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 Cuba:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Some of the prisoners have refused this offer. Why do you think this is so?
c) Read about some of the political prisoners from the Babalu Blog link under "Resources" below the questions. Think about the experiences of people wrongly imprisoned in Cuba. How would you describe those who refused to leave?

3. For Iran:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Think about U.S. leaders and diplomats discourse about leaders of other countries with whom they disagree. How do you think Ahmadinejad's talk differs from that of U.S. leaders?
c) What 2 adjectives would you use to describe Ahmadinejad's personality?

4. For Italy:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item

5. For Egypt:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Why did the Iranian government sever ties with Egypt in 1979?

6. For Germany:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Ask a parent what he/she remembers about the fall of the Berlin Wall before Germany was reunified