Final Newsquiz: Ollie wins the Champagne

The trainees outside the Manor at Howden. From left: Alex Finnis, Jack Crone, Tom Burrows, Jennny Awford, Kieran Gill, Charlie Scott, Ollie Gillman, Olly Todd, Jen Smith, Melanie Sisson, Chris Waugh, Khaleda Rahman and Aby Dunsby 

The Daily Mail trainees have now completed their training and are heading off to their regional newspaper placements. This week they had three days in Howden with me and a visit on Tuesday by Andy Gregory, deputy editor of Mail Plus. At the end of the week they had a fascinating two days in the Mail offices in Kensington. On Thursday there were sessions with the legal team Lindsay Warwick, Hilary Kingsley (the former Mirror columnist now turned lawyer) and Tim Ross. Chief reporter David Williams and senior reporter Christian Gysin told them inspirational stories and former trainees Kieran Corcoran, Lizzie Edmonds and Adam Shergold gave them a heads-up on what the next year will bring. Night editor Elizabeth Hammond finished off the day with a real insight into life on MailOnline. Yesterday there were high-grade sessions with publisher Martin Clarke, assistant editor Hugh Dougherty, deputy news-editor Mariana Partasides, reporter Harriet Arkell and a practical briefing by editorial manager Lucy Jones. 

Ollie celebrates winning the quiz ... and the Champagne 

We finished as always with the news quiz. This week’s top scorers were Jenny Awford and Tom Burrows with 15 points each. Well done to both. The big prize, a bottle of Champagne, went to Ollie Gillman for being the top scorer over the four weeks with 62.5 points, overtaking his closest rival Chris Waugh at the final hurdle. Well done to both. Good luck to the trainees on the next stage of their training. Stay enthusiastic, committed, accurate and, of course, charming …

Here’s the final quiz for you to test your current affairs knowledge. There are 20 questions, with five bonuses so a possible 25 points. Jenny and Tom’s 15 to beat.

An Oscars-style selfie: See question 5      

1. How much will it cost to send a first class letter when prices go up at the end of this month?

2. A Paddy Power advert was withdrawn after it became the most complained about advert of all time. What was it offering?

3. David Beckham’s aftershave, Intense Instinct, has been the top selling male celebrity fragrance since 2006 … but which celeb's fragrance has now knocked him off the top spot? 

4. The director general of the BBC has announced plans to take BBC Three to online only, who is he?

Bonus, presenter Mark Lawson is leaving Radio Four. Which programme did he host?

5. Cate Blanchett won best actress in a leading role at the Oscars. For which film?

Bonus, Ellen DeGeneres orchestrated the selfie that was the talk of the Oscars, but who took the picture?

6. England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all played friendly internationals on Wednesday - and only one of them lost. Which one?

Bonus, England have recruited Steve Peters to their World Cup squad in Brazil. What will his role be?

7. Why was 13-year-old Jamie Edwards in the headlines?

8. The Ukranian flag was briefly replaced by the Russian flag over the Donetsk regional headquarters this week. What two colours are on the Ukranian flag?

Bonus, which prominent American figure compared Vladmir Putin’s actions in Ukraine to those of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s?

9. Who did MP Robert Halfon say were ‘akin to Nazis’?

10. Whose wife has deleted her Twitter account after her family received online abuse from sci-fi fans? 

11. Why did judge Thokozile Masipa not address the jury in the Oscar Pistorious trial?

12. Which newspaper ran a correction to a story published in 1853?

13. Name two of the three finalists in the last ever Dancing on Ice (half point for one correct name).

14. Unknown singer songwriter Mollie Smitten-Downes will represent the UK in this year’s Eurovision song contest. What is the name of the song she will sing? 

15. According to research, British women spend 339 minutes a day on leisure - the second most of any Western country. But in which European country do the women relax the most?

16. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said he did not have the power to bring back what ‘fundamental right’?

