Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. Why did the Turkish government initially order the removal of ten ambassadors this week?
Spoiler
Turkey ordered the eviction of the ambassadors of ten Western countries – including the United States, France, and Germany – after they called for the release of jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala, who has been jailed since 2017 even though he was acquitted last year on charges stemming from anti-government protests in 2013. Yesterday, Turkey backtracked and said that the ambassadors going forward should “be more careful in their statements.”
2. China has recently decided to give COVID-19 vaccines to children as young as what age?
Spoiler
Three. According to government reports, 76% of China’s population is vaccinated and authorities there want to maintain a zero-tolerance policy, enforcing via lockdowns, quarantines, and compulsory testing. The vaccinations will be required for children between the ages of three and eleven.
3. Which country recently amended its constitution, banning dual citizens from holding its highest offices?
Spoiler
Cambodia. The law prohibits those holding dual citizenship from occupying the posts of prime minister, speakers of either house of parliament, and chair of the country’s constitutional council. Supporters argue that it is needed to avoid foreign interference in the country’s affairs, while opponents say it is meant to disqualify opponents of Prime Minister Hun Sen from office.
4. Why was Myanmar absent from the recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit?
Spoiler
Myanmar did not participate after the country’s military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, who led a coup on February 1, was barred from attending. ASEAN refused to welcome General Hlaing because he has failed to implement an ASEAN-backed peace plan in the country. In the past, ASEAN has been criticized for not taking much action toward Myanmar and more autocratic countries, so observers hope it will be a step in the right direction for the group.
5. A military coup took place in which African nation on Monday?
Spoiler
Sudan. Military officers, led by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and dissolved the country’s transitional government. The coup follows a failed effort to overturn the transitional government on September 21. The United States has opposed the action and protests have rocked the nation for the last few days.
6. Who is the current chairman of the Federal Reserve?
Spoiler
Jerome Powell. Powell has held the position since February 2018, when he was nominated by then-President Donald Trump. President Biden will have to weigh whether to renominate Powell in 2022, made more difficult by a scandal affecting the Fed where three of its senior officials made big financial bets in the market in 2020 before the Fed started to take emergency actions with the COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, is a vocal opponent of Powell’s renomination.
7. This fall, voters in Maine will cast ballots on whether individuals have a constitution right to what?
Spoiler
Food. This November, voters will be asked if they wish to amend the state constitution “to declare that all individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health and well-being.” Proponents say it is meant to prevent government interference in people exchanging seeds or saving them and counter growing corporate ownership in the food industry. However, some farmer advocacy groups warn it could make the food supply less safe if people are able to buy food that is not subject to safety rules.
8. Why is South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem facing criticism?
Spoiler
Noem has been criticized by the national media and state lawmakers for allegedly using her political influence to help her daughter get a real estate appraiser license. It has been reported that Noem would like to test the waters for a presidential bid in 2024. Noem denies that she used any undue influence to help her daughter.
9. According to reports, the Biden administration may reduce its $3.5 trillion social infrastructure bill to this amount.
Spoiler
$1.75 trillion. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has complained about the bill’s original price tag and reportedly got into a verbal spat with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders over it in a Democratic caucus meeting last week. Manchin argues that the original bill would put too much inflationary pressure on the U.S. economy and the Democrats would be better served passing President Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill first and resuming their work in six months.
10. Which Hollywood actor could face criminal charges after a cinematographer was killed and a director wounded from the live firing of a prop gun?
Spoiler
Alec Baldwin. Baldwin was filming the film “Rust” in New Mexico, a film that he is producing. According to reports, Baldwin was handed one of three props guns and fired it, killing the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchings, and wounding the film’s director, Joel Souza. As the film’s producer, Baldwin could face involuntary manslaughter charges.