Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. What is the new U.S. unemployment rate?
Spoiler
3.8%. According to last week’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy added 303,000 jobs last month, which is a 39th straight month of job gains. As a result, unemployment edged downward. However, critics noted that despite the good news there were racial disparities in the market as the Black unemployment rate rose 0.8% to 6.4%, which is the highest it has been since August 2022.
2. There were growing calls for Israel to invoke a ceasefire in its war with Hamas after Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked which aid group last week?
Spoiler
World Central Kitchen. The IDF attacked a convoy that it mistook for Hamas gunmen and killed seven aid workers in Gaza. This led to growing calls by President Biden for Israel to agree to a ceasefire, although Israeli officials said that Hamas refused to agree to any of its conditions for a ceasefire, which included the release of 40 Israeli hostages taken on October 7.
3. Why did Mexico suspend diplomatic ties with Ecuador last week?
Spoiler
Mexico suspended diplomatic ties after its embassy in Ecuador’s capital, Quito, was raided by Ecuadorian police. They seized former Vice President Jorge Glas who had taken refuge in the embassy since December to avoid an arrest on corruption charges. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called the incident a “flagrant violation of international law.”
4. Which prominent U.S. city felt the effects of an earthquake last week?
Spoiler
New York City. A 4.8-magnitude earthquake took place 5 miles north of Whtiehouse Station, New Jersey, which the effects felt by the Big Apple. No injuries were reported. The last time that New York City experienced the effects of an earthquake was 2011 when a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Virginia was felt from Washington, D.C. to Boston.
5. What is the new minimum wage in California?
Spoiler
$20 per hour. It went into effect last week, raising the state’s minimum wage from $16 per hour. This is far in excess of the federal government’s minimum wage standard at $7.25, which has not been raised since 2009. Fast food franchises pushed against the move, arguing that it would lead to layoffs. Advocates of the measure say that it could provide significant benefits for families.
6. When did the Rwandan genocide take place and who were its victims?
Spoiler
1994. It began on April 7 and lasted until July 15, leading to the deaths of three-quarters of the country’s Tutsi minority group (an estimated 500,000 people). Tutsis in government and society were killed by Hutu military forces and ordinary people in response to the assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana. Rwandan President Paul Kagame led the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) to topple Rwanda’s government and stop the genocide, which some critics say he perpetuated by involvement in Habyarimana’s assassination (responsibility for who killed Habyarimana is still disputed). Kagame’s rule in Rwanda since 2000 has been criticized for being autocratic. He has put an emphasis on a national education program to encourage a common Rwandan identity rather than have people identify with their ethnic group.
7. Why were Sanjay Singh, the leader of Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrested last week?
Spoiler
Both men were charged in a money laundering case and arrested by police. The case was put together by India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is supposed to be independent. However, critics argue that it is being used as a tool of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP to silence political opposition in the run up to India’s general election as balloting begins on April 19.
8. The European Court of Human Rights made a big ruling this week. What issue did it tackle?
Spoiler
Climate change. The court ruled in favor of a group of elderly Swiss plantiffs, who argued that Switzerland’s inaction on climate change violated their human rights by putting their life at risk due to rising temperatures. The ruling could usher in new waves of climate litigation across Europe and influence law among European member states.
9. Nicaragua recently asked the International Court of Justice to halt weapons sales from what nation to Israel?
Spoiler
Germany. Nicaragua argues that Germany is violating the United N Why ations genocide convention by selling military weapons to Israel and stopping funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Germany has rejected Nicaragua’s arguments. In 2023, Israel purchased 30% of its military equipment from Germany. Critics of the case also note that Nicaragua has a spotty human rights record of its own.
10. Why has Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes opened an inquiry into X owner Elon Musk?
Spoiler
Musk reactivated social media accounts on his X platform that Moraes ordered to be blocked due to their links to far-right movements that caused riots at Brazil’s capital on January 8 last year. Musk argued that the order was not constitutional and has called for Moraes to be impeached. If Musk does not comply with the order, there is a chance that X might be shut down in Brazil.