Have a crack at the newsquiz

The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was George Mann with 21, ahead of Janet Boyle with 19.5, Robert Rea and Jayme Bryla with 17 and Toby Brown and Gavin Devine with 15. The top team was Bruce and Sarah Hayward also with 21. Trev, Carole, Peter and Jackie scored 18 and Maura and Phil Parsons 16.5. Here is this week’s newsquiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week. Give it a go and let me know your score. 

A selection of Wednesday's front pages

1. The Government saw off a revolt against its Rwanda safety bill with a majority of how many votes?
2. What is the name of the chairman of the Conservative ERG group which called on the Government to withdraw the Rwanda deportation bill and return with one that 'doesn't have all these holes in it’?
3. At the Covid Inquiry Rishi Sunak, when asked about No 10 officials referring to the Treasury as the ‘pro-__ squad’, said: 'I do not think it is a fair characterisation of the incredibly hard-working people that I was lucky to be supported by’. What is the missing word?
4. The Bank of England held interest rates at what per cent for the third time in a row?
5. Who announced he was standing down, saying: 'When I stood for the leadership, I said that, if elected, I would serve for five years. Exactly five years have passed since I was confirmed as first minister in 2018’?
6. At Cop28 all countries agreed, for the first time, on the need to 'transition away from __ __ in energy systems’. What are the two missing words?
7. Which retailer removed an advertising campaign from its website and social media channels after criticism that it resembled images of destruction in Gaza?
8. BBC presenter Gary Lineker reacted to being told to 'stick to football' by posting four pictures with a caption that read 'a tad rich coming from someone who can't even stick to one name'. The pictures were of Michael Green, Sebastian Fox, Corinne Stockheath and who else?
9. Scott Benton, MP for Blackpool South, was suspended from Parliament for how many days for reportedly offering to lobby ministers on behalf of the gambling industry?
10. The Refugee Council called for an independent review into what, saying that it was 'tragically not surprising'?
11. Divers searched a river in a park in which city looking for missing mother-of-three Gaynor Lord?
12. The High Court ordered Prince Harry to pay which newspaper more than £48,000 after he lost his attempt to strike out part of the paper's defence in a libel case?
13. Alex Batty, who disappeared in Spain aged 11, was found six years later near which French city?
14. Which EU country blocked €50billion in aid for Ukraine?
15. All professional football in Turkey was suspended after what happened?
16. Why did Northampton Town's DJ Matty apologise to fans after the game against Portsmouth?
17. Ryan O’Neal, who died aged 81, became a household name in which 1970 film, co-starring with Ali MacGraw and earning Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor?
18. Which company apologised after a video emerged of a security guard soaking a homeless man’s belongings with a water from a mop bucket in London?
19. What was the name of the British actress, who had starring roles in 1960s films including Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and Alfie, who died aged 87?
20. Nurse Catherine Hudson, who gave patients sedatives to keep them 'quiet and compliant' and make her life easier at a hospital in which town, was jailed for more than seven years?
21. Tesco recalled its Finest Apple & Cranberry Stuffing Mix (130g), with a best before date of September 2024 due to the 'possible presence' of what?
22. On Saturday December 23, 40-year-old Rebecca Welch will become the first woman to do what?
23. According to BabyCentre, what name retained its position as the most popular baby girl's name of 2023?
24. Barbie and Oppenheimer led the film nominations at the Golden Globe Awards but which drama led the TV list with nine nominations?
25. Made in Chelsea’s Sam Thompson was crowned King of the Jungle in I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here - but who came second?

Answers here

Time to tackle the newsquiz

There were some higher than average scores in last week’s newsquiz. The top solo scorer was Robert Rea with 22.5, just ahead of Tom Savage, George Mann and Toby Brown on 22, Damon Wake on 21, Marion Fountayne, Nick Turner and Liz Gerard on 20 and Johnny Jenkins on 17. The top team was Jack Elsom and Monica Greep with a massive 24, just ahead of the Boulogne boozers Pete, Stacey, Amanda and Kevin on 23. Others on the leaderboard were Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe, Bruce and Sarah Hayward and Neil and Jo Benson on 22, Maura and Phil Parsons on 21.5 and Thom and Tim on 21. Here is this week's newsquiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week. Give it a go and let me know your score. 

