Daisy wins the newsquiz champagne

The Mail’s trainee subs enjoyed their final week of training before heading off to placements at the Daily Mail in Glasgow, the i paper and Metro. They did feature subbing with Fiona Webster on Monday and then had three days creating pages on InDesign and Photoshop with Mike Brough. 

The subbing trainees with trainer Mike Brough and some of their pages

Daisy Outram was published on the Mail website with a story she pitched and wrote about the 50th anniversary of the first British mountaineers to climb Everest. Read it here.

Last night we enjoyed farewell drinks at the Greyhound and today we wrapped up with the newsquiz. The winner was Daisy with a score of 16. It was the fourth week in a row that she got the top score so she collected the champagne. 

The trainees are a bright and likeable bunch who will undoubtedly do well. I wish them all the best of luck. 

Subbing trainees Lily Patel, Daisy Outram (with the champagne), Giorgia Ambo and Sarah Smith

I spent the rest of the week with seven reporting trainees, who started on Monday. They had a welcome from group managing editor and editorial director Alex Bannister and sessions with editor Andy Milne, global editorial director Ben Bailey and executive managing editor Robyn Kelly. They had briefings from deputy news-editor Elly Blake and assistant Femail editor Elmira Tanatarova and will be pitching story ideas to them next week. Jac Fuller, assistant Mail+ editor, who was over from New York office, talked to the trainees about the strict need for clean copy. The trainees wrote stories, intros and turned Press Association copy into Mail style.

Olivia Kemp won a scratchcard for the best intro of the week. They finished with the newsquiz and the top scorer was Joe Rossiter with 20.5, ahead of Isabella Machin on 18.5 and Jamie Boys on 16.
The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was George Mann with 22, just ahead of Tim (still totally unremarkable) on 21. Robert Rea and the Rev Leon scored 20 and Daisy Outram 17.5. The top team was Tim Humphrey and the GlobalsNewsroom with 23, ahead of the King’s Head drinkers of Peter, Stacey, Anna and Dale who scored 21.5, Adam Batstone and the Cumbrian Mountain Men and the FOC including Our Peter, Jackie, Trev, Carole, Bill and Christine on 19. Maura and Phil Parsons scored 18 and the Broad Oak Boozers including Thom, Tim, Craig, Danny and Taylor 17. Here is this week’s newsquiz. See if you can beat Joe’s score.

Today's front pages

1. What did Prime Minister Keir Starmer say would make the borders tougher but Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch call a 'desperate gimmick’?
2. A YouGov polling projection suggested an election held tomorrow would see a hung parliament with Reform UK winning how many of the 650 seats?
3. Which country reported that three Russian MiG-31 jets had crossed into its airspace for 12 minutes?
4. What did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say was ‘a reward for terrorism’?
5. When asked about whether he would challenge Keir Starmer as Labour leader, who said: 'It's not up to me, it's not my decision. It’s up to the Labour Party in Parliament.’
6. What was given the go-ahead by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander at a cost of £2.2billion?
7. Seven charities dropped the Duchess of York as a patron or ambassador after an email from 2011 revealed that she called sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her '__ friend’. What is the missing word?
8. Hackers stole pictures, names and addresses of around 8,000 children around the world from which nursery group, which has 18 nurseries in and around London?
9. US President Donald Trump demanded an investigation and arrests after claiming what could have left him and First Lady Melania 'gravely injured'?
10. Who had to leave his car and walk half an hour through New York after being blocked by a Donald Trump motorcade?
11. The Lib Dem conference was held in which town?
12. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey told his party conference not to let Trump’s America become Farage’s Britain, saying under Farage's plans there would be no NHS and that what laws would be 'rolled back’?
13. Which ‘cruel and devastating disease' was successfully treated for the first time, according to doctors at University College London?
14. Former Liberal Democrat leader Menzies (Ming) Campbell, who died aged 84, held the British record in what from 1967 to 1972?
15. The bullet casings used by a gunman who shot dead two people in Dallas had what written on them?
16. How many minutes after dropping off the Southport killer at a nursery did taxi driver Gary Poland ring 999?
17. US President Donald Trump said doctors in the US would be advised not to prescribe paracetamol to pregnant women, citing a link between the drug and what condition?
18. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was jailed for how many years after being found guilty of 'criminal conspiracy' in a plot involving $50million in laundered cash from former Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi?
19. Veteran broadcaster John Stapleton, who died aged 79, was diagnosed with what disease in 2024?
20. The legendary cricket umpire, who died aged 92, was universally known as Dickie Bird. What was his real first name?
21. Footballer Wayne Rooney said that if it wasn’t for wife Colleen he would be what?
22. Singer Lulu revealed she had slept with which rock star who she called the 'coolest dude on the block’?
23. Which West End star and former Love Island winner is to replace Dani Dyer in the Strictly Come Dancing line-up?
24. England’s women beat France to reach their seventh successive rugby world cup final and will play which country tomorrow (Saturday)
25. Which singer ran the Berlin Marathon in under three hours using the pseudonym Sted Sarandos?

