Wade wins the Aussie newsquiz

The Daily Mail trainees had a fruitful week in Sydney. They had good sessions with editor Barclay Crawford and MD Peter Holder. Yvette Kelly explained the way the picture desk operates and former trainee Hannah Moore talked about her training experience, including London and New York and joining the exclusives team. She also gave some tips on what to expect in the newsroom. On Wednesday the trainees pitched ideas for Australia Day to acting news-editor Ollie Gillman. Several have now been put together and Shivé Prema's picture story of the Royal Family's Australian Day visits has been published. You can read it here.

Shivé had a second story published too - a look at 'dad bod' contests. Read it at your own risk here.

Well done to Shivé. It was also good to see one of last year's trainees, Claudia Poposki, resurrecting an idea - the alternative Aussie heroes - that she came up with on the course and it making the banner this morning. You can read it here.

We finished the week, as always, with the newsquiz. There were 25 questions about the week's events. Well done to Wade Zaglas who won the scratchcard with a score of 13. Here is this week's quiz ... give it a go and see if you can beat Wade's score. 

1. What is the name of the 20-year-old who was charged at Melbourne Magistrates Court with raping and murdering Aiia Maasarwe (spelling must be correct to get a point)

2. Grandmother Barbara Doran, 55, was described as the matriach of which group that made the headlines this week?

3. Passengers on board a flight from the Gold Coast to Singapore ended up in Sydney after an unruly traveller forced the pilot to make an emergency landing. What was the name of the airline?

4. The Housing Industry Association revealed that properties are being sold for the lowest price in more than 20 years in Australia's most affordable city. Which city?

5. Why was 74-year-old Eric Newman from Glen Innes in the headlines?

6. Who beat former champion Maria Sharapova to reach the quarter finals of the Australian Open?

7. What was Juanita Hickey filmed doing 'for her sons' in New Zealand?

8. Which Australian city recorded its highest-ever temperature of 46.6C on Thursday, breaking a record that had stood for almost a century?

9. The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) told its 100,000-plus members that: 'Once the temperature reaches ____ or a humidity level above 75 per cent, there will be an orderly cessation of work.’ What is the missing temperature?

10. What did publican Stephen Firth, who runs the Red Lion Hotel, do when temperatures reached 45C?

11. Which MP admitted to using ecstasy or MDMA at dance parties as she called on politicians to 'get real' about pill testing?
12. Who announced her intention to quit saying: 'I've made this decision for personal reasons that relate to me and my family and that's just the truth’?

13. Tens of thousands of high school graduates were presented with their HSC certificates with an error which led Education Minister Rob Stokes to say he was 'incredibly disappointed’. What was the error?
14. Which job that pays up to $200,000 a year - and does not require any qualifications - has a test which only three in 100 applicants pass?
15. Queensland man Jai Ellis, 21, took to Facebook on Monday night, writing: 'I love you all ____.’ What is the missing word?
16. The remains of which Australian explorer have been found under Euston train station in London?
17. Swimmer Ian Thorpe announced he is to become a parent with his long-term boyfriend. What is the name of his boyfriend?
18. Prime Minister Scott Morrison removed a picture from Instagram after discovering a rude message on a mug when he visited a radio station. What three letters were on the mug?

19. Sir James Dyson announced he is moving the production of his vacuum cleaner from the UK to which country?
20. Who announced that he was planning to sue a woman for defamation after she accused him of raping her in a Paris hotel?

21. A man is to be charged with the murder of his blind cheerleader girlfriend who died after she was allegedly thrown from a high-rise balcony at his luxury apartment in which town in 2013?

22. Why was 15-year-old Brody Hurst in the headlines?

23. Junkyard owner Maria Jackson, 72, from Foster, east of Melbourne, became the first person to be jailed under Worksafe Victoria duty laws? What did she do?

24. Who was the first contestant to be voted off I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here?

25. Nathan Struck and his friends were spotted driving from Botany Bay to Cecil Park in Sydney dragging what behind them?

Answers here.

* If you are feeling confident the UK newsquiz is here. 

It's Friday, it's newsquiz day!

The best solo scorers in last week's newsquiz were Sally Tipper and Gavin Devine both with 17, ... the same as the top team score by Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe. Other strong scorers were Janet Boyle and Toby Brown who both scored 16 and Dominic Hurst and Hannah Tomes who clocked up 15 each. Here is this week's quiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week's events. Let me know how you get on.

Today's front pages

1. The spokesman for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said it was 'pretty obvious’ that what would be necessary if the UK were to leave without an agreement?

