Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. What is the new COVID-19 variant called?
Spoiler
Omicron. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that this new COVID-19 variant has a higher re-infection risk than previous variants and is a cause “of concern.”
2. Where was the new COVID-19 variant that was the answer to question #1 first detected?
Spoiler
South Africa. There have been several travel bans imposed on the country as a result, but South Africa argues that its scientists were merely the first to discovery the Omicron variant and that it might have originated in Europe.
3. Which social media CEO stepped down earlier this week?
Spoiler
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Dorsey was Twitter’s original founder, creating the social media platform fifteen years ago. In a statement Dorsey said that he was stepping down because it was time for Twitter to move beyond the direction he initially created for it.
4. If Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court, in how many states would abortion be banned?
Spoiler
Twenty-two, according to a recent report of the New York Times. The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing Mississippi’s fifteen-week abortion ban, which is a direct challenge to the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that gave constitutional protection to abortions. The Times goes on to note that only fifteen states, as well as the District of Columbia, have enshrined abortion as a legal right.
5. Which celebrity’s trial began this week in Chicago?
Spoiler
Jussie Smollett. Smolett, who worked on the television show “Empire,” stands accused of staging a homophobic and racist attack in January 2019. Reports of Smollett being attacked triggered a political firestorm because it was alleged that his attackers were supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Smollett could be convicted for a class four felony and serve up to three years in prison. However, legal experts say that a conviction would probably result in probation and community service.
6. Which Commonwealth nation recently dropped its recognition of Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and became a republic?
Spoiler
Barbados. It becomes the first country since Mauritius in 1992 to remove its recognition of the English monarch as its head of state. Barbados was first occupied by British colonizers in 1627 and was a major sugar island during the colonial period, resulting in the important of enslaved peoples from Africa to harvest that cash crop.
7. Which nation recently created a fine for peoples over the age of sixty that are not vaccinated against COVID-19?
Spoiler
Greece. Its government announced this week that monthly fines of €100 will be issued for those over the age of sixty that refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The justification is that this will reduce pressure on medical providers. Money collected from the fines will go toward the nation’s healthcare system.
8. India recently repealed unpopular laws that targeted which sector of its economy?
Spoiler
Agriculture. The government of Narendra Modi made deregulation of the nation’s agricultural sector a major priority, enacting the policy last September, but farmers have been protesting for more than a year that the laws would result in a corporate takeover of India’s farming industry. Modi’s decision to push for a repeal of the laws might be motivated by political considerations as India is holding national elections in 2024 and the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) needs the farm vote to retain its majority.
9. When would Scottish independence forces like to hold another independence referendum?
Spoiler
2023. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s speech at the recent Scottish National Party (SNP) Conference proposed the year as the goal for a new independence vote. The SNP, which favors Scottish independence, won a majority of the seats in Scotland’s parliamentary elections in May. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will not agree to a new referendum, and an independence vote in 2014 saw the “No” forces win 55%-45%.
10. Who are the six powers that are meeting with Iran to form a new agreement about its nuclear program?
Spoiler
The United States, Russia, China, Great Britain, Germany, and France. The six nations are meeting with Iranian negotiators in Vienna to restart the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Iran agreed to in 2015. However, in 2018 President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement and Iran started breaking the accord. Negotiators are discussing whether the U.S. will lift existing sanctions on Iran and what Iran will give up in return.