Answers here

Daisy's newsquiz hat-trick

The Mail trainee sub-editors have finished the third week of their training. They had sessions with senior sub Tina Moran, night-editor Andy Gregory and executive chief sub Rich Hall. Deputy chief sub Tom Belcher set them some practical subbing tasks. Some of last year’s trainees, Oliver Jervis, Karla Hallett, Zoe Glascow and Amelia Perry told what to expect in the first year and Kristina Wemyss talked through her journey. The trainees covered a breaking story in real time, filed their personality profiles and put together the copy and pictures for the layouts they will be doing next week. We finished the week, as always, with the newsquiz. This week’s highest scorer for the third week in a row was Daisy Outram with 17.5.
The top solo scorers in last week’s newsquiz were the Rev Leon and Tim Humphrey with 23, just ahead of Robert Rea, Tim (still totally unremarkable) and George Mann all on 22. Daisy Outram scored 20.5 and Giorgia Ambo 20.
The top team was Maura and Phil Parsons with 23, just ahead of the FOC wedding party including Our Peter, Jackie, Bill, Sue, Trevor, Carole and bridegroom Jordan on 22.5. The Smith Posse scored 20, the French gang of Danny, Sam and Thom 19 and Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe 18.5. Here is this week’s quiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week. Why not give it a go and see if you can beat Daisy's score. 

Today's front pages

1. Where were 160 guests wined and dined on Wednesday at a banquet to fete US President Donald Trump's unprecedented second state visit to the UK?
2. Who was not a guest at the banquet held in US President Donald Trump’s honour? a) Media mogul Rupert Murdoch b) London Mayor Sadiq Khan c) Apple boss Tim Cook d) OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
3. During their joint Press conference at Chequers, US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood behind lecterns that had what three words written on the front?
4. US President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Keir Starmer that what were a ‘disaster’ and a ‘very expensive joke’?
5. The helicopter carrying US President Donald Trump was re-routed to which airport due to a technical issue?
6. The Home Office successfully appealed against a High Court decision to temporarily block the deportation of a man, of what nationality, to France under the Government’s 'one in, one out’ scheme?
7. An estimated 110,000 to 150,000 people attended a London rally on Saturday that was organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson? What name was given to the rally?
8. Speaking by video link to the London rally, Elon Musk criticised 'uncontrolled migration’, saying: 'Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you __.’ What is the missing word?
9. What is the name of the shadow work and pensions minister who became the first sitting Conservative MP to defect to Reform UK?
10. Paul Ovenden, a senior aide to the Prime Minister, resigned for offensive and sexual text messages in which he recounted a conversation about who?
11. What is the name of the secure messaging platform which MI6 is launching on the dark web to recruit spies?
12. Which company extended its shutdown on car production, until at least next Wednesday, as it grappled with the aftermath of a cyber-attack?
13. Which company announced plans to invest a record £22billion in the UK?
14. A former paratrooper, known only as Soldier _, is on trial at Belfast Crown Court accused of murdering two men during Bloody Sunday in 1972. What is the missing letter?
15. Christian Brückner, the prime suspect in Madeleine McCann's disappearance, was released from prison in which country?
16. Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were each jailed for how many years for the gross negligence manslaughter of their newborn daughter?
17. The Duchess of Kent was the first senior British royal since the 17th century to be given what kind of funeral?

18. Ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana accused Jeremy Corbyn of overseeing a '__ __ club' which was locking women out of the founding of a new left-wing party. What are the two missing words?