2. Who said at a Confederation of British Industry lunch in Davos that: 'Not leaving would be a betrayal, but leaving without a deal would also be a betrayal’?

3. On what date will Theresa May’s Brexit Plan B motion be debated in Parliament?

4. Theresa May scrapped the fee that EU citizens were to pay to apply to continue living in the UK after Brexit. How much was the proposed fee?

5. The Queen, in a speech in Sandringham, said: 'I for one prefer the tried and tested recipes, like speaking well of each other and respecting different points of view; coming together to seek out the common ground; and never losing sight of the ____ ____’. What are the missing two words?

6. The Queen joined members of the Women's Institute in Sandringham to play a live game of what television quiz show - and came out on the winning side?

7. Brexiteer Tory Jacob-Rees Mogg suggested the Queen might appear 'in person’ to dissolve Parliament to stop MPs passing a bill blocking a no-deal Brexit. What is the official term for such an act?

8. Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after being charged with a breach of the peace and how many sexual offences?

9. Tom Enders, the chief executive of which company, said 'we will have to make potentially very harmful decisions for the UK' in the event of no deal Brexit?

10. Which company announced it was closing 140 UK branches, putting 1,270 jobs at risk?

11. Footballer Emiliano Sala went missing in a plane crash while on his way to Cardiff City after signing from which footballer club?

12. Jack Shepherd, who has been on the run since he was sentenced to six years in jail for the killing of Charlotte Brown in a speedboat accident, handed himself into police in which country?

13. Sir James Dyson announced he is moving the production of his vacuum cleaners from the UK to which country?

14. Who announced that he was planning to sue a woman for defamation after she accused him of raping her in a Paris hotel?

15. Actress Tina Malone faces contempt proceedings after re-tweeting what?

16.  Former BBC broadcaster Simon Mayo will host a show on a classical radio station starting in March. What will the station be called?

17. The remains of Australian explorer Captain Matthew Flinders have been found under which London station?

18. Who announced he is to become a parent with his long-term boyfriend Ryan Channing?

19. What is the name of the app launched by Pope Francis this week?

20. Who was called ‘an inspiration’ after being awarded Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards for his role as Ryan Stocks in Emmerdale?

21. Why was 36-year-old Nathan Sutherland of Phoenix in the headlines?

22. Financial specialist Martin Lewis dropped his lawsuit over his face being used in scam adverts, after Facebook agreed to pay how much to a new project run by Citizen Advice?

23. Actor Windsor Davies, who died this week aged 88, had a number one hit in 1975 with his It Ain't Half Hot Mum co-star Don Estelle. What was the name of the song?

24. In an attempt to fight ‘misinformation and rumours,’ WhatsApp limited the number of messages each user can forward to their contacts. What is the new limit?

25. Krispies in Exmouth, owned and operated by husband and wife team Tim and Kelly Barnes, beat nine other finalists to win what title?

Answers here

Test your knowledge with the Aussie newsquiz

I met the new Daily Mail Australia trainees in Sydney these week. They had enjoyed an intense nine days learning the system with trainer Nick Enoch. Yesterday we went through the course programme, what will be expected of them and they had a sessions with news-editor Katie Davies. Connie Sideras and Katie Camilleri from the managing editor's office also give them practical tips and guidelines. We finished the week, as usual, with the newsquiz - 25 questions about the week's news. Wade Zaglas, Mary Mrad and Shivé Prema were joint top scorers with nine points. I am sure the scores will increase as the course progresses.

The squabble between Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt continues to make the headlines (Question 23)

Anyway, here is this week's Australian newsquiz. Let me know if you score higher than nine.

1. Student Aiia Maasarwe, 21, was found dead outside a shopping centre in which city?

2. The towns of Port Augusta and Tarcoola topped which list this week?

3. Australian tourist Claire Johnson, 46, sent text messages to a friend to tell her she was locked up in an immigration detention centre in which country?

4. Why was mother-of-two Felicity Shadbolt, 36, of Tom Price in the headlines?

5. More than 20 people were killed in a terrorist attack at the DusitD2 hotel in which city?

6. How much to the nearest million did a Sydney woman win in this week’s Powerball Jackpot?
7. An inquiry criticised Victoria Police for a 'lack of ethics' after an internal investigation revealed officers had faked 258,463 what over five-and-half years?
8. Who said this week he had been an arrogant prick adding: ‘My marriage is over, my reputation is shattered. I have to accept that all of that is completely self-inflicted’?

