“The attempts to be funny continue to be contemptible,” said one happy punter in the comments the other week, and yet again it is time to face that Thursday combination – 15 questions on topical news and general knowledge, peppered with a few jokes. The Pokémon question’s reign of terror may be over, but rest assured there are still two hidden Doctor Who references to spot, the regular presence of Kate Bush and Ron from Sparks, and inexplicably some anagrams exactly when you least want them. It is just for fun, there are no prizes, but there are bonus points on offer if you can make the quizmaster laugh with your comments. Let us know how you get on. The Thursday quiz, No 27 1.WORLD NEWS: New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said: ‘Sorry, a slight distraction’ after what disrupted one of her press conferences? Her phone wouldn’t stop buzzing with goal alerts from Old Trafford One of the flags on the backdrop behind her fell down A 5.9 magnitude earthquake happened A man wearing an Olly Murs face mask burst into the room Reveal 2.TELECOMS DISASTER: A man was arrested in Cairo after accidentally doing what with a phone? Posting a picture of his penis as a reply to a tweet by Egypt’s prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly Broadcasting his face on social media to thousands of people after snatching and stealing a journalist’s phone while they were making a live report Airdropping an obscene image to the nearby phone of the Russian ambassador to Egypt whose Bluetooth he had accidentally connected to Announcing that he’d started a European Super League and then having to back down a couple of days later Reveal 3.MUSIC: Which artist last week smashed the UK’s record for streams of a song in a week after there were 24m streams for her new single? Dua Lipa Adele Billie Eilish Kate Bush Reveal 4.RELAXING NEWS: Adults in which country will be permitted to grow up to four cannabis plants in their homes or gardens under laws that will make it the first country in Europe to legalise production and consumption of the drug? Liechtenstein San Marino Andorra Luxembourg Reveal 5.SPORT: The men’s T20 Cricket World Cup has got under way, and jolly entertaining it has been too. Which two countries are hosting it? The UAE and Qatar Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Namibia and South Africa The UAE and Oman Reveal 6.COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING: Which of these operas by Giacomo Puccini was the earliest to be performed in public? La Bohème Turandot Tosca Madame Butterfly Reveal 7.FLAGS OF JOY: This extremely British-looking flag is the state flag of which Australian state? New South Wales South Australia Queensland Victoria Reveal 8.GEOGRAPHY: Annapolis is the state capitol of which US state? Massachusetts New Hampshire Maryland Arkansas Reveal 9.GCSE SCIENCE CORNER: Physics today. Which of these formulas best describes Newton’s second law of motion? Resultant force = mass × acceleration Acceleration = mass x resultant force Resultant force = gravity × acceleration E = mc² Reveal 10.NORTHERN IRELAND: The spectacular Giant’s Causeway (Clochán an Aifir) is a world heritage site and simply one of the best places to visit in the British Isles. But what are the mysterious columns made of? Basalt Dacite Granite Peladon Reveal 11.SPOOKY TIMES: Here’s a picture of a tiger with a pumpkin. It is Halloween at the weekend, but which of these seasonal festivals on ‘the wheel of the year’ takes place at the same time as Halloween? Imbolc Beltane Lughnasa Samhain Reveal 12.THE GHOST OF LIBERACE: That’s a Sparks song from 1994 about how he’s always hanging ’round, hovering over farmland, lingering over towns. But that’s not important right now. Did Liberace once successfully sue the Daily Mirror for libel in the UK for implying that he might be gay? True False Reveal 13.ENSEMBLE CASTS: Which British comedy show included regular characters Pauline, Mickey, Mr Chinnery, Uncle Harvey and Auntie Val? Plot twist – it is anagram time Goth woe straightened Elegant gene mouthfeel Bevy handling beam Refrigeration sharpened landfill Reveal 14.SHOOT FOR THE MOON: Nasa has announced plans to launch an uncrewed flight around the moon in February 2022, paving the way for astronauts to once again set foot on Earth’s satellite. But when did a person last set foot on the moon? 1971 1972 1973 1974 Reveal 15.AND FINALLY: What is currently winning New Zealand’s bird of the year competition? A butterfly A bird A bat A bee