19. US broadcaster ABC pulled late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off air indefinitely over comments he made about what?
20. Boxer Ricky Hatton, who was found dead at his home in Manchester, won how many of his 48 professional bouts during a 15-year career?
21. Hollywood actor Robert Redford died this week at what age?
22. Which one of these films did Robert Redford, who died this week, not appear in: a) The Great Gatsby b) The Sting c) Captain America: The Winter Soldier d) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?
23. Which world championship event, held on the Scottish island of Easdale, was rocked by a cheating scandal, after several competitors were disqualified for tampering?
24. The Royal Mint released a special 50p to celebrate the 90th anniversary of what?
25. Owen Cooper, 15, became the youngest-ever male Emmy winner for his role in which Netflix mini-series?

Answers here

Daisy wins the newsquiz again

The Daily Mail trainee subs had a busy second week in Kensington. Their challenges included pitching stories to chief reporter Sam Greenhill, creating a page lead from raw copy, writing picture stories and beating the Tube strike. Daisy Outram won a scratchcard for the best picture headline of the week. The trainees had sessions with the lawyers on contempt, libel, privacy and copyright and spent yesterday afternoon going through the Editor’s Code with Editor Emeritus Peter Wright. They also had sessions with head of production Joel Cooper and director of news content Neville Dean. Today they built a spread on a breaking story with senior sub and trainer Tina Moran and were given tips on what to expect on the subs desk by last year’s trainees Emily Bell, Tom Burton and Myriam Page. We finished the week, as always, with the newsquiz. The top scorer for the second week was Daisy with 20.5, narrowly ahead of Giorgia Ambo on 20. The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was Robert Rea with 22, just ahead of Tim Humphrey, the Rev Leon and Tim (still totally unremarkable) all on 21. George Mann, Daisy Outram, Janet Boyle and Marion Fountayne scored 20, Giorgia Ambo, Nick Turner and Sami Quadri 18 and Maura Parsons 16. The top team was the FOC of Our Peter, Bill, Trev and Jordan who scored 22, ahead of Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe on 19. Here is this week’s newsquiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week. Why not give it a go and see if you can beat Daisy’s score. 

Today's front pages

1. Lord Peter Mandelson was sacked as UK ambassador to Washington over his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, including writing a note that said: 'Wherever he is in the world, he remains my __ __’. What are the two missing words?

2. The White House said a drawing of what, in a birthday book given to Jeffrey Epstein, was not authentic, adding that President Donald Trump 'did not draw this picture and he did not sign it’. 

3. Activist and Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk was shot dead by a sniper at a university rally in which American state?

4. Which two MPs made it to the final round of Labour's deputy leadership contest? Half a point for each.

5. In the Cabinet reshuffle, following deputy PM Angela Rayner’s resignation, Yvette Cooper moved from Home Secretary to what role?

6. The Metropolitan Police said how many people were arrested at a demonstration against the ban on the group Palestine Action in London on Saturday?

7. Israel carried out a strike on senior Hamas leaders in which city?

8. Which country claimed to have shot down Russian drones in its airspace?

9. Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, wore a purple jumpsuit on stage at the Reform Party conference and sang a song she had written. What was it called?

10. Prince Harry attended the WellChild charity awards in London and was filmed taking part in a play fight using what?

11. Who did Prince Harry say was ‘great’?

12. League tables rating the performance of NHS trusts in England were published for the first time, with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in which town at the bottom?

13. A mural by Banksy, of a judge hitting a protester lying on the ground, appeared on the side of which London building?

14. Which European country appointed its fifth prime minister in two years?
15. The succession battle at Rupert Murdoch’s media empire ended with who securing control of the organisation that includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The Times and The Sun?

16. Fugitive father Tom Phillips, who had been on the run with his three children for four years, was shot dead by police in which country?

17. A 57-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of CS gas and causing a public nuisance following the partial evacuation of where on Monday night?

18. Which singer said she was a recovering alcoholic adding: 'It’s a family illness. The gene is there’?

19. Why was London-born Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, in the headlines?

20. Great North Run organisers apologised for this year's medal featuring which river instead of the Tyne?

21. What reason did broadcaster RTÉ give for saying Ireland may not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest?

