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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To acces
s a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
This R&D provides resources on Sino-North Korea relations. The Chinese government has been a longtime supporter of North Korea, saving it from annihilation in the Korean War of 1950-1953 when it attacked a U.S.-led multinational force as that force approached China’s borders. China has also protected North Korea from harsh sanctions on the UN Security Council, fearing that if North Korea’s regime collapsed that it would send thousands of refugees into its territory. However, North Korea’s recent launch of a long-range rocket, which contravenes several UN Security Council resolutions that bar its use of ballistic missile technology, has added tension to the relationship as some global powers such as the United States are being pressed to sanction China over its continued support of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
China: North Korea’s Nuclear Tests a ‘Slap in the Face’ for US https://t.co/iWkgmXudyA pic.twitter.com/INulj9kx8J
— The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) February 8, 2016
China-North Korea: Trade still high despite dropping for second year https://t.co/dr9nOu87Si
— Nikkei Asian Review (@NAR) February 4, 2016
Changing China’s North Korea Calculus https://t.co/zAuKAPRdKR
— Blogs of War (@BlogsofWar) February 9, 2016
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1. Who was the biggest winner of the Iowa caucus?
2. Does the Black Lives Matter movement need a prominent leader?
3. Will the TPP’s fate hinge on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election?
4. Are the stocks of social media companies overvalued?
5. Why is Hillary Clinton having a hard time winning over younger voters?
6. Should Congress pass President Obama’s oil tax?
7. Will the latest jobs report cause the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates at its next meeting?
8. How can Marco Rubio overcome questions about his lack of executive experience?
9. Can the U.S. build a Sunni-led coalition to defeat ISIS?
10. Does the U.S. need to reduce its corporate tax rate?
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1. What is the state of the global steel industry?
2. Should the IOC move the Summer Olympics?
3. Who should be Myanmar’s next president?
4. What should Turkey do if Russia continues to violate its airspace?
5. Should the AU send a peacekeeping force to Burundi?
6. What steps does Nigeria need to take to eliminate corruption?
7. Would a higher oil price rescue the Maduro regime?
8. Should the international community impose sanctions on China for continuing to aid North Korea?
9. Would a large-scale Sunni intervention in Syria produce a large-scale regional war in the Middle East?
10. Should Saudi Arabia push for an OPEC production cut?
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of February 1-7, 2016.
What ails America? @paulwaldman1 sums up the GOP theories: https://t.co/GyrabkLaJw pic.twitter.com/ISY9MjU8m4
— The Week (@TheWeek) February 4, 2016
Opinion: Merkel’s policy harms the displaced more https://t.co/7c2lbrCasB
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) February 4, 2016
Why French Jews are fleeing Paris for London https://t.co/KX7Pf6a0Ds pic.twitter.com/t3qS4hoFab
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) February 4, 2016
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
This R&D provides resources on the Iowa caucuses that took place on Monday. Texas Senator Ted Cruz upset Donald Trump on the Republican side, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton narrowly defeated Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic contest. Trump has said that his loss was illegitimate because Cruz spread stories that Ben Carson was dropping out of the contest, which did not occur. Iowa has narrowed the field on both sides with former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley dropping out of the Democratic race and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum doing so in the Republican race. The next presidential contest will take place next Tuesday in New Hampshire, which is the first state to hold a primary in the 2016 cycle.
What Iowa caucus results mean for New Hampshire and beyond https://t.co/xJfY8f7wX5 pic.twitter.com/1bBGk8fqlY
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) February 3, 2016
40 takeaways from the 2016 Iowa caucuses, ranked https://t.co/i1vk6wBf96 pic.twitter.com/iSECTum9qX
— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) February 3, 2016
Iowa has already shaken up the 2016 contest https://t.co/4Slkdb4TX4 pic.twitter.com/wx9Ib5JMPc
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) February 3, 2016
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More than a year after the Ebola virus terrified the world, a new virus is instilling fear into the hearts of millions of citizens throughout the Western Hemisphere. The culprit this time is the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen that was ignored by health experts for decades. However, a spike in the number of births of children with microcephaly, a rare condition that leads to babies being born with abnormally small heads, to women that are thought to have been infected with the virus has created a renewed sense of urgency in the global health community. Zika is not native to the Western Hemisphere and it was first found in Africa more than sixty years ago. Its spread is a testament to how the world is increasingly one without borders when it comes to health issues and Zika creates yet another headache for Brazil, a nation facing significant economic problems and that is hosting the Summer Olympics this year.
This topic brief will provide some background information on the Zika virus, discuss the steps that governments plan to take to combat it, and then assess the implications of the virus.
Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.
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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the Zika virus.
