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 Pakistan:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What information indicates that Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is probably dead?

3. For the Koreas:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Although no significant progress was made in talks, what issue was agreed to during the meeting?

4. For Israel:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) How did the IDF (Israeli military) defend its decision to fire on a U.N. building in Gaza during the war with Hamas last year? Do a search for ("IDF fires on UN building in Gaza")

5. For China:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) The Dalai Lama is the spiritual head of what religion? (Do an internet search if you are unsure.)

6. For Nigeria:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) With 133 million citizens, Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and the world's eighth-largest oil exporter. In 1999, Nigeria returned to civil rule under Olusegun Obasanjo after sixteen years of military rule. Nigeria is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking near the bottom in many human development indices. (from cfr.org/publication/10029/#p2)
About half of Nigerians are Muslim and 40 percent are Christian. The president of Nigeria is Muslim and the vice president is Christian. (The president has been in Saudi Arabia since November, where he is being treated for an illness.)
What do you think the Nigerian government should do about Droukdel's offer to Muslim youths? Be specific.

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