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

1. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued new guidelines for this mineral last week.

Spoiler
Salt. The FDA is asking restaurants and food producers to reduce the amount of salt in their products. There are hopes that the FDA’s rule will reduce American salt intake by 12% over the next couple of years and reduce the nation’s rising obesity rate.

2. Which celebrity went into space last week?

Spoiler
William Shatner. Shatner, who is ninety-years-old, became the oldest person to every travel into space when he went on a ten-minute rocket ride in a vessel built by Blue Origin, a Jeff Bezos space tourism company.

3. Recent political violence in Hezbollah has pitted the militia group against whom?

Spoiler
Lebanese Forces, which is a Christian political and militia group. Last week saw clashes between the groups in the capital city of Beirut after a Hezbollah protest against an inquiry into a port explosion that rocked Lebanon last year. There are fears that if future fighting erupts between the two sides that it could send Lebanon back into sectarian civil war.

4. Who is the January 6 panel issuing subpoenas for?

Spoiler
Four officials from the administration of former President Trump: Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff; Dan Scavino, Jr.; White House deputy chief of staff; Steve Bannon, political advisor to the President; and Kash Patel, a Pentagon chief of staff. Former President Trump is arguing that these individuals should refuse to comply, which could result in criminal charges for contempt. Bannon has already said he will not comply, prompting the panel to lay out a criminal contempt case against him.

5. Recipients of Social Security are going to receive a cost of living adjustment (COLA) of how much next year?

Spoiler
5.9%. This will affect more than sixty-four million people that receive Social Security payments from the federal government at present. The payments will begin on December 30, 2021 and reflect inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy.

6. Syria is angry because of a military strike on its territory by whom?

Spoiler
Israel. Israel launched a strike last week in Homs province that a British war monitor says killed a Syrian soldier and three pro-Iranian fighters. The Israeli government has carried out periodic strikes in Syrian territory since its civil war began in 2011, arguing that it has to prevent Iran from using Syria as a staging base for attacks. Syria argues that Israeli incursions into its territory are illegal under international law and violate it sovereignty.

7. When will Japan’s snap election be held?

Spoiler
October 31. New Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called the snap election to get voter sanction for his plans to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

8. What group of workers in Belgium led protests against government climate policies last week?

Spoiler
Coal miners and energy workers. There are anxieties among these groups about their future job prospects if more restrictive climate policies are adopted by the Belgian government. There are also concerns about what the Belgian government’s move to shift away from nuclear power means for the nation’s energy future.

9. Who is the Secretary of Transportation?

Spoiler
Pete Buttigieg. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana made some noise in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary before bowing out prior to Super Tuesday. He was then picked for the role by President Joe Biden. Buttigieg has been under fire from his political opponents for supply chain issues in the economy and being absent for several weeks due to paternity leave.

10. Harvard University has decided to shift its Chinese language program from China to which country?

Spoiler
Taiwan. Harvard announced the change because of a “perceived lack of friendliness from the host institute.” This included complaints about a lack of access to classrooms and dorms the university needed. The move comes amid other criticisms of China’s cultural crackdowns.