Test your news knowledge with this week's quiz

Well done to Mike Lowe who was last week's individual newsquiz scorer with 16.5 points and to the Penmans who were the top team with 17. Here's this week's quiz - as usual 25 questions about the week's events. Let me know how you get on.

The Times leads on Heathrow's proposed expansion.
(Questions 1 and 2)

1. Zac Goldsmith quit as a Tory MP over the Heathrow decision - to force a by-election in which constituency?

2. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson vowed to continue opposing the Heathrow expansion, saying 'the day when the ______ appear is a long way off, if indeed they ever materialise’. What is the missing word?

3. Fabienne Buccio declared this week: 'Our mission has been fulfilled.’ What was she referring to?

4. Britain is planning to send tanks, drones and 800 troops to which country as part of the biggest military build-up since the Cold War?
5. Russia cancelled plans to refuel a flotilla of its warships in which port after Spain came under pressure to refuse access?

6. Four people were killed at a theme park on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. What was the name of the ride?

7. What is Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown’s day job?

8. The comedy writer of It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Hi de Hi and Dad's Army died this week. What was his name?

9. Why was Jessica Drake in the headlines?

10. A plane crashed, killing all five people on board, in which country's worst peacetime air disaster?

11. After analysis by 23 academics, Christopher Marlowe is to be credited as the co-author of which Shakespearean plays?

12. Who got a ticking off for taking a selfie in a polling booth while casting his vote in Memphis? 

13. Pete Burns died this week. George Galloway, who was on Celebrity Big Brother with him, tweeted: 'Sad to hear of the demise of Pete Burns. He was a cross between ________ and ________.’ Which two people did he compare Burns to? Half a point each.

14. Paul Beatty became the first American writer to win the Man Booker prize. What is the book called?

15. After an apparent sweetheart deal with the British Government, Nissan said it would safeguard more than 7,000 jobs and would build two models at its Sunderland plant. Name the cars. Half point for each.

16. How many Premier League footballers are on the shortlist of 30 names for the Ballon d’Or?

17. Who said a ‘massive’ weight had been lifted from his shoulders after police admitted he was wrongfully detained and questioned for a murder 15 years ago?

18. What is the name of the British banker on trial in Hong Kong for the murder of two Indonesian women?

19. A Church of England tribunal in London defrocked the Rev James Meredith Day after hearing that his wife said the two most important elements of his life were God and ____. What is the missing word?

20. Carlos Alberto, who died aged 72, captained Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning side and scored one of the competition’s most memorable goals. Who did Brazil beat in the final?

21. Twitter closed which service, four years after it launched?

22. University student Damon Smith was arrested in connection with an improvised bomb found at which London underground station?

23. Who said his move to the North had been 'a bit of a disaster’? 

24. He got his break in the music business at 15 by standing in for Buddy Holly, had seven top ten hits in the UK in the 1960s and gave Bob Dylan an early break. Who is he?

25. Aleksandra King walked out of what?

Answers here

Try your hand at this week's newsquiz

The top individual scorers in last week's quiz were Dave Bromage and Janet Boyle with 15. The top team score was 17 by Daniel Matthews and Glen Williams. Here is this week's quiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week's events. Give it a go and let me know how you get on. 

The 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster as reported by the Welsh papers (Question 6)

1. What did the British Dental Association describe 'as inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical.’?
2. Who suffered ‘a bit of a spanking' after tweeting about the 'hideously racist' and 'utterly heartless' treatment of refugees?

3. Valantis Barkas said: 'It is too easy to blame the dead. My father is dead and his name has been dragged through the mud. He was a beautiful man. He was well respected.’ What was his father accused of?

4. Who was accused of 'arguing like an accountant seeing the risk of everything rather than the opportunity.’?

5. Andy Murray closed in on the world number one position after winning titles, and not dropping a set in 20 matches, in which two cities? Half a point for each

6. Today (Friday) was the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster when 116 children and 28 adults were killed when a waste tip slid on top of a school. Name the school.

7. What did Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson say was just a tool for his own thought process?

8. More than 25,000 forces, including Kurdish peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Shia militias are taking part in an operation to reclaim which city?

