Here is this first news quiz of April! Good luck

1. Which two countries in Southeast Asia were hit by an earthquake last week?

Spoiler
Myanmar and Thailand. The 7.7-magnitude earthquake also affected parts of southwest China. The epicenter was 10 miles northwest of the western Myanmar city of Sagaing but was also close to Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. Officials estimate that the death tolls could exceed 10,000 and hurt the economies of both countries.

2. The interim president of which U.S. university resigned their post last week?

Spoiler
Columbia University. Interim president Katrina Armstrong, who took over the job in August, resigned after the university drew criticism from others in academic circles over agreeing to demands from President Donald Trump regarding campus protests and academic policy. The Trump administration was threatening $400 million in funding unless Columbia made changes. Armstrong will be replaced by board of trustees co-chair Claire Shipman.

3. Vice President J.D. Vance visited which part of the world last week?

Spoiler
Greenland. Vance visited an American military base on the Danish territory, an area that President Donald Trump has threatened to use military force to take. Greenlanders have largely expressed their displeasure at becoming a U.S. acquisition target but the Trump-Vance administration argues that having Greenland is vital to U.S. national security and that the Danish government has not sufficiently protected the area.

4. Continuing the theme of U.S. official visits, where did Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem go last week?

Spoiler
The Cecot, or Terrorism Confinement Center, in El Salvador. It is a maximum security prison built in 2022 when the Salvadorian government launched a massive crackdown on organized crime. The U.S. has recently sent 300 migrants in U.S. custody to the facility. The visit was not smooth, though, as Noem wore a $500,000 Rolex watch that became the subject of ridicule.

5. Which three nations have received the most deportation flights under the Trump administration to this point?

Spoiler
The Utah state legislature passed legislation that would ban the flying of the LGBTQ+ pride flag in schools and government buildings. Republican Governor Spencer Cox announced that he would not sign the bill but would not veto it either, thereby allowing it to become law. It is likely that a veto would have been overridden by the GOP state legislature anyway. The ban will go into effect on May 7 and violators will be fined $500 a day.

6. Which Latin American country has asked for U.S. assistance to battle gangs in its country?

Spoiler
Ecuador. The country is reportedly in the process of building a new naval facility that would house U.S. vessels and personnel should the Trump administration agree to become involved. President Daniel Noboa has called for foreign assistance in battling gangs, something that he talked with U.S. President Donald Trump about last week.

7. Which two nations announced a joint partnership to develop a military radar system in the Arctic last week?

Spoiler
Canada and Australia. The project will call for $6 billion in investment for a “advanced and efficient radar system” that will allow Canada to better detect movements in the Arctic region, something that Canadians consider a threat to their national security. It is assumed that whatever is devised would be compatible with NORAD that links U.S. and Canadian defenses. However, the U.S. and Canada disagree about how much sovereignty Canada has over the Arctic as Canada claims a Northwest passage goes through its territory while the U.S. argues it is in international waters.

8. What judicial decision will affect the political career of French politician Marine Le Pen?

Spoiler
Le Pen was found guilty of embezzling European funds to finance her far-right National Rally (RN) party, was sentenced to four years in prison, and is banned from contesting the 2027 French presidential election. Her supporters have said that it is a blow to French democracy and that the court’s ruling was politically motivated. It was widely believed that Le Pen would contest the 2027 presidential election and could have been in a position to win it.

9. What is the name President Trump has given to his tariff rollout that is scheduled for April 2?

Spoiler
Liberation Day. On that day, President Trump intends to lay out tariffs against American competitors and allies, all in an effort to bolster federal revenue and possibly allow for a reduction of income tax rates. Trump’s team believes that the tariff duties could raise as much as $600 billion, which would be the fourth-largest source of federal revenue. However, critics argue that it will make America’s inflation problem worse, anger allies, produce counter tariffs to American goods, and invite stagflation.

10. Which U.S. senator spent Monday and Tuesday railing against the Trump administration in a speech stretching more than 17 hours?

Spoiler
Cory Booker of New Jersey, a Democrat. Booker began his speech at 7 p.m. on Monday, discussing how the Trump administration has plunged America into crisis over topics such as immigration, Social Security, public education, free speech, and foreign policy. Democrats aided in the length of the speech by asking him questions so he could have breaks.