21 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Which highly active Indonesian volcano means “mountain of fire in the local language?
• Mount Merapi
• 2. Currently he plays for Olympique Lyon, how more prosaically is the Brazilian striker born Frederico Chaves Guedes known?
• Fred
• 3. At which plant have Vauxhall workers recently been on strike?
• Ellesmere Port
• 4. Which Italian beat World number two Kim Clijsters at the Italian Open?
• Dinara Safina
• 5. “The List:” After another Baltic and Balkan slice up of the Eurovision, can you name the top three countries from yesterday’s event?
• Finland, Russia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Topic of the Day: Mountains

• 6. In which countries are the “Mountains of the Moon” to be found?
• Border of Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo
• 7. The group Mountain’s “Nantucket Sleighride” was used as the theme tune for which news programme for many years?
• Weekend World
• 8. Where would you find Montes Apenninus and Mons Blanc?
• On the Moon
• 9. What is the longest mountain range in the World after the Andes?
• Rockies
• 10. The Encyclopædia Britannica requires a prominence of what to actually qualify as a “mountain”?
• 610 m (2,000 ft)
• 11. Which is the highest mountain in the 48 Contiguous United States?
• Whitney
• 12. Which mountain range is divided into the Cordillera Oriental and the Cordillera Occidental?
• Andes
• 13. Which mountaineer first climbed Chimborazo in 1880 and the Matterhorn in 1865?
• Edward Whymper
• 14. In which mountain range is Elbrus the highest mountain in Europe?
• Caucasus
• 15. Which volcano, that means “the gentleman”, lies in southern Peru near the city of Arequipa?
• El Misti

20

• Finnish "horror rock" group Lordi pull off a surprise win at the 51st Eurovision Song Contest in Athens - full results below:
• BBC's National Lottery show invaded by Fathers4Justice campaigners
• Conference play-off final: Halifax 2 – 3 Hereford - Ryan Green's extra-time winner
• Barry Bonds draws level with Babe Ruth in second place on the all-time home run list.
• New Orleans go to the poles to vote for mayor – incumbent Ray Nagin
• UN envoy meets Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1st foreigner since 2004.
• Munster beat Biarritz 23 – 9 to win the Heineken Cup
• Freddie Garrity, lead singer of Freddie and the Dreamers, dies in north Wales.
• FARC attack electricity generating plant in Buenaventura, Colombia's main port city
• Martina Hingis comes back from 0-6 0-1 to neat Venus Williams in Italian Open semi final
• Hunger-striking Afghan asylum seekers are removed from Dublin cathedral by police.
• Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticises the army chief for encouraging protests against Islamic militancy.
• Eurovision Results:
  • 1 Finland 292
  • 2 Russia 248
  • 3 Bosnia & Herzegovina 229
  • 4 Romania 172
  • 5 Sweden 170
  • 6 Lithuania 162
  • 7 Ukraine 145
  • 8 Armenia 129
  • 9 Greece 128
  • 10 Ireland 93
  • 11 Turkey 91
  • 12 FYR Macedonia 56
  • 13 Croatia 56
  • 14 Norway 36
  • 15 Germany 36
  • 16 Latvia 30
  • 17 Switzerland 30
  • 18 Denmark 26
  • 19 UK 25
  • 20 Moldova 22
  • 21 Spain 18
  • 22 France 5
  • 23 Israel 4
  • 24 Malta 1

20 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. It was revealed recently that Terry Wogan receives how much per annum for his Breakfast Show, £8, £8,000, £80,000, £800,000 or £8 million
• , £800,000
• 2. Which incumbent President indicated lat week that he feels his successor should be a woman?
• Thabo Mbeki
• 3. Who is the current British number one tennis player, with a World ranking of 40?
• Greg Rusedski
• 4. Which US tennis star has lost his legal battle to avoid paying UK income tax on endorsement deals?
• Andre Agassi
• 5. “The List:” Name the four artists nominated for the Turner Prize.
• Tomma Abts, Rebecca Warren, Mark Titchner, and Phil Collins

Topic of the Day: Les Rambling Generales

• 6. Hans Zimmer has provided the “high-octane” music for Gladiator, Mission Impossible 2, Black Rain and the Da Vinci Code and many more, but for what did he win his Oscar?
• The Lion King
• 7. In which year did the musical Evita first open?
• 1978
• 8. Which surrealist pornographer started his own society after falling out with Andre Breton?
• Georges Bataille
• 9. Which American drama series , written by Denis Leary, focuses on the professional and personal lives of New York City firefighters after the September 11, 2001 attacks?
• Rescue Me
• 10. Some New Yorkers call which building, similar in concept to London’s “Gherkin” and designed by Sir Norman Foster the “lava lamp”?
• Hearst Tower

19

• Government says that it will abolish "junk food" in school meals
• Pupils and staff return to the London Academy in Edgwareschool where Kiyan Prince, was stabbed to death yesterday
• Rival Palestinian factions open fire in Gaza City
• Thierry Henry set to sign a new contrct with Arsenal today
• Didier Drogba announces that he wants to leave English football
• Former Indonesian leader Suharto is in a "serious condition" at Pertamina Hospital
• Ticket agency Get Me Tickets Ltd, is wound up by the High Court
• So-called "book of life" is completed as the final chromosome in the human genome is sequenced
• Hans Horrevoets, a sailor in the Volvo Ocean Race on ABN Amro Two dies
• Figures show that Big Brother attracted its largest ever opening night audience
• US says inmates at Guantanamo Bay clashed with guards after a staged suicide attempt
• Laszlo Komjathi brands Amir Khan a “kid” and says he will teach him a lesson
• Microsoft has unveiled hardware specifications for running Vista
• Dan Wheldon begins defence of Indianapolis 500 title with qualifying this weekend
• Zimbabwe opposition leader arrested campaigning in a Harare by-election
• US stock market operator Nasdaq increases its holding in the London Stock Exchange to 25.1%.
• Home Office faces claims that 5 illegal immigrants were cleaners at immigration service offices
• British Gas says it has lost 350,000 customers already this year

19 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Where did the referee for this week's Champions League final come from, was it A: Norway or B: The Planet Zog (very similar to Earth but with different rules for the game of Association Football)?
• According to all reports it was A, but I’m not convinced
• 2. What did Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills blame for the failure of their marriage, was it A: A Norwegian referee or B: Constant media intrusion?
• No it was B
• 3. Where did the World Premiere of “The Da Vinci Code” take place, was it A: The Vatican City or B: Cannes?
• Would have been fun but no it’s B
• 4. Which ITV show was the most popular on Black Saturday” when the channel received just 11.8% of viewers, was it A: "You've Been Framed" or B: "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"?
• Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
• 5. “The List:” Against which three football team are England playing friendlies before the World Cup?
• Belarus, Hungary and Jamaica