9. The family of Ched Evans accused Gloria Hunniford of 'misrepresenting the evidence’ for remarks she made on which TV programme?

10. After 23 years on Coronation Street, actress Jean Alexander, who has died age 90, was watched by a record 27 million viewers as her character, Hilda Ogden, left to start a new life in Derbyshire. What was the year?

11. On quitting UKIP, MP Steven Woolfe said it had been suggested the party had a ‘____ _____ of their own making’. What are the two missing words?

12. Where will you find Jane Beedle, Candice Brown and Andrew Smyth next week?

13. The youngest couple ever to be convicted of murder in Britain killed a mother and her daughter at their home in which town?

14. Who became the new MP for Jo Cox’s old constituency, Batley and Spen? 

15. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: 'Now more than ever businesses need certainty and stability in order to make investment decisions and to keep jobs in Britain. Instead they are getting dither and delay.’ What was he talking about?

16. He made 504 appearances for Leeds United, 37 for Wales and the biography about him was called Careless Hands. Who is he?

17. Which magazine with 'no history of political endorsements’ threw its weight behind Hillary Clinton for president?

18. In the final presidential debate, Donald Trump referred to _____ hombres and a _____ woman. What are the two adjectives? Half point for each

19. How many MPs voted against stripping Phillip Green of his knighthood?

20. Which country executed a member of its own royal family after he was convicted of shooting a man dead?

21. Why was 21-year-old Jamal Mahmoud in the headlines?

22. Former football manager Harry Redknapp drove over his wife and broke her ankle. What is her name?

23. Two imposters dressed in Team GB tracksuits and wearing fake plastic medals gained access to an Olympic champions float at the Manchester ‘Heroes Parade’. They claimed to be medalists in which sport?.

24. Which actress gave a lecture at the Oxford Union about the damage pornography was doing to a new generation of sexual partners?

25. Kumbuka, the gorilla that escaped from its enclosure at London Zoo, drank five litres of what before being returned to his den?

Answers here

Give this week's newsquiz a go ...

The top scorers in last week's newsquiz were Jonathan Bucks and Gavin Devine both on 15. It was tight though with Janet Boyle, Damon Wake and Mike Lowe on 14. The best team score was 14 by Team SWNs Glasgow (Jessica Walford and Fionn Hargreaves). Here's this week's quiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week. Let me know how you get on.   

Trump under pressure according to the New York Daily News (Questions 1, 2 and 3)

1. Donald Trump apologised for vulgar banter which included a claim that he tried and failed to sleep with a television host. What was her name?

2. When Donald Trump questioned Bill Clinton’s sexual history, Hillary Clinton declined to take the bait, quoting Michelle Obama’s seven-word maxim. What was it?

3. Donald Trump supporters began using a Twitter hashtag after a map showed he would win the election if only men voted? What is the hashtag?

4. Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti was under fire for sending her son to the £18,000-a-year Dulwich College. What is her shadow cabinet position?

5. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that under Vladimir Putin, Russia risked becoming a '_____ state’. What is the missing word?

6. What is the name of the character that is being introduced into the Winnie-the-Pooh books to celebrate their 90th birthday?

7. Who announced that their next job will be to lead an expansion of the National Citizen Service for teenagers?

8. A baby boy was mauled to death in a dog attack in which town?

9. What did housing minister Gavin Barwell propose which could ease the housing crisis and combat ‘inter-generational unfairness’ by helping the young to get a foot on the housing ladder?
10. Will Young quit Strictly Come Dancing after reportedly ‘squabbling’ with his partner. What is her name?

11. Who said: 'The Empire's not quite as big as it used to be, but it's still there, so I'm all for keeping the word empire.’?

12. Why was Foodles Production (UK) Ltd fined £1.6m at Aylesbury Crown Court?

13. A documentary on BBC 2 this weekend reveals that Sue Townsend, author of the Adrian Mole books, witnessed what when she was eight?

14. John Leathem who murdered 15-year-old Paige Doherty was sentenced at the high court in Glasgow to life with a minimum term of how many years?