9. Who said he was 'blessed with a second chance at life' four weeks after falling from a bridge in Melbourne?
10. Bachelorette winner Stu Laundy claimed a video, with NRL player Corey Norman and rugby union star Kurtley Beale, showed a man snorting a substance that was not cocaine from a plate. What substance did he say it was? 
11. A British family, who are to be deported from New Zealand after claims they trashed a beach, left a cafe without paying and damaged their apartment, said they were a 'respectable' family who were only 'here to see the ___’. What is the missing word?
12. A duty manager and two security contractors were stood down as Sydney Trains investigated claims that excessive force was used on a visually impaired passenger at which station?
13. Why was 16-year-old Lexi Karakostas, from Melbourne, refused entry to Bali and sent home?
14. Five men with replica guns were arrested in which Westfield shopping centre in Sydney?
15. Who tweeted: 'I am not egg-xpecting but it's egg-celent to hear everyone is so happy for us... We're happy for us too! Egg-cited for this next chapter in our lives... Now can everyone leave me alone and go back to staring at an egg’?
16. Who did Spanish tennis player Roberto Bautista Agut knock out in the first round of the Australian Open?

17. Who said of Australia Day: 'I can’t separate the 26th of January from the fact that my brothers are more likely to go to jail than school, or that my little sisters and my mum are more likely to be beaten and raped than anyone else’s sisters or mum’? 

18. Despite her wealth dropping by $2.5billion to $20.6billion, who has retained the top spot on Forbes Aussie Rich List?
19. Which classic rock band announced tour dates kicking off in August in Perth and then taking in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne?
20. Craig McLachlan launched defamation action against which two media organisations? Half a point for each.
21. Who did former Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham tweet to ask for a quote to build a tunnel through the Blue Mountains?
22. Why was the Big Bash game at the Gabba between Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat abandoned?

23. In the ongoing row with Bernie Tomic, Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt said this week: 'The most disappointing thing is on day one we had all these great wins by a lot of our guys and all these Bernie comments overshadow it. It's one ____ making a silly comment and that's the main news.’ What is the missing word?

24. Prince Philip was pulled from his overturned Land Rover after a crash on which royal estate?

25. In the UK Theresa May’s government survived Labour's no-confidence motion by how many votes?

Answers here.

If you are feeling confident you can also have a go at this week's UK newsquiz here.

Time to tackle this week's newsquiz

The top solo scorer in last week's newsquiz was Toby Brown with 18, narrowly ahead of Jamie Johnson and Janet Boyle on 17 and Ginger Elvis on 16. The top team was the Penmans, with Daisy, who scored 20. 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. 

Prince Philip's crash dominates today's front pages
(Questions 7 and 8)

1. The Government survived Labour's no-confidence motion over Brexit by how many votes?
2. Who warned that there would be a 'different tone' in British politics if the UK failed to leave the EU and predicted a 'less tolerant society' and a 'more nationalistic nation'?

3. What did Labour MP Tulip Siddiq postpone so that she could vote in the Brexit debate on Tuesday night?

4. A letter published in The Times signed by 31 people, including a former Arsenal goalkeeper, pleaded with the UK to stay in the EU? What country did they come from?

5. Who tweeted about Brexit: 'If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is?’

6. Why did the BBC move Theresa May’s statement outside of 10 Downing Street on Wednesday evening from BBC1 to BBC2?  

7. Prince Philip was pulled from his overturned Land Rover after a crash on which royal estate?

8. What make of car was involved in the collision with Prince Philip’s Land Rover?

9. Which high street retailer announced the closure 17 of stores, putting 1,045 jobs at risk?

10. Two firefighters and a Spanish woman died and more than 40 people were injured in an explosion at a bakery in which city?

11. What is the name of the Spanish tennis player who knocked out Andy Murray in the first round of the Australian Open in what could be Murray's last professional match?
12. David Duckenfield, the former police officer in command at Hillsborough when 96 people were killed, appeared on trial on charges of manslaughter at which court?
13. A shopping centre in Kirkcaldy, Fife, is to be auctioned off with a reserve price of how much after it failed to attract enough tenants?

14. Which singer was reportedly dumped by Sony, his record label for 30 years, following the release of a documentary which accused him of sexually abusing women?
15. 50,000 people gathered on a central square in Plovdiv, the oldest city in Bulgaria, to celebrate what?
16. McDonald's lost its Big Mac trademark after a legal battle with which Irish fast food chain
17. More than 20 people were killed in a terrorist attack at the DusitD2 hotel in which city?

18. The world's most-liked photo on Instagram is now an image of a what, with more than 23 million likes?

19. Who returned as manager to the football club where he won two European Cups as a player?

20. Which company’s two-minute social media video about 'toxic masculinity’ led to a lively social media exchange involving people including broadcaster Piers Morgan and model Chrissy Teigen?

