With a winking, scarf-wearing penguin mascot, QQ was which Asian conglomerate's first big success in 1999 and was marketed as the open version of an AOL instant messaging service - ICQ? The biggest success of this Shenzhen-based conglomerate is a super app with over 1 billion users.

A part of forensic odontology, what forensic technique has faced a lot of criticism for being unreliable with some studies claiming a 63% rate of false identifications? A major reason cited by experts is that while the impression(s) on the medium (i.e., skin) can be unique, they aren't preserved properly. Ted Bundy was famously convicted using this technique.

A particular Drosophila gene's role involves guiding nerve cell axons, the long wires of our nervous system, towards their targets. Therefore, it is named after which mythological character who similarly helped out a hero?

The sloping concrete buildings in the University of Technology and Engineering (UTEC) in Lima were designed by the Pritzker Prize winners Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. It was inspired by the seaside cliffs of Lima and which architectural style that emerged in the 1950s post-war era and is characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the bare building materials over decorative design?

Which gag-a-day comic strip features titular characters whose names also happen to be the surnames of English philosopher Thomas ______ (6) and French theologian John ______ (6)? Its creator also illustrated this series (visual) on the banality of daily life.

Exclusive to the Paralympics, wheelchair _____ (5) involves players attempting to carry the ball over the opponents' goal line. Fill in the blank. This sport was originally known as murderball.

Due to its strategic location between Africa and Americas, which archipelago settled by the Portuguese around 1460 became a hub for the Transatlantic slave trade where up to 12 million slaves, mostly from West Africa, were shipped to the Americas?

A certain gene mutation can lead to nerve cells starting to break down in the pupal stage of Drosophila. Adult flies with this gene have a characteristic pattern of holes in their brains leading to their resemblance to what geographical indication product from Bern?

Identify this type of thick noodles made from wheat flour, used widely in Japanese cuisine. Known for its ability to soak up flavours, its simplest form is in a hot soup with a mild broth called kakejiru made from dashi, soy sauce, and mirin.

This individual in Raphael's The School of Athens is identified as which philosopher, credited as the founder of Western philosophy? The teacher of Plato and Xenophon, he was sentenced to death in 399 BC after being accused of impiety and corrupting the youth.

This individual in Raphael's The School of Athens is believed to be which philosopher, the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy? This Hellenistic philosopher lived between 334 – 262 BC and was from Citium, Cyprus.

The current holder of the World Swimmer of the Year title among women bettered her performance of one gold at 2016 Rio Olympics by winning 4 golds at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Name this Australian champion, who co-holds the record for the highest medal tally for a woman in a single Olympics.

First used by Fritz Hirschi to identify a burglar in the 1960s, what forensic technique uses impressions of helix, antihelix, or tragus on a surface to identify the suspect? It is now rarely used as there have been notable cases where the technique has failed.

The oldest cycling Monument, Liège–Bastogne–Liège is a demanding race that is held across the provinces, Liège and (Belgian) Luxembourg, in which region of Belgium? A primarily French-speaking region accounting for 55% of the country’s territory, its administrative capital is Namur. The visual is of the region's flag.

3 Para (SF), part of the Parachute Regiment, is a special forces unit of the Indian Army. The unit was raised in 1813 by Sir Henry _______ (7), the British Resident in the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad. What is the deadly nickname of the unit, the same as the name of the organism pictured here? The blank is part of the answer.

In 618 CE, the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II successfully repelled an attack by Harsha, the ruler of which dynasty that reigned over regions north of the Narmada extending as far as Kamarupa? Centred in Sthanvishvara (Thanesar) and later Kanyakubja (Kannauj), it was also known as the Pushyabhuti dynasty.

Which anthology series (3,8,4) was rebooted in 2019 by Simon Kinberg, Marco Ramirez and Jordan Peele, who also narrated it? Like the mid-20th century original, each episode deals with a theme such as the supernatural, race, social issues through disturbing or unusual events, an experience described as entering "___ ________ ____" (3,8,4).

Located on Curzon Street in Mayfair, London, which club for valets and butlers is Jeeves a member of? Given Jeeves’s role vis-à-vis his employer, Bertie Wooster, it is apt that this club is named after the cup-bearer of Zeus.

Exclusive to the Paralympics, in which sport do players roll the ball into the opponent's ____ (4) while the opposing players try to block the ball with their bodies? Played by visually impaired competitors, bells inside the ball help to orient them and hence, the arena is completely silent during the game. The blank is part of the answer.

Known for its rough punishing terrain, the cycling Monument Paris–Roubaix runs primarily across which historical territory and former administrative region of France? Deriving its name from a weapon used by people from this region in ancient times, Emmanuel Macron was born in its largest city Amiens.

Swimming World magazine awards World Swimmer of the Year honors every year in 7 categories. If six of them are World Swimmer, American Swimmer, European Swimmer, World Disabled Swimmer, African Swimmer, and Open Water Swimmer of year, what’s the seventh category – also the name of the 2013 sci-fi film starring Idris Elba?

This conglomerate started in the 1980s by publishing computer magazines such as Oh! PC and Oh! MZ - in keeping with the first part of its name. Its biggest influence now is through its Vision Fund that invests in AI, robotics, IoT etc. - in keeping with the second part of its name. What one-word compound name hinting at the conglomerate's aspiration "to be a key source of infrastructure for the information society"?

The island Gorée off the coast of Senegal has been described by UNESCO as a “memory island” and a symbol of the slave trade. An emotional pilgrimage destination for the African diaspora, the symbolism finds its focal point at this location. Identify the poignant name of this location through which slaves left their homeland forever - the ____ __ __ ______ (4,2,2,6).

In 655 CE, the Chalukya king Vikramaditya I proclaimed himself "Royal Wrestler" (Rajamalla) after defeating another king nicknamed "Great Wrestler". To which dynasty did the "Great Wrestler" belong? His nickname also extended to the name of a famous port city dotted with monuments.