Topic of the Day: General Ramblings

• 6. Who is the current president of the Royal Society?
• Martin Rees
• 7. Who wrote the Utopian novel “The New Atlantis” in 1626, featuring the mythical land of Bensalem?
• Francis Bacon
• 8. "Isaac Smith" and "Nelson Hawkins are two pseudonyms of which American abolitionist, who died shortly before the American Civil War?
• John Brown
• 9. In which mountain range are “the 46” to be found?
• Adirondack
• 10. Who kills Uncas in the “Last of the Mohicans”?
• Magua
• 11. Mark Byford is the Deputy Director General of which organisation?
• BBC
• 12. Which chain of fast food restaurants is based in Dublin, Ohio?
• Wendy’s
• 13. In which year did Sachin Tendulkar make his test debut, playing against Pakistan?
• 1989
• 14. The target of a massive FBI manhunt how is Theodore (Ted) Kaczynski better known?
• The Unabomber
• 15. Which high ranking Nazi (and generally regarded as not a nice man) had the middle name Luitpold?
• Heinrich Himmler
• 16. Which part of the human body would be of most interest to a Pygophile?
• Buttocks
• 17. What to an air traffic controller is FANS?
• Future Air Navigation System
• 18. Which Chinese gambling game is played with dominoes and can be loosely translated as "make nine"?
• Pai Gow
• 19. In the intellectual game of "FizzBuzz" what must a number be divisible by to say "FizzBuzz"?
• 15 (accept 5 and 3)
• 20. Heinz-Christian Strache is the leader of which Austrian political party formerly associated with Jörg Haider?
• Austrian Freedom Party (accept FPO)

18

• Big Brother is back
• Mexico protests over US Senate proposal to build fences along its border in illegal immigration battle
• Former Peruvian leader Alberto Fujimori is freed from a Chilean jail
• Nigeria's President Obasanjo says his party accepts the Senate's rejection of a third term bill
• Renault's Flavio Briatore expresses concern that Ferrari will gain from new tyre rules in 2007
• World boxing champion Scott Harrison checks in to the Priory with depression and alcohol problems
• A Boy of 15 is stabbed to death outside London Academy in Edgware
• Beijing’s preparation for the 2008 Olympics is approved after 3-day inspection by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
• Up to 100 die in fighting in Helmond Province
• The Airbus A380, the world's biggest passenger jet, has landed at London's Heathrow Airport for the first time
• MP's in Nepal vote to cut the King's powers
• Referee Terje Hauge says he regrets the sending off of Jens Lehmann in the Champions League final
• Lib Dems say they plan a £2000 road tax if elected - so no worries then
• Andre Agassi loses his legal battle to avoid paying UK income tax on endorsement deals
• More than 600,000 people leave their house in southern China as Typhoon Chanchu closes in
• Cambodia's PM Hun Sen tells UN's top human rights official the country should not be seen "as hell"
• Ticket agency Get Me Tickets Ltd, is wound up by the High Court
• Eurovision Song Contest semi-final in Athens – 13 countries fail to progress
  • 1 Finland 292
  • 2 Bosnia & Herzegovina 267
  • 3 Russia 217
  • 4 Sweden 214
  • 5 Lithuania 163
  • 6 Armenia 150
  • 7 Ukraine 146
  • 8 Turkey 91
  • 9 Ireland 79
  • 10 FYR Macedonia 76
  • 11 Poland 70
  • 12 Belgium 69
  • 13 Iceland 62
  • 14 Albania 58
  • 15 Cyprus 57
  • 16 Slovenia 49
  • 17 Bulgaria 36
  • 18 Estonia 28
  • 19 Portugal 26
  • 20 Netherlands 22
  • 21 Monaco 14
  • 22 Belarus 10
  • 23 Andorra 8

18 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Which “poet” won the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown for trainer Aidan O'Brien?
• Dylan Thomas
• 2. Which two former Pakistani Prime Ministers have signed a "charter for democracy”?
• Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif
• 3. The new minister for drugs policy has admitted smoking cannabis. What is his, really quite apposite, name?
• Vernon Coaker
• 4. …and continuing the theme which defence lawyer for Enron’s Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling shares his name (well surname anyway) with a TV lawyer played by Barry Newman?
• Petrocelli (wonder if he’ll finish that house)
• 5. “The List:” Ever responsible and fair, name the 5 countries on the USA’s list of state sponsors of terrorism.
• Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria

Topic of the Day: Big Brother is back, so let’s celebrate dystopia

• 6. Which Oceanic province in the book 1984 corresponds to Great Britain?
• Airstrip One
• 7. Which opponent (probably imaginary) of Big Brother is the subject of the “2-minute hate”?
• Emmanuel Goldstein
• 8. Who is the main character Winston Smith’s lover for most of the novel?
• Julia
• 9. What newspeak term was used for a person who had not only been killed, but whose existence was removed from the public consciousness, by selective editing of past events and records?
• Unperson
• 10.What were the 4 ministries called in the novel?
• Peace, Plenty, Love and Truth

17

• Frank Warren says Scott Harrison has mental problems after he withdraws from world title defence
• Vernon Coaker, the new minister for drugs policy, admits smoking marijuana while at university
• Defence in the Enron trial say prosecutors bullied witnesses
• David Felgate dismissed as performance director by LTA
• Study suggests that the ice fields of Africa are disappearing
• Agency temp admits to leaking salary details of BBC stars to the press
• Ole Hermann Borgan , a linesmen for the Champions League final is replaced after being photographed in a Barcelona shirt
• Tony Blair says vast bulk of foreign prisoners should be deported whatever the fears for their safety (is he allowed to pinch policy from the BNP mainifesto?)
• Champions League Final - Arsenal lose 2-1 after surviving for most of the game with 10 men (refereeing decision causing a little controversy)
• Royal Mail to get £1.75bn from government to plug pension fund deficit and pay for modernisation
• Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are to separate
• World premiere of The Da Vinci Code in Cannes
• The case against comic actor Chris Langham for making indecent images of a child, is adjourned
• Vauxhall confirms 900 jobs are to go at Ellesmere Port factory
• Justin Gatlin denied outright world 100m record after his time of 9.76secs is rounded up to 9.77
• Cholera epidemic in Angola has killed over 1,200 people in past three months

17 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. James Willstrop, Nick Matthew and Lee Beachill are top performers in which sport?
• Squash
• 2. The Pet Shop Boys have their first top 10 hit in six years, what is it called?
• I'm With Stupid
• 3. Which Australian wing was banned for an indefinite period after returning a positive drugs test?
• Wendell Sailor
• 4. Who did Martin Sheen play in the cult TV series “The West Wing”?
• President Josiah Bartlet
• 5. “The List:” Matthew Hoggard is the 10th English player to take 200 test wickets, name the other 9.
• Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Brian Statham, Alec Bedser, Andrew Caddick, Darren Gough, and John Snow

Topic of the Day: World Geography

• 6. On which Indonesian Island would you find the volcano, Mount Agung?
• Bali
• 7. Which country can truly say that it has a Venetiaan President?
• Suriname (the President is Ronald Venetiaan)
• 8. Which biome is found below the Tundra and above the Steppes?
• Taiga
• 9. Arhus, Kiel and Lubeck are to be found on which peninsula?
• Jutland
• 10. Coming from the Norse for a landslide what word is given to a collection of rocks on slopes or at the bottom of cliffs?
• Scree

