The answers to each of the following questions would have appeared in the newspapers in 2002, and the questions are grouped according to which section of the newspaper they would have been in. Oh, and this time, the pictures are relevant. Two marks for each correct answer, one for a near miss, for a total possible score of 50.

Winners to be announced after Christmas.

* Send your entry

In addition, each question carries a bonus, normally for one mark, which I’ll tot up separately but only for fun.

Home News

1. What is the National Lottery’s main draw currently called?

Bonus: in which year did the National Lottery start?

2. Who resigned after not doing as well as she should?

Bonus: who was her successor?

3. Which writer, broadcaster and former MP revealed she had a secret affair with a former prime minister?

Bonus: what, appropriately, was the title of her first novel?

4. Whose attendance at a luncheon party resulted in the significant downgrading of his accommodation?

Bonus: who was the hostess of the luncheon party?

5. How is the Bedford self-propelled pump better known?

Bonus: and, roughly, how many of them are there?

Foreign News

6. Who went on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal in the Hague for war crimes committed in three regions formerly of Yugoslavia?

Bonus: can you name one or more of the three regions?

7. Who is the current US Secretary of State?

Bonus: and who is the current US Defence (or Defense) Secretary?

8. What was the title of the Russian musical so tragically interrupted by Chechen terrorists?

Bonus: what does the title mean in English?

9. Which former Wimbledon champion was convicted of tax evasion in October?

Bonus: how many times did he win Wimbledon?

10. Who won France’s presidential election?

Bonus: who was his unexpected opponent in the final ballot?

Entertainment

11. In February, who won the ITV talent contest Pop Idols?

Bonus: who was the runner-up?

12. What did Microsoft call their entry into the games console market?

Bonus: but which company remains the market leader?

13. What is the title of the latest Harry Potter film?

Bonus: in it, which eminent actor plays Gilderoy Lockhart?

14. Which female artist won the 2002 Brit Award for the best international album?

Bonus: to whom did she present the Outstanding Contribution to British Music award?

15. Which aging rocker (or roller?) was knighted by the Queen in her Birthday Honours?

Bonus: but who, in the picture above on the right, is next to him, also the recipient of a knighthood?

Business and Technology

16. What is the name of the free BBC terrestrial digital service launched following the collapse of ITV Digital?

Bonus: and what was ITV Digital’s earlier name when it first started in 1998?

17. How many countries adopted the Euro as their unit of currency on 1 January?

Bonus: apart from the UK, which EU members did not?

18. What is the name of the European Space Agency’s launch rocket?

Bonus: where is the launch site?

19. Which vegetables appeared in new colours in July?

Bonus: which supermarket first sold them?

20. Where in the UK is the so-called ‘winking bridge’?

Bonus: what prestigious award did it win in 2002?

Sport

21. Cycling: who won the Tour de France for the fourth year in a row?

Bonus: how many other men have won four tours?

22. Football: who won the Golden Shoe award at the World Cup in Japan/South Korea?

Bonus: who was the last English winner of this award?

23. Tennis: which round did Tim Henman reach at Wimbledon this year?

Bonus: he was beaten by the championship winner – who?

24. Boxing: in June, who retained his world heavyweight championship titles by beating Mike Tyson?

Bonus: where did the fight take place?

25. Motor Racing: who won the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship?

Bonus: what team does he drive for?

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