21. The Ministry of Justice is considering banning prison sentences of less than what period in England and Wales because they are 'long enough to damage you and not long enough to heal you’?
22.  Who tweeted: 'I am not egg-xpecting but it's egg-celent to hear everyone is so happy for us... We're happy for us too! Egg-cited for this next chapter in our lives... Now can everyone leave me alone and go back to staring at an egg?’ 

23. Coronation Street's Charlie Lawson admitted it is ‘highly likely’ he would have done what if he had not become an actor?

24. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders what became the most popular colour for cars for the first time in 2018?

25. The Australian towns of Port Augusta and Tarcoola topped which list this week?

Answers here

Mail looking for trainee subs and reporters

Last year's Mail trainee reporters and subs

Applications are now open to trainee journalists who want to be reporters or sub-editors on the Daily Mail.

The successful applicants will embark on a year-long programme that involves intense training, assessment and on-the-job experience at national and regional newspapers and agencies.

If you are interested you will probably have a degree and will have shown a commitment to journalism by working for your student newspaper or website and gained work experience in newsrooms.

Previous graduates of the training scheme now hold senior positions on the Mail and its sister paper the Mail on Sunday.

The course starts in September with intensive in-house training. It is followed by five months' placement after which the trainees will join the newsroom or subs department in Kensington.

Trainees are paid a competitive salary while they train. Nearly all are offered staff jobs at the end.

To apply send a covering letter, your CV and the three best examples of your work to sue.ryan@dailymail.co.uk by Friday March 15, 2019. Please specify in the subject of the email whether your application is for either a trainee reporter or  sub-editor.

Both schemes are now being advertised on Hold The Front Page. The subbing scheme is here and the reporting one here.  

* MailOnline is also looking for a platform growth editor who will work to support the rapid growth of the Mail on Apple News, MSN, Flipboard, Google News, Upday, TopBuzz and also support audience sharing with other publishers. Details on how to apply are here

Time to tackle the newsquiz

Last week's newsquiz, the first of 2019, was clearly a toughie with the average scores lower that usual. The pick of the bunch was Toby Brown with 16, just ahead of Sally Tipper and Gavin Devine on 15. The top team, Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe, also scored 15, pipping The Penmans on 14. Here is this week's quiz ... as usual there are 25 questions about the week's events. Let me know how you get on.

Thursday's front pages

1. The Grieve amendment, passed by 308 votes to 297, demanded that the Government outlines its next steps within how many days if the Brexit deal is defeated next Tuesday?

2. How many Conservatives rebelled and voted for the Grieve amendment?

3. The Government became the first since 1978 to lose a vote on what?

4. Expressing anger at the Speaker, John Bercow, for allowing the Grieve amendment, Conservative Crispin Blunt said many MPs now 'have an unshakeable conviction that the ____ is no longer neutral’. What is the missing word?

5. Facebook removed James Goddard's pages after he did what?

6. When Parliament resumed, Labour leader Jeremy Corybn said of Theresa May’s Brexit plan that ‘not a single ___ or ___ has changed.' What are the missing two words. Half a point for each. 

7. The Government's first major test of plans for border disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit, involved a convoy of 89 lorries queued up at which airport?

8. Jaguar Land Rover announced it was cutting how many jobs, with the majority coming from its UK workforce?

9. US president Donald Trump walked out of a meeting with Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi after they refused to fund his border wall and later tweeted 'Nancy said, NO. I said ___ ___, nothing else works!’ What is the missing hyphenated word? 

10. Why was 14-year-old Jayden Moodie in the headlines?

11. The biggest League Cup semi-final victory was recorded by Manchester City against Burton Albion. What was the score?

12. Chief executive Sergio Bucher and chairman Sir Ian Cheshire were voted off the board of which retailers by its shareholders?

13. Who announced on Twitter that and he and his wife MacKenzie are to divorce after a 25-year marriage?

14. Footballer Wayne Rooney was fined how much (in dollars) after being arrested for being drunk and swearing at Dulles International Airport in America?

15. A lorry driver was questioned after 27 suspected migrants were found in the back of his HGV on which motorway?

16. Who signalled his impending retirement, saying: 'I am not sure I am able to play through the pain for another four or five months’? 

17. What did MoneySuperMarket tycoon Richard Mason describe as like being 'hit by a sledgehammer’?

18. What are to be phased out in prisons in England and Wales under Ministry of Justice plans after a study said they were ‘punitive' and ‘institutional’?
19. Darren Pencille, 35, appeared at Staines Magistrates’ Court accused with what?

