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.

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