Have a crack at the newsquiz

The top scorer in last week’s newsquiz was Janet Boyle with 19.5, narrowly ahead of Dora Allday on 19. The top team was The Roberts Family with 20. Many of you said it was harder than usual and the top scores reflected that. Toby Brown scored 17, Liz Gerard posted a below-par 15, Hannah Tomes blamed a week’s holiday for her 14. The Penmans scored 17, Peter and Stacey from the Three Legs and Bruce and Sarah Hayward scored 16, Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe 15.5 and Maura and Phil Parsons 15. Here is this week’s quiz, a little easier I hope. As usual there are 25 questions about the week’s events. Give it a go and let me know how you get on.

Thursday's front pages

1. From midnight on Thursday people from different households in the North were banned from meeting each other inside their homes following a spike in Covid cases. Three areas in West Yorkshire were covered by the ban including Calderdale and which other two council areas. Half a point for each.

2. Which Cabinet minister cut short his Spanish holiday and flew back to the UK for 14 days of quarantine?

3. What is the name of Spain's prime minister who found himself in a diplomatic row with Britain, saying that it made a mistake in slapping a quarantine on people travelling from his country?

4. Which other European country, apart from Spain, was taken off the UK’s quarantine-free list from today (Friday) with people arriving having to isolate for 14 days? 

5. John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of what organisation, said the UK government must urgently introduce passenger testing or face playing a game of 'quarantine roulette’?

6. The Government website offering free vouchers for what crashed at its launch?

7. The Animal Plant Health Laboratory in Weybridge confirmed that what animal had been infected with Covid-19 - believed to be the first in the UK?

8. Which celebrity had a post about a coronavirus vaccine conspiracy theory, which she shared with her 15 million followers, censured by Instagram?

9. Which company announced it was ramping up its online grocery service, aiming to serve millions of shoppers across the UK by the end of the year?

10. A consortium, led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, pulled out of a £300million deal to buy which Premier League football club?
11. There was a political reaction in America after President Donald Trump suggested the November elections should be delayed because he doesn’t trust what?

12. A report by a Lancet Commission found that 12 factors including excessive drinking, air-pollution and head injuries could be responsible for what disease?

13. Hollywood actress Olivia De Havilland, star of Gone With The Wind among many other movies, died this week. How old was she?

14. In an open letter Lissie Harper asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel for what?

15. Why was British-Australian university lecturer Kylie Moore-Gilbert in the headlines?

16. Who was permanently banned from Twitter, following a 48-hour boycott by many users, for posting anti-Semitic remarks?

17. German police searched allotments on the outskirts of which city in connection with their investigation of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann?

18. Leeds United and West Bromich Albion will be joined in next season’s Premier League by one other team after next week’s Championship play off final between which two sides?

19. Henry Dimbleby, who is spearheading the National Food Strategy, said Marks & Spencer was being 'genuinely misleading' over which of its products?

20. Stuart Broad became the second English bowler to take how many Test wickets?
21. Peter Green, who died age 73, was the founding member of which 1960s blues band?

22. Domino's Pizza in New Zealand dropped a promotion offering free pizza to women named what after it was met with a criticism?

23. After 48 years which company’s 'laminated book of dreams' will no longer be printed and only be available online after January?

24. What is the name of the book by royal reporters Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie that was in the headlines this week for its claims of a deepening rift between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Buckingham Palace?

25. The Princess Royal said she hated fly-tipping, loved her Gloucester Old Spot pigs and has an HGV licence when she guest-edited which magazine to mark her 70th birthday?

Answers here

Time to tackle the newsquiz

The top solo scorers in last week’s newsquiz were Janet Boyle and Toby Brown who both scored 19, narrowly ahead of Liz Gerard on 18. The top team was Phil and Maura Parsons with 21 followed by the Roberts Family on 20, Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe on 18.5 and The Penmans on 18. 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.

Today's front pages

1. The Government signed a deal for how many doses of promising coronavirus vaccines which are being researched by an alliance between BioNtech, Pfizer and Valneva?

2. Prime Minister Boris Johnson laid out the next phase of the Government's coronavirus strategy, saying: 'It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from ___ at the earliest’. What is the missing word?

3. When visiting a GP surgery in London who did Prime Minister Boris Johnson describe as ‘nuts'?

4. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that it was now possible to 'carefully and safely' allow visits to where, while taking into account 'local knowledge and circumstances’?

