What in the World?

This week in FP’s international news quiz: Ukraine’s counteroffensive, the U.N. General Assembly, and Xi Jinping’s big overseas trip.

By , a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.
Ukrainian soldiers on a tank
Ukrainian soldiers on a tank
Ukrainian soldiers sit on infantry fighting vehicles as they drive near Izyum, eastern Ukraine, on Sept. 16. JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images

What in the world has gone on this week? See what you can remember with our international news quiz.

Have feedback? Email whatintheworld@foreignpolicy.com to let me know your thoughts.

What in the world has gone on this week? See what you can remember with our international news quiz.


1. In a rapid counteroffensive this week, Ukraine retook large swaths of territory from Russia, including the bulk of what region?

FP’s Amy Mackinnon, Robbie Gramer, and Jack Detsch examine how Russia might respond to Ukraine’s recent military success.


2. The United Nations General Assembly opened on Tuesday. In what year was the U.N. founded?

Former Human Rights Watch chief Kenneth Roth argues the U.N.’s new high commissioner for human rights is ill-suited for the job.


3. Which country did Chinese President Xi Jinping travel to this week in his first international trip since the COVID-19 pandemic began?

FP’s James Palmer explains the significance of Xi’s trip to Central Asia in our latest China Brief.


4. On Sunday, rebels from which region of Ethiopia said they’re ready to discuss a cease-fire with the government in Addis Ababa?


5. Which country did U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visit on Monday?

Blinken’s travel came amid a looming trade dispute between Washington and Mexico City.


6. As the United Kingdom mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the monarchy’s other realms—where her successor King Charles III remains head of state—are wondering how to move forward.

Beyond the U.K., how many Commonwealth realms are there today?

Although Elizabeth had little power over affairs of the state, she was not innocent of her empire’s sins, FP’s Howard W. French argues.


7. This year’s devastating floods in Pakistan have grown to cover an area the size of what country?

As climate disasters rock Pakistan and other developing nations, the West needs to step up, Fatima Bhojani writes.


8. In Sweden’s election last weekend, a bloc including what far-right party eked out a win to unseat the incumbent center-left government?

FP’s Elisabeth Braw argues that the Swedish left’s campaign style helped the far right win.


9. The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced a bill this week that would provide military aid to Taiwan. How much has the committee earmarked for the island?


10. According to a Wall Street Journal article published this week, world leaders have sought to gain U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s favor by gifting her with rare stamps. But they’re mistaken when it comes to the American official’s hobby.

What item does Yellen actually collect?

According to the report, “At least one country has Ms. Yellen’s hobbies straight. As Canadian officials prepared to host Ms. Yellen in Toronto in June … U.S. officials advised the Canadians that she instead might prefer receiving a mineral.” After much deliberation, they gifted the treasury secretary with a 10-pound hunk of limestone.

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Have feedback? Email whatintheworld@foreignpolicy.com to let me know your thoughts.

Nina Goldman is a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.

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