What would you say to 15 questions on quirky topical news, general knowledge, with a few silly in-jokes thrown in? Yes? Yes! YES!! Then you are in luck, because once again it is Thursday and the ramshackle quiz that goes with it is all present and correct. There are no prizes, it is just fun. You could let us know how you get on in the comments though, and you might even score some bonus points for being funny or spotting hidden references to children’s tea-time favourite Doctor Who. Enjoy! The Thursday quiz, No 130 1.Which country is lamenting the loss of the longest-running radio programme in its history – the official time signal? 8.29am Australia Singapore Uruguay Canada Reveal 2.UK regulators have approved Microsoft"s £57bn deal to buy the company that makes the games Call of Duty and World of Warcraft among others. Who are they? Microsoft Ubisoft Larian Studios Activision Blizzard Ultimate Play the Game Reveal 3.Thorpe Park theme park in Chertsey, Surrey has had to apologise after what …? Sorry It accidentally blared Halloween sound effects at full volume all night Every firework in a planned display was accidentally triggered at the same time causing hundreds of 999 calls It accidentally used a picture of a group of nudists riding one of its rollercoasters in a promotional brochure It employed a Liz Truss lookalike at a fancy dress party who accidentally added £150 to the mortgage payments of everybody attending Reveal 4.This is Willow, the official dog of the Guardian Thursday quiz. She knows a football team walked on at the weekend with 11 rescue dogs as mascots, all of whom needed new forever homes. But where? Willow, the official dog of the Guardian"s Thursday quiz RCD Espanyol in Spain Cremonese in Italy AEK Athens in Greece Harchester United in England Reveal 5.A French train carrying who got diverted to Disneyland by mistake owing to a signalling error? A TGV The French national football team heading to their friendly match against Scotland in Lille A group of French MEPs heading to the European parliament building in Strasbourg The touring entourage of Taylor Swift who is shortly starting the European leg of her Eras tour in Paris 30-50 feral hogs just hanging out on the train and having a ball Reveal 6.Scientists in the UK have had to build traps to manage the rising number of which type of crab? A crab claw Japanese glove crabs Vietnamese gauntlet crabs Chinese mitten crabs Australian macra crabs Reveal 7.Which famous work of conceptual art (not pictured) have experts revealed may have been actually made by the German Dada artist Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven? Art René Magritte"s The Treachery of Images – with its famous "ceci n"est pas une pipe" legend Salvador Dalí"s Lobster Telephone – a telephone with a lobster for a handset Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain – a signed urinal Russell Mael"s The Wedding of Jacqueline Kennedy to Russell Mael – a short answerphone message Reveal 8.It is the anniversary of the death of King John of England (pictured, but it is an engraving from 500 years later so YMMV). Sorry to remind you about that John. Hashtag awkward. Anyway he was succeeded by his nine-year-old son who went on to rule for some 56 years. Who? King John of England Edward I known as Edward Longshanks Henry III known as Henry of Winchester Richard I known as Richard the Lionheart Hermann I known as Dogface Hermann Dingbat Reveal 9.In what year did Napoleon (not pictured) retreat from Moscow (also not pictured)? A battle reenactment 1792 1802 1812 1822 Reveal 10.Is it Karl Wallinger"s birthday today? It is! Happy birthday, Karl! He is the (quite badly cropped) mastermind behind which band? Karl Wallinger World Party The The Spear Of Destiny Thompson Twins Reveal 11.Bruce Robinson is adapting for the stage which cult film that he wrote and directed? The Hyde Park picture house The Wicker Man Don"t Look Now The Breakfast Club Withnail & I Reveal 12.What has the value 6.62607015 multiplied by 10 to the power of -34? Shrug Boltzmann constant Planck constant Von Klitzing constant Stahlman constant Reveal 13.Japan Airlines laid on extra flights after concluding that planes were at risk of exceeding their weight limits because they would be carrying what? An aeroplane A family of elephants being rehoused from a zoo in Osaka to one with more space in Niigata The touring equipment of Taylor Swift who is shortly starting the Japanese leg of her Eras tour in Yokohama Sumo wrestlers heading to a sports festival in Amami Oshima A significant number of very naughty miniature dachshunds Reveal 14.Which desperately unpopular and apparently unwatchable eggchasers are now the only northern hemisphere representative and remain the only unbeaten side among the last four at the 2023 Rugby World Cup? The egg Ireland France Wales England Reveal 15.Michael Caine has retired from acting at the grand old age of 90. But who had a hit in 1984 with a song called Michael Caine Michael Caine Bananarama The Clash Madness Kate Bush