16

• 40th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution in China
• NHS told to fund treatment abroad
• Police Federation report says that police are facing an increasing threat from knives
• Consumer Prices Index (CPI) - the official rate of inflation - rose to 2% from 1.8% in March
• Nigeria's Senate has thrown out a move to allow President Olusegun Obasanjo to seek a third term of office
• The Mersey Viking and Dublin Viking Ferries are lated in the Mersey as a WWII bomb is located
• England Rugby Union Squad for Australian Tour:
  • Backs: S Abbott (Wasps), I Balshaw (Gloucester), O Barkley (Bath), S Bemand (Leicester), M Catt (London Irish), A Goode (Leicester), J Noon (Newcastle), P Richards (Gloucester), J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), M Tait (Newcastle), M Van Gisbergen (Wasps), T Varndell (Leicester), T Voyce (Wasps), N Walshe (Bath).
  • Forwards: D Bell (Bath), A Brown (Gloucester), G Chuter (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), C Jones (Sale), B Kay (Leicester), M Lipman (Bath), M Lund (Sale), L Mears (Bath), L Moody (Leicester), T Payne (Wasps), G Rowntree (Leicester), P Sanderson (Worcester, captain), A Titterrell (Sale), J White (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps)
• US justice department has released the first video of the plane crashing into the Pentagon on 9/11
• Tony Blair has given strong signals that he support the building of a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK
• French PM Dominique de Villepin survies no-confidence vote
• A new database similar to wikipedia is started for gamers
• Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard says his players will not be affected by being favourites in the Champions League final

16 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Who will captain Wales in their first game under Gareth Jenkins as they tour Argentina?
• Duncan Jones
• 2. Who are “Stoned in Love” in the UK charts with Tom Jones?
• Chicane
• 3. Which boxer has said that he will follow Marvin Hagler’s example and fight only the best fighters?
• Ricky Hatton
• 4. In football, who has been named as the new Newcastle United manager?
• Glenn Roeder
• 5. “The List:” Recently, American Arron Oberholser missed a birdie putt at the last that would have given him only the fourth sub-60 round in US Tour history. Name the only players three to have achieved this feat.
• Al Geiberger (1977), Chip Beck (1991) and David Duval (1999)

Topic of the Day: Asian Capitals

• 6. Which capital city’s name means in the local language “muddy confluence”?
• Kuala Lumpur
• 7. Meaning “Garden of God” which Asian capital city lies on the Tigris?
• Baghdad
• 8. Which Asian capital city is considered to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world?
• Damascus
• 9. On which river does Thailand's capital of Bangkok stand?
• Chao Phraya
• 10. Two Asian capital cities when translated simply mean “Eastern capital”, name them.
• Tokyo and Hanoi

15

• Northern Ireland's politicians have taken their seats in the Stormont assembly for the first time since October 2002
• 5th day of Lord’s test - Sri Lanka manage a draw with 537 - 9
• US to take Libya off list of state sponsors of terrorism and restore full diplomatic ties after 25 years
• Activity on Indonesian volcano Mount Merapi intensifies
• Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca to buy Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) for £702m ($1.32bn)
• Fears rise that Vauxhall is about to cut 1,000 jobs
• ANC reinstates Jacob Zuma in his duties as deputy leader after his rape trial.
• 1st drought order in England and Wales since 1995 is granted to South East water company
• Report says World Cup may inject £1.25bn into UK economy, through increased consumer spending
• US imposes a ban on arms sales to Venezuela, citing its lack of support for anti-terror efforts
• Former Pakistani Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif sign a "charter for democracy"
• Brazil announce their 23 man squad
• Mike Catt , the London Irish centre, is called up for the summer tour of Australia
• After the Rome Masters final Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer withdraw from the Hamburg Masters because of fatigue
• Michelle Wie joins the field for the men's European Masters in September
• Naseem Hamed announces plans to appeal against his prison sentence for dangerous driving

15 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Who said recently "It's a real achievement because I dropped down as far as No 6 at one point. Over the last three years I've worked really hard to get back up there."?
• Stephen Hendry
• 2. Which comic actor joked that he would put his OBE for sale online after receiving it from the Queen?
• Sanjeev Bhaskar
• 3. Which veteran rugby player is set to be included in England's squad for their tour to Australia in June?
• Mike Catt
• 4. Which country has announced that it will conduct joint research experiments on the Moon with the USA?
• India
• 5. “The List:” Who both scored twice in Scotland’s 5-1 defeat of Bulgaria?
• Kris Boyd and Chris Burke

Topic of the Day: General Knowledge

• 6. What was the name of Leonardo di Caprio’s character in the film “Catch Me If You Can”?
• Frank Abagnale
• 7. Which car company uses the advertisement “mediocrity is a sin”?
• Alfa Romeo
• 8. Sunlight is responsible for the production of which vitamin in the human body?
• D
• 9. John Wilmot, The Earl of Rochester is the main character in which recent Johnny Depp film?
• “The Libertine”
• 10. What is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in mammals?
• Collagen

14

• Nadal beats Federer in five sets to win the Rome Open (6-7 (0-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-5))
• In the Sunday Telegraph Tony Blair takes a stand against animal-rights activists
• Alonso wins the Spanish Grand Prix
  • 1 F Alonso (Renault)
  • 2 M Schumacher (Ferrari)
  • 3 G Fisichella (Renault)
  • 4 F Massa (Ferrari)
  • 5 K Raikkonen (McLaren)
  • 6 J Button (Honda)
  • 7 R Barrichello (Honda)
  • 8 N Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
• Chelsea are set to complete the signing of Germany captain Michael Ballack on a free transfer from Bayern Munich
• First Test, Lord's, day four (stumps): England 551-6 dec v Sri Lanka 192 & 381-6
• Anti-vivisectionists criticise Tony Blair's pledge to sign petition backing animal testing
• Presidential elections in the Comoros Islands
• Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warns US any attack on Iran will have devastating consequences
• Nadia Petrova beats Justine Henin-Hardenne 4-6 6-4 7-5 to win the German Open.
• China appoints another Bishop without Vatican sanction
• Chelsea target Shevchenko after signing Ballack
• Ronnie O'Sullivan will play in the World 9-Ball Pool Masters in Holland.
• Ivan Basso wins 8th stage of the Giro d'Italia to take the overall lead.
• Final episode of The West Wing screened in the US
• Rene Preval sworn in as Haiti's President
• UK Charts:
  • Singles:
    • 1. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
    • 2. LL Cool J Ft Jennifer Lopez - Control Myself
    • 3. Infernal - From Paris To Berlin
    • 4. Beatfreakz - Somebody's Watching Me
    • 5. Rihanna – SOS
  • Albums:
    • 1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
    • 2. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
    • 3. Dirty Pretty Things - Waterloo To Anywhere
    • 4. Gnarls Barkley - St Elsewhere
    • 5. Kooks - Inside In/ Inside Out
• Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has begun a private visit in Britain
• Sir Menzies Campbell defends his leadership of Lib Dems in response to criticism of his performance at Question Time

14 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Who was the top scorer for Chelsea in the 2005/2006 Premiership season?
• Frank Lampard with 16
• 2. Save the Children said aid workers were involved in sexual exploitation of young girls in which African country?
• Liberia
• 3. Which cabinet minister said that she was “flying by the seat of her pants”?
• Margaret Beckett
• 4. Which cyclist has had an operation on the kneecap he fractured in the Giro d'Italia?
• Alessandro Petacchi
• 5. “The List:” Forbes magazine ranked Jackie Chan as the most generous celebrity, which of the other 9 in the top ten can you name?
• Bono, Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Cage, Sandra Bullock, Arnold Schwarzenegger Steven Spielberg, Celine Dion and Paul McCartney.

