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 Venezuela:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) For what reason was Mr. Zuloaga arrested?
c) What would you say to people who defend President Chavez from the accusation that he is stifling free speech in Venezuela?
NOTE: For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have [ruled] since 1959. Hugo Chavez, president since 1999, has promoted a controversial policy of "democratic socialism," which purports to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking globalization and undermining regional stability. (from the CIA World FactBook)

3. For Ireland:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Who celebrates Good Friday? What is its significance?
c) For what reason did the judge rule in the pubs' favor?
d) Ask a parent, and also a grandparent, if stores, bars, restaurants were open on Good Friday when they were kids? And were stores open on Easter?

4. For France:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What did Mr. Cousteix say his motive was for hacking Twitter accounts?
c) Mr. Cousteix is not a computer expert but was able to hack into Twitter accounts. How safe do you think your personal information is online?

5. For Colombia:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What do you learn about the second prisoner who FARC says they will release this week?
Facts about FARC:
--FARC is a guerrilla organization, self-proclaimed Marxist-Leninist. The FARC is considered a terrorist group by the Colombian government, the United States, Canada, the Latin American Parliament, and the European Union. (from wikipedia.org)
--The FARC continues to wage a war of words devoted to Marxist principles, despite the fact that many of its battles are fought with the less idealistic motive of controlling the illicit drug industry. (from tkb.org)
--FARC is responsible for most of the ransom kidnappings in Colombia; the group targets wealthy landowners, foreign tourists, and prominent international and domestic officials. FARC stepped up terrorist activities against infrastructure in cities before Colombia's May 2002 presidential election. (from cfr.org)

6. For Mongolia:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Why are herders facing this problem?

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