15. Who apologised ‘on behalf of my country' to a 13-year-old boy?

16. Which company took a £4.4 billion hit to its profits after pulling a newly launched product off the market?

17. Which company issued a statement that said: 'We have been working together closely to reach this resolution and ensure our much-loved brands are once again fully available. For all those that missed us, thanks for all the love.'?

18. Who was described as a great poet in the great English tradition, stretching from Milton and Blake onwards?

19. Tickets for Glastonbury sold out within an hour on Sunday. How much did they cost?

20. How many Chibok schoolgirls did Boko Haram hand over to the Nigerian government?

21. Following the death of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who became the world’s longest serving monarch?

22. A five pound note with an particular serial number was for sale on eBay with bids of up to £65,000. What was the serial number?

23. Cumbria Superheroes are offering to help to protect children from what?

24. Which football club appointed a manager who it had sacked 17 months earlier?

25. What was the name of the gorilla that escaped from London Zoo? 

Answers here

Have a crack at this week's newsquiz

The Mail trainees are all on their placements now and I have been encouraged by their early successes ... plenty of bylines and quite a few splashes. I am sure, though, they will all find time to do the newsquiz. Last week's top individual scorer was Mike Lowe with 17 and the top team was the Batstone Collective with 14. The highest scoring trainee was Alex Tyndall with 13.5. Here is this week's quiz - as usual 25 questions about the week's events. Give it a go and let me know how you get on. 

UKIP's stormy week as reported by Metro (Questions 7 and 8)

1. Prime Minister Theresa May finished her Tory conference speech with four sentences that began with 'Come with me'. The last one was 'Come with me and together let’s ____ _____ _____.' What are the missing three words?

2. Which song was playing when Theresa May walked on to the stage to deliver her final speech at the conference?

3. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt promised medical schools in the UK would be allowed to offer up to how many extra training places a year?

4. What is the name of the hurricane that killed more than 300 people in Haiti?

5. What is the name of the Paris hotel where Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint?

6. The USA beat Europe in the Ryder Cup for the first time in five years. What was the score?

7. Diane James quit as leader of UKIP how many days after winning the race to succeed Nigel Farage?

8. The UKIP defence spokesman was involved in an ‘altercation’ which ended with leadership favourite Steven Woolfe going to hospital. What is the defence spokesman's name?

9. Dame Rosie Winterton was sacked by Jeremy Corbyn from which shadow cabinet position?

10. Which cricket county was punished with relegation, given a 48-point penalty for next season and stripped of its test ground status?  

11. Britons David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz were awarded which Nobel Prize?

12. Why was 66-year-old Rod Temperton in the headlines?

13. The first US vice presidential debate took place in Virginia. Name the two candidates. Half a point for each name

14. The retrial of footballer Ched Evans for rape is being held at which court?

15. Which country held a referendum asking its citizens: 'Do you want the European Union to be entitled to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non citizens without the consent of parliament?’

16. Ben Smith completed 401 marathons in 401 days to raise awareness of what?

17. What did Thomas Mair say when asked to plead at the Old Bailey on four charges relating to MP Jo Cox's death?

18. Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York concluded that what will never go beyond 125?

19. Who caused a stir by asking on Twitter: ‘Why do we let half-educated tenement Scots run our English press?’

20. Maria Sharapova's two-year doping ban was reduced to how many months following her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport?

21. The Archbishop of Canterbury said: 'What is being done is evil both in the strict theological sense and the general sense. It is demonic. It it is the absolute contempt for the human spirit, for the dignity of the human being.’ What was he referring to?

22. Who said this week: 'If the BBC came asking I would be there in a heartbeat, I would be spangled, I would make sure that I am spray-tanned’?

23. Actress Sally Phillips appeared in a BBC 2 documentary which looked at a world without what?

24. After the conviction of fake Sheikh Mazher Mahmood, which of his previous targets announced plans to sue, saying: 'I’d lost the biggest job of my life, and my reputation was in tatters.'

25. The Rolling Stones have announced the release of their 25th studio album, their first in over a decade. What is it called?

Answers here