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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
1. What former British Prime Minister was critical of the Labour Party’s chances of winning this year’s British parliamentary elections?
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Tony Blair. Blair, who served as the leader of the Labour Party between 1994-2007 and as British Prime Minister between 1997-2007, said that he worried that traditional leftists were taking over the Labour Party and would lead it to electoral defeat. Blair governed Britain as a centrist and he fears that the Labour Party will run on a leftist platform in an election environment where the British public appears to be moving to the political right.[/toggle]
2. This foreign airline, the last one still operating in Libya, suspended future flights to the country due to security reasons.
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Turkish Airlines. The airline was still running flights to Misrata, but due to fighting between Libya’s militias and its central government, it has decided to suspend all future operations there. Libya has been a turbulent place since the toppling of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi from power in 2011.[/toggle]
3. How will Pakistan try future terror suspects?
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Pakistan is moving to try terror suspects in military courts. Doing so would require a constitutional amendment, which has a large collection of support in the Pakistani parliament. Critics allege that the move will infringe on suspects’ rights, but support is growing for a more aggressive line against terrorism after militants associated with the Pakistani Taliban killed 133 children, as well as nineteen others, in an attack on a military school in Peshawar last month.[/toggle]
4. This European country will soon have a referendum to restrict the family rights of homosexuals.
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Slovakia. The Alliance for Family (AZR), a grassroots group, has collected more than 400,000 signatures for a referendum on whether same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. The AZR says that a constitutional ban on gay marriage does not go far enough to sufficiently protect the family as an institution or children. The referendum, criticized by global human rights campaigners, is scheduled to take place on February 7.[/toggle]
5. How many years in prison was former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell sentenced to this week?
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Two years. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of ten years after McDonnell was found guilty of eleven corruption charges back in September. McDonnell and his wife accepted $165,000 in gifts and loans in exchange for promoting Star Scientific, a vitamin firm. McDonnell’s conviction represented a major fall from grace, as he was pegged as a future presidential or vice-presidential candidate.[/toggle]
6. Who is Leopoldo Lopez?
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Lopez is a Venezuelan opposition leader. He is the founder of the Voluntad Popular, a reactionary party against the political program of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Lopez has languished in prison since February for inciting violence during protsts against the government of President Nicolas Maduro. The United States recently refused to swap a Puerto Rican nationalist in an American prison for Lopez.[/toggle]
7. How much money do Palestinians stand to lose by seeking Internatonal Criminal Court (ICC) action against Israel?
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Over $500 million. Israel has already withheld $127 million in tax revenue to the Palestinians after they joined the ICC last week. The United States could also move to take away $400 milion of annual American aid if the Palestinian leadership seeks to use the ICC against Israel.[/toggle]
8. Why are some people thinking that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will run for president?
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]It was announced at the end of last week that Huckabee will be ending his weekly Saturday night television show on Fox News. Huckabee, who served as the Governor of Arkansas between 1996-2007, finished as the runner-up to John McCain in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries. He won the Iowa Caucus that year, upsetting Mitt Romney.[/toggle]
9. How many Republicans did NOT vote for John Boehner as Speaker of the House?
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Twenty-four. These Republicans tried to mount a push to oust Boehner, who they believe has not taken a strong enough stance against President Barack Obama. Boehner won re-election as Speaker of the House 216-164 over Democrat Nancy Pelosi.[/toggle]
10. Who is the New York City Police Commissioner?
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]William Bratton. Bratton served as the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner between 1994-1996 under Mayor Rudy Giuliani and returned to the post this year. He has also served as the Commissioner of the Boston Police Department (BPD) between 1993-1994 and was Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) between 2002-2009.[/toggle]