Alastair wins the American newsquiz

I have been working with five DailyMail.com trainees from New York this week. They flew into London last weekend and had to isolate so we have been training via Zoom. They have been learning about Mail style and have edited stories, written intros and headlines and carried out a detailed analysis of the Mail’s websites. The prize for the best intro of the week went to Shannon Thaler and for the best headline to Tommy Taylor. The trainees also had sessions with New York assistant news-editor Amy Maas, senior reporter Jen Smith and former trainee, Megan Sheets, who now works on the newsdesk. Once all the trainees' Covid tests are done and their isolation is over we hope to be in the Mail’s Kensington offices for the next few weeks. We finished the week with the American newsquiz. This week’s runaway winner was Alastair Talbot with 20 points. Give it a go and see if you can do better. If you are looking for the usual UK quiz, it is here. 

1. The polls for the New York Mayor election closed on Tuesday with who emerging as the early leader?
2. In which New York park was a woman left bloodied and bruised after being trampled on by crowds fleeing a man armed with a large knife and a taser during a rave?
3. President Joe Biden announced that two parent families on a combined salary of up to what amount will be eligible for tax credit of $300 per child a month?
4. Senate Republicans blocked which bill with a filibuster, killing it before it could be debated with a party-line vote of 50-50?
5. Antivirus pioneer John McAfee, 75, was found dead in a prison in which city after a court ruled he was to be extradited to the US for tax evasion?
6. What is the name of the town, north of Miami, Florida, where a 12-storey building collapsed?
7. Singer Britney Spears called on a court in Los Angeles to end her abusive conservatorship and said those responsible for enforcing it, including her father,  should be in jail. What is her father’s name?
8. Who had his law licence suspended in New York for making 'demonstrably false and misleading' claims around the 2020 US election?
9. Four people from the same family were killed in a tubing accident when they went over a dam on which river in North Carolina?
10. At least six people were injured after a pedestrian bridge collapsed on to truck on a highway in which American city?
11. A book by Kevin Cook said that the crew of a space shuttle, which crashed in 1986, would probably have survived the initial explosion. What was the space shuttle called?
12. Who apologised for a video, showing her mouthing an anti-Asian racist slur, saying 'I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word’?
13. What is the name of Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy paper which announced its closure after its offices were raided and its editor and five other executives were arrested over allegations of breaking national security laws?
14. Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to do what?
15. New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard became the first ever transgender athlete picked to compete at an Olympics, when she was selected for which sport?
16. Ebrahim Raisi, 60, won which country's presidential election and is due to take office in August?
17. Which clothing brand, known for its fur-trimmed parka jackets, announced it will stop buying fur by the end of this year and stop manufacturing products with it by the end of 2022?
18. Winston Marshall quit which band after he was pilloried by a 'viral mob' for praising a book by US journalist Andy Ngo?
19. Moscow's defence ministry said warning shots had been fired and bombs dropped in the path of which British warship, which was sailing near Crimea?
20. President Joe Biden and his wife Jill announced the death of their ‘beloved' dog who had been with them for 13 years. What was it called?
21. Singer Macy Gray said what should be ditched because it is 'tattered, dated, divisive and incorrect’?
22. American footballer Megan Rapinoe was signed up by which brand to work with the company on 'collaborations, business partnerships and cause-related initiatives’?
23. Which British newspaper broke the story that Health Secretary Matt Hancock was having an affair with one of his aides?
24. England went through to the last 16 of Euro 2020 … but who do they play in their next game? 
25. Researchers from Columbia University have that found that stress causes what condition - and that reducing stress can reverse it?

Answers here

Time to tackle the newsquiz

Today's Sun exclusive (questions 1 & 2)

The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was Findus with an impressive 22 ahead of Janet Boyle on 20, Gavin Devine 18 and Robert Rea and Jayme Bryla on 17. The top team was Neil and Jo Benson with a personal best of 21, just ahead of The Three Legs team of Peter, Stacey, Bryan and Heather with 19.5 and Bruce and Sarah Hayward 19 and Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe who both scored 17. 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. I have been working with American trainees this week so if you really fancy a challenge you will find their quiz … with a US focus here.