Some of today's front pages

1. Robert Jenrick resigned as Immigration minister, telling PM Rishi Sunak that what was 'a triumph of hope over experience’?

2. Home Secretary James Cleverly unveiled plans to increase the minimum salary, for skilled workers from overseas who could be granted a visa, from £26,200 to what amount?
3. Former Prime Minister told the Covid Inquiry that he regretted suggesting what was 'bollocks' in a handwritten note?
4. At the Covid Inquiry former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was interrupted by four women, who were ordered to leave, holding pieces of paper that spelled out the message: 'The dead can't hear __ __.’ What are the missing two words?
5. Boris Johnson wore a hat showing his support for which football team as he arrived to give evidence to the Covid Inquiry?
6. Labour leader Keir Starmer was criticised for a Daily Telegraph article in which he named Margaret Thatcher, and which other two former PMs, as examples of how politicians can effect meaningful change? Half a point for each.
7. The Government announced that what will rise from £159 to £169.50 - an increase of 6.6 per cent? .
8. What is the name of the US Secretary of State who met Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron in Washington and then issued a warning to Israel to put a 'premium on civilian protection’?
9. Passengers were trapped for four hours and plunged into darkness on trains heading to and from which London railway station after damage to overhead cables?
10. A German nurse was stabbed to death and two other people, including a British man, were injured near which European landmark?
11. Which former teacher, who died aged 79, served as a Member of the European Parliament for 15 years, was minister of state for Europe and Africa in Gordon Brown’s government and became a life peer?
12. Prince Harry lost his legal challenge at the High Court in a bid to be allowed to do what?
13. At least 22 people died after a volcanic eruption on Mount Marapi in which country?
14. Writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah, who died aged 65, appeared in which TV drama series as Jeremiah ‘Jimmy' Jesus, between 2013 and 2022?
15. Who was named Time Magazine's person of the year as someone who had 'found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light’?
16. Oslo's mayor Anne Lindboe said she was looking at ways of reducing the carbon footprint of what?

17. Golf's governing bodies announced changes to ball specifications which will shorten the distance professional golfers can propel tee shots by approximately how many yards?
18. Who became the oldest player to win the UK Snooker Championship, two days before he celebrated his 48th birthday?
19. The Lionesses failed to qualify for the Women’s Nations League and the Olympics despite a win over Scotland by what score?
20. Actress Brigit Forsyth, who died aged 83, made her name as Bob’s long suffering wife Thelma in which BBC television series?
21. Anchor Maryam Moshiri apologised for doing what at the start of a BBC news bulletin at noon on Wednesday?
22. Which word, slang for 'style, charm or attractiveness’ was named Word of the Year by Oxford University Press, publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary?
23. Why was faded Union Flag bunting, metal pedestrian barriers and old ring-binders in the headlines? 
24. Which former footballer was criticised for saying that women 'shouldn't be talking with any kind of authority in the men's game’?
25. Who was the first person to be evicted from this year’s I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here?

Answers here

Newspapers: The ever-changing image

The use of images in the media has changed colossally. Forty years ago newspapers were using a small selection of black and white photos, taken only by professional photographers. Today everyone with a mobile, that’s around 6.8billion people, is a photographer and videographer with instant access to publishing. Publishers can find pictures and videos of anything. Births, marriages, deaths, bomb blasts, altercations, crashes, celebrities, events, sport, sex, pranks … are all out there to be gathered. When I was editing a paper we might use 40 pictures in an issue. Today MailOnline can use 100 on a single story. I counted an astonishing 1,104 pictures and 74 videos on the UK home page. In my latest article for InPublishing I talk to MailOnline editorial director Ben Bailey, Metro editor Deborah Arthurs, Evening Standard editor Dylan Jones and photography consultant Ian Day about the changes, their impact and what happens next. Read it here.