22. Which Premier League football club abruptly sacked their manager and appointed a replacement within 13 hours?

23. Which Ipswich Town supporter said he would no longer be able to go to games as he was swapping Suffolk for the States?

24. Which cat, who starred in a 1970s show that was voted the favourite UK children's programme of all time, is to appear in a new film scheduled for 2027?

25. Gary Lineker, formerly of Match of the Day, won the best presenter award at the National Television Awards meaning Ant and Dec failed to collect the prize for the first time in how many years?

Answers here

Trainee Daisy wins the newsquiz

I have just finished a busy and enjoyable first week with four Daily Mail trainee sub-editors. They studied Mail style, edited stories and wrote intros and headlines. The best headline of the week award went to Daisy Outram who also won the best intro. She collected two scratchcards. The trainees had sessions with managing editor Alex Bannister and Ailsa Leslie explained how Mail+ works. We finished as usual with the newsquiz. The winner with a score of 20 was Daisy, just ahead of Giorgia Ambro on 18. Daisy collected her third scratchcard of the week.

The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was Tim (still totally unremarkable) with 22, ahead of Janet Boyle and Tim Humphrey on 20, George Mann on 19, Nick Turner and Daisy Outram on 18 and the Rev Leon on 16. The top team was the Smith Posse with 22, ahead of Maura and Phil Parsons on 20, and Bill and Coo and the Reddish gang of Our Peter, Jackie, Sarah and Joe on 19. Here is this week’s newsquiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week. Why not give it a go and see if you can beat Daisy's score. 

Angela Rayner dominates today's front pages

1. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned after having reportedly underpaid stamp duty on her flat in Hove by how much?
2. In her resignation letter, Deputy PM Angela Rayner wrote: 'I must also consider the significant toll that the ongoing pressure of the __ is taking on my family. While I rightly expect proper scrutiny on me and my life, my family did not choose to have their private lives interrogated and exposed so publicly.’ What is the missing word?
3. What is the name of the conveyancing company which accused Deputy PM Angela Rayner of making them a scapegoat for her tax issues?

4. Which former Conservative minister said: 'The Tory Party is dead. Its members now need to think the unthinkable and look to the future.’
5. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, giving evidence to a US congressional committee in Washington, compared the UK to which country?
6. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the Government was planning a new law in England to stop anyone under 16 from buying what?
7. Zack Polanski, a hypnotherapist who claimed women could increase breast size with their minds, was elected to what role?
8. The UK secured a £10billion deal to supply which country’s navy with at least five new warships?
9. How many people were killed in a funicular crash in Lisbon, Portugal?
10. All British citizens could be issued with what under plans being considered by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to tackle illegal immigration?
11. At a Beijing military parade Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un were caught on a hot mic discussing how people could live to what age?
12. Russian President Vladimir Putin, was seen holding hands with who as they walked to a regional security summit in China?
13. Earthquakes across the south-east of which country killed more that 2,200 people according to its government?
14. Lord Charles Brockett, who appeared in the 2004 series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, was charged with what offence at Westminster magistrates court?
15. What was the name of the former Conservative MP, who quit after allegations of sexual misconduct and drug taking, who was found dead at his home?

16. The Duchess of Kent, who was the oldest surviving member of the royal family, died at Kensington Palace. How old was she?
17. Where was Graham Linehan, the writer of TV’s Father Ted, arrested over social media posts on transgender issues?

18. In a speech in Aberdeen who said: 'We are going to get all our oil and gas out of the North Sea’?
19. Who did the Italian Prime Minister describe as a symbol of the best of Italy, actress Julia Roberts says was ‘a true friend. A legend’ and journalist Dame Anna Wintour, say 'understood power and attitude and elegance’?
20. What was the name of the British heavyweight boxer, who went the distance with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, who died aged 75?
21. Footballer Alexander Isak became the most expensive player ever in Premier League history when he signed for Liverpool from Newcastle United for how much?
22. Which Premier League club's executive chairman stepped down after almost 25 years at the helm?
23. Why was Piotr Szczerek, the chief executive of a Polish paving company, in the headlines? 
24. Chloe Malle, 39, was appointed to which role?
25. Singer and Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof said it would be an ‘enormous privilege’ to serve as what?

Answers here