#PublicHealth expert: Expect rapid spread of #Zika virus across the Western Hemisphere in the coming months. https://t.co/YcFyIp7ipx
— RAND Corporation (@RANDCorporation) February 3, 2016
Tourist industry jitters over Zika https://t.co/snYSWX7Y1Z
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 3, 2016
What’s the chance of you actually catching the Zika virus? https://t.co/L7NqfxuAMF pic.twitter.com/0qvKinQSLH
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) February 3, 2016
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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
This R&D provides resources on the ongoing Syrian peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland. The talks are being mediated by UN Syrian envoy Staffan de Mistura but have run into complications after the Syrian government claimed that terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State killed more than sixty people near the country’s most recognized Shi’ite shrine. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is also part of the talks and he is urging the Syrian government and rebel forces to reach an accord so that more stability can be brought to the Middle East.
What chance the next round of Syrian peace talks will get anywhere? https://t.co/k4Dj1ukNph pic.twitter.com/4tAqwQ8T8C
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) January 31, 2016
Syrian opposition says it will join Geneva talks on Sunday; UN envoy says ‘good reason to believe’ they will come https://t.co/GXeciFqMQ6
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) January 29, 2016
Syrian opposition bloc still won’t commit to joining peace talks https://t.co/KkaZkXMLdi pic.twitter.com/w4U2vl1hcT
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) January 28, 2016
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1. Does the Japanese economy need more quantitative easing?
2. Should more European nations copy Denmark’s push to confiscate the possessions of asylum-seekers?
3. What steps can the Afghan government take to prevent “insider” terrorist attacks?
4. Was Hassan Rouani’s tour of Europe a success?
5. Which regional actor is best positioned to solve Nepal’s ongoing political problems?
6. What is the significance of Portugal’s recent presidential election?
7. Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi: Hosni Mubarak 2.0?
8. What should be the “non-negotiables” in the Syrian peace talks?
9. Does Angela Merkel or David Cameron have the most riding on the EU’s summit later this month?
10. Is the WHO prepared to deal with the Zika outbreak?
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1. How can the U.S. get more minority students into computer science programs?
2. Do the Democrats have any chance of taking the House in 2016?
3. Should American police be mandated to take an anti-racism pledge?
4. How will the results of the Iowa caucus affect the 2016 presidential election?
5. Should the United States encourage Taiwanese independence?
6. When should the Federal Reserve next raise interest rates?
7. How can the U.S. persuade China to take more aggressive action toward North Korea?
8. Is Apple poised for a significant decline?
9. Could Michael Bloomberg win the presidency as an independent candidate?
10. Has Steve Easterbrook placed McDonald’s back on the road to success?
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of January 25-31, 2016.
Is Zika the new Ebola? https://t.co/VHPK91bajY | AP Photo pic.twitter.com/FAfZP333kF
— POLITICO (@politico) January 28, 2016
In Tunisia, the sole Arab Spring success, economic woes reignite unrest https://t.co/aQ1Wf8Tz9a pic.twitter.com/dYinv43yc6
— CS Monitor (@csmonitor) January 28, 2016
Ahead of tonight’s #GOPDebate, compare the Republican candidates’ views on foreign policy: https://t.co/VAP8nI2VSu pic.twitter.com/XRfsVABNUY
— CFR (@CFR_org) January 29, 2016
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
This R&D provides resources on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Palin, who was also the Republican vice-presidential candidate in 2008, publicly endorsed Trump last Tuesday, which may help Trump’s chances among Iowa’s social conservatives for next week’s Iowa caucus.
Why Sarah Palin and Donald Trump are natural allies: https://t.co/gnVktpJLoX pic.twitter.com/imMk2DVstN
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) January 24, 2016
Sarah Palin’s Facebook fans call her a conservative sellout for backing Donald Trump https://t.co/5vKPljiPky pic.twitter.com/SAxmGErDKf
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 21, 2016
In the wake of Sarah Palin’s backing of Donald Trump, @GeraldFSeib asks: Do political endorsements really matter? https://t.co/eYKHaHLOp9
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 21, 2016
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While Americans take clean drinking water for granted, the residents of Flint, Michigan currently lack such a luxury. The failure of state and federal environmental officials has placed the city’s residents at risk for lead poisoning as a result of an attempt two years ago to save the city money by acquiring drinking water from the nearby Flint River instead of from Detroit. Since 40% of Flint’s residents are poor and more than half are African-Americans, community activists allege that Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder and other state officials turned a blind eye to resident concerns on racial and socioeconomic grounds. The scandal has caused the resignation of the director of Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 5 director and Michigan’s state attorney general and the Department of Justice are looking into the filing of criminal charges. The crisis creates a significant test of Snyder’s leadership as he must solve this problem while also facing a work stoppage by Detroit’s public school teachers over the condition of their schools.
This topic brief will provide some background on what caused the Flint water crisis, analyze the responses to the crisis, and then highlight why the Flint water crisis is a situation with national significance.
Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.