Today's front pages

1. Health Secretary Matt Hancock was accused of having an affair with senior aide Gina Coladangelo who is a director of the lobbyists Luther Pendragon and

communications director of which fashion firm?
2. Health secretary Matt Hancock reacted to the photograph of him kissing his aide by saying he had let people down and was very sorry for what?
3. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced 16 locations were being added to the UK's travel green list from next Wednesday. Which one of these was NOT on the list a) Madeira b) Menorca c) Sardinia d) Malta?
4. Who switched his political allegiance from Tory to Labour, saying he regarded today’s Conservative party as 'reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic’?
5. Moscow's defence ministry said warning shots had been fired and bombs in the path of which British warship which was sailing near Crimea?
6. In a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who did The Queen refer to as a 'poor man’?
7. An undercover investigation by ITV News showed Amazon destroying items of unsold stock including TVs and laptops, with an ex-employee alleging staff had a target ‘to generally destroy ___ items a week’. What is the missing number?
8. St Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith said it was to axe what role because it was too ‘binary’?
9. Benjamin Monk became the first British police officer in 35 years to be convicted of what?
10. What is the name of Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy paper which has announced its closure, after its offices were raided and its editor and five other executives were arrested, over allegations of breaking national security laws?

11. Antivirus pioneer John McAfee, 75, was found dead in a prison in which city after a court ruled he was to be extradited to the US for tax evasion?
12. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reported to have rejected the proposal that their son Archie would be called the Earl of where because they feared he might be bullied?
13. A book by Kevin Cook said that the crew of a space shuttle, which crashed in 1986, would probably have survived the initial explosion. What was the space shuttle called?
14. Ebrahim Raisi, 60, won which country's presidential election and is due to take office in August?
15. England and Wales went through to the last 16 of Euro 2020 … but who do they play in their next games? Half a point for each.
16. What is the name of Scotland's midfielder who tested positive for Covid-19 and had to sit out the Euro 2020 match with Croatia?
17. President Joe Biden and his wife Jill announced the death of their ‘beloved' dog who had been with them for 13 years. What was it called?
18. Mobile operator EE announced it will reintroduce roaming charges from next month - so that new UK customers will have to pay how much extra a day to use their mobiles in Europe from January?
19. What is the name of the song, composed by children and their music teacher at a primary school in Bradford, which provoked ridicule and drew comparisons between Britain and Nazi Germany?
20. Singer Britney Spears called on a court in Los Angeles to end her abusive conservatorship and said those responsible for enforcing it, including her father, should be in jail? What is her father’s name?
21. The BBC received 6,417 complaints about the broadcast of what?
22. Who apologised for a video showing her mouthing an anti-Asian racist slur saying 'I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word’?
23. New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard became the first ever transgender athlete picked to compete at an Olympics, when she was selected for which sport?
24. Winston Marshall quit which band after he was pilloried by a 'viral mob' for praising a book by US journalist Andy Ngo?
25. Who is to replace Bruno Tonioli as a judge on the next series of Strictly Come Dancing?

Answers here

It's time to tackle the newsquiz

The top solo scorers in last week’s newsquiz were MailOnline trainees Izzy Baldwin and Chay Quinn with 20, well ahead of Toby Brown and Jayme Bryla on 16 and Gavin Devine 15. The Three Legs drinkers Peter, Stacey, Nicky and Les were the top team with 19, just ahead of Maura and Phil Parsons 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 your score.