Topic of the Day: General Knowledge

• 6. Which artist was shot by Valerie Solanas in 1968?
• Andy Warhol
• 7. Which drink is advertised as the “pure spirit of Brazil”?
• Sagatiba
• 8. Who is the restaurateur behind The Fat Duck and The Hind’s Head restaurants?
• Heston Blumenthal
• 9. Alison Mosshart is the lead singer with which group?
• The Kills
• 10. In a financial sense what is a SIPP?
• Self-Invested Personal Pension

13

• West Ham play Liverpool in 125th FA Cup final, Liverpool win 0n penalties
• Indonesian authorities have ordered the compulsory evacuation of thousands of residents living on the slopes of the volcano Mount Merapi
• England's Paul Casey lead at the halfway stage of the British Masters
• First Test, Lord's (day three): England 551-6d; Sri Lanka 91-6 at start
• Scottish Cup Final: Hearts v Gretna, Hearts win on penalties
• Major free music festival in Camperdown Park, Dundee
• Thousands of patients in Gwynedd are to be screened for hepatitis C
• At least 30 die in a series of attacks in Sao Paulo
• Polling ends in Fijian election
• Naomi Watts to be UN special representative for its AIDA awareness campaign.
• Tony Blair attacks "appalling" actions by animal rights extremists
• Zacarias Moussaoui arrives at a maximum security prison to serve his life sentence
• Former England and Yorkshire fast bowler Fred Trueman is being treated for cancer
• Fernando Alonso takes pole for the Spanish Grand Prix

13 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Which city’s 13th Annual Festival of Literature starts today?
• Swindon
• 2. Which Premiership team averaged exactly one point per game and avoided relegation?
• Portsmouth
• 3. Which African President hailed Robert Mugabe as a "true son of Africa"?
• Bingu wa Mutharika (of Malawi)
• 4. Who rode the 4-1 favourite Rumplestiltskin for Aiden O'Brien in the 1,000 Guineas?
• Kieron Fallon
• 5. “The List:” Name Sven’s 5 standby players for the World Cup?
• Carson (Liverpool), Young (Charlton), Reo-Coker (West Ham), Defoe (Tottenham), and Johnson (Crystal Palace)

Topic of the Day: Films Various

• 6. For which role is Helmut Baikaitis best remembered?
• The Architect in the Matrix
• 7. Who plays Damien in the new version of the Omen?
• Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick
• 8. Who is the director of the next Bond film “Casino Royale”?
• Martin Campbell
• 9. Which Bond actor played Professor Donald Kessler in Mars Attacks!?
• Pierce Brosnan
• 10. Which actress once called “The Most Beautiful Woman in The World” was born in Subiaco, Italy in 1927?
• Gina Lollobrigida

12

• Workers at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port end their walkout
• Sony has said it is giving consumers a choice by offering two versions of its PlayStation 3 console
• In London Nisha Patel-Nasri a Special constable is fatally stabbed
• Nearly 200 people killed in an explosion at a petrol pipeline near Lagos
• Prince Naseem jailed for 15 months for dangerous driving
• Washington Post says Zacarias Moussaoui because of 1 out of the 12 jurors
• Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya appeals for aid
• Indonesian prosecutors close the corruption case against ex-President Suharto on health grounds
• Lenny Daws beats Nigel Wright to win the vacant British light welterweight title
• Sergei Gontchar is the new leader of the Giro d'Italia
• Cloning expert Hwang Woo-suk charged with fraud
• Pete Doherty fails to turn up for a court review of his drug rehabilitation, blaming tour commitments
• Pat Sanderson takes over from Martin Corry as England skipper
• Peers block progress of bill, which would allow terminally ill people to be helped to die
• European and Asian stock markets close sharply lower hit by weaker dollar - London's Footsie index closed down 129.90 points at 5,912.1
• First Test, Lord's (day two, stumps): England 551-6d; Sri Lanka 91-6

12 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Andrew Hoy is a rider what from which country?
• Australia
• 2. Who did Sunderland beat 2-1 in their last home game to earn their first home win of the season?
• Fulham
• 3. Which rock and country singers team up on the new album “All the Road Running”?
• Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler
• 4. At the recent council elections the BNP fielded 350 candidates how many seats did it win?
• 46
• 5. “The List:” Who were the last two contestants left in the TV show “The Apprentice”?
• Michelle Dewbury and Ruth Badger

Topic of the Day: Recent Film

• 6. Which Christophe Gans film is a adaptation of Konami's famous survival horror franchise of video games?
• Silent Hill
• 7. Which former fashion model appears in MI3 as Zhen?
• Maggie Q
• 8. The film come splatter-fest “Hostel” is mainly set in which Eastern European country?
• Slovakia
• 9. Who stars as Pierrepoint in the film of the same name directed by Adrian Shergold?
• Timothy Spall
• 10.” The Ketchup Effect” is a film from which country?
• Sweden

11

• Report blames lack of resources on the failure to uncover the 7 July London bomb plot
• Henman loses 2-6, 2-6 to Nadal in Rome Open last 16
• China launches a “wikipedia like” online encyclopaedia
• BBC asks staff to help make up the numbers in studio audiences after it found it was breaking the law by hosting shows at Television Centre
• Trish Law, the widow of former MP and AM Peter Law, says she wants to stand in one of the two by-elections caused by his death.
• At Ellesmere Port factory Vauxhall factory workers stage a mass walkout
• MSP Duncan McNeil calls for contraception to be added to methadone to prevent addicts having children
• Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Music Awards
  • Audience development: London Sinfonietta for Connectors
  • BBC Radio 3 listeners award: Marin Alsop
  • Ensemble: I Fagiolini
  • Instrumentalist: Anthony Marwood
  • Large-scale composition: Julian Anderson for The Book of Hours
  • Opera and music theatre: Welsh National Opera for Wozzeck
  • Singer: Joyce DiDonato
  • Young artist: Andrew Kennedy
  • Chamber music: Leopold String Trio
  • Chamber-scale composition: James Dillon for String Quartet No 4
  • Concert series: Xenakis - Architect in Sound
  • Conductor: Mark Elder
  • Creative Communication: BBC Radio 3 for A Bach Christmas
  • Education: Spitalfields Festival - On Spital Fields
• In Antwerp 2 more people die in what are thought to be race related attacks
• Report in USA Today alleges that the country's three largest phone companies have been handing over call records to the National Security Agency
• UN World Food Programme (WFP) to resume aid to North Korea
• First Test, Lord's (day one, stumps): England 318-3 v Sri Lanka
• John Reid says public inquiry into the 7 July bombings is unnecessary
• More E.coli cases suspected in connection with Fife nursery
• Chris Langham charged with 15 counts of making indecent images of children

