What in the World? Weekly Quiz - September 28-October 4, 2020

The office of South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, announced that it had received THIS from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after a South Korean man purportedly attempting to defect was killed by North Korean troops:

A delegation of North Korean officials, sent to discuss securing the border between the two nations

A new car, sent as reparations for the victim's family

A rare letter of personal apology for the incident

Compensation funds for the victim's family

A referendum in Switzerland on Sunday will determine the fate of that country's current freedom of movement agreement with the European Union. Should Swiss voters decide to close its borders to free movement, they will also give up access to THIS:

Access to Europe's free-trade areas

Collaboration with Brussels on the environment and education

Ease of transport between Switzerland and other EU countries

All of the above

Fans of amphibians rejoiced this week at the apparent reappearance of the Hall's water frog, native to hot springs in the Atacama Desert. The Hall's water frog hadn't been seen in 80 years until it reappeared in a small oasis, thus earning it the designation "ghost frog." The Atacama Desert (and the "ghost frog") are located primarily in which country?

Ecuador

Chile

Brazil

Colombia

Farmers across India are blocking roads and railroad tracks to protest agricultural market reforms proposed by THIS party, India's ruling party since 2014. India's farmers are afraid that the new reforms will strip them of the protection against market forces that they currently enjoy:

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Indian National Congress (INC)

All Indian Trinamool Congress (AITC)

National Congress Party (NCP)

Question of the week from United States Institute of Peace (USIP) reports.

American peace negotiator Zalmay Khalilizad spoke about Afghan aspirations and the failure to build peace in response to THIS 1980s event saying the current talks “have opened the door to the two sides sitting together to correct history.”

The Arab Spring

The Islamic Revolution

The collapse of the Soviet Union

Withdrawal of the Soviet Union

In the midst of a severe economic downturn that has seen unemployment skyrocket to 37% and in the aftermath of a massive explosion that killed hundreds and injured thousands, Lebanon suffered another setback this week when THIS happened:

Prime Minister Designate Mustapha Adib resigned, after failing to form a cabinet

A key party left the tenuous ruling coalition

Lebanon's application for international aid was refused by the World Bank

The current president, Michel Aoun, resigned

The United States passed the grim milestone of 200,000 deaths due to COVID-19 this week. For perspective, which of the following statements is true?

Three times more Americans have died from COVID-19 than did in the Vietnam War

The COVID-19 death toll is equivalent to roughly 65 times the number of deaths from the 9/11 attacks

COVID-19 has killed a larger percentage of the U.S. Population than it has in any other wealthy country

All of the above

In a secret swearing-in ceremony designed to circumvent protests, Alexander Lukashenko was inaugurated for a sixth term as president of THIS country:

Albania

Latvia

Ukraine

Belarus

Officials at Helsinki's airport are piloting a new method of screening arriving passengers for COVID-19, and Finnish researchers say preliminary results are promising. Instead of the dreaded nasal swab, the new tests use THIS:

Chewable, fruit-flavored tablets that give a purple hue to the mouths of those infected, and which have nearly 100% accuracy

Sniffer dogs who can detect infections with nearly 100% accuracy, even before symptoms develop

15-minute hair follicle tests that show infection when exposed to hydrogen peroxide

Quick-stick blood tests that indicate high white blood-cell counts, a known precursor in those who later exhibit symptoms of the virus

The French government recently announced that it will increase the amount of time employees get for THIS type of leave, doubling it from 14 days to 28:

A. Paid paternity leave

B. Paid sick leave

C. Paid COVID-related leave

D. Paid vacation

What in the World? Weekly Quiz - September 28-October 4, 2020

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