Current Events March 2021

The military junta in Myanmar declared martial law after China demanded protection of Chinese assets. The brutal crackdown on protesters has left more than 150 dead, mostly in the largest city of Yangon. The country became independent from Britain in 1948, yet has been under military rule for long periods. What is martial law?

• A. a coup d’état (military take-over)

• B. a declaration of independence (a form of maritime law)

• C. suspension of civil law and imposition of military law

• D. a state of emergency

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Deb Haaland as Secretary of Interior – the important position that oversees natural resources and public lands. She will be an intrinsic part of Biden's plan to tackle the climate crisis and reduce carbon emissions. Why is her appointment a milestone?

• A. she is the youngest ever U.S. Cabinet Secretary

• B. she was an integral part of President Trump’s staff

• C. she is the first Native American Cabinet Secretary

• D. she is the first Cabinet Secretary of Asian descent

Due to “adverse medical risks” several countries in Europe temporarily suspended the vaccine from Astra Zeneca. Yet, the WHO and EMA reiterate that it’s safe. What was the primary side effect that was registered?

• A. an increased statistical risk of a heart attack

• B. kidney failure (roughly a week after the first jab)

• C. acute respiratory distress syndrome

• D. blood clots in a very small number of recipients

This volcano erupted with intense blasts and cascades of fire, spewing flows of lava. Cities like Catania and nearby villages were showered with flakes of ash and debris. What’s the name of Europe’s most active volcano?

• A. Teide (Spain)

• B. Nea Kameni (Greece)

• C. Katla (Iceland)

• D. Etna (Italy)

It’s called Game Changer. It’s about to be auctioned off – bidding estimated to start at $4 million. What it is?

• A. a thoroughbred stallion racehorse

• B. art by Banksy – a boy holding a nurse as a superhero

• C. the original BETA version of Fortnite

• D. a previously unknown Elvis Presley recording

Most countries use the metric system and kilometres instead of miles. The U.S. is an exception – predominately continuing to use miles. How many kilometres is a mile?

• A. ≈ 0.609 km

• B. ≈ 1.609 km

• C. ≈ 1.909 km

• D. ≈ 2.009 km

Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) sold art for $69m at the first digital-only art auction by Christie’s. The art was sold as NFTs – the latest tech craze – unique cryptographic tokens and identifiers of ownership for non-physical objects. NFTs can be sold like physical art and are stored on a blockchain (like cryptocurrencies) and can’t be replicated. What does the abbreviation NFT stand for?

• A. non-fungible token

• B. neo-fracking trade

• C. no-fraud tokenizing

• D. non-financial trading

Lou Ottens, the Dutch engineer at Philips credited with this invention, has died. An estimated 100 billion units have been sold since the 1960s, transforming the way people listened to music. In recent years there’s even been an unlikely resurgence. What did he invent?

• A. the record player

• B. the audio cassette

• C. the compact disk

• D. the headphones

Roger Federer, one of the all-time greats of tennis, is back after more than a year. Why has he been out?

• A. he was in prison after being sentenced for tax evasion

• B. he had a baby

• C. he retired, but has since decided to make a comeback

• D. he has been injured

Once again Beyoncé and Taylor Swift picked up several awards at last week’s Grammys. In one of the numerous categories Dua Lipa won for best pop vocal album with Future Nostalgia. Dua Lipa has Albanian roots – where is the 25-year-old singer from?

• A. England

• B. India

• C. Australia

• D. Canada