Time to tackle the newsquiz ...

The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was Chay Quinn with an amazing 24, ahead of Marguerite Turner on 22, Marion Fountayne, Toby Brown, George Mann and Janet Boyle on 21, Robert Rea, Liz Gerard and Jayme Bryla on 20 and Gavin Devine on 16. The top team was Maura and Phil Parsons with 22, ahead of Queen’s Head drinkers Pete and Stacey on 21, Bruce and Sarah Hayward and Neil and Jo Benson on 20 and Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe on 18. Here is this week’s newsquiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week. Give it a go and let me know your score. 

Tributes to Terry Venables dominated

Monday's front pages 

1. A book by biographer Omid Scobie was pulled from the shelves in which country after a 'translation error' included the names of two royal family members who allegedly raised questions about Prince Archie's skin colour?

2. What is Omid Scobie's book called?
3. After Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with the Greek PM, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said at PMQs: 'Never mind the British Museum, it's the Prime Minister who has obviously lost his __’. What is the missing word?
4. World leaders are meeting at Cop28 which is being held where?
5. Ahead of the Cop28 summit, which country insisted that coal, which it depends on for almost three-quarters of its electricity generation, will remain its main source of energy for years to come?
6. Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Covid Inquiry that what would have cut deaths in the first Covid wave by 90 per cent?
7. Former Cabinet minister Sajid Javid told the Covid Inquiry he felt Boris Johnson was 'not in charge' and that who was 'running the Government’ during the pandemic?
8. Two teenagers appeared at Manchester Crown Court accused of stabbing 16-year-old Brianna Ghey how many times in a 'sustained and violent attack' in a park near Warrington?
9. The family and friends of Israeli-Irish girl Emily Hand celebrated what birthday after she was released from captivity in Gaza?

10. The UK detected its first ever human case of H1N2, a strain of what disease, after a patient was tested by a GP in North Yorkshire?
11. Which English city's council issued a Section 114 notice, in effect declaring itself bankrupt?
12. Staff at Caversham Primary School told an inquest that there was a 'direct link' between head teacher Ruth Perry’s ‘deterioration' and ‘death’ and what?
13. How old was former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who played a polarising role in US foreign policy during the Cold War, who died this week?
14. Forty-one labourers were rescued after 17 days trapped in a collapsed tunnel under which mountain range?
15. Ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair said 'I never met anyone who didn't like him’, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he did 'the right thing for the country at a time of extraordinary turmoil’ and Boris Johnson described him as a ’towering figure’. Who were they talking about?
16. Which one of these football teams did Terry Venables, who died aged 80, not manage - Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur,
Chelsea, England or Australia?
17. Who used an appearance at Westminster to urge MPs to do more to meet the target of ending HIV transmissions in England by 2030?
18. Actor Dean Sullivan, who died aged 68, was best known for his portrayal of Jimmy Corkhill in which television series between 1986 and 2003?
19. The Government stepped in to potentially block a loan repayment that would have allowed a UAE-backed group to take control of which UK newspaper?
20. England rugby captain Owen Farrell made himself unavailable for the 2024 Six Nations ‘in order to prioritise' what?
21. Author Paul Lynch won the Booker prize for his fifth novel Prophet Song about the rise of a fascist regime in which city?
22. What is the name of the pub that made a £700 Christmas advert that racked up millions of views on social media and was shown on national TV?
23. Name the two I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here contestants who quit the show for medical reasons this week? Half a point for each.
24. Ladbrokes slashed the odds on what song to be No 1 at Christmas to 1/4?
25. Who said goodbye to Edinburgh as they prepared to return home to China after 12 years?