5. New government guidelines confirmed that face coverings must be worn in shops from today (Friday) in England and that those flouting the rules could be fined how much?

6. The Government confirmed that the UK has a backlog of more than 400,000 applications for what, due to disruption caused by the pandemic?

7. Marks & Spencer announced plans to cut how many store management and head office jobs as 'an important step' in it becoming a 'stronger, leaner’ business?

8. Which company announced it was getting rid of contract cleaners in nearly 2,000 stores with their duties to be carried out by staff?

9. The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed a parliamentary report on Moscow’s interference in the UK saying it was just ‘fake-shaped ____’. What is the missing word?

10. Prince Philip attended a special military ceremony, three years after his retirement, to pass on his role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles to whom?

11. At the High Court in London actress Amber Heard accused her ex-husband Johnny Depp of throwing around how many bottles at her 'like grenades’?
12. Who was US President Donald Trump referring to when he said: 'I have met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, frankly’?

13. A street in Leeds, which links the Trinity Leeds shopping centre to Commercial Street in the city centre, has been named after whom?

14. Princess Beatrice’s wedding dress, worn by the Queen in 1961 at a state dinner, was originally designed by whom?

15. Which brand was accused of 'shrinkflation' after announcing all treats in its multipacks will be reduced in size so they contain no more than 200 calories each?

16. This season's FA Cup final, the first to be held behind closed doors, will kick-off on Saturday August 1 at 5.30pm and feature which two teams? Half a point for each.

17. Which theme park was put into lockdown after a 26-year-old man was stabbed during a row between two groups?

18. The US ordered China to close its consulate in which city 'in order to protect American intellectual property’?

19. A boiled kettle in a beach hut caused a large fire in which seaside resort?

20. Renate Blauel is seeking substantial damages claiming she had been caused deep psychological distress by her ex-husband who breached an 1988 divorce agreement to not discuss their marriage. Who is the ex-husband?

21. Rapper Kanye West has been in the headlines after tweeting that he had been seeking a divorce from Kim Kardashian since she met who 'at the Waldorf for prison reform’?

22. A Which? survey ranked St Mawes in Cornwall as the UK’s best coastal resort but which town came last?

23. The closure of which magazine, founded in 1986 by former Old Grey Whistle Test presenters Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, was announced this week?

24. Taylor Swift released a surprise eighth album this week containing 16 songs penned during lockdown to help her pour out her 'whims, dreams and fears’. What is the album called?

25. Broadcaster Dame Jenni Murray announced she is to leave which show after 33 years?

Answers here

Here's this week's newsquiz ...

The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was Liz Gerard with 20. There was then a host of people on 19 including Janet Boyle, Hannah Tomes, Sam Neve, Etan Smallman, Andy Bounds and Dora Allday. The top team was Maura and Phil Parsons with 23, narrowly ahead of Simon, Sue and Will Cole on 22, Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe on 21 and Bruce and Sarah Hayward on 19. Here is this week’s quiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week. Give it a go and let me know how you get on.

Wednesday's front pages

1. The Government announced that face coverings will need to be worn inside shops in England by customers from what date?
2. Two cabinet ministers, one wearing a mask and the other not, were photographed in Pret A Manger on Tuesday and prompted accusations that the Government was in a 'complete muddle’ over compulsory face coverings. Name the two ministers.

3. A report by doctors and scientists, convened by the Academy of Medical Sciences, said Britain must start 'intense preparations' for a second wave of coronavirus that has the potential to kill up to how many people in a worst case scenario?

4. Which town brought in extra restrictions on Tuesday, in a bid to avoid a Leicester-style lockdown, following a spike in coronavirus infections?

5. Why was fast bowler Jofra Archer excluded from England's second Test against the West Indies in Manchester?

6. British Airways announced it was to immediately retire its entire fleet of what type of plane as a result of the pandemic causing a downturn in global travel?

7. MP Julian Lewis was kicked out of the parliamentary Conservative Party and accused of ‘duplicitous behaviour’ after he was appointed to chair what committee?
8. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden told the Commons that mobile providers were to be banned from buying new Huawei 5G equipment and must remove all the Chinese firm's 5G kit from their networks by what year?

9. England World Cup winning footballer Jack Charlton, who died age 85, was born in which Northumberland town?
10. Where did Jen Reid appear - only to disappear 24 hours later?
11. A Ryanair flight from where to Dublin was forced to land at Stansted Airport after a note was discovered in a toilet claiming there were explosives on board?