20. The French interior minister said that 'gilets-jaune' protesters had vandalised almost 60 per cent of the country's what?
21. Who told former MP George Galloway to ‘fuck off’ on Twitter during a spat over the Labour Party’s position on anti-semitism?

22. The Duchess of Sussex became patron of four charities this week. They were the National Theatres, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, animal charity Mayhew and an organistion that supports women returning to work. What is it called?

23. Ben Whishaw won Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a TV series at the Golden Globes and dedicated his award to the person he played - a 'true queer hero and icon’. Who did Whishaw play?
24. Which film is leading the field in the Baftas with 12 nominations?

25. French author and television presenter 50-year-old Yann Moix caused outrage after saying that who were ‘invisible' to him?

Answers here

First newsquiz of 2019 - give it a go

Happy New Year to all you newsquizzers ... I trust you are bracing yourselves for a news-packed 2019. The top scorers in the last quiz of the year were Jamie Bryla and Janet Boyle who both scored 17. Dave Bromage scored 16, Toby Brown 15 and Gavin Devine 14.5. The top team was Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe with 16. Here is the first quiz of 2019. As usual there are 25 questions about the last seven days. Give it a go and let me know how you get on. 

The first front pages of 2019

1. Environment Secretary Michael Gove told the Oxford Farming Conference that: 'It’s a grim but inescapable fact that in the event of a no-deal Brexit the effective tariffs of meat and sheep meat would be above ____ per cent. In some cases well above that’. What is the missing figure?

2. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, as part of no-deal Brexit preparations, awarded a £13.8 million contract to charter extra ferries to a 'start-up' company that has no ships. What is the company’s name?

3. Home Secretary Sajid Javid flew back early from a family holiday in which country to discuss how to stop migrants travelling across the Channel in small boats?

4. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed that a Royal Navy patrol ship has been sent to the English Channel to deter migrant crossings. What is the ship called?

5. What happened in London on New Year’s Eve that ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage described as ‘highly inappropriate' and Tory MP Andrew Bridgen as a ‘betrayal of democracy’?

6. MPs and scientists called for chemical additives to be removed from what because they are believed to cause around 6,600 bowel cancer cases in the UK every year?

7. Lee Valentine said that 'instinct took over' as he did what?

8. Who was knighted in the New Year’s Honours for services to travel, culture and geography and said he 'may just have a quiet celebration, just myself and a glass of Horlicks and then go to bed’?

9. Susanna Dinnage withdrew from the role of chief executive of which organisation only six weeks after her appointment was announced?

10. A man died and 23 people were injured when a minibus overturned while travelling to which racecourse?

11. Who made an announcement, saying: 'It is with great sadness and immense grief that we have to announce that Ruth passed away today as a result of her rare lung cancer’?

12. Which company cut its sales forecasts, wiping $55billion (£44billion) off its value, and blamed the unforeseen ‘magnitude' of the economic slowdown in China? 

13. She was an OBE, a CBE and a dame and claimed that lack of confidence in her looks made her concentrate on comedy. Who is she?

14. US singer Jimmy Osmond was diagnosed with a stroke after a performance in which pantomime at the Birmingham Hippodrome?

15. A female student from Bristol University was killed where on New Year’s Day?

16. What is the name of the bridge where six people were killed and 16 injured in a train accident in Denmark?

17. Who targeted 'snowflakes, selfie addicts, class clowns, phone zombies and me, me, millennials' in a recruitment drive?

18. Strictly Come Dancing star AJ Pritchard and his brother Curtis were battered and bruised in a nightclub in their home town. Where is it?

19. Why was 33-year-old Romanian Tudor Simionov in the headlines?

20. Which country said it had killed 40 terrorists who 'were planning to carry out a series of aggressive attacks targeting state institutions, particularly economic ones, as well as tourism... and Christian places of worship’? 

21. Nasa’s New Horizons spacecraft beamed home images of Ultima Thule, a rock four billion miles from earth, which was described by the mission’s principal investigator as resembling the shape of what?

22. To the nearest million pounds how much did Frances and Patrick Connolly, from County Armagh, Northern Ireland, win in the New Year's Day EuroMillions lottery?

23. Sir Billy Connolly said his age and his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease meant he was now 'at the wrong end of the ____ of life’. What is the missing word?

24. What did Greggs the bakers introduce into 950 stores after 20,000 people signed a petition?
25. Who posted a video on Twitter in which she said ‘the rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated’?

Answers here