Answers here

Deadline extended in Regional Press Awards

There is no doubt that regional newspapers are facing difficult times at the moment. But their survival is crucial. As I have written so many times before, covering local democracy, shining lights in dark corners, exposing the corrupt, campaigning for local causes, fighting injustices and a lot more will all be threatened without a vibrant regional Press. That is why I am delighted to be joining Alison Gow as chair of the judges in the Regional Press Awards. We had a meeting last week and agreed to extend the deadline - so you now have until midnight on Thursday (November 30) to get your entries in. We have added three categories this year – Opinion Writer, Crime & Investigation Reporter and Best Live Coverage – making 21 awards. The full list is below. So if you are working in the local and regional Press, get your entries in and let's celebrate the great work that still goes on up and down the country. And I look forward to catching up with you at the awards lunch next April. Entry detail are here. 

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Cathryn Nicholl Award
Crime & Investigation Reporter of the Year
Designer of the Year
Feature Writer of the Year
Opinion Writer of the Year
Photographer of the Year
Reporter of the Year (Daily)
Reporter of the Year (Weekly)
Specialist Journalist of the Year
Sports Journalist of the Year
Young Journalist of the Year

TEAM AWARDS

Best Live Coverage
Campaign of the Year
Digital Initiative of the Year
Front Page of the Year
News Website of the Year
Reporting Communities Award
Scoop of the Year
Supplement of the Year

ORGANISATION AWARDS

News Brand of the Year (Small)
News Brand of the Year (Large)

   

Have a crack at the newsquiz

The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was Toby Brown with a personal best of 23. Others on the leaderboard were Marion Fountayne with 21, Thomas Godfrey with 20, George Mann and Robert Rea with 19 and Gavin Devine, Andy Reed and Jayme Bryla with 16. The top teams were the Broad Oak drinkers Pete, Stacey, Nicky and Les and Maura and Phil Parsons both with 21. They were ahead of Neil and Jo Benson and Bruce and Sarah Hayward on 19 and Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe on 18. Here is this week’s newsquiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week. Give it a go and let me know your score.

A selection of today's front pages

1. In his Autumn Statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced that what would be cut from 12 per cent to ten per cent from January 6, affecting 27 million people?
2. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced that the state pension would increase by what per cent from April, in line with average earnings?
3. Former chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance told the Covid inquiry that scientific and medical advisers were not told about what scheme until it was announced by then Chancellor Rishi Sunak?
4. Notes from Sir Patrick Vallance's diary, which was handed over to the Covid inquiry, said 'watching PM get his head around stats is awful' and added: 'PM is clearly __'. What is the missing word?
5. Who told the Covid inquiry that his family were threatened with 'having their throats cut' during the pandemic and that he was asked by police to leave his house over safety concerns?
6. Home Secretary James Cleverly denied describing which Northern town as a 'shithole'?
7. Why did Shrewsbury Town Council postpone its Christmas lights switch-on?
8. Thirty-four people were arrested and a police officer was seriously injured during a riot following a knife attack in which city?
9. Lorries carrying medical supplies made their way into Gaza from Egypt after a four-day pause in fighting, mediated by which country, was agreed by Israel and Hamas? 

10. Four men received minimum jail sentences of more than 41 years for the murder of 28-year-old Ashley Dale in her home in which city?
11. Firms including Apple, Disney, IBM and Comcast paused adverts on X (formerly Twitter) after it was accused of what?
12. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health warned doctors to be on high alert for what disease as vaccine rates among young children dipped to a ten-year low?
13. Staff at which company, that created ChatGPT, called on the board to resign after the dismissal of former boss and co-founder Sam Altman?
14. Who is to be released from prison on parole in January, nearly 11 years after he murdered his girlfriend?
15. Former TV pundit Javier Milei, who wielded a chainsaw to illustrate his plans to cut down the size of the state, was elected president of which country?
16. What is the name of the leader of the anti-Islam Party for Freedom which became the largest party in the Dutch parliament?
17. R&B singer Cassie accused who of sex trafficking and assault in a lawsuit filed in a New York court?
18. Why did Taylor Swift postpone a concert in Brazil on Saturday night?
19. Who agreed to pay a fine of €7million (£6.1million) in a deal with Spanish tax authorities to avoid a trial?

