Politics & News - 2025 II

1. In January, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his intention to resign amidst a political crisis. Who is now the Prime Minister of Canada?

2. In January 2025, Indonesia became a member of what intergovernmental bloc consisting of countries from the Global South?

3. On January 9, 2025, Washington National Cathedral hosted the state funeral service of what former US President who died at age 100 on 29th December 2025?

4. In January, what country became the 40th country to recognize same sex marriage?

5. In February, __________saw elections to elect the 25 members of the Landtag. The centre-right Patriotic Union (VU) won 10 seats, while the also centre-right Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) won seven, the lowest in its history. The far-right Democrats for ___________ won six seats, being the highest amount of seats won by a third party in _________ history. The centre-left Free List (FL) won two seats. Voter turnout was 76.3%.

6. In April 2025, Lin Jian, the spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry hit back at Vice president JD Vance when he used what term to describe Chinese people whilst in an interview defending Donald Trump’s tariffs?

7. As the Trump administration lays on tariffs in goods imported into the US, the stock market continues to go down. Economists say it could be heading to a _____ market, which occurs when stocks fall 20 percent from a recent peak.

8. In early 2025, there was a growing trend of people online consuming viral _____ chocolate bars. The bars were first invented in 2021 by Sarah Hamouda, a British-Egyptian living in _____. When she was pregnant with her second child, her cravings inspired her to come up with a chocolate bar containing a sweet, gooey filling of pistachio cream and tahini with the crunch of knafeh, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made from shredded filo, soft cheese and syrup.

9. In Ecuador, in April 2025, Incumbent president Daniel Noboa will seek re-election after his 2023 victory. He will face leftist candidate Luisa González in the runoff. Which of these statements is NOT true about Noboa?

10. In the UK, multiple charities and watchdogs have warned Keir Starmer that his proposals to do what, could push a further 250,000-400,000 into poverty?

11. In April 2025, Trump threatens 104% tariffs on _______ goods as part of unfolding global trade war.

12. In April 2025, in the UK, a pier on the River ______ has been renamed St Mary’s Wandsworth after criticism by anti-racism campaigners. The piers former name, Plantation Wharf Pier, was inherited from a nearby residential and commercial development of the same name. Critics of the name associated it with colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade.

13. On March 16th 2025, a fire tore through a nightclub called Kočani in Skopje in ________ killing 61 people. The fire started when sparks from indoor fireworks hit the ceiling and set it alight, rapidly enveloping the venue in thick and toxic smoke.

14. In _______, former President Yoon is currently being investigated for heading an insurrection, and he faces either life imprisonment or the death penalty if found guilty. On 4 April 2025, the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld his impeachment by the National Assembly and officially terminated Yoon's presidency.

15. In April 2025, a Russian missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has killed at least 18 people and left dozens wounded. It is one of the deadliest Russian strikes on Ukraine this year. What is Kryvyi Rih well known for in Ukraine?

16. Which forces killed 15 emergency workers in a convoy of ambulances on 23 March?

17. Who in April 2025, described Gaza as a "killing field"?

18. In March 2025, a video from the USA showed Rumeysa Ozturk, a ______ national with a valid F1 student visa, being arrested on her way to meet up with friends to break her Ramadan fast. The US accused her of supporting Hamas, something she denies and intends to deport her. Her lawyer says she is being targeted for her pro-Palestine activities.

19. Vietnam saw the US place huge tariffs upon the country, Trump hit the Southeast Asian nation with a __% import duty, one of the steepest among the over 180 countries targeted

20. In March, the Israeli-Palestinian collaboration documentary called __________________ about Palestinian activists fighting against Israeli demolitions in the occupied West Bank, won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.