Current Events

Question 1

What CEO of Binance has pled guilty to money-laundering charges and will step down as the head of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange?

Answer 1

CHANGPENG ZHAO and Binance were poised to rule the crypto world now that FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried had been found guilty on charges of fraud.
Ah, how the mighty continue to fall. Zhao has now pled guilty to accusations of money-laundering. Binance will pay $4 billion in fines and Zhao will step down as head of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange.

Question 2

Macky Sall is the president of what African nation, one of the few west African nations left that has not suffered a putsch?

Answer 2

Macky Sall has been the president of SENEGAL since 2012. He is one of the few democratically elected presidents left in west Africa, which has seen a growing “coup belt” with the putsches of Niger, Gabon, and others.

Question 3

Abiy Ahmed, the president of Ethiopia, is pushing to get a port on what body of water, much to the consternation of his East African neighbors?

Answer 3

Abiy Ahmed is pushing for landlocked Ethiopia to get a port on the RED SEA, saying that Ethiopia needs to be freed from its “geographic prison.” At one point, Ethiopia did have two major ports, Massawa and Assab, until Eritrea seceded to form a new country.

Question 4

What Vietnamese American playwright, known for his play “Vietgone,” currently has the play “Poor Yella Rednecks” running at the Manhattan Theater Club?

Answer 4

QUI NGUYEN is a Vietnamese American playwright who first came to prominence for “Vietgone,” a play inspired by Nguyen’s parents and their time in 1970s Arkansas.

Raya and the last Dragon; She Kills Monsters

Question 5

Jakov Milatović is the youngest leader in Europe. He was recently elected to be president of what small Balkan nation?

Answer 5

Jakov Milatović is the new president of MONTENEGRO. At 36-years old, he is the youngest head of state in Europe. The former Economy Minister, Milatović defeated Milo Đukanović, a 61-year-old who had been in power as prime minister or president almost continuously since 1991.

Question 6

Sam Altman, the former CEO of what company, was booted over the weekend in a high-profile sacking?

Answer 6

Sam Altman was the CEO and co-founder of OPENAI, the artificial intelligence research company behind ChatGPT, GPT-4, and DALL-E 2.

Question 7

What country won the 2023 Cricket World Cup?

Answer 7

Australia (vs India)

Question 8

What former prime minister has returned to government after being appointed by Rishi Sunak to the office of UK foreign secretary?

Answer 8

David Cameron

Question 9

What Mexican state-owned petroleum company is the most indebted oil company in the world? In October, the head of the company reported that it would be unable to pay over $500 million owed to suppliers.

Answer 9

PEMEX

Question 10

What team won the 2023 MLB World Series?

Answer 10

Texas Rangers

Question 11

Who is current speaker of the house?

Answer 11

Mike Johnson

Question 12

What team has won the WNBA Championship

Answer 12

Las Vegas Aces

Question 13

What exactly is the fitness trend known as “plogging”?

Answer 13

Jogging and picking up trash

Question 14

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for pioneering what type of vaccines?

Answer 14

mRNA

Question 15

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov for their discovery and synthesis of what nano-materials?

Answer 15

QUANTUM DOTS, minuscule particles that helped drive a revolution in nano-materials. Quantum dots, which have special electronic and optical properties, are effectively semiconductors at a nano scale.

Question 16

Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier received the Nobel Prize in Physics for developing methods to generate light that moved at one quintillionth of a second, also known as what kind of second?

Answer 16

Attosecond

Question 17

The Nobel Prize in Literature went to what prolific Norwegian author, who has published over 40 plays, as well as novels, poetry, essays, and children’s books?

Answer 17

Jon Fosse

Question 18

The Nobel Peace Prize went to jailed activist Narges Mohammadi for her work fighting oppression of women in what Middle Eastern country?

Answer 18

Iran (organized protests after death of Mahsa Amini)

Question 19

The United States has accused India of planning the assassination of a man of what religion on US soil?

Answer 19

India seems to be targeting SIKH SEPARATISTS abroad. In September, tensions between India and Canada reached a high when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of assassinating a Sikh separatist in British Columbia. Both countries expelled the other’s diplomats.

Question 20

What self-styled “CEO of El Salvador” has stepped down from the presidency so he can mount a controversial re-election bid in 2024?

Answer 20

NAYIB BUKELE, the authoritarian president of El Salvador, stepped down from the presidency last week so he could mount a controversial re-election campaign in 2024.

Question 21

What Irish dystopian novel won the Booker Prize this year?

Answer 21

The 2023 Booker Prize winner is PROPHET SONG by PAUL LYNCH.

Question 22

As part of Spotify Wrapped, what Vermont city has been the talk of the Internet as a major “Sound Town”?

Answer 22

Burlington

Question 23

Spotify also released its annual rankings of the most streamed podcasts, globally. The Joe Rogan Experience clocked in at #1 (again) and Call Her Daddy, which YOK has covered before, came in at 2. What neuroscience podcast from the Stanford School of Medicine is the world’s third-most streamed podcast?

Answer 23

The HUBERMAN LAB is a science podcast led by neuroscientist Andrew Huberman.

Question 24

What Tik Tok trend involves interviewing people and celebrities using a small audio recording device?

Answer 24

tiny mic interview

Question 25

. In the genre of mental health slang, what abbreviated phrase refers to someone having a major mental health crisis?

Answer 25

Menty B

Question 26

A federal judge has paused a law in which US state banning Tik Tok?

Answer 26

Montana

Question 27

Antonio Costa, the prime minister of what European country, resigned abruptly in early November in a corruption probe?

Answer 27

Portugal

Question 28

Ethnic conflict has been ongoing in what northeastern state of India, stemming from animosity between the Hindu Meitei and the mostly Christian Kuki-Zo?

Answer 28

Ethnic conflict first erupted in May in India’s north-eastern state of MANIPUR.

Question 29

In a shocking result, what European country saw the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilder, win the most seats in its general elections?

Answer 29

Netherlands

Question 30

What country’s National Party set up blockades of railways, roads, and waterways last Wednesday in protest of the repression of the ruling party, the Awami League?

Answer 30

In BANGLADESH, the Bangladeshi National Party set up blockades of the country’s railways, roads, and waterways to protest the repression of the ruling party, the Awami League.

Question 31

The Philippine government has resumed peace talks with what rebel group, who it has been in conflict with for five decades?

Answer 31

The Philippine government will resume peace talks with the NEW PEOPLE’S ARMY, the militant wing of the country’s Communist Party.

Question 32

The International Court of Justice has barred Venezuela from taking any action in a border dispute with what small neighboring country?

Answer 32

Guyana

Question 33

What co-working company led by flamboyant founder Adam Neumann has officially gone bankrupt?

Answer 33

Wework