20. What is the name of the TV presenter, who fronted Posh Frocks And New Trousers, Razzmatazz and appeared on I'm A Celebrity, who died aged 64, four months after being diagnosed with a brain tumour?
21. Researchers in California claimed to have discovered why some people get a headache after what?
22. Why will non-league football team Horsham play in the second round of the FA cup despite losing their first round game 3-0?
23. Australia won the Cricket World Cup by six wickets after a Travis Head century took them to victory over which country?
24. According to a poll by Perspectus Global which word, used to describe something extremely good or impressive, was voted the most irritating in modern culture?

25. The King presented members of which South Korean K-pop group with honorary MBEs at Buckingham Palace?

Answers here

It's time to tackle the newsquiz

The top solo scorers in last week’s newsquiz were Liz Gerard and Andy Reed both on 22. Others on the leaderboard were Giles Borg on 21, George Mann on 20.5, Janet Boyle on 20, Toby Brown on 19.5, Robert Rea on 19, Jo Wadsworth and Chay Quinn on 18, Claire@Savy on 16.5, Gavin Devine on 16 and Ed Mortimer on 15.5. The top scoring team was Meike Leonard, Pieter Snepvangers and Sam Lawley on 21.5, ahead of Maura and Phil Parsons on 19.5, Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe and Neil and Jo Benson on 19, Bruce and Sarah Hayward on 18.5 and Jack Elsom and Monica Greep on 17. Here is this week’s newsquiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week. Give it a go and let me know your score.

Tuesday's Cabinet reshuffle front pages

1. In a letter responding to her sacking as Home Secretary, which of these did Suella Braverman not say about Rishi Sunak? a) He failed to deliver on every single key policy b) He needed to resign and call a General Election c) He opted for wishful thinking as a comfort blanket to avoid hard choices d) He was uncertain, weak and lacking in leadership. 
2. David Cameron’s appointment as Foreign Secretary was celebrated by which country, saying it had the 'potential to breathe new life' into its relationship with the UK?
3. Lord Cameron’s first trip abroad as Foreign Secretary was to which country?

4. In the Cabinet reshuffle, who replaced Steve Barclay as Health Secretary?
5. Esther McVey made a return to the Cabinet, as a minister without portfolio, with Downing Street sources saying she would be Rishi Sunak's '__ __ tsar'? What are the two missing words?
6. Sir Keir Starmer suffered a rebellion over his position on the Israel-Gaza war, with how many Labour MPs voting for an immediate ceasefire?
7. How many judges at the Supreme Court upheld a Court of Appeal ruling that the Government's Rwanda asylum policy was unlawful?

8. Former deputy prime minister Damian Green compared Suella Braverman's five-point proposal to get the Rwanda flights off the ground to the behaviour of who?
9. Inflation fell to what per cent in October, its lowest level for two years?
10. Health Secretary Michael Matheson made a statement to the Scottish Parliament in which he blamed what on his sons?
11. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said doing what was 'unfortunate' and 'inflammatory in certain ways' but it was not illegal?
12. Which county's police force apologised for 'failing' 23-year-old Gracie Spinks, who was stabbed to death by a former colleague?
13. What was the name of the eight-month old baby at the centre of a legal battle who died after her life support was turned off at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham?
14. Six people, including three children, died in a house fire in which London borough?
15. Two children of what age were charged with murder after a man was stabbed to death in Wolverhampton?
16. Why was the town of Grindavik being evacuated?
17. Everton FC said it was shocked and disappointed to have been deducted how many points for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules?
18. At what occasion did Russell Watson sing How Great Thou Art at Manchester Cathedral on Monday?
19. King Charles celebrated his 75th birthday with the launch of a project to help people facing what?
20. Why were people living in the Italian seaside town of Ladispoli told to not leave their homes on Saturday?
21. Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris, the co-founders of which company, are to receive £144million each after agreeing to sell their business to Mars?
22. What was director Ridley Scott's three-word message for those pointing out factual inaccuracies in his new film Napoleon?
23. Who raised more than £4million for Children in Need by running and walking 115 miles from Leicester to Bolton over four days?
24. Where will politician Nigel Farage, This Morning presenter Josie Gibson and Britney Spears's sister Jamie Lynne be meeting this weekend?
25. According to Samsung research what is the most popular song that Brits play when dusting and vacuuming?

