What in the World?
Test yourself on the week of Feb. 18: Russia’s war in Ukraine hits the one-year mark, Somali refugees flee to Ethiopia, and floods slam Brazil.
Up to date on FP’s coverage? See what you can remember with our weekly international news quiz!
Have feedback? Email whatintheworld@foreignpolicy.com to let me know your thoughts.
Up to date on FP’s coverage? See what you can remember with our weekly international news quiz!
1. Which country’s main opposition party was forced to stop publishing its only newspaper this week amid a government crackdown on political dissent?
Bangladesh is one of many Asian nations facing government suppression of press freedom, Maria Ressa said last July on FP Live.
2. After a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on Feb. 6, another quake rocked the area on Monday. How strong was that earthquake?
The Turkish government’s antipathy for science and the academy writ large worsened the earthquake’s fallout, Seyla Benhabib argues.
3. On Tuesday, the Israeli Knesset passed a law that will do what to the nation’s judiciary?
As protests shake the Netanyahu administration, some experts have questioned whether the country is facing an “Israeli Spring,” Aaron David Miller writes.
4. In a long speech on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he is suspending Moscow’s participation in which major treaty?
New START had been the last remaining arms control agreement between Russia and the United States, FP’s Amy Mackinnon explains.
5. China and Japan held their first formal security talks in how many years on Wednesday?
Economic security is central to Japan’s efforts to curtail Chinese power in East Asia, David E. Adler argued last month.
6. More than 60,000 Somali refugees have fled to Ethiopia in recent weeks due to fighting over which disputed region?
The United States has expressed interest in deepening ties to Somaliland but has no plans to recognize the region’s independence, Mary Yang and FP’s Robbie Gramer reported last year.
7. Floods decimating which Brazilian state have so far displaced more than 1,700 people?
Brazil has experienced a host of climate-related disasters in recent years, from flooding to deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, which FP’s Robbie Gramer investigated last December.
8. Friday marked the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. How much additional Ukrainian territory have Russian troops captured since this time last year?
If the war continues along this same trajectory, Russia will control one-third of Ukraine by this time next year, Graham Allison predicts.
9. First spy balloons, and then UFOs. What new mysterious object washed up on a Japanese beach on Tuesday?
A Japanese bomb squad ruled the ball poses no immediate threat, Sky News reported—though its purpose is still unknown.
10. To improve its sales in Italy, Starbucks announced plans this week to launch which product in the country?
In Milan, you can soon order “a silky infusion of Partanna extra virgin olive oil with vanilla sweet cream foam, which slowly cascades through the beverage.” Yum?
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Alexandra Sharp is the World Brief writer at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @AlexandraSSharp
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