Tuesday's World Events - February 16, 2010
1. For each of the 5 countries, give the following information:
a) the continent on which it is located
b) the name of the capital city
c) the type of government
d) the chief of state (and head of government if different)
e) the population
[Find the answers at the CIA World FactBook website. For each country: type of government, capital and executive branch (chief of state/head of government) can be found under the "Government" heading; population is listed under the "People" heading. Go to worldatlas.com for a list of continents.]
2. For Yemen:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Why were the Shi'ite rebels fighting the Yemeni government?
c) Why did the rebels seize some of neighboring Saudi Arabia's territory?
3. For China:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) For what crime was Liu Xiaobo sentenced to prison? (Go to reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BO02320091226 for the answer.)
4. For Italy:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Do you think the Getty Museum should return the statue to Italy? Explain your answer.
NOTE: The museum filed documents several years ago arguing that Italy has no claim to the piece because it originally was Greek and was found in international waters. The Getty is one of several museums that in recent years have returned Roman, Greek and Etruscan artifacts that the Italian government suspected were looted and smuggled from the country. In 2007 the Getty, without admitting any wrongdoing, agreed to return 40 ancient treasures in exchange for the long-term loan of other artifacts. That didn't include the life-sized bronze "Victorious Youth," also called the "Athlete of Fano." The Greek masterpiece was sculpted between 300 BC and 100 BC and later carried away by Roman soldiers, but the boat carrying it apparently sank. The artist is unknown but some scholars believe it was Lysippos, Alexander the Great's personal sculptor. The statue was found in the nets of Italian fishermen trawling in international waters in 1964. It allegedly was buried in an Italian cabbage patch and hidden in a priest's bathtub before it was taken out of Italy. (from ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100114/entertainment/us_getty_disputed_statue)
5. For Ukraine:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Who defeated Mrs. Tymoshenko in the Ukrainian presidential election?
6. For Sweden:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Why was Mr. Hogstrom arrested?
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