17. Rebekah Brooks denied in court that she was like which Dickensian character?

18. The owner of which British football club has been jailed for six years for money laundering.

19. The Metropolitan Police’s undercover unit SDS has come under fire over allegations that it routinely lied to the courts. What does SDS stand for?

Bonus, the review of the SDS by Mark Ellison, QC, may now be referred to the Attorney General. Who is the Attorney General? 

20. What did Maj General James Cowan, who has led British forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, ban from the officers' mess? 

Answers here. 

Tom wins Champagne in final news quiz

Saying farewell to Howden. Mail trainees (left to right): Steph Linning, Rachael Day, Tom Leece, Samantha Sharman, Jenny Ryan (speaker), Lizzie Palmer, Lottie Young (speaker), Matt Lambert, Holly Stevenson and Emma Craig

The Daily Mail subbing trainees finish their four-week training stint at the Manor in Howden today and are heading off to their placements. They are going to Mail Plus, the Scottish Daily Mail, the Evening Standard, the Manchester Evening News, the Hull Daily Mail and the Western Morning News. We had an intensive final week with visits by Sue Ryan, Mike Watson, Andy Gregory from Mail Plus and senior subs Jenny Ryan and Lottie Young. It was great to see Lottie, who was a trainee on the course only two years ago, back in Howden in a senior capacity. 

Daily Telegraph trainees (from left) Mehreen Khan, Raz Akkoc, Darshan Sanghrajka (trainer), Laurence Dodds, Camilla Turner, Oliver Duggan and Greg Walton

The Daily Telegraph trainees had sessions with Paul Bradshaw, Darshan Sanghrajka and me. They have gone to Newcastle Crown Court today, so we did the news quiz slightly early. The overall winner this week was the Mail's Holly Stevenson with 18 followed closely by Steph Linning with 17. The overall course winner for the Mail, though, was Tom Leece with an average score of just over 15 for the four weeks. 

Tom celebrates with the Champagne

Tom was presented with a bottle of vintage Champagne. The highest scoring Telegraph trainee this week was Oliver Duggan with 13. See if you can beat Holly's impressive score. There are 22 questions, with three bonus questions, so a possible score of 25.

1. All 120,000 Glastonbury festival tickets were sold out in 87 minutes. How much did each ticket cost?
2. How much in expenses did former defence secretary Liam Fox claim for driving 0.6 miles in his constituency?
3. In the Cabinet reshuffle Don Foster became the new Liberal Democrat Chief Whip. Who did he replace? Bonus Fiona-Natasha Syms tweeted about the sacking of her ex-husband as chief whip. She wrote: "He was utterly gracious and took it like a man, I am ______ _______." What are the missing two words?
4. Why was Janet Yellen in the headlines?
5. According to the Environment Secretary, the reason that the badger cull was behind schedule was that the badgers had 'moved the goalposts'. Who is the Environment Secretary?
6. According to Business Secretary Vince Cable, by the midnight deadline on Tuesday, how many individual applications had there been for Royal Mail shares?
7. The rape of Anna Bates in Downton Abbey caused the Countess of Carnarvon to say she would like to watch 'nice things' on television. The Countess owns the castle where Downton is set. What is it called?
Bonus name the actor who played the valet who perpetrated the rape?
8. Students at which university where entertained in their accommodation by rapper Coolio who cooked peach crumble and sang Gangsta Rap for them.
9. On what date will the Christening of Prince George be held?
Bonus the Royal Mint is striking nine coins to celebrate the Christening. The most expensive, the gold Kilo coin, will set you back £50,000. But what is the cost of the cheapest?
10. Newcastle-born Peter Higgs and Francois Englert from Belgium shared the Nobel prize for what?
11. Harry Redknapp's autobiography Always Managing was ghost written by which journalist?
12. The production of which car will end in 2015 as it has fallen foul of European laws on fuel emissions?
13. Instead of promising 'to do my duty to God', the Scouts will in future be able to choose to uphold what?
14. The cost of producing what rose by 33 per cent in the past year?
15. Author Victoria Hislop expressed anger over which label?
16. There have been many backgrounders on Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger written this week, including information about his musical ability. Which two instruments does he play? Half point for each.
17. At which airport did Easyjet leave 29 passengers at the boarding gate?
18. What is the name of the think-tank that persuaded EDL leader Tommy Robinson to quit his post?
19. The IMF has forecast that Britain's economy will increase at what rate this year?
20. Great grandfather John Wildey, who has no pilot's experience, landed a plane at which airport?
21. Paul McCartney was in the news for sacking his staff on the Mull of Kintyre and for releasing his 16th solo album, which is titled New. How old is Paul McCartney?
22. According to researchers writing in Chemistry World, who examined 57 drinks, which drink is the most effective hangover cure?