11 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Which model and actress is Titanic actor Billy Zane due to marry?
• Kelly Brook
• 2. Who is to resign as an MP after a 6 month affair with a male prostitute?
• Mark Oaten
• 3. Who rode George Washington to win the 2000 Guineas?
• Kieron Fallon
• 4. Who was 1st on the grid at the European Grand Prix?
• Fernando Alonso
• 5. “The List:” Who were the winners of the 4 football league divisions?
• Chelsea, Reading, Southend, and Carlisle

Topic of the Day: Civilisation

• 6. what name was given to the gardens made by piling up mud from the bottom of the lake in the city of Tenochtitlan, which were very rich in minerals and nutrients?
• Chinampas
• 7. Who was Akhenaten's co-regent and successor?
• Smenkhkare
• 8. What Asian article of attire has a name that simply means “clothing”?
• Kimono
• 9. In Inuit myth, what form of creature does Tulungersak take?
• Raven
• 10. Orisha Nla was the great creator of which African people?
• Youruba

10

• Mexican police accused of raping or sexually abusing women during riots in San *Salvador Atenco
• Nurse who murdered 2 patients and caused grievous bodily harm to 15 sentenced to at least 30 years in jail
• US attacks China for making "too little progress" in reforming its exchange rate
• The US central bank raises interest rates for a 16th time lifting them to five year highs of 5%
• Sanjeev Bhaskar jokes he will put his OBE for sale online after receiving it from the Queen
• Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski reach round three of the Rome Masters
• Sevilla thrash Middlesbrough 4-0 in the UEFA Cup final
• FA Premier League reject Tottenham's request to replay Sunday's match at West Ham
• Michelle Dewberry wins 2nd series of BBC Two's “The Apprentice”
• Alessandro Petacchi has operation on kneecap fractured in Monday's stage of the Giro d'Italia
• Number of small tornadoes hit small towns in the US state of Texas

10 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. “Boss’N Up” is film by Dylan C Brown starring which rapper as a pimp?
• Snoop Dogg
• 2. Who has been sacked as the head of the CIA?
• Porter Goss
• 3. Model Sonja Kinski is currently a model for which designer?
• Tommy Hilfiger
• 4. How much was davina McCall paid for each episode of her disastrous chat show, was it £150, £1,500, £15,000, or £150,000?
• £15,000
• 5. “The List:” The US Vice-President Dick Cheney has backed the bids of which three countires to join Nato and the EU?
• Albania, Croatia and Macedonia

Topic of the Day: Animals

• 6. A castrated male cat or ferret is called by what 3-letter word?
• Gib
• 7. A rafter or flock is the collective term for which seasonal bird?
• Turkey
• 8. Panthera onca is the scientific name for which “New World” big-cat?
• Jaguar
• 9. The bearcat or binturong is neither a bear nor a cat but a type of which animal?
• Civet
• 10. What type of animals are to be found in the order Chiroptera?
• Bats

09

• Ex-minister John Denham says party cannot afford another year of "division and drift"
• Watford 0-0 C Palace (agg 3-0) – Watford make play-off final
• GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has obtained an emergency injunction against animal rights extremists
• Tottenham write to Premier League to ask if they can replay Sunday's game against West Ham
• Sony reveals PlayStation 3 prices
• 69,591 see Manchester United beat Celtic 1-0 in Roy Keane's testimonial at Old Trafford
• David Blaine leaves hospital after spending seven days under water
• Tottenham ask the Premier League if they can replay the game against West Ham
• Take That are to record a new album
• Greg Rusedski takes over Andy Murray as Britain's number one men's tennis player
• Fighting intensifies in Mogadishu with at least 49 people left dead
• Trial of 4 men accused of involvement in the 2005 Bali attack opens in Denpasar
• Prize money on PDC circuit will be increased to a total of £2m in 2007
• Russian President Vladimir Putin attacks a rise in neo-Nazism in Russia
• Cannibal Armin Meiwes is sentenced to life in prison after a retrial
• ABN AMRO One extends Volvo Ocean Race lead by winning the 400-mile Maryland-to-New York sprint
• Swiss police investigate people smuggling at Swiss embassy in, Islamabad
• Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett says she is "flying by the seat of her pants"

09 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Whose words on being sentenced were “God curse America, God save Osama Bin Laden. You'll never get him”?
• Zacarias Moussaoui
• 2. The Smartest Guys in the Room” by Alex Gibney is a film about which company?
• Enron
• 3. Which car insurance firm advertises itself with an Australian man wearing a pink dress?
• Sheila’s Wheels
• 4. Who appeared as Beverly Allitt in “Angel of Death” recently on BBC1?
• Charlie Brooks
• 5. “The List:” Orange has launched 4 new telephone packages named after animals. What are they?
• Canary, Raccoon, Dolphin and Panther

Topic of the Day: Sport

• 6. Which horse did Walter Swinburn ride to win the 1987 Oaks?
• Unite
• 7. George Lee was a British World Champion in 1976, 1978 and 1981, in which sport?
• Gliding
• 8. Who is the only World Indoor Singles Champion at Bowls not to be English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh in the last 30 years?
• Ian Schuback (1992 he’s Australian)
• 9. “God Bless You” is sometimes used as a mnemonic to remember what in snooker?
• The order of the Green, Brown and Yellow on their spots
• 10. Which game means "Merry Festival" in the Basque language and is played first to 7 points?
• Jai-Alai

08

• Leeds beat Preston 3-1 on aggregate to reach the play-off final.
• Construction of China's Three Gorges Dam likely to be completed 9 months ahead of schedule
• Save the Children says Aid workers are involved in sexual exploitation of young girls in Liberia
• Tony Blair reassures the party saying he will give his successor time to "bed in" before next election
• The Beatles lose their High Court battle with Apple Computer over its iTunes download store.
• Sven-Goran Eriksson's provisional World Cup Squad:
  • Terry (Chelsea), Lampard (Chelsea), J Cole (Chelsea), Bridge (Chelsea),
  • Carrick (Tottenham), Lennon (Tottenham), Jenas (Totenham), Robinson (Tottenham),
  • Gerrard (Liverpool), Carragher (Liverpool), Crouch (Liverpool),
  • G Neville (Manchester United), R Ferdinand (Manchester United), Rooney (Manchester United),
  • A Cole (Arsenal), Campbell (Arsenal), Walcott (Arsenal)
  • Beckham (Real Madrid), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich),
  • Downing (Middlesbrough), James (Manchester City), Owen (Newcastle), Green (Norwich)
• Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written to George W Bush proposing "new solutions" to their differences
• A confidential Ministry of Defence report on Unidentified Flying Objects has concluded that there is no proof of alien life forms
• Verdict of Not Guilty in rape trial of former Deputy President Jacob Zuma
• General Michael Hayden nominated as new head of the CIA by George W Bush
• Keith Richards undergoes head surgery in Auckland
• Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez introduces a new "extraction tax" of 33% replacing the current oil royalty of 17%