12. Benjamin Keough, 27, who was found dead from shotgun wounds in California was the only grandson of whom?

13. Manchester City’s two-year ban from the Champions League for breaching financial fair play rules was overturned by the court of arbitration for sport, which also reduced the club’s fine from €30million to how much?

14. A 12-year-old boy from Solihul was arrested, and later released, over racist messages sent to which Premier League footballer?

15. Who tweeted this morning (Friday): 'Good Morning! Ready and raring to go for what is a very special day. Thank you for all the well wishes, as ever, overwhelmed by your support. #todaywillbeagoodday'?

16. Socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was denied bail, while waiting trial for her alleged involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex trafficking, following arguments in which prosecutors said she was an 'extreme risk of ___’. What is the missing word?

17. The hacked twitter accounts of US figures including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Kanye West and Bill Gates asked people to send $1,000 Bitcoins and get what in return?

18. How did Tony Holmes, 49, from Newcastle and Antonio Gonzalez, 43, of Marbella die?

19. What was the name of the 57-year-old actress, who appeared in the films Jerry Maguire and Twins and was married to John Travolta, who died this week?

20. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre said hackers 'almost certainly part of Russian intelligence services’ were targeting organisations that were doing what in the UK, US and Canada?

21. The Court of Appeal said this week that ‘fairness and justice must outweigh national security concerns’ and ruled that who had been denied a fair hearing and should be allowed to return to the UK?

22. The BBC announced 520 job cuts and said that which eponymous show would not be returning to the screen?
23. A gravestone for a black labrador belonging to which war hero was removed from a base at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire because of its racist name? 

24. The Queen – the nation’s longest serving monarch – will celebrate being on the throne for how many days tomorrow (Saturday)?

25. The Duchess of Cambridge, at the launch of which BBC initiative for children aged four and under, said there was 'a massive gap’ in support given to parents after the first few months of a child's life? 

Answers here

Test your knowledge with the newsquiz

The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was Toby Brown with 20.5 ahead of Janet Boyle on 18.5. The top team was Simon, Sue and Will Cole with 22. The Roberts family scored 18.5, Maura and Phil Parsons 18, Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe 17 and Bruce and Sarah Hayward 16.5. 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 Chancellor's plans to help the hospitality industry appear on Thursday's front pages

1. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that, to reinvigorate the housing market, he would increase the threshold for stamp duty from £125,000 to what amount?
2. VAT on food, accommodation and attractions is to be cut from 20 per cent to what for the next six months?

3. Chancellor Rishi Sunak was pictured serving customers at which London restaurant after unveiling an 'eat out to help out’ scheme to help the hospitality sector?

4. In an exchange over the number of deaths in care homes at Prime Minister's Questions, Boris Johnson called Sir Keir Starmer Captain who?

5. The Government gave the go-ahead for more places to reopen this month but which of these are not on the July list? a) massage parlours b) tanning salons c) children’s soft play areas d) indoor swimming pools.

6. The Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that at least 13 what in the UK are at risk of closure as they are facing a financial black hole of up to £19billion due to the pandemic?

7. Which restaurant chain announced it would close 30 outlets and is expected to cut at least 1,000 jobs, saying the impact of coronavirus on trading meant it had to make a 'difficult decision’?

8. In a restructuring to 'mitigate the significant impact of Covid-19’, Boots announced it will cut more than 4,000 jobs - seven per cent of its workforce - and close 48 of what kind of stores?

9. Newspaper Group Reach, which announced 550 job losses, is the publisher of the Daily Mirror, the Daily Record and which other two daily national newspapers?

10. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said arts and culture 'make our country great’ and pledged a package of how much money to museums, galleries, theatres and music venues?

11. Television presenter Kate Garraway made an emotional return to Good Morning Britain and revealed her husband Derek Draper had almost died how many times during his 100-day battle with coronavirus?

12. The president of which country wore a mask and announced live on television he had tested positive for coronavirus?

13. Next, Asos and Amazon pulled which clothes label over workers’ pay and conditions at factories in Leicester?

14. Who tweeted to declare he was going to run for the presidency of America saying that ‘we must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future’?

15. The Metropolitan police apologised to which athlete after she was stopped and handcuffed while her baby son was in the car?

16. At London's High Court, actor Johnny Depp denied slapping ex-wife Amber Heard after she laughed at one of his tattoos. What did the tattoo say?

17. Which group said 'they had no choice' but to ask singer Tom Meighan to leave the band after he was charged with domestic assault?

