The World
1. Which state voted to join the EU?
2. Which country tried a human rights judge in its supreme court?
3. After more than 130 years, which global company declared bankruptcy?
4. In which country were two presidential candidates charged with crimes against humanity?
5. Which multinational company was accused of propping up King Mswati III of Swaziland?
6. Which leader admitted to a bank balance of only $179,612?
Britain
7. A question that stumped several British politicians: the average price of a pint of milk?
8. Another political issue: the top rate of income tax for most of the 1980s?
9. Which new public figure popularized the following words: condign, nugatory, recondite and occlude?
General
10. Which sport will be added to the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016?
11. Which two countries’ names include three consecutive letters in alphabetical order?
12. Which country is planning on putting a man on the Moon by 2025?
13. There have been 44 US Presidents including Barack Obama. How many inaugurations have there been?
14. Which country has the largest proportion of women in its parliament?
15. Which country is being paid not to extract oil from its rainforest?
This year, who said:
16. If we fail to handle this issue [corruption] well, it could prove fatal to the party, and even cause the collapse of the party and the fall of the state.
17. This notion that I want to be a billionaire with a yacht: I don’t. I am never going to be part of the super-rich.
18. As I have discovered myself, there are no disasters, only opportunities. And indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters.
19. I have never asked a prime minister for anything.
20. Until two days ago someone told me I am the most famous Korean in the world. Now I have to relinquish.
Who said in The World Today:
21. I don’t think necessarily there is a problem in the eurozone as a whole. If we take the northern part of Europe - in the eurozone or not - it’s going rather well.
22. The man to watch is Bo Xilai, the most interesting figure in Chinese politics today.
23. In three or four years the world will see there is a majority of Palestinians between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. I don’t think the world - the Americans - will accept it.
24. It is quite possible that within 15 years cannabis will be legalized in the US.
Crack the code
25. The British government is encouraging schools to develop future code-breakers. Here is a historic encoded military signal, kindly provided by the National Cipher Challenge at the University of Southampton. Can you break the code?
JE WUDUHQB BEYIED VHEC JXU XQDT EV CQHIXQB IEKBJ
JXU RQJJBU JE IUSKHU EKH HEKJU DEHJX JXHEKWX JXU CEKDJQYDI XQI IXEMD SBUQHBO JXQJ MU CKIJ DEJ KDTUHUIJYCQJU JXU HUIEBLU QDT YDYJYQJYLU EV MUBBUIBUO QDT XYI EVVYSUHI. JXU HUQHWKQHT QSJYED QJ IQBQBCEDTU SQCU SBEIU JE Q FOHHXYS LYSJEHO MXUD JXU RHYJYIX. MYJX FEHJKWKUIU IKFFEHJ, QJJUCFJUT JE IQREJQWU JXU RHYTWU QJ FEDJU DELQ. ULUD MXUD MU HUJEEA JXU RHYTWU, JXU SEBBQFIU EV EKH HUQHWKQHT BUT JE CQDO BEIIUI, QDT MU MUHU BKSAO JXQJ EKH FKHIKUHI CYIIUT JXU DQHHEM HEQT JXQJ MU JEEA EKJ EV JXU LQBBUO.
YJ YI SBUQH JXQJ SECCQDT EV JHEEFI YI EV IUSEDTQHO YCFEHJQDSU JE SECCQDT EV JXU HEQTI, RHYTWUI QDT EJXUH IJHQJUWYS ERZUSJYLUI QDT JXYI FQBUI YD IYWDYVYSQDSU JE ADEMBUTWU EV EKH UDUCYUI YDJUDJYEDI. JE JXYI UDT OEK QHU SECCQDTUT JE IUSKHU Q DUJMEHA EV BESQB IOCFQJXYPUHI, QVHQDSUIQTEI, MXE MYBB QIIYIJ KI YD CQFFYDW JXU JUHHQYD QDT YD WQJXUHYDW YDJUBBYWUDSU SEDSUHDYDW JXU CELUCUDJ QDT TYIFEIYJYEDI EV JXU RHYJYIX JHEEFI.
LYLU BQ VHQDSU
CQHIXQB IEKBJ
Answers
The World
1. Croatia
2. Spain
3. Kodak
4. Kenya
5. Coca Cola
6. Vladimir Putin
Britain
7. 46p
8. 60%
9. Robert Jay QC at the Leveson Inquiry
General
10. Golf
11. Afghanistan and Tuvula
12. China
13. 56
14. Rwanda
15. Ecuador
This year, who said:
16. Hu Jintao
17. Tony Blair
18. Boris Johnson
19. Rupert Murdoch
20. Ban Ki-Moon
Who said in The World Today:
21. Carl Bildt
22. Niall Ferguson
23. Yossi Beilin
24. Mark Kleiman
Crack the code
25. To General Loisson from the hand of Marshal Soult
The battle to secure our route north through the mountains has shown clearly that we must not underestimate the resolve and initiative of Wellesley and his officers. The rearguard action at Salalmonde came close to a phyrric victory when the British, with Portugese support, attempted to sabotage the bridge at Ponte Nova. Even when we retook the bridge, the collapse of our rearguard led to many losses, and we were lucky that our pursuers missed the narrow road that we took out of the valley.
It is clear that command of troops is of secondary importance to command of the roads, bridges and other strategic objectives and this pales in significance to knowledge of our enemies’ intentions. To this end you are commanded to secure a network of local sympathizers, afrancesados, who will assist us in mapping the terrain and in gathering intelligence concerning the movement and dispositions of the British troops.
Vive La France
Marshal Soult