September 3 Weekly News Quiz: Ida, Mu, Beer Crisis

On Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, a decade after he left the club to join Real Madrid, 36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo signed a two-year contract at Manchester United, with the option to extend for another year. The contract is for an initial 15m euros (£12.85m, $17.75m). "Everyone who knows me knows about my never-ending love for Manchester United," he wrote on Instagram.

20 Years of fighting made the Afghanistan war the longest the US ever fought.

Afghanistan Withdrawal Fact

The United States has completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan hours before President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31, 2021, deadline. Thousands of troops had spent their last two weeks in the region protecting the transportation of tens of thousands of Afghans, Americans, and others escaping the country once again ruled by the Taliban.

The Coronavirus Mu variant was first identified in Colombia in January 2021.

Mu Variant News Fact

The Mu variant was added to the WHO’s watchlist on Aug. 30, 2021, after it was detected in 39 countries and found potentially less susceptive to the common Covid vaccines. A July 2021 report by Public Health England (PHE) said most Mu variant cases in the UK were detected in London and people in their 20s - Some of whom had received one or two doses of Covid vaccine. Mu is the 12th letter of the Greek alphabet.

Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic sparked a supply chain crisis in the United Kingdom during 2021, leading to scarcities of goods, including McDonald’s milkshakes, Nando’s chicken, and the Marmite breakfast spread.

UK Beer Shortage News

Some pubs in the UK are experiencing “supply problems,” as a spokesman for pub chain Wetherspoon said Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. The beer shortage has been attributed to the ongoing lack of 100,000 truck drivers around the country to transport goods, a problem sparked by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. On Sept. 25, the British Department for Transport said that 5,000 fuel tanker and food truck drivers would be allowed to work in the country for three months before Christmas to provide relief for the industry.

Ana, Elsa, Grace, and Ida are all storm names of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. The others, so far, being: Bil, Claudette, Danny, Fred, and Henry.

Hurricane Ida news fact

Hurricane Ida pushed into Louisiana as a Category 4 storm on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021 (pictured), with 150 mile-per-hour winds, torrential downpours, and surf that swamped much of the shoreline under several feet of water. The utility company Entergy Louisiana reported that the storm knocked out power to the entire New Orleans metropolitan area. U.S. President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Louisiana.

Rod Laver (pictured) hit a Grand Slam (winning all four major tennis titles in the same year) in 1962 and 1969 - the last time any male singles tennis player achieved the title.

Grand Slam Facts

Only five players have achieved a Calendar Grand Slam, the last being Steffi Graf in 1988. Novak Djokovic won the first three Grand Slam tournaments of 2021 but failed to win the United States Open in Sept. 2021 for the same title.

According to a notice from the Chinese National Press and Publication Administration, China is banning minors from playing online games for more than three hours a week, allowing online games between 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, weekends, and on public holidays starting Sept. 1, 2021. The gaming restrictions are part of China’s continuing crackdown on tech companies.

Kanye West’s 10th studio album is titled Donda, after West’s late mother, Dr. Donda C. West, a professor of English at Clark Atlanta University and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University, until retiring to serve as his manager. She died in 2007, at the age of 58, after undergoing a cosmetic procedure.

Donda News Fact

Universal Music Group unexpectedly released Donda, Kanye West’s 10th studio album, on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021. West said they released the album without his approval, adding on an Instagram post, “THEY BLOCKED JAIL 2 FROM BEING ON THE ALBUM.” Listen to Jail Pt. 2 on YouTube.

The title of Drake’s sixth full-length album is “Certified Lover Boy.” Drake confirmed the album’s Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, release date in an Instagram post.

Steven Knight wrote the 2021 film Spencer, starring Kristen Stuart as Princess Diana. He is also one of three creators of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?". Knight also scripted such films as  Stephen Frears's Dirty Pretty Things and David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises.

Is Kirsten Dunst nominated for an Oscar for Spencer?

On Feb. 9, 2022, Kristen Stewart received her first Oscar nomination for Princess Diana in "Spencer."

What is Spencer about?

The first trailer for Spencer was released just days before its premiere at the Venice film festival, Sep. 3, 2021. The film concentrates on three days over the 1991 Christmas period, where Diana chose to end her marriage to Charles. It's directed by Pablo Larraín (Jacky). Watch the trailer.

Ed Asner is the most honored male performer in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, having won seven. He is also the most nominated actor for the Emmys, with 17 nominations - a tie-in with Michael J. Fox. Asner won five of his Emmys for portraying Lou Grant (three in the comedy series "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," and two on its dramatic spin-off "Lou Grant"). His other Emmys were for "Rich Man, Poor Man" (1976) and "Roots" (1977).

Ed Asner News Fact

Ed Asner died on Sunday, Aug 29, 2021, at age 91. His family confirmed the death on the actor's Twitter feed, writing, "We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight, dad. We love you."