Answers here.

Trainee Jim gets splash in first week

Well done to Jim Norton for today's Scottish Daily Mail splash. Jim is a trainee who was on the reporting course in Derry Street last week. This week he has a Page 1 byline. It's rewarding to see the trainees making a difference so soon ... and great to see the Mail giving them the opportunity. First of many.

Mail's final newsquiz: Helen wins Champagne

Mail trainees (left to right) Colette Sexton, Josephine Forster, Ellie Buchdahl, Helen Lawson with the Champagne,  Olivia Williams, Lauren York, Andrew Magee and Lauren Davis.

Today is the last day at the Manor, PA Training's Howden HQ, for the Daily Mail trainee sub-editors. We had a week of more intensive subbing and layout and each of them created a live Mail page when the Gary McKinnon story broke on Tuesday. They were also visited by senior sub Jenny Ryan who opened their eyes to the reality of working in the Mail newsroom. After today they go off on placements to regional newspapers (the Hull Daily Mail, the Western Morning News and the Manchester Evening News) or to the Mail or Standard. Good luck to them all. I am sure they will be a big success.
Meanwhile the Telegraph trainees, in their penultimate week, had a packed schedule with FoI specialist Paul Francis, digital trainer Andy Drinkwater and Telegraph lawyer Adam Cannon. Today they are visiting the Liverpool Post and Echo.
Yesterday we held the newsquiz. There was high tension within the Mail ranks as, with Champagne at stake, only a half point separated Lauren Davis and Helen Lawson as the final questions loomed. In the end Helen pipped it by one point. Well done to her. The winner of the week though was the Telegraph's Radhika Sanghani with an impressive 21.
It's a bit of a bumper one this week - 22 questions with a possible five bonuses - so 27 points up for grabs and Radhika's 21 to beat. See how you get on.

1. Who wrote the Black Spider memos?

2. Why was Candy Crowley in the spolight?

3. Downton Abbey beat the X Factor in the ratings war on Sunday night after Lady Sybil died from eclampsia. Who played the part of Lady Sybil? And, for a bonus, there was also a death on the live showing of Emmerdale. Name the character who died.

4. Heather Watson became the first British woman tennis player to win a WTA tour title since 1988. Which country's Open did she win? For a bonus, where was Watson born and raised?

5. An Austrian stuntman fell to earth from the edge of space. Can you spell his surname? For a bonus in which US state did he land?

6. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has suggested that MPs might receive a 40 per cent pay rise on their current salary. To a margin of error of £1,000, what is an MP's current basic salary.

7. MP Stuart Bell died at the weekend. Where was his constituency?

8. Malala Yousafzal was flown from Islamabad for treatment at which UK hospital?

9. The Director of Public Prosecutions will decide whether Gary McKinnon will be charged with computer hacking in the UK. Who is the Director of Public Prosecutions?

10. Hilary Mantel became the fist woman to win the Booker Prize twice. What was the name of her winning novel and, for a bonus, name her book that won the prize in 2009?

11. Jon Benjamin has been threatened with violence after he made a Twitter joke about Argentina's football team. Benjamin is British ambassador to which country?

12. Comedian Frankie Boyle is suing which newspaper for libel after it called him a racist?

13. Who slipped while laying a wreath at Gandhi's grave

14. John Whaite won the Great British Bake Off. How old is he?

15. According to a new study, what offers no meaningful protection against cystitis?

16. There was an apparent catfight in Downing Street this week. Name the Chancellor's cat and the PM's cat. (Half a point for each).

