Note: This is the last news quiz of the 2024-2025 season. New quizzes will begin the first full week of September.

Here this week’s news quiz! Good luck!

1. What nickname was applied for former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, who passed away last week?

Spoiler
“The world’s poorest president.” Mujica died last week at the age of 89. He got the title because of a modest lifestyle in comparison to other political figures. When he left office in 2015, he had an approval rating near 70%. Arguably his most famous step as president was to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, making Uruguay the first nation in the world to do so.

2. Which office did former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte win even though he is in the custody of the International Criminal Court?

Spoiler
The mayoralty of Davao. This is Duterte’s hometown. He won 660,000 votes, eight times that of his closest challenger. His family has dominated the city’s politics for decades and his son, Sebastian, who was the former mayor, is now its vice mayor. His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, is facing an impeachment trial this July in the Senate and is considered a 2028 presidential contender.

3. What did Mali’s junta vote to dissolve last week?

Spoiler
All of the country’s political parties. It is part of a new crackdown on dissent by the junta, led by Assimi Goita, a military leader who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021 and refused to hold new elections even though they were promised in February 2022.

4. Why did the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) Credentials Committee vote last week to nullify the results of two of its vice chairs?

Spoiler
The panel found that David Hogg and Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta won their spots on a combined ballot that violated parliamentary procedure. The other vice chair, Artie Blanco, was elected via a clear majority. In other words, Hogg and Kenyatta were elected in a single election for two spots. Oklahoma Democrat Kalyn Free argued that this benefitted them unfairly because Democrats had to vote for one man on the combined ballot to achieve gender balance on their executive committee. The whole party must vote on whether or not to re-run the election.

5. What justification did Moody’s give for downgrading the U.S.’s sovereign credit rating last week?

Spoiler
Moody’s cited concerns about the U.S.’s $36 trillion debt. It was the last credit agency to downgrade the nation’s debt from “Aaa” status, which it held since 1919. Higher interest rates could come from the downgrade, which could complicate some of the Trump administration’s plans for aggressive tax cuts. President Trump’s allies argued that the rate cuts were politically motivated.

6. Which country in Latin America joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative last week?

Spoiler
Colombia. Colombia signed a memorandum with China last Wednesday that pledged more cooperation in infrastructure and trade. Analysts see it as a blow to U.S. interests in Latin America as Colombia has typically been one of the strongest U.S. allies in the region. Some Colombian business interests, though, oppose the deal as they do not believe China can replace the U.S. as a destination market for their exports.

7. Which two cable companies in the U.S. announced plans to merge last week?

Spoiler
Charter Communications and Cox Communications. It justifies the merger as a way to combat wireless carriers that are offering broadband services and fewer people subscribing to traditional cable television. However, the merger has to be approved by federal regulators and that is far from certain.

8. A Mexican naval ship crashed into which American landmark last week?

Spoiler
The Brooklyn Bridge. The ship, ARM Cuauhtémoc, crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday and two young naval cadets were killed while 23 others were injured. The incident did not cause any major structural damage to the bridge that is an iconic New York and national landmark.

9. Which two candidates qualified for the runoff in the Polish presidential election?

Spoiler
Rafal Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki. Trzaskowski is part of the governing Civic Coalition (CO) that is pro-EU and creating more equitable judicial laws. Nawrocki is backed the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party that is more skeptical of the EU’s actions. Trzaskowski won the runoff 31.4% to 29.5%. The second round of voting will take place on June 1.

10. Who was the winner of Romania’s presidential election?

Spoiler
Nicusor Dan, an independent candidate who had a pro-EU position throughout. His opponent, George Simion, was a nationalist candidate who overwhelmingly won the first round of voting. 64.7% of Romanians turned out in the runoff, though, instead of the 53.21% in the first round, enabling Dan to win 53.6% to 46.4%. His support came from the northwest and central parts of the country whereas most of Simion’s support was in the south and the east.