Thursday news quiz: Elections denied, a dog surprise, and a very viral raccoon

The Guardian UK Thursday 23 July 2026, 09:34 UTC By Martin Belam 1 min read

Key Points

Test yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge every Thursday. How will you fare?While the keys to the country keep changing hands, the Thursday news quiz remains reassuringly constant, steadfastly refusing to hand over power, or grow up in any way. Fifteen questions on topical news, general knowledge and popular culture await, this week with a hefty dose of novelty animal stories and Liz Truss again, because she won’t let it be.

Test yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge every Thursday. How will you fare?

While the keys to the country keep changing hands, the Thursday news quiz remains reassuringly constant, steadfastly refusing to hand over power, or grow up in any way. Fifteen questions on topical news, general knowledge and popular culture await, this week with a hefty dose of novelty animal stories and Liz Truss again, because she won’t let it be. Anyway, there are no prizes, but let us know how you got on in the comments. Allons-y!

The Thursday news quiz, No 257

Liz Truss (PERSON)

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

For decades, the Strait of Hormuz has been the world's most critical oil gateway, with millions of barrels of crude passing through it every day. But repeated disruptions to oil supplies across the globe have exposed just how vulnerable that dependence is, prompting Gulf nations to resort to an ambitious network of pipelines designed to move oil without relying on the narrow waterway. From UAE to Iraq, governments and state-owned energy companies are accelerating projects worth billions of...

Times of India 17m ago

Seoul drops ‘denuclearisation-first’ stance on Pyongyang

South Korea has abandoned its campaign prioritising pressure on the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons, a minister said on Thursday, marking a fresh overture by Seoul’s dovish government. President Lee Jae Myung has reversed the stance of his hawkish predecessor since taking power in Seoul in June 2025, offering nuclear-armed Pyongyang talks without preconditions. The hermetic leadership of North Korea has yet to respond to his repeated offers.

South China Morning Post 18m ago

Russia chokes Ukraine’s lifeline Black Sea export corridor

KYIV — Russia’s attacks on civilian cargo ships bound for Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea are strangling Kyiv’s vital export corridor, with no vessels entering any of the three Ukrainian ports in the Odesa region on Wednesday for the first time since the corridor was established in 2023. “Russia is holding global food security hostage. Today zero vessels passed through Ukraine’s Black Sea maritime corridor — right at peak harvest.

Politico EU 19m ago

'Every victim will feel the same,' says mother of PC Harper over early prison release

As the deadline for releases approaches, Andy Burnham has reignited a row over the legislation after he said he would review the plans.

BBC News 20m ago

Thursday news quiz: Elections denied, a dog surprise, and a very viral raccoon

Related Stories

Beyond Hormuz: Gulf is spending billions to find new routes to global markets

Seoul drops ‘denuclearisation-first’ stance on Pyongyang

Russia chokes Ukraine’s lifeline Black Sea export corridor

'Every victim will feel the same,' says mother of PC Harper over early prison release