Answers here

Have a crack at the newsquiz

The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was George Mann with a score of 22, just ahead of Marion Fountayne, Toby Brown and Janet Boyle on 21. Others on the leaderboard were Robert Rea, Johnny Jenkins and Gavin Devine on 20 and Jack Surfleet on 18. The top teams were Jack Elsom and Monica Green and Maura and Phil Parsons on 20, just ahead of Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe on 19.5 and Bruce and Sarah Hayward on 19. Here is this week’s newsquiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week’s news stories. Give it a go and let me know your score.

A selection of today's front pages

1. There were calls for Home Secretary Suella Braverman to be sacked after Downing Street said it had not cleared an article, published in which newspaper, that accused the Met police of bias?
2. Which Cabinet minister said of Suella Braverman’s comments about police bias, that they 'are not words that I myself would have used’?
3. During a debate on the King's Speech, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned Rishi Sunak that without a serious what he could not be a serious Prime Minister?

4. Prince Charles delivered the first King’s Speech in more than 70 years as he outlined how many laws that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants get through Parliament before the next election?
5. Reacting to the pro-Palestinian marches planned for the weekend, the founder of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson posted a video calling for a gathering where on Saturday 'to show that British people aren’t happy’?
6. Home Secretary Suella Braverman was criticised after saying: ‘We cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a__ __. What are the two missing words?
7. The White House said Israel had agreed to enforce humanitarian pauses in fighting for how long every day to allow Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate?

8. Which two former prime ministers visited Israel, saying they were there to express solidarity with the Netanyahu government? Half a point for each.
9. United Nations secretary general António Guterres said: 'We must act now to find a way out of this brutal, awful, agonising dead end of destruction. Gaza is becoming a __ for children.’ What is the missing word?
10. Lord Sedwill, who was Cabinet Secretary until the autumn of 2020, told the Covid inquiry that he had left then Prime Minster Boris Johnson 'under no doubt’ that who should be replaced?
11. Former Tory Party chairman Jake Berry sent a letter to police exposing an alleged cover-up of what offence committed by an MP?
12. In her book, The Plot: The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson, former Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries revealed that a Tory known as Dr No cut up what and nailed it to a former girlfriend’s family's front door? 
13. A 14-year-old was charged with murder after a 15-year-old boy died in a stabbing near a school in which city?
14. British Steel announced a £1.25 billion plan to replace two blast furnaces in which town - threatening up to 2,000 jobs?
15. Just Stop Oil protesters were arrested after smashing the glass on the Rokeby Venus painting at the National Gallery in London, which had previously been targeted by which campaign group?
16. Two men pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court to health and safety offences after 11 customers were left with spinal injuries while doing what?
17. Who left her weekly BBC Radio Wales show, saying she would 'not be silenced' by the corporation’s new social media guidelines?
18. Disney was criticised for recreating what in London for a TV drama?
19. Arkansas military veteran Aaron James became the first person in the world to have what transplanted?
20. Which retailer reported better-than-expected results for the first half of the year - with pre-tax profits rising 56 per cent to £326million?
21. What is the name of the newspaper company, owners of the Mirror, Express, Star and more than 200 regional titles, which announced plans to cut 450 jobs?
22. The drug anastrozole was licensed by the NHS regulatory agency after trials showed it could reduce the incidence of what by almost 50 per cent?
23. Nestle announced it had made the 'difficult decision' to scrap what confectionary bar after 64 years due to low sales?
24. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found that British women topped the list as the world’s biggest what?
25. Britain’s loneliest sheep, rescued by farmers after being stranded on a beach in Scotland for two years, was given what name?

Answers here