Joe wins the newsquiz champagne

Trainee reporters Molly Lee, Caitlin Leng, Olivia Kemp, Joe Rossiter (with the champagne) Isabella Machin, Will Hallowell and Jamie Boys 

I said goodbye to seven young journalists at the Mail this week. They had sessions with head of site video Olivia Bateman, head of new media Nick Moar, history editor Harry Howard and senior journalists Ollie Gillman and Mark Duell. Rebecca Davison and Dolly Busy gave tips on working for showbiz and two of last year’s graduates, Ciaran Foreman and Marti Stelling, told the trainees what to expect in the next year. On Wednesday the trainees had a legal day with global head of compliance Paul Hutchinson and the lawyers. They covered a breaking news story, created banners, wrote personality profiles, created picture stories and prepared newslists for their placements. Jamie Boys won a scratchcard for the best picture caption of the week. Isabella Machin was published for an interview with an Iraq hero who suffered life changing tinnitus after wearing earplugs in combat. Read it here. 

Jamie wrote a piece for the Travel page on how to drink like a local in Japan. Essential stuff. Read it here.

Will Hallowell interviewed the mother of a baby who has been told the only way to save his life is to take him to the US. Read it here.

Joe Rossiter wrote about plans to build 195 houses on 'green belt' land which is upsetting people in a leafy Hertfordshire town. Read it here.

There are plenty more stories in the pipeline. Last night the trainees had drinks with senior staff in the Greyhound. We finished the course, as always, with the newsquiz. The top scorer this week was Joe Rossiter with 19, ahead of Jamie Boys on 16. Joe was the top scorer over the three-week course and collected a bottle of champagne. The trainees now head off to their placements at the Mail in Dublin and Glasgow and Metro. They are a bright and likeable bunch who will undoubtedly do well. I wish them all the best of luck.
The top solo scorers in last week’s newsquiz were George Mann and Tim (still totally unremarkable) on 22, ahead of Janet Boyle and the Rev Leon on 20 and Robert Rea on 16. The top team was Maura and Phil Parsons on 19, just ahead of Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe on 18.5, the Broad Oak Boozers Craig, Danny, George, Thom and Tim on 18 and the Barnard Castle FOC with 17. 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 Joe's score. 

Today's front pages

1. A peace deal with Hamas, which Israel voted for overnight, will NOT include which of these? a) a ceasefire from Saturday b) Hamas to hand over its weapons c) Israeli troops to withdraw d) Israeli hostages - alive and dead - to be released
2. The final draft of 'phase one’ of a peace deal between Hamas and Israel was agreed following three days of indirect talks in which country?
3. The Nobel Peace Prize was not awarded to US President Donald Trump but to Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader in which country?
4. The Conservative Party conference was held in which city?
5. In an announcement at the end of her first conference speech as party leader, Kemi Badenoch said the next Conservative government would abolish what?
6. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick defended his statement that he had not seen ‘another __ __’ in Handsworth, Birmingham. What are the two missing words?
7. Synagogue attacker Jihad Al-Shamie had been arrested and was on police bail suspected of what offence when he carried out the killings in Manchester?
8. Leicester Crown Court heard that Julia Wandelt, 24, wrote a chilling letter to Kate McCann which started with which two words?
9. Under proposals published by the City regulator, millions of people are on track to receive compensation payouts averaging how much in the UK’s car finance scandal?
10. France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu handed his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron after just how many days in the role?
11. Two Afghans were arrested as part of a UK police operation, bringing down a network which was suspected of selling 40,000 what in China?
12. Former rapper Sean ‘Diddy' Combs was sentenced to just over how many years in prison after being convicted of prostitution-related charges?
13. Football pundit Gary Neville said he removed what from one of his Manchester development sites because it was being 'used in a negative fashion’?
14. Queen Camilla paid tribute to author Jilly Cooper, who died aged 88, saying: 'May her hereafter be filled with impossibly handsome __ and devoted __’? What are the two missing words? Half a point for each.
15. Who called for slavery reparations, amounting to £18trilllion, to be paid to all black British people?
16. A newly-elected mayor was stabbed and left critically injured near her home in which European country?
17. A woman was interviewed by police after a video circulated of her cutting what from a fence in Muswell Hill, north London?
18. Instead of the usual child mascots who joined the players walking on to the pitch for the England v Wales friendly football game at Wembley?
19. What is the name of the former BBC Radio 1 DJ who was charged with sexual offences against seven women, including four counts of rape?
20. Which fast food chain announced customers are to be restricted to one glass of full sugar Coca-Cola under new Government regulations?
21. Which English sportsman revealed he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease?
22. Which football club sacked their head coach, who was given a police escort on Sunday when fans tried to stop the team bus, after only 17 games?
23. What did Nathan Rimmington, 33, from Barnsley eat which ended up with him spending six days in hospital
24. How did Alan Carr ‘murder' Paloma Faith in plain sight, the first contestant to leave the BBC show Celebrity Traitors?
25. Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life Of A Showgirl, racked up 3.5 million copies sold in its first week breaking a record held by which female singer since 2015?