Today's front pages

1. At a Downing Street briefing Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the delay of ‘freedom day’, saying: 'I'm pretty confident that July 19 will be a ___ date and we will be able to take things forward from there.’ What is the missing word?
2. Former aide Dominic Cummings, in his blog, claimed Prime Minister Boris Johnson had branded Health Secretary Matt Hancock’ 'totally f***ing hopeless' and considered giving some of his responsibilities to who?
3. Who did Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tell they 'were quite the hit’ at the G7 summit in Cornwall?
4. Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, the presidents of the US and Russia, had three-hour talks in which city, where they said they 'spoke the same language’ but that 'disagreements were stated’?
5. What did Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey says 'sends shockwaves through British politics’?
6. After a Government review, who did Justice Secretary Robert Buckland apologise to, saying: 'The first thing I think I need to say is, sorry - it's not good enough.'
7. Paul Givan was appointed to what political position?
8. Belgium players stopped play in what minute of the game against Denmark in their Euro 2020 match to acknowledge Christian Eriksen, who collapsed with a cardiac arrest on Saturday?
9. The chairman of the Manchester Arena Inquiry, Sir John Saunders, published his first report highlighting security failures including two British Transport Police officers who took a two-hour break to get what type of food?
10. Martin Hockridge, 57, was charged with a public order offence, after footage online showed which BBC journalist being confronted and chased by protesters in Whitehall?
11. An independent inquiry into the murder of private detective Daniel Morgan described what organisation as 'institutionally corrupt’?
12. Vodafone, IKEA, Nivea, Kopparberg, Grolsch, the Open University and Octopus Energy were among brands said to have to considered withdrawing their advertising from what?
13. Dame Sharon White, chairman of which retailer, told an education commission that young people at the company’s stores lacked basic literacy and numeracy skills and that it had to provide basic catch-up classes?
14. Corinna Smith, 59, was found guilty at Chester Crown Court of 'brutally and painfully' murdering her husband of 38 years? How did she kill him?
15. A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage to what after CCTV footage on the Buxted FC's twitter account went viral?
16. As part of its efforts to reflect today’s values in its blue plaques, English Heritage acknowledged the 'racism, xenophobia and lack of literary merit’ in whose writing?
17. What three letters connected Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling, singers Alison Moyet and Engelbert Humperdinck, and Judge Rinder this week?
18. Waitrose announced it would be dropping which name from a brand of lime leaves over concerns the word had historically been used as a racial slur in South Africa?
19. Teams at Euro 2020 were warned they could face fines if their players did what at news conferences?
20. Wales almost guaranteed their place in the knockout stages of Euro 2020 with a draw and a win against which two teams? Half a point for each.
21. A man who was arrested after parachuting into the Allianz Arena in Munich before France's win over Germany at Euro 2020 had Greenpeace and what other three words written on his parachute?
22. Which 1970s disco classic became the Tartan Army’s unofficial national anthem ahead of Scotland's Euro 2020 game against England at Wembley? 
23. An endangered bird, known as an Egyptian ___, which has not been seen in the UK since 1868 was spotted on the Isles of Scilly this week. What is the missing word?
24. DC Comics vetoed a sex scene between which two characters in an HBO cable TV spin-off series Harley Quinn? Half a point for each character?
25. Who made about $100m (£72million) when he sold his back catalogue and his future recordings to Warner Music?

Answers here

Izzy wins the newsquiz champagne

Farewell to the trainees: Jonny Rose, Olivia Devereux-Evans, 

Elmira Tanatarova. Lizzie May, me, Izzy Baldwin (with the champagne),

 Chris Matthews, Chay Quinn and three temperature test machines

The MailOnline trainees have finished their four weeks in Kensington and are now off to their three-month placements at the Irish Daily Mail in Dublin, the Scottish Daily Mail in Glasgow, the Manchester Evening News, the Liverpool Echo and the Press Association. In their final week they did a panel Q&A with three of last year's trainees, Sam Baker, Lydia Catling and Nicole Conner, and had a full day with the Mail's legal team. They did a live breaking story in real time and drew up a newslist for their placement papers. They also had five stories published to add to the three of previous weeks. 

Jonny Rose found a nice story about the Baseball Brit who quit his job as a teacher to watch baseball games across the world. Read it here.

Jonny also wrote a story about a five-year-old boy who went for a bike ride around Sir David Attenborough's childhood home and was delighted when the legend replied to his letter.

Lizzie May wrote a bizarre Femail story about the new craze of single girls stamping their contact details on the skin of strangers. Read it here. 

Elmira Tanatarova found a story about a sales rep who quit his job to make videos of his ranch life, including kangaroos and rheas. Read it here.  

Olivia Devereux-Evans went for a stroll with an amazing 86-year-old man who walks 20 miles a day to raise money for the hospice that looks after his sisters. Read it here. The trainees have written other stories too which will be published soon. 

