Current Events Term 3 Week 9

What did Princess Kate announce in a recent video to the public?

• She has finished chemotherapy

• William, Kate and the children will be moving into Buckingham Palace

• She will be going into hospital for another operation

Answer explanation

a. She has finished chemotherapy - During a video showing Kate, William and their children enjoying a summer holiday - she announced she has finished her cancer treatment and is beginning the slow climb back to public life by making a few appearances when she can.

Which celebrity publicly endorsed Kamala Harris following the US presidential debate, in an Instagram post they signed as 'Childless Cat Lady'?

• Taylor Swift

• Olivia Rodrigo

• George Clooney

Answer explanation

a. Taylor Swift - Within 24 hours of her announcement, nearly 340,000 people had visited the voter registration website, vote.gov, using a custom link created and shared by Swift.

Why was the test match between the New Zealand and Afghanistan cricket teams in the news?

• It was the first-ever test match between the two teams

• It was abandoned without a single ball being bowled

• It was the first test match played in Afghanistan

Answer explanation

b. It was abandoned without a single ball being bowled - The inaugural test match between NZ and Afghanistan was abandoned after persistent rain prevented any play during all five days. This made the match historic for the wrong reasons, as it became only the eighth test ever to be called off without a ball bowled.

A billionaire and an engineer have become the first non-professional crew to do what in space?

• Fly the spacecraft

• Perform a spacewalk

• Orbit the Moon

Answer explanation

b. Perform a spacewalk - Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis stepped out of the SpaceX spacecraft wearing specially designed suits. Before, only astronauts with government-funded space agencies had done a spacewalk.

What was different about a screening of the Disney film Encanto in Auckland last week?

• A range of sign language experts interpreted the dialogue

• It was performed as a live-action play featuring local actors

• All the content was in te reo Māori

Answer explanation

c. All the content was in te reo Māori - Encanto Reo Māori is the fifth film re- versioned into te reo Māori to be developed and produced by Matewa Media in association with Walt Disney Animation Studios. The previous four films are Disney’s Moana, The Lion King, Frozen and Disney/Pixar film Coco. The release of the film comes as New Zealand celebrates Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

For years, Apple had a tax arrangement with Ireland that allowed it to pay less than 1 per cent tax on profits from across the world. A court decision has ruled the agreement illegal so it now owes Ireland around ...?

• $200 million

• $3 billion

• $20 billion

Answer explanation

c. $20 billion - The European Court of Justice on Tuesday upheld a 2016 ruling that Ireland had allowed Apple to avoid paying billions of euros in tax on the company's profits.

Ireland’s motivation to offer Apple tax benefits was to encourage the company to base its European headquarters in Ireland.

Star Wars creator George Lucas has led the tributes to 'incredible actor' James Earl Jones following his death last week. What part did he play in Star Wars?

• He was the voice behind Darth Vader

• He played the Emperor

• He was the voice behind Yoda

Answer explanation

a. He was the voice behind Darth Vader - In a statement, Lucas described Jones as "a most unique voice both in art and spirit”.

The actor was also in many other films including Field of Dreams, Coming To America, Conan the Barbarian, The Lion King and many others.

Why has Auckland's SkyCity casino been shut down for five days?

• A dangerous cleaning chemical was spilt in the main floor

• Toxic mould has been found between floors that needs to be removed

• They failed to help a problem gambler

Answer explanation

c. They failed to help a problem gambler - SkyCity casino failed to help a problem gambler who lost more than a million dollars.

The shutdown is SkyCity's punishment for failing to meet its harm minimisation and host responsibility obligations.

What is the UK introducing to combat childhood obesity?

• A sugar tax

• A ban on junk food adverts being shown on TV before 9pm

• A ban on shops selling high sugar drinks or foods within 2km of schools

Answer explanation

b. A ban on junk food adverts being shown on TV before 9pm - The ban will come into force on 1 October 2025. More than one in five children in England is overweight or living with obesity by the time they start primary school, and this rises to more than one third by the time they leave.

New Zealand’s Parliament has voted to make changes to the Fair Trading Act to ensure gift cards will have a minimum expiry date of ...?

• 1 year

• 3 years

• 10 years

Answer explanation

b. 3 years - The private member's bill will amend the Fair Trading Act 1986 to ensure gift cards have a minimum expiry date of three years from their initial purchase.