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

1. A hostage crisis in Texas this week saw British national Malik Faisal Akram demand the release of whom?

Spoiler
Aafia Siddiqui. Siddiqui is a Pakistani neuroscientists who is serving an 86-year sentence for carrying documents about making “dirty bombs” and notes about future attacks on the Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge. Islamic radicals see Siddiqui as a victim in the war on terrorism and several groups have demanded her release over the last decade.

2. What was French far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour convicted of earlier this week?

Spoiler
Hate speech. Zemmour, a political journalist and essayist, was ordered to pay a fine of more than 10,000 euros (or more than $11,000) and thousands more to anti-racism groups. Zemmour, who has been convicted of hate speech twice before, was on trial for comments made about unaccompanied migrant children in 2020, likening them to thieves, murderers, and rapists. He is running for the French presidency on an anti-immigration, anti-Islamic platform.

3. Why did the University of Michigan remove President Mark Schlissel from his post last week?

Spoiler
Schlissel was removed after it was discovered that he had used his university e-mail account to conduct a romantic affair with a subordinate. The University of Michigan Board of Regents ruled that this was “inconsistent with the dignity and reputation of the university” and fired him. Schlissel had been serving as the university’s president since January 2014.

4. According to the United Nations, Libya might be able to hold elections by which month?

Spoiler
June. Stephanie Williams, who is the UN special adviser to Libya, said that it is very possible the country will be able to hold national elections by June. Libya was originally scheduled to hold elections on December 24, but failed to do so. If an election is unable to take place, it would continue the country’s instability since dictator Moammar Gaddafi was ousted from power in 2011.

5. Which state is on the verge of passing a bill to ban transgender women and girls from participating in women’s athletics?

Spoiler
South Dakota. Governor Kristi Noem, considered by some to be a Republican presidential contender in 2024, supports the bill. To date, ten states, all Republican controlled, have imposed similar bans and two, Idaho and West Virginia, have had their bans halted by federal courts. The Department of Justice has also challenged the bans in other states, saying that they violate federal civil rights laws.

6. An undersea volcanic eruption created problems for which Pacific island nation?

Spoiler
Tonga. On January 15, the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano, deemed to be the biggest recorded on the planet for more than thirty years, created a tsunami across the Pacific Ocean and caused major damage to Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu. There are concerns that the eruption could contaminate Tonga’s air and water supply. New Zealand has organized a relief effort, but was unable to reach Tonga due to an ash cloud.

7. Last week, the CDC encouraged Americans to buy what type of masks to slow the spread of COVID-19?

Spoiler
N95 or KN95 masks. These masks are the ones used by healthcare workers. Prior to releasing its new guidance, the CDC encouraged Americans to leave N95 and KN95 masks for healthcare workers. President Biden has touted that a goal of his administration is to make “high-quality” masks available to the public for free.

8. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to send Russian troops to which two countries if talks with Western Europe and the United States over Ukraine fail?

Spoiler
Cuba and Venezuela. The action would be interpreted as highly provocative by the United States, which has long held to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 that foreign countries should keep military forces out of the Americas. In 1962, the world came the closest to nuclear war when Russia tried to covertly set up nuclear missiles in Cuba.

9. In a column last week, New York Times writer Thomas L. Friedman suggested that President Biden run in 2024 with who as his running mate?

Spoiler
Senator Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming. Friedman touted this idea as a way to unify the country and protect democracy since Cheney has been a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump and is serving on the Democratic-led January 6 committee. Friedman has suggested in other columns that Hillary Clinton should consider running in 2024 if Biden opts not to run.

10. How many missile tests has North Korea done this month?

Spoiler
Four. The latest test took place on Monday, which observers think is a way for North Korea to try to weaken U.S. sanctions and get additional concessions for his regime. Last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced a five-year plan to overhaul the nation’s military forces and create hypersonic missiles, submarine-based nuclear missiles, and spy satellites.