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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. In order to increase economic growth the Canadian government announced on Monday that it would pursue this tax strategy.
[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”]The Canadian government announced that it would freeze payroll taxes at current rates over the next three years.[/toggle]
2. This president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced last week that he is stepping down on December 31st.
[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”]Benjamin Jealous, who has led the organization for the last five years and is credited with boosting its finances and stability.[/toggle]
3. This former NBA basketball star has made several trips to North Korea and seems to have a budding relationship with its dictator Kim Jong-un.
[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”]Dennis Rodman. According to report, Kim Jong-un is a big basketball fan and Rodman visited him last week.[/toggle]
4. Why did two Colorado lawmakers face recall elections 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”]Colorado Senate President John Morse and Senator Angela Giron faced recall efforts after voting in favor of new firearms restrictions, which included limits on ammunition magazines and universal background checks.[/toggle]
5. IBM made waves last weekend by announcing what change to its healthcare coverage 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”]IBM will move over 100,000 retirees out of its company-sponsored health plan and give them money to buy coverage on a health-insurance exchange. IBM says this was the best option at its disposal to avoid large premium increases. The move affects employees once they become eligible for Medicare.[/toggle]
6. Who is the new prime minister of Australia?
[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 Abbott, who became the 28th prime minister of the country after his Liberal-National coalition defeated Kevin Rudd’s Labor Party. Next week’s premium topic brief will discuss this election in greater detail.[/toggle]
7. There are calls for the government to regulate this new nicotine product, which some say can help people quit smoking.
[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”]The e-cigarette, which provide nicotine but emits water vapor. There are calls to ban its advertising on television and put an age limit on its purchase. A recent government study found that the use of e-cigarettes has doubled among teenagers and some fear that it will be a gateway towards smoking tobacco.[/toggle]
8. What is the new U.S. unemployment rate?
[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”]The new unemployment rate is 7.3%, although critics argue that the decline was due to people leaving the labor force and that labor participation has dropped to 63.2%, which is the lowest since 1978. Keep in mind that if people are not actively looking for work then they are not counted in the unemployment rate.[/toggle]
9. Which city won the right to host the 2020 Summer Olympics and which sport was reinstated by the IOC for those games?
[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”]Tokyo, Japan was selected to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, beating out Istanbul, Turkey and Madrid, Spain. Wrestling was also brought back to the Olympics for 2020 and 2024. It was set to go away after the 2016 Olympics.[/toggle]
10. In order to avoid a U.S. strike on Syria, what has Russia proposed to do about Syria’s chemical weapons?
[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”]Russia has proposed to place Syria’s chemical weapons under international control and dismantle them. Yesterday, Syria’s foreign minister welcomed the proposal, although he stopped short of saying that his government would accept it.[/toggle]