08 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. At the Rose D’Or awards in Lucerne what show won best game show?
• Deal or No Deal
• 2. Which team beat Chelsea 1-0 to qualify for the UEFA Cup next year?
• Blackburn Rovers
• 3. What reason did Gary Glitter give recently for going to Cambodia?
• Because he read a book about the Mekong
• 4. Which feature of Star Trek might just work in reality according to 2 mathematicians, Milton and Nicorovici?
• A cloaking device
• 5. “The List:” Who is set to play Lord Longford, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady in the forthcoming drama series “Longford”?
• Jim Broadbent, Samantha Morton and Andy Serkis

Topic of the Day: General Knowledge

• 6. Who played Guy Gibson in the 1954 film “The Dambusters”?
• Richard Todd
• 7. Garry Essendine is the lead character in which Noel Coward play?
• Present Laughter
• 8. In what year was Fidel Castro born?
• 1926
• 9. Which mythical creature of the Orkney Islands, which may be based on the Scandinavian troll, are said to be small, naughty, little creatures who live in mounds and nooks?
• A trowe or trow
• 10. “And the Beat goes On” was a 1999 biopic about which singing duo?
• Sony and Cher

07

• Labour Party apologise for imposing all-woman shortlist on Blaenau Gwent at 2005 general election
• Troy Bayliss extends lead in World Superbike standings after winning both races in Monza
• Sugar Ray Leonard says Audley Harrison can still win a world heavyweight title
• Nicole Cooke wins the Gran Premio Castilla y Leon
• Kim Clijsters wins 1st title of 2006 with victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova at the J&S Cup
• Thousands attend concert for ex-Deputy President Jacob Zuma on eve of rape trial verdict
• New government in Nepal scraps all appointments made by King Gyanendra since October 2002
• UK Charts:
  • Singles
    • 1. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
    • 2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California
    • 3. Beatfreakz - Somebody's Watching Me
    • 4. Infernal - From Paris To Berlin
    • 5. Rihanna - SOS
  • Albums:
    • 1. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
    • 2. Gnarls Barkley - St Elsewhere
    • 3. Shayne Ward - Shayne Ward
    • 4. Tool - 10,000 Days
    • 5. Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
• Police are investigating a complaint that John Prescott allegedly broke the law by having sex with his secretary in his Whitehall Office
• Oscar de la Hoya stops Ricardo Mayorga to win WBC light middleweight crown
• Australia's Robbie McEwen wins a sprint finish to claim 2nd stage of Giro d'Italia.
• WHO mass polio vaccination campaign due to start on the dangerous Pakistan-Afghan border
• Leeds Rhinos confirm 13 players are to leave after club 's relegation from the Premiership
• Barclays Premiership Table:
  • 1 Chelsea -91
  • 2 Man Utd -83
  • 3 Liverpool -82
  • 4 Arsenal -67
  • 5 Tottenham -65
  • 6 Blackburn -63
  • 7 Newcastle -58
  • 8 Bolton -56
  • 9 West Ham -55
  • 10 Wigan -51
  • 11 Everton -50
  • 12 Fulham -48
  • 13 Charlton -47
  • 14 Middlesbrough -45
  • 15 Man City -43
  • 16 Aston Villa -42
  • 17 Portsmouth -38
  • 18 Birmingham -34
  • 19 West Brom -30
  • 20 Sunderland -15

07 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. At the Rose D’Or awards in Lucerne who won the award for best game show host?
• Stephen Fry
• 2. What is the name of the Barry Sonnenfeld directed film starring Robin Williams?
• R.V.
• 3. Prior to winning the World title how many tournaments had Graeme Dott won?
• None
• 4. Which car company has extended chief executive Bernd Pischetsrieder’s contract?
• Volkswagen
• 5. “The List:” Which three women are touring as part of the stage show “Grumpy Old Women Live”?
• Jenny Éclair, Dillie Keane and Linda Robson

Topic of the Day: General Knowledge

• 6. Tom Ze is a major exponent of which type of Brazilian music?
• Tropicalia (or Tropicalismo)
• 7. Which Canadian poet and singer-songwriter’s first book of poetry was “Let Us Compare Mythologies” in 1956?
• Leonard Cohen
• 8. Which actor played Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs in “Miami Vice”
• Philip Michael Thomas
• 9. Which magazine is known for its signature red border, which only changed once (to black) in the issue released shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks?
• Time
• 10. After unification of the Three kingdoms in 676 which country was ruled by a single government until invaded by the Mongols 600 years later?
• Korea

06

• Oscar de la Hoya stops Ricardo Mayorga and take the WBC light middleweight crown in Las Vegas
• White House denies any pushing of CIA chief Porter Goss to resign
• Team trying to free 2 Australian miners trapped for 11 days are hampered in the final phase of the rescue
• Cruise ship carrying 708 people is towed to the south coast after engine fire in the English Channel
• Audley Harrison joins forces with New York trainer Buddy McGirt
• Shell suspends chip-and-pin payments at 600 UK petrol stations
• Senior Catholics and Opus Dei set up a group to counter negative impact from The Da Vinci Code film
• Favourite George Washington wins the Stan James 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
• Doctors to treat US illusionist David Blaine, who is spending 7-days submerged underwater (psychiatrists?)
• European food watchdog says Aspartame, the artificial sweetener, is not carcinogenic
• Southend secure the League One championship thanks to Wayne Gray's 87th-minute winner
• Senior Catholics and Opus Dei prepare to counter negative impact from “The Da Vinci Code” film
• World of Warcraft continues to experience ongoing problems
• Stephen Hendry will start next season as world number one
• Andrew Hoy extends his lead after the cross-country phase on day two of the Badminton Horse Trials
• Ricky Hatton gives up WBA light-welterweight belt ahead of clash with Luis Collazo in Boston
• Serbia's foreign minister urges dismissal of security officials over failure to detain Ratko Mladic

06 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Whose green image took a knock recently when it was revealed that although he cycles to work his shoes, papers and other clothes follow behind him in a chauffeur driven Lexus?
• David Cameron
• 2. Who has “sold out” by recording a song for Coca-Cola and calling it “the greatest drink ever made by man”?
• Jack White
• 3. Training great Martin Pipe has shocked the racing world by announcing his retirement. What is the name of his son who is taking over?
• David
• 4. Who according to a story in the Mail on Sunday "exploited power for his own sexual gratification"?
• John Prescott
• 5. “The List:” Which six EU countries currently have systems to collect all types of used portable batteries?
• Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, and France

