Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!

1. Who won Moldova’s presidential election?

Spoiler
President Maia Sandu. She won a second term with 55% of the vote against Alexnadr Stoianoglo in a runoff election. The race was seen as a referendum on whether Moldova would move closer to the European Union or Russia as Sandu is pro-EU and Stoianoglo was backed by the pro-Russian Party of Socialists and had called for a closer relationship with Russia. Sandu alleged that Russia was meddling in the election, something that Moscow denied.

2. Who is the new Secretary-General of Hezbollah?

Spoiler
Naim Qassem. He was appointed to the position on October 29 to replace Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel on September 27. He is the fourth secretary-general of the Lebanese Shia militia group. Qassem has a master’s degree in chemistry and has been a deputy for the group since May 1991.

3. Which event did Pennsylvania recognize as an official public holiday this month?

Spoiler
Diwali, an Indian national holiday that is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains. It is also known as the Festival of Lights. Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a bill recognizing it as an official public holiday earlier this month, approved by a bipartisan legislative majority. New York recognizes it as a public school holiday and Texas allows for it to be celebrated as a fireworks-eligible holiday.

4. Who does Ethiopia rely on for most of its imports and exports because it is landlocked?

Spoiler
Djibouti. Since 2002, Ethiopia has had an agreement to us the port there for the nation’s imports and exports. Ethiopia lost sea access when Eritrea gained its independence in 1993. The desire of Ethiopia’s leadership to regain sea access because Ethiopia is the world’s largest landlocked country (with more than 100 million people) could produce a future war with Eritrea.

5. Which U.S. restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy last week?

Spoiler
TGI Fridays. The chain, based out of Dallas, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Executive Chairman Rohit Manocha said that the chain was hit hard by COVID-19 and its capital structure. Its 2023 sales were 15% lower than the previous year. 106 of its restaurants have closed over the past year as well.

6. Who was elected as the new leader of the British Conservative Party last week. Also, why was this significant?

Spoiler
Kemi Badenoch. She is the fourth female leader of the Tories but is also the first black woman to lead a major party in Great Britain. During Rishi Sunak’s premiership, Badenoch was the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Secretary of State for International Trade, and Minister for Women and Equalities.

7. Why did Argentinian President Javier Milei fire Foreign Minister Diana Mondino?

Spoiler
Milei was angry that Argentina voted with countries at the United Nations against the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. The non-binding vote passed the UN General Assembly 187-2-1. The U.S. and Israel opposed the measure and Moldova abstained. Milei wanted Argentina to vote with the United States.

8. According to budget experts, when will Social Security face insolvency?

Spoiler
2035. Once this year hits Social Security will only be able to pay 83% of promised benefits to older Americans. Social Security, arguably the most popular government program, has a $22 trillion unfunded liability. If that unfunded liability was plugged then it would save the program for 75 years. Experts worry that Congress is waiting too long to approach a fix. One proposed solution, recommended during President Barack Obama’s time in office, was to get rid of the cap of taxable earnings. Another is to raise the retirement age.

9. Israel’s Knesset recently passed laws to restrict the operations of what United Nations institution?

Spoiler
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, known as the UNRWA for short. Last Monday, the Knesset passed two bills to ban the organization from operating in East Jerusalem and prevents Israeli officials from working with the organization. Israeli officials argue that UNRWA had close links to Hamas prior to the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. However, the bills earned criticism from some nations, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said that they would harm assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

10. Who is the governor of the Bank of Japan?

Spoiler
Kazuo Ueda. He has served in the role since April 9, 2023. Ueda is tasked with trying to figure out when to tighten Japan’s monetary policy as interest rates remain low. Until this past March, Japan had negative interest rates. It’s current short-term rates are 0.25%.