[fblike]
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
1. WikiLeaks published documents that allege that the National Security Agency (NSA) spied on three presidents from this European country.
[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”]France. WikiLeaks published documents on Tuesday that showed that the NSA spied on French presidents Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Francois Hollande between 2006 and 2012. This is not the first time that the NSA is under fire for spying on a European ally of the United States as it was revealed in 2013 that the NSA was allegedly eavesdropping on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone calls.[/toggle]
2. When was the last time that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces trained Iraqi troops?
[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”]2011. NATO trained Iraqi troops between 2004 and 2011 before leaving after a Status of Forces Agreement could not be reached with the Iraqi government. Reports are circulating that NATO will be returning to Iraq to help troops fight the Islamic State.[/toggle]
3. What change did President Barack Obama recently announce to U.S. hostage policy?
[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”]President Obama announced that families will no longer be prosecuted for trying to pay ransoms to terrorism groups that hold American hostages. The Obama administration says that existing federal policy, which saw federal officials threaten family members that attempted to pay ransoms, is “broken.” European countries routinely pay ransoms, but the United States and Great Britain have often claimed that the practice is counterproductive and further endangers their nationals abroad.[/toggle]
4. Why did Great Britain arrest Rwanda’s intelligence chief last 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”]Britain arrested Lieutenant General Karenzi Karake at London’s Heathrow Airport due to the fact that there was a European warrant out for his arrest. Spain issued the warrant and wishes to place Mr. Karake on trial for war crimes against civilians in connection with retaliation killings after the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Elements of the British Conservative Party and the Rwandan government have criticized the arrest.[/toggle]
5. Which EU rule did Hungary recently suspend?
[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”]Hungary’s government recently decided to suspend an asylum rule that required it to take back asylum seekers that enter through its country but go on to other EU member states. Hungary’s government says that it is already overburned by illegal immigration this year, with an estimated 60,000 people coming into the country. As another solution to the immigration problem, Hungary has decided to build a 109-mile wall along its border with Serbia. The United Nations has criticized this move.[/toggle]
6. What led to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez ending his hunger strike?
[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 ended his hunger strike after the Venezuelan government scheduled legislative elections for December 6. Lopez’s hunger strike lasted thirty days and the government’s response ended weeks of speculation that it was going to call off the elections. Lopez has been detained since February 2014 after protests against the country’s economic problems took place. Many Western nations have called for his release.[/toggle]
7. Which three prominent retailers and marketplaces have moved to remove Confederate flag items in recent days following the Charleston church shooting?
[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”]Walmart, Amazon, and eBay have all moved in recent days to remove Confederate flag merchandise from their stores. This is part of a growing public movement to eradicate public displays of the Confederate flag.[/toggle]
8. How many people have been affected thus far by a pair of cyberattacks on U.S. government personnel files?
[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”]18 million. Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta is under fire for refusing to blame anyone in her agency for not doing enough to protect employee data. Archuleta argues that meager investment in security systems is a structural flaw that produced the problem. U.S. officials have blamed China for one of the hacking attacks.[/toggle]
9. What concessions did Greece recently make in order to receive billions of aid and avoid a debt default?
[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”]Greece’s SYRIZA-led government agreed to increase taxes and payments Greek workers make for pension obligations. Greece has been under five years of austerity policies that protesters say have just made the nation’s economic situation worse.[/toggle]
10. What “red lines” did Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently make regarding a potential Iranian nuclear deal?
[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”]Khamenei argued that sanctions must be lifted immediately under a final agreement and that such sanctions relief should not be linked to verifications by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Khamenei also ruled out inspections of military sites and said that freezing Iran’s research and development of nuclear technology for at least a decade was “not acceptable.” Observers believe that the comments may make the signing of a lasting nuclear deal more difficult.[/toggle]