Topic of the Day: General Knowledge

• 6. Which Russian author took as a pseudonym a name which mean “bitter”?
• Maxim Gorky
• 7. From which country does the company LG originate?
• South Korea
• 8. Who wrote the opera “La Belle Helene”, first performed in 1864?
• Offenbach
• 9. Which Spanish writer and former friend of Dali and Bunuel thought that the film Un chien andalou was a veiled attack on him?
• Federico García Lorca
• 10. Alfred Cortot was a composer and virtuoso on which insrument?
• Piano

05

• Irish pay-TV firm Setanta has broken BSkyB's monopoly of live Premier League football matches, winning the rights to show 46 matches per season from 2007
• Cabinet Reshuffle after night of council losses:
  • Foreign Secretary - Margaret Beckett (replaces Jack Straw)
  • Home Secretary - John Reid (replaces Charles Clarke)
  • Education Secretary - Alan Johnson (replaces Ruth Kelly)
  • Leader of the Commons - Jack Straw (replaces Geoff Hoon)
  • Europe Minister - Geoff Hoon
• Election Results:
  • Con – Gain 260 (Total - 1598) councillors, Gain 11 (Total - 67) Councils
  • Lab – Lose 262 (1067) councillors, Lose 18 (25) councils
  • LD – Gain 14 (803) councillors, Gain 1 (13) council
  • Other – Lose 12 (172) councillors, no change on council control
• Darfur rebels 'agree peace deal'
• Online game players continue to experience problems with “World of Warcraft”
• Thousands of people have fled Dili in East Timor fearing a new outbreak of violence
• Robbie Williams has moved his planned Wembley Stadium concerts to the Milton Keynes Bowl
• Election observers say 60% of Chadians voted in presidential polls - a figure many do not believe.
• US President George Bush unexpectedly announces that CIA director Porter Goss has resigned
• Serbian police arrest two people suspected of helping war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic evade capture
• Hootie Johnson is stepping down as chairman of Augusta National Golf Club
• Supporters of BNP claim it is "on its way" after doubling its number of councillors in England.
• FA chief executive Brian Barwick says the search for a new England coach was "compromised".
• BBC DG general Mark Thompson says the corporation's big stars are highly paid to ward off rivals

05 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. What is the name of the Liverpool football fan, serving a jail term for the attempted murder of a barman in Bulgaria, who has been refused a retrial?
• Michael Shields
• 2. Who is being lined-up to play Michael Hutchence in a new biopic of the rock star. “Slide Away”?
• Johnny Depp
• 3. Which Football Club has launched a new website offering fans information on money matters and access to independent financial advice?
• Chelsea
• 4. Who has auctioned her Vera Wang dress (that she wore to the Oscars) on eBay for the charity OXFAM?
• Keira Knightly
• 5. “The List:” With a Picasso selling for nearly $100m yesterday what are the other three most expensive paintings ever sold?
• " “Boy with a Pipe” - Pablo Picasso, “Portrait of Dr Gachet” - Vincent van Gogh, “Au Moulin de la Galette” - Pierre Auguste Renoir

Topic of the Day: French Numbers (loosely)

• 6. Which 20th century German expressionist painted Metropolis and Trench Warfare?
• Otto Dix
• 7. One of Aston Villa’s worst signings (a very long list) which French player joined them in 1984?
• Didier Six
• 8. Which battle of the Napoleonic Wars took place on 16th June 1815?
• Quatre Bras
• 9. Which plant of the Triticum genus is cultivated Worldwide as a foodstuff?
• Wheat
• 10. Which film festival was revived in 1946 and usually features numerous starlets parading on Le Croisette?
• Cannes

04

• Picasso portrait fetches $95.2m
• Sussex University proposes to close its highly rated chemistry department
• Leicester couple given permission by fertility watchdog to have a "saviour sibling" in a bid to help their sick 20-month-old daughter
• Bank of England keeps rate at 4.5%
• Mobile phone operator Orange is planning to cut between 1,800 and 2,000 UK jobs
• Carmarthen Council backs town's £50m revamp
• Lockerbie bomber appeals against his 27 year sentence
• Peer Hain denies MP peerage allegation by widow of Peter Law
• Gianni Paladini says he was forced to resign as QPR shareholder by David Morris
• Maoist rebels in Nepal have welcomed a government ceasefire offer
• UN Security Council discusses resolution calling on Iran to suspend its nuclear programme
• Israel's new government takes office after parliament approves cabinet proposed by Ehud Olmert
• Amnesty International says racist killings in Russia are "out of control",
• Brazilian energy company Petrobras is suspending future investment in Bolivia
• Vatican excommunicates 2 bishops who illegally ordained by China's breakaway Catholic Church
• Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf accuses US of funding warlords
• Alex Ferguson confirms Wayne Rooney will use an oxygen chamber to aid his recovery
• Calls continue by the opposition for Charles Clarke to resign
• 9 killed and 46 injured in suicide bomb outside a court in Baghdad
• Changes promised at Office of the Deputy PM after criticism of bullying and discrimination
• Early signs suggest turnout will be above average in the local elections in England
• Steve McClaren has been appointed the next England manager

04 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Pictures have emerged of which rock star allegedly injecting a drug into a girl fan's arm?
• Pete Doherty
• 2. Which singer and actor is to play Captain Hook in Peter Pan on the London stage?
• David Hasselhoff
• 3. Which country’s human rights record was criticised by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour?
• Ethiopia
• 4. Whose last-gasp goal put Middlesbrough in to UEFA Cup final?
• Massimo Maccarone's
• 5. “The List:” Iran said which 2 countries would veto any attempt by the UN to sanction their nuclear programme?
• Russia and China

Topic of the Day: Inspired by Ang Lee’s recent film on terrestrial here’s 5 on Superheroes

• 6. Which Marvel Comics superhero who first appeared in Spiderman #129 has the real name of Frank Castle?
• The Punisher
• 7. Which Superhero has a Fortress of Solitude?
• Superman
• 8. The Green Arrow and Hawkeye both used what type of weapon?
• Bow and Arrow
• 9. Which superhero first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 in 1940?
• Captain Marvel
• 10. Which superhero(ine) is played by Anna Paquin in the X-Men films?
• Rogue

03

• Blair says he will toughen the laws on deporting foreign criminals
• EU calls off talks on closer ties with Serbia because of failure to arrest Ratko Mladic
• Wayne Rooney found to have multiple breaks almost certainly ruling him out of the World Cup
• EU ban on British beef officially ends
• Chad goes to the polls in Presidential elections
• Painting by Van Gogh sells at New York auction for over $40m
• UN is presented with draft resolution about Iran’s nuclear programme
• About 500 migrants have landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa
• Bad weather slows recovery of the bodies of 113 people killed in an Armenian plane crash
• 2 men accused of plotting to overthrow the government and kill Nelson Mandela escape from court
• Billie Piper signs a six-figure deal to write her "candid" autobiography.
• Tonga hit by a strong level 8.0 earthquake
• Warner Music rejects a $4.2bn bid from EMI
• Barry Bonds gets to within 2 home runs of Babe Ruth’s total of 714
• Red Bull driver David Coulthard speaks out in favour of women F1 drivers
• Premier League warns landlords not to show premiership football matches without subscribing
• Senior leader of India's main opposition BJP, Pramod Mahajan, dies 10 days after he was shot
• India and Pakistan agree to open a cross-Kashmir trade route
• Serbian PM Vojislav Kostunica says EU's decision to call off talks will damage his country.
• Voting ends in Chad's presidential election
• Zacarias Moussaoui receives a life sentence rather than execution

