1. For each of the 5 countries, give the following information:
a) the continent on which it is located
b) the name of the capital city
c) the type of government
d) the chief of state (and head of government if different)
e) the population

[Find the answers at the CIA World FactBook website. For each country: type of government, capital and executive branch (chief of state/head of government) can be found under the "Government" heading; population is listed under the "People" heading.  Go to worldatlas.com for a list of continents.]

2. For Germany:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) The four men had obtained 700 kg of hydrogen peroxide and an explosives precursor, which was enough raw material to make the equivalent of approximately 1,200 lbs of TNT. The judge said the planned attacks could have been on a par with the 2005 London transport bombings or the 2004 Madrid train bombings. The men were given prison sentences ranging up to 12 years.
(Read about Islamic Jihad Union at nctc.gov/site/groups/iju.html.)
Do you think this prison sentence will deter the men from continuing their terrorist activities when released from prison? Explain your answer.

3. For Iran:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) According to wikipedia, Jafar Panahi is an Iranian filmmaker who has gained recognition worldwide and received numerous awards including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Why was Mr. Panahi arrested by Iranian authorities?

4. For Russia:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What is an intercontinental ballistic missile?

5. For Syria:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What requests made by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency (the IAEA) has the Syrian government refused to permit?
c) What do IAEA head Yukiya Amano's comments and Syria's actions lead you to believe about Syria's accusation of Israel?

6. For the Gaza Strip:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What do you think the majority of Gazans (who are also Muslim) think about the government's ban on men working in women's hair salons?

We'd love to hear from you - what do you think of a world news briefs section? Email editors@studentnewsdaily.com with your comments.