Nov. 18 News Quiz of the Week: Big Announcement

In an artwork posted to his Instagram account on Nov. 11, 2022, Banksy depicts a girl gymnast doing a handstand on a pile of concrete rubble.

Screenshot: AFP on YouTube

This mural, and two others, are located in the Ukrainian town of Borodyanka, which Russia occupied between February and April.

On Nov. 10, 2022, Russia retreated from Kherson, the only regional capital in Ukraine, under Russian control since the invasion began. It was a triumphant milestone for Ukraine in its pushback against Moscow’s Feb. 2022 invasion. Since September, the Ukrainian military has retaken several towns and villages north of Kherson.

Before its collapse in Nov. 2022, FTX was valued at $32 billion and the third-largest exchange in volume. CoinDesk reported that FTX was lending its token FTT to Alameda Research, which FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried owns. FTX experienced a bank run after the story sparked mass withdrawals. On Dec. 12, 2022, Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas at the request of the US government. Bankman-Fried’s arrest came just a day before he was due to testify in front of the House Financial Services Committee.

President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met at the G20 summit in Bali on Nov. 14, 2022, aiming to reduce tensions over Taiwan and trade, which have weakened US-China relations. It was the first time the two leaders met face-to-face since Biden’s in office. Despite the US President’s mild cold, Covid-paranoid Xi shook Biden’s hand.

The first Latina in the Senate, Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, won her second term on Nov. 13, 2022. Her win determined her party’s control of the chamber for the next two years of Joe Biden’s presidency. The midterm election usually favors the party out of power, but not this year. The Republican party did, however, retake control of the house of representatives.

On Nov. 15, 2022, US ex-president Donald Trump announced that he would run again in 2024. The announcement came just a week after the 2022 midterm elections, in which Republican candidates backed by Trump performed poorly. The ex-president recently nicknamed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis “DeSanctimonious.“

Why doesn’t Trump like DeSantis?

DeSantis won reelection in Florida after flying migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard and other liberal cities. He is considered by many as the next presidential candidate for the Republican party. A Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper, the New York Post, which turned against Trump during the Jan. 6 congressional committee hearings, called DeSantis “DeFuture” and Trump “Trumpty Dumpty,” who “couldn’t build a wall.”

According to the Guardian, 6,500 migrants from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka died in Qatar between 2010, when it was awarded the World Cup, and 2021.

Is that an official number?

Qatari officials admitted three workers died during World Cup 2022 preparations. On the other hand, human rights advocate Fair Square calls that number a “wilful attempt to mislead” because it only includes just 1% of Qatar’s construction projects. Human Rights Watch reports that Qatari authorities have failed to investigate the causes of thousands of migrant workers’ deaths, many labeled as the result of ‘natural causes.’

The most common type of motor neuron disease (MND), ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, results in the progressive loss of voluntary muscle control due to damage to, or degeneration of, motor neurons.

Does Roberta Flack have ALS?

In Nov. 2022, Roberta Flack’s representative announced that she would no longer be able to sing due to ALS. The announcement was made just before the premiere of Roberta, a feature-length documentary, at the DOCNYC film festival on Nov. 15, 2022. Flack is probably best known for her 1973 interpretation of the song “Killing Me Softly (With His Song).”

Did Sue Baker have ALS?

On Nov. 14, 2022, Sue Baker, one of the original presenters of BBC’s Top Gear and the Observer’s motoring editor, passed away after battling motor neuron disease (MND).

Beyoncé has nine Grammy nominations this year, tying Jay-Z with 88 nominations throughout their careers – making them both the most-nominated artists in Grammy history.

Which Grammy nominations did Beyoncé receive in 2023?

Beyoncé’s hit song Break My Soul is nominated for both song and record of the year. Renaissance is up for album of the year. Additionally, Beyoncé was nominated in the dance/electronica and R&B categories.

Who holds the record for most Grammy wins?

Beyoncé holds 28 Grammy awards. If she wins more than three in the 2023 ceremony, she could surpass conductor Georg Solti’s 31 awards. Currently, she shares second place with Quincy Jones.

Artemis is the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, nature, childbirth, and care for children. She is presented as a hunting goddess of the woods.

What’s NASA’s Artemis?

On Nov. 16, 2022, NASA’s Artemis I rocket launched into space, taking an astronaut-less capsule for a test drive around the moon. NASA’s Artemis program strives to put astronauts on the moon again after five decades.

United Nations projections indicate that on Nov. 15, 2022, the human population reached 8 billion. It doubled in 48 years since reaching 4 billion in 1974.