Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.
1. Which prominent government official announced this week that they would be retiring in December?
Spoiler
Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci has been in charge of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. During the COVID-19 pandemic he became the face of the government’s response.
2. Why did Finland’s prime minister come under fire last week?
Spoiler
Prime Minister Sanna Marin came under fire after a video was released that showed her dancing and singing at a party. Another video showed her dancing with someone that was not her husband. Marin is thirty-six and one of the world’s youngest leaders, taking office in December 2019.
3. Al-Shabab, an Islamic insurgent group in Somalia, attacked what place in the Somali capital of Mogadishu last week?
Spoiler
A hotel. On Friday, the group stormed the Hyat Hotel after detonating two explosive devices. At least twenty people were killed and more than forty were wounded. The attack is the first major terror event in the capital since Somali leader Hassan Sheik Mohamud took over in May.
4. On Sunday, Singapore’s Prime Minister Hsien Loong said that the country was going to repeal the 377A law. What does this mean?
Spoiler
The repeal of the law, inherited from the British government, will legalize homosexuality in Singapore. However, government officials have also announced that they plan to amend the country’s constitution to prohibit gay marriage.
5. On Monday, Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was charged with what?
Spoiler
Terrorism. The charges stem from a speech that Khan gave in the capital city of Islamabad where he promised to sue police officers and a female judge. He also claimed that one of his aides had been tortured by police. Pakistan’s anti-terrorism law, which passed in 1997, gives police significant powers against those who are trying to create sectarian violence.
6. Which U.S. senator was given a legal reprieve from testifying in Georgia’s election probe?
Spoiler
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. Graham was called to testify in front of a special grand jury that is looking into allegations that former President Trump tried to overturn Georgia’s election result in 2020. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary hold to prevent Graham from having to testify.
7. Which city’s teachers’ union went on strike this week?
Spoiler
Columbus, Ohio. The strike began on Monday, with teachers demanding better heating and air conditioning in schools. They also want guarantees of smaller class sizes and full-time art, music, and physical education teachers in elementary schools. 94% of the union’s membership voted in favor of striking.
8. Who was killed in a car bomb attack last week in Russia?
Spoiler
Darya Dugina, who was the daughter of Alexander Dugin, a Russian ultra-nationalist whose ideas are said to have significantly influenced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine. Ms. Dugina was a commentator on a nationalist television channel and was killed when her car blew out outside of Moscow. It is believed that her father was the target of the attack.
9. In the Inflation Reduction Act, how much money will the IRS receive?
Spoiler
$80 billion. Democratic supporters are hoping that a bigger IRS will help to clamp down on tax avoidance by corporations and the wealthy. Money will be used to hire new IRS agents and also update the agency’s equipment, which is running on 1960s computer language, according to government inspectors.
10. Who did the Mexican government arrest last week and for what?
Spoiler
Jesus Murillo, Mexico’s former attorney general. Murillo standards accused of playing a role in the disappearance of forty-three students in 2014 and is charged with forced disappearance, torture, and obstruction of justice.
