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 Egypt:
a)  list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b)  Read the "Background" information below about the Nile River and the water controversy between Egypt and other African countries.  What argument does Egypt make to explain why it doesn't want to share the Nile water with other countries?

3.  For the United Nations:
a)  list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b)  How do you view the integrity of the United Nations considering the fact that 7 countries known to violate human rights were overwhelmingly voted onto the Human Rights Council (HRC)?  What would you say to someone who defended the integrity of the HRC?

4.  For Israel:
a)  list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b)  With what biblical stories is the Sea of Galilee associated?

5.  For Philippines:
a)  list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b)  Read the information about Mrs. Marcos below.  For what extravagance is she most widely known?
c)  Ask a parent if he/she remembers the story of Mrs. Marcos' extravagance.

6.  For Kyrgyzstan:
a)  list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b)  Why is Kyrgyzstan strategically important to both the U.S. and Russia?