Answers here

Trainee Joe wins the newsquiz again

The Daily Mail trainee reporters had a busy second week in Kensington. They went through the Editor’s Code with Editor Emeritus Peter Wright, Ailsa Leslie explained how Mail+ works and assistant managing editor Mary Omogbehin cast light on practical matters such as rotas, holidays and pensions. The trainees pitched story ideas to deputy news-editor Elly Blake, assistant Femail editor Elmira Tanatarova and deputy travel editor Ben Parker. Today they had lively safety awareness training from Charlie McGrath and Grant Wootton. The trainees wrote headlines and stories, including a banner and a personality profile. Isabella Machin won a scratchcard for the best headline of the week. We finished the week, as always, with the newsquiz … 25 questions about the last seven days. It is clearly a tough one this week with the scores well below average. The winner with 14.5 was last week's top scorer Joe Rossiter, just ahead of Isabella with 14. The top solo scorer in last week’s newsquiz was Tim (still totally unremarkable) with 24, ahead of Janet Boyle on 22, George Mann on 21, Joe Rossiter on 20.5, Robert Rea on 19, Isabella Machin on 18.5, the Rev Leon and Carson Black on 18 and Adam Batstone, Jamie Boys and Daisy Outram on 16. The top team was Tim Humphrey and GlobalsNewsroom who scored 24. The Barnard Castle FOC of Our Peter, Jackie, Sam, Bill, Sue and Ben scored 22, Nick Turner and Mark Walton and Maura and Phil Parsons 20, Bruce and Sarah Hayward 19 and the Broad Oak Boozers including Craig, Danny, Thom and Tim 16. Here is this week's quiz. Give it a go and see if you can beat Joe’s score.

The Manchester attack dominates today's front pages

1. What is the name of the Manchester synagogue where two people were killed in a terror attack on Yom Kippur?

2. What is the name of the rabbi who saved lives by blocking doors in the Manchester synagogue attack?

3. At the Labour Party conference, Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of being 'a __ __ salesman'. What are the two missing words?

4. Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the Labour conference in Liverpool that the party 'wanted' and 'needed' who?

5. US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza, which was accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, listed how many points?

6.  PPE Medro, the company linked to Baroness Mone, has been ordered to pay back how much to the Government for breaching a PPE contract?

7. Thousands of British servicemen and women started legal action claiming they had been given faulty what, which they say led to life-changing injuries?
8. Four people were shot dead by a gunman who attacked what building in Michigan?

9. Which country imposed a complete shutdown of the internet and phones, cutting it off from the rest of the world?

10. Which company agreed to pay $24.5million (£18.6million) to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump for suspending him after the 2021 attacks on US Capitol?
11. Author JK Rowling shared a post on X, saying actress Emma Watson 'has so little experience of real life she’s __ of how __ she is.’ What is the missing word?

12. Who made a surprise visit to Ukraine to 'highlight the traumatic experiences of children living on the frontline of the conflict’?
13. Pete Hegseth, America’s Secretary of the Department of War, said he was tired of seeing what kind of generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon? 
14. Soldiers from which country boarded an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia's 'shadow fleet'?

15. Amber and yellow warnings were extended to cover England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as a storm with what name heads to Britain this weekend?

16. Dame Sarah Mullally was named as the first woman in which position?

17. Dame Patricia Routledge, who died aged 96, was best known as what character in the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances? 

18. Dr Jane Goodall, who died aged 91, devoted her life to the study and conservation of what?

19. The Red Roses celebrated their rugby World Cup win with a party and parade at which London venue?

20. The Prince of Wales said that, in order to create ‘a healthy, happy and stable home’, his children were not allowed what?

21. Actress Nicole Kidman filed for divorce from her Grammy-winning country singer husband after 19 years. What is his name?
22. Who did Prince William tell ‘I just want to give you a good wash’ when he knighted him at Windsor Castle?
23. Erica Stoll behaved with ‘class and dignity’ when she had beer thrown over her at what event?

24. Why has Tilly Norwood been in the headlines?
25. Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl which features which US pop star on the title song, the only collaboration on the record?

Answers here