Last night we enjoyed farewell drinks at the Greyhound. The trainees are a very bright, talented and likeable bunch and I wish them well as they start their careers. Stars of the future. We finished as always with the newsquiz. Chay Quinn and Izzy Baldwin were this week's joint winners with an impressive 20 points. Izzy won the champagne as the overall top scorer over the last four weeks. The top solo scorer in last week's quiz was Jayme Bryla with 20, ahead of Gavin Devine and Chay Quinn with 17, Robert Rea and Izzy Baldwin 16 and Ed Mortimer 15. The top team was Simon and Will Cole with 24, ahead of Maura and Phil Parsons 20.5, the Three Legs drinkers Stacey, Nicky, Les, Heather and Bryan with 17, Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe and Bruce and Sarah Hayward with 15. Here is this week's quiz. 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. What is the name of the Cornish village, near St Ives, where the G7 Summit is being held?
2. After his first meeting with US president Joe Biden, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was ‘complete ___' on the need to solve trade problems in Northern Ireland. What is the missing word?
3. To mark their first meeting Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave President Joe Biden a framed mural of American abolitionist Frederick Douglass. What did Biden give the PM in return?
4. Public Health England said the Delta variant of Covid was about 60 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant and vaccines are less effective against it. How were Delta and Alpha previously known? Half a point for each.
5. What did NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens describe as 'a watershed moment’ which meant we were entering 'the home straight’?
6. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons Health and Science committees that in January 2020 he warned the NHS to plan for how many deaths, based on the Spanish Flu estimate?
7. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced he was dealing with an 'outbreak' of a rare virus, which is from the same family as Smallpox and has been found in North Wales. What is it called?
8. Environment secretary George Eustice described a row over regulations in the Brexit deal  as ‘bonkers’, saying: 'I suspect it links to some kind of perception that they can’t really trust any country other than an EU country to make ___.’ What is the missing word?
9. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson branded as 'simply absurd’ a vote by students at which of Oxford’s colleges to remove a portrait of the Queen from their common room?
10. About 150 Oxford University academics said they would not teach at Oriel College after it decided to keep whose controversial statue?
11. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that the first name of their second child was Lilibet. What is her second name?
12. Why were 28-year-old twins Georgia and Melissa Laurie in the headlines?
13. Which organisation did Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden say had 'gone over the top' and urged its officials to 'think again’?
14. Police officer Wayne Couzens appeared in court via video link and pleaded guilty to which two charges related to Sarah Everard? Half a point for each.
15. French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face during a walkabout near which French city?
16. Former staff at which drinks company posted an open letter saying there was a 'culture of fear’, a 'toxic attitude' to junior employees and that staff had suffered mental illness as a result of working there?
17. Which billionaire announced he would be fired into space, with his brother Mark, in a six-seater capsule on an 11-minute mission in July?
18. Which fashion chain announced it was to close 19 stores in the UK and Ireland and that its distribution centre in Rugby is at risk?
19. Which country banned Twitter after its government alleged it was being used to undermine the state's 'corporate existence' through the spreading of fake news which had 'violent consequences’?
20. A tribunal in Newcastle ruled that Colin Kane, 66, was unfairly dismissed after he had been sacked from his driving job for doing what?
21. Who won best actress and best writer of a drama series at the Baftas?
22. The first game of Euro 2020 is Turkey versus Italy in which city? 
23. Ben White, 23, replaced the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold in England's 26-man squad for Euro 2020. Which Premier League team does he play for?
24. Dua Lipa's songs were played more than anyone else's on UK radio and television last year, ending the reign of which artist, who had been the most-played every year since 2017?
25. Gymnast Louis Smith was crowned as the winner of The Masked Dancer. What was the name of his character?

Answers here

Chay wins the weekly newsquiz

The MailOnline trainees have finished their third week in Kensington and have one week to go before they head off on placement. They had a session on the editor’s code with Editor Emeritus Peter Wright, a run through office practicalities with assistant managing editor Natalie Glanvill, a look at how the group’s social media works with Chris Lawrence and an entertaining run around showbiz with Rebecca Davison. The trainees pitched story ideas to travel editor Ted Thornhill and Femail deputy editor Steph Linning (I am looking forward to seeing some of them published) and deputy video editor Olivia Bateman gave them feedback on their video ideas. Former trainees Emer Scully and Jemma Carr popped in with some helpful tips. The trainees also wrote a personality profile and other stories. The best picture headline award went to Elmira Tanatarova. Sports trainee Izzy Baldwin had two stories published during the week - both her own ideas.

One was an interview with Newport County's Kevin Ellison who went from the factory floor to being the oldest person to score in the play-offs. Read it here. The other involved some detailed stat-crunching which revealed that Liverpool played a staggering 20 different centre-back pairings last season - and which one, surprisingly, conceded the most goals. Read it here.