18. Naya Rivera who is feared to have drowned at Lake Piru in California starred in which television show from 2009 to 2015?

19. In a video-link discussion on justice and equal rights The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said what 'must acknowledge the past' even if it is ‘uncomfortable’?

20. How did an 85-year-old woman die on Wednesday afternoon in Bow, East London?

21. Cambridge University's Fitzwilliam College, Canterbury Christ Church University and The Mary Rose Trust all cut ties with historian David Starkey after he told an online show that slavery was not genocide as 'so many ___ blacks' had survived. What is the missing word?

22. BBC podcast No Country For Young Women came under fire for its use of what woman's name?

23. Composer Ennio Morricone, who died aged 91, was nominated seven times for a Grammy Award and had his score for what film inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame?

24. Test cricket returned after the lockdown on Wednesday as England took on the West Indies at which ground?

25. Jamaican sprinter Usian Bolt shared the first picture of his baby daughter and revealed her ‘unusual but apt’ first two names. What are they?

Answers here

Been keeping up ... here's the newsquiz

The top solo scorers in last week’s newsquiz were Dora Allday and Tom Savage who both scored 22. The next best scorers with 18 were Sam Baker, Toby Brown, Emily Webber and Janet Boyle. The best team was the Roberts Family with 23, just ahead of Simon, Sue and Will Cole on 22. The Penmans scored 21, Maura and Phil Parsons 20 and Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe 19. Here is this week’s newsquiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week’s events. Give it a go and let me know how you get on. 

Today's front pages

1. The first local lockdown was announced in Leicester with Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying the city had what per cent of 'all positive cases in the country over the past week'?

2. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that people arriving in England from 60 countries will no longer need to quarantine from July 10. Which of these countries did Mr Shapps say would not be on the exempt list? a) Germany b) America c) New Zealand d) Italy.

3. Which country extended its ban on flights from the UK until July 15?

4. EasyJet announced a restructuring which involves losing 4,500 staff and permanently closing its bases at Stansted and which other two UK airports? Half a point for each.

5. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was pictured doing press-ups and said: 'I’m as fit as a ___ ___ now.' What are the missing two words?

6. Two illegal street parties were broken up after dispersal zones were put in place on Saturday night, giving officers extra powers to order people to leave which two London commons? Half a point for each.

7. The Government ruled that people should avoid 'singing, shouting, raising voices and playing music at a volume that makes normal conversation difficult' at what occasions?

8. The SSP Group, which operates 580 food and drink outlets, said up to 5,000 jobs could be cut 'as it struggles with the reduction in passenger travel'. Name any one of the outlets SSP owns.

9. The governor of which US state ordered all bars to close immediately in seven counties, citing a rapid spread of coronavirus?

10. Who justified a trip to Greece by saying he was 'on essential business trying to Covid-proof my property in view of the upcoming letting season. I need to set up distancing measures at the property because they’re taking it very seriously here'?

11. What is the name of the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service who announced he will stand down in September?

12. A statue of which former African leader was destroyed in Cannizaro Park in Wimbledon?

13. What two-word phrase meaning 'the heart of the matter' was reported to be on Sky Sports list of words and phrases associated with slavery which their commentators will be banned from saying on air?

14. Sponsors FedEx urged which American football team to change its 'racist' team name?

15. Badreddin Abadlla Adam was shot dead after six people, including a police officer, were stabbed at which hotel in Glasgow?

16. Four gunmen attacked which country's stock exchange, killing two security guards and a police officer?

17. The Government said that mandatory MOTs for vehicles in England, Scotland and Wales are to be reintroduced from what date?

18. How old is Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who is facing charges after being arrested by the FBI accused of assisting the abuse of minors? 

19. China introduced a national security law covering Hong Kong saying crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces would be punishable by what maximum sentence?

20. Which global entertainment firm filed for bankruptcy in Canada and cut 3,500 jobs after the pandemic shuts down its shows?

21. Which former FA Cup winning football team was threatened with a 12-point deduction after going into administration?

22. A nationwide clap to thank the NHS is planned for 5pm on Sunday to mark the service’s anniversary of how many years?

23. Journalists Matt Chorley, Stig Abel, John Pienaar and Mariella Frostrup could be heard at what new venture?

24. The Rolling Stones warned US President Donald Trump that he could face legal action for using their material after what song was played at a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma?

25. What will be allowed on Britain's roads for the first time from Saturday (July 4), with trials being planned for 12 months to assess their safety?

Answers here