1. For each of the 5 countries, give the following information:  (Include special notations for all information on the Ivory Coast)
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) [If monarch, since what date has he/she ruled? - include name of heir apparent]
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 New Zealand:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Approximately how many people died as a result of the earthquake? [Note: There were close to 500,000 people in the city when the earthquake struck.]

3. For China:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Why is the Chinese government suspected of causing the disruption in LinkedIn service?

4. For Japan:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) How long will it take the robots to complete the 26 mile race?
c) What is the purpose of the robot race, according to Vstone?

5. For Cuba:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Read the information about Mr. Gross' arrest under "Background" below the questions. Do you think the U.S. government should have done more over the past 14 months to secure Mr. Gross' release?
c) What do you think of the Obama administration's recent move to open travel to Cuba, by making it easier for American students and groups to visit the country, while one of our citizens is being held in a Cuban jail on false charges?
d) The news blurb reports that "Cuba drew a 'furious response' from the Obama administration" when they heard of his trial. Re-read State Department Philip Crowley's response to the news. Why do you think the reporter described the Obama administration's response as furious?

6. For Israel:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Why did the Prime Minister issue this warning?