Well done Izzy. As usual we rounded the week off with the newsquiz. Top scorer this week was Chay Quinn with 17 just ahead of Izzy on 16. It is all to play for next week when the four-week winner will collect a bottle of champagne. The trainees’ scores last week were impressive and Izzy’s 20, narrowly ahead of Chris Matthews on 19.5, was equalled but unbeaten by the solo online players. The leaderboard was Izzy Baldwin, Hannah Tomes, Toby Brown and Liz Gerard, who all scored 20, Chris Matthews on 19.5, Robert Rea and Gavin Devine 19, Tony Smith 18, Jonny Rose 17.5, Ed Mortimer 17 and Jayme Bryla 16.5. 

The Roberts Family were the top team with 24. My Three Legs drinking buddies, Les, Nicky, Peter, Stacey and Bryan, scored a PB of 23, the same score as Simon, Sue and Will Cole. Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe scored 22, Bruce and Sarah Hayward 21 and Maura and Phil Parsons 19. Here is this week’s quiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the last seven days. Give it a go and let me know your score. 

A selection of today's front pages

1. Prime Minister Boris Johnson married his fiancée at Westminster Cathedral at the weekend … what is their age difference?
2. The Prime Minister’s bride Carrie Symonds rented her wedding dress, worth £2,800 new, from MyWardrobeHQ for how much?

3. Announcing Portugal's move to the amber list, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps blamed a 'mutation of the so-called Indian variant’ and said it wasn't known whether it could be 'vaccine defeating’. Where did he say the mutation was from?

4. Portugal was taken off the Government’s green list but which one of these countries remained green following the announcement?

a) Barbados b) Japan c) Singapore d) Malta

5. Which Government minister, who went to Portugal to support Chelsea in the Champions League final, has to take daily Covid tests after coming into contact with someone with the virus?

6. The UK has approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children between what ages, saying it was safe and effective and the benefits outweighed the risks?

7. What is the name of the Government’s education ‘catch-up’ chief who resigned this week after his proposed landmark investment of £15billion was diluted to £1.4billion?
8. Jasmine Hartin, the daughter-in-law of Tory grandee Lord Ashcroft, was arrested in which country suspected of shooting dead a police superintendent?
9. What is the first name of the five-month-old boy who became the first patient in England treated for spinal muscular atrophy with Zolgensma, believed to be the most expensive drug in the world at £1.8million a dose?

10. Which company announced it was to invest £140million into a factory near Wigan which would see its ketchup, mayonnaise and salad creams produced in Britain for the first time since 1999?
11. Oxfordshire announced plans to have all outside smoking banned by 2025 but five local authorities introduced an immediate ban on smoking in pavement pubs, cafes and restaurants. Name any two of the councils for one point. 
12. England manager Gareth Southgate had to cull seven players when he named his final Euro-squad but which one of these Manchester United players did not make Southgate’s initial 26? a) Harry Maguire  b) Marcus Rashford c) Jesse Lingard d) Luke Shaw

13. In which country did eight political parties reach an agreement to form a new government, although they still need parliamentary backing before taking power?
14. Naomi Osaka withdrew from which tennis tournament following her boycott of post-match interviews?
15. Which company said it was 'working on a company-wide project to update its pioneering nutrition and health strategy’ after it was revealed that more than 60 per cent of its 2,000 products were not healthy? 
16. Which company said it was looking to hire 5,000 chefs and delivery drivers to meet increasing demand and replace 'pandemic recruits' who were returning to their normal jobs?
17. It was announced that a four-day holiday to celebrate the Queen's 70 years on the throne will be held on what dates next year?

18. Steve Waller, 61, made the headlines when a model of which town, that has taken him 27,000 hours to create, was revealed in his bedroom?
19. Actor Joe Lara, who died in a plane crash in Tennessee, was best known for playing which title role in an 1989 film and again in a TV series called The Epic Adventures?

20. Which football team won the Championship play-off final at Wembley to return to the top flight of English football for the first time since 1947?

21. On Piers Morgan’s life stories Sir Kier Starmer revealed that he hated his middle name so much that he did not put it on his marriage certificate. What is his middle name?

22. Why were the Embassy Gardens Legacy Buildings in Nine Elms, south-west London, in the headlines?

23. Hailey Morinico, 17, ended up with a sprained finger and grazed knee, although experts said she was lucky to be alive, after she did what?

24. Actress Jodie Turner-Smith’s role as which historical character in a Channel 5 series caused a lively online debate?

25. Which long running BBC drama is to end next March after 23 years on television?

Answers here