Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. Which COVID-19 vaccine received FDA approval on Monday?
Spoiler
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. It has been distributed under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) since December 11, 2020, eventually covering those twelve years of age or older. The approval clears the way for wider vaccine mandates by employers.
2. When is the current deadline for the U.S. to withdraw its combat troops from Afghanistan?
Spoiler
August 31. The Taliban has warned that it will not tolerate the continued presence of U.S. troops in the country after that. However, some wonder if the U.S. will remain if the Taliban continues to make it difficult to evacuate Americans and their Afghan allies from Kabul.
3. Who is the Democratic nominee for the New York City mayoral election this November?
Spoiler
Eric Adams. The ex-cop is the current Borough President of Brooklyn. Adams won the June primary over a crowded field, defeating Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia by a slim 50.4%-49.6% margin in ranked-choice voting. In the general election, Adams is expected to defeat Republican nominee Curtis Silwa, a talk radio host and founder of the Guardian Angels, because Democrats enjoy a six-to-one registration advantage in the city.
4. Why was Vice President Kamala Harris’ Vietnam trip recently delayed?
Spoiler
Harris’ trip to Vietanm was delayed by several hours when it was revealed that some U.S. officials in the country were suffering from Havana syndrome. According to reports, more than 130 U.S. officials over the last five years have experienced it, with symptoms ranging from headaches, cognitive problems, and trouble with balance. Two U.S. officials were recently evacuated from Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, with the syndrome.
5. Which famous athlete recently announced that they will be running for Georgia’s Senate seat in 2022?
Spoiler
Herschel Walker. Walker, who played for the University of Georgia, won the Heisman Trophy as college football’s most oustanding player in 1982. He was encouraged to run by former President Donald Trump. Walker is hoping to win the Republican primary and challenge Georgian Senator Ralph Warnock next November. Warnock is serving a two-year term after defeating Senator Kelly Loeffler in a special election last year.
6. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told voters that if his Liberal Party wins a governing majority it will ban this for two years.
Spoiler
Foreign home buying. Housing affordability has become a big issue in Canada’s upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for September 20. Buyers from China and Hong Kong have been accused of driving up prices in Canada’s largest cities, with statistics showing a 16% jump in housing prices over the past year.
7. Why did Algeria recently cut ties with Morocco?
Spoiler
The Algerian government alleges that recent wildfires were conducted by terrorists that the Moroccan government is alleged to have supported. The group is called the Movement for Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK) that advocates for independence for a Berber region called Kabylie. Algeria and Morocco have had strained relations for decades, due in part to Algeria supporting the Polisario movement that advocates for independence for Western Sahara, which Morocco claims as its own land. The border between the two countries has been closed since 1994.
8. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently pledged to do all he could to recover what land?
Spoiler
Crimea. In 2014 Russia annexed the territory, arguing that its people wished to be part of Russia. The move has been condemned by most of the Western world and has strained relations between the United States and its allies with Russia.
9. Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte is constitutionally barred from running for re-election next year. So to get around this, what office did Duterte recently announce he is running for?
Spoiler
Vice-President. Opponents have slammed the move by arguing that Duterte is trying to circumvent the intent of the nation’s constitution and shield himself from a possible International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into crimes against humanity during his war on drugs campaign.
10. When the House passed its voting rights bill this week it named it after which civil rights figure and former legislator?
Spoiler
John Lewis. Lewis served as a member of the House of Representatives for Georgia’s fifth district from 1987 until his death in July of last year. He was a leader of the famous Selma march in 1965 that resulted in a violent police attack on demonstrators and led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It is uncertain whether the Senate will pass the legislation as Republicans filibustered a Democratic effort earlier in the year to reform the nation’s voting system.
