Tennessee World Affairs Council | What in the World? Weekly Quiz – Mar 29-Apr 4, 2021

The Suez Canal was blocked by the Ever Given, a massive container ship that grounded on Tuesday. The blockage delayed an estimated $400 million an hour in goods flowing through the Mediterranean Sea and THIS body of water at the southern approach of the canal.

The killing of protestors in THIS country continues. Over 100 were shot by police on Saturday alone. The United States halted all trade with it and other countries are lining up to install sanctions.

China agreed to invest $400 billion in THIS country over 25 years in exchange for a steady supply of oil to fuel its growing economy under a sweeping economic and security agreement signed on Saturday that demonstrates Beijing’s moves to be a major player in Middle East affairs according to the New York Times.

A TV screenwriter was charged with insulting THIS President of Poland by calling him a “moron” after a presidential Tweet that fell short of acknowledging Joe Biden’s victory. He faces three years in prison. Poland, an EU member nation, which has come under fire from the EU over the past few years for cracking down on civil liberties, has been criticized for its broad insult laws. [Daily Chatter Question of the Week]

Samia Suluhu Hassan, who became THIS nation’s sixth president this month following the death of her predecessor, has an opportunity to promote stability for her nation of 58 million people, say analysts and women activists in East Africa. As THIS country, which has split capitals of Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, confronts COVID and political division, Hassan could expand a history of African women leaders who have advanced stability and peace in moments of crisis according to a USIP report. [USIP Question of the Week]

Ethiopia’s prime minister said Friday that Eritrea has agreed to withdraw its forces from THIS region, where witnesses have described them looting, killing and raping civilians, according to the AP.

The U.S. Intelligence Community informed the Biden Administration that international troop withdrawal from Afghanistan without a power sharing agreement between the Kabul government and the Taliban could result in the Taliban controlling most of the country within two or three years, opening a return of THIS group.

Over the weekend, THIS government acknowledged that the Covid-19 death toll in the country was actually 321,000, about 60% more than had been reported previously.

President Denis Sassau N’Guesso won reelection to the office in THIS country he has held for 36 years, following the Covid-19 death of his opponent. The country, with its capital in Brazzaville, is smaller than its similarly named neighbor.

Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a Covid-19 lockdown to forestall a third wave of coronavirus in THIS country.