17. The Employment Minister said Britain had the highest number of people in work since records began. Which year did he say that was? And, for a bonus, who is the Employment Minister?

18. Seven paintings, including works by Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin and Lucian Freud were stolen from which museum?

19. Outside which American building did a Bangladeshi man attempt to plant a 1,000lb bomb

20. Specialist digging equipment is being used to search for missing Ben Needham on which island?

21. Why have Rosie & Ruby Formosa been in the headlines?

22. In a BBC survey of 166 British football clubs Arsenal is the most expensive club (charging £126 for the top adult match-day ticket). Which club is the cheapest?

Answers here

Telegraph recruiting for next intake of trainees

Less than two weeks after the Daily Telegraph trainees finished their formal training at Howden, the paper is now advertising for the next intake. And anyone who feels they have what it takes, better get a move on. The closing date is November 26, far earlier than last year. At a time when the rest of the industry isn't overly-eager to invest in training, all credit to both the Telegraph and the Mail who have remained committed to their graduate schemes. They don't do it for altruistic reasons though. The scheme works - as the bylines in both papers testify. If you are applying, you might want to read this.

Mail trainees and the news challenge

At Derry Street for the last two weeks working with seven very bright Mail trainees. It is the third year the Mail's reporting diploma has run and it was fantastic to see former trainees now established as regular bylines. Fay Schlesinger is doing a stint as royal corr, Claire Ellicott has spent a fruitful week on the Rooney saga and Laura Williamson is a fixture on the sports pages. I also bumped into trainees from decades ago, including reporter Sam Greenhill and assistant editor Keith Poole. Richard Edwards, now crime correspondent on the Telegraph, and Matt Chorley on the Sindy joined us at the Elephant and Castle too. The Mail's Magnificent Seven have now left London for a stint on the regionals and I am on my way to Howden to work on the paper's subbing scheme. Best of luck to them all. We finished with the usual newsquiz. Well done Mark Duell, who was top this week with 12.5 out of 21, and John Stevens who collected the Sauvignon Blanc for the best average over the two weeks. It was definitely a low scoring week, see if you can do any better.

Where will the Pope be landing? (see Q 6)

1. Terry Jones is the pastor planning to burn a copy of the Koran. Where is his church (you need town and state to get one point) 

2. David Alvand of Plymouth planted 16 leylandii Cypress trees which have grown to 35ft but why was he in the news in 2003?

3. In which city did David Cameron's father, Ian, die?

4. Which newspaper launched a perfume this week and what is it called (need both answers to get one point; half each)

5. Who did Eamonn Holmes refer to as Miss Stratosphere?

6. The Pope is due in the UK next Thursday. Into which city will he arrive?

7. Why was Robert Hall in the news this week?

8. What song did X-factor favourite Cher Lloyd sing last Saturday?

9. It is the 70th anniversary of what on September 15th?

10. What is the constituency of Foreign Secretary William Hague?

11. Why did Gary Higgs say he killed his girlfriend Jo Kitchen?

12. Who is the Secretary of State for Health? 

13. Where was Jennifer Thompson, aka Juicy Jenny, born? 

14. What was the name of the other girl involved in the Wayne Rooney threesome?

15. Who is the editor of the News of the World?

16. England beat Bulgaria and Switzerland in their first two Euro 2012 qualifying games. Their next game is against another unbeaten side. Who?

17. The chairman of which bank is to take over as an unpaid Government trade minister? For a bonus, name him.

18. Which snooker player was cleared of match fixing?

19. Who is the oldest contestant in the forthcoming Strictly Come Dancing programme?

20. The RMT called a Tube strike in London on Tuesday this week. What does RMT stand for?

Answers

Mail looking for trainee reporters

The Mail's reporters' training scheme will begin at the end of August. An advert is going in Media Guardian on Monday.