03 Quiz

In the News: Sport

• 1. Which former Williams chief designer has joined the BMW Sauber team?
• Joerg Zander
• 2. Which former Cheltenham winner has been put down at the age of 18 after suffering a severe bout of colic?
• Danoli (Royal & Sun Alliance Novices Hurdle in 1994)
• 3. Alberto Costa has retired from professional tennis, in which year did he win his only Grand Slam title the French Open?
• 2002
• 4. Which J-League side did Portugal and former Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari once coach?
• Jubilo Iwata
• 5. “The List:” Name the three teams relegated from this years’ Premiership?
• Sunderland, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion

Topic of the Day: Composers

• 6. Which composer wrote a Symphony of Psalms, the opera “The Rake’s Progress” and the ballet “Agon” and said that music was by its nature “impossible of expressing anything but itself"?
• Igor Stravinsky
• 7. Which Austrian was the pioneer of the 12-tone system, which treats all parts of the chromatic scale equally and a major influence on the Second Viennese School?
• Arnold Schoenberg
• 8. Which 1845 opera by Benjamin Britten is a story of a fisherman who kills two of his apprentices, before sailing out to sea to die?
• Peter Grimes
• 9. Which New York born composer was known as “the dean of American composers” wrote “Lincoln Portrait”, “The Tender Land” and “El Salon Mexico”?
• Aaron Copland
• 10. Which one-act opera sees newly married Judith opening 7-doors to reveal (amongst other things) a torture chamber and a pool of tears?
• Duke Bluebeard’s Castle

02

• In New York David Blaine begin latest stunt - spending 7 days underwater in his "human aquarium"
• Blackburn beat Chelsea 1-0
• Cull completed at Norfolk bird flu farms
• Newspaper reports claim Steve McClaren will be confirmed as Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor
• Prime Minister Tony Blair seeks to lift party prior to local elections
• Iran says Russia and China will veto sanctions against nuclear programme
• Silvio Berlusconi formally resigns as Italian PM
• Graeme Dott beats Peter Ebdon 18 -14 to become World Snooker Champion
• Up to 90,000 civil servants working in job centres, benefit offices and the Child Support Agency stage a 48-hour strike over job cuts
• Deportation row escalates, when it emerges that a suspect in the WPC Beshenivsky killing was allowed to stay in the country
• Jim Smith warns Steve McClaren against taking the England job
• Gary Glitter denies ever abusing underage girls and blames British media for his downfall
• 3 men found guilty over the theft of Edvard Munch's The Scream, 3 others acquitted
• Ministers attacked for failing to act on the findings of the inquiry into the Shipman murders
• Michelle Wie's applies for the 2006 US Open
• England will be allowed to replace Wayne Rooney in their World Cup squad up until 24 hours before their opening match against Paraguay on 10 June.

02 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Who spent 4 hours talking to fans at the UK premiere of Mission Impossible 3?
• Tom Cruise
• 2. What is the difference in prize money for the men and women winners at this year’s Wimbledon?
• £30,000 (£655,000 and £625,000)
• 3. Which ex-England coach has branded the Football Association's search for a new manager "pathetic"?
• Graham Taylor
• 4. Who has been appointed West Indies captain for the third time in his career?
• Brian Lara
• 5. “The List:” The leaders of which 3 countries have signed a deal aimed at countering US influence in Latin America?
• Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba

Topic of the Day: Texas Hold-Em Poker

• 6. In which 1998 John Dahl film did Matt Damon and Ed Norton play Texas Hold’em?
• Rounders
• 7. What name is given to a card dealt from the top of a deck, and discarded by the dealer that is not used by the players?
• Burn card
• 8. What comes between the flop and the river?
• The turn
• 9. What is a post-oak bluff?
• An attempt to steal a pot by betting a small amount of chips in terms of the pot standing, in an attempt to convince players that you want them to enter in to the pot because you have a very good hand
• 10. What in poker terminology is Broadway?
• 10 to Ace straight

01

• Arsenal beat Leeds 5-0 to win the Women's FA Cup
• Peter Ebdon wins the first four frames of the final session to reduce Graeme Dott's lead in the World Championship final to 15-11
• Sir Alex Ferguson criticises Sven-Goran Eriksson over his view that Wayne Rooney can play in the World Cup
• Oxfam get £4,300 for Keira Knightley’s Oscar dress
• House of Fraser receives a takeover approach from a potential buyer
• Interim Israeli PM Ehud Olmert makes cabinet appointments
• Hundreds of thousands of US immigrant workers hold a day of protests to show their importance to the US economy
• Rescuers manage to get food and drink to 2 gold miners trapped underground in Tasmania for six days
• In a letter to UN Secretary General Iran accuses the US, of plotting military attacks
• US Supreme Court allows ex-Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith to claim her late husband's fortune
• Swiss police issue arrest warrant for husband of murdered ski champion Corinne Rey-Bellet
• Sweden's Niclas Fasth wins the Spanish Open after 4 play-off holes
• US warns Nigeria against changing its constitution to allow President Obasanjo to stand for 3rd term
• US researchers make water run uphill
• Martin Pipe's son David takes over his father's training licence.
• England's beat South Africa 3-0 to book a quarterfinal clash with Thomas Cup holders China

01 Quiz

In the News:

• 1. Who recently said that his wife playing a chef was probably her greatest performance ever?
• Michael Douglas (of CZJ’s performance in “Mostly Martha”)
• 2. Who has Gary Barlow said that he wants to sing “Relight My Fire” during their tour?
• Charlotte Church
• 3. Nikolai Smolenski is the current owner of which sportscar manufacturer?
• TVR
• 4. Whose late penalty save from Villarreal's Juan Roman Riquelme sent Arsenal into the Champions League final?
• Jen Lehmann's
• 5. “The List:” Extras has won the prestigious Rose d'Or prize for the best sitcom, which 6 actors guest starred in the series?
• Ben Stiller, Ross Kemp, Kate Winslet, Les Dennis, Samuel L. Jackson and Patrick Stewart (at a push accept Vinnie Jones)

Topic of the Day: Sport General

• 6. In ice hockey, what is the minimum period for which a player may be sent to the "sin bin"?
• 2 minutes
• 7. Which Olympic watersport was added to the Olympic Games in 1984?
• Synchronised swimming
• 8. Who were the first father and son to captain England at cricket at test level?
• George and Frank Mann
• 9. How old was Lester Piggott when he rode his first derby winner?
• 18
• 10. Anne Keothavong has been the top ranked British women in which sport?
• Tennis

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