Test yourself on the week of May 23: The U.S. strikes Iran, European countries summon Russian diplomats, and the WHO calls for a cease-fire in Congo.
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Test yourself on the week of May 23: The U.S. strikes Iran, European countries summon Russian diplomats, and the WHO calls for a cease-fire in Congo.
By Drew Gorman, a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.
Arthur Gea of France plays a forehand during his men’s singles first-round match against Karen Khachanov during the 2026 French Open in Paris.
Arthur Gea of France plays a forehand during his men’s singles first-round match against Karen Khachanov during the 2026 French Open in Paris on May 24. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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May 29, 2026, 12:06 PM
The days are getting longer, which means more hours in the day to follow the latest headlines. Find out if you’ve kept up with this week’s international news quiz!
Have feedback? Email [email protected] to let me know your thoughts.
The days are getting longer, which means more hours in the day to follow the latest headlines. Find out if you’ve kept up with this week’s international news quiz!
1. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday hailed Beijing’s ties to Pakistan while meeting the country’s prime minister, describing the friendship between the two nations as what?
Xi’s recent flurry of diplomatic activity could also include a trip to North Korea, which would be the Chinese leader’s second trip to Pyongyang while in office, FP’s Rishi Iyengar reported last week.
2. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that she saw “no issue” with hosting the training camp for which country’s World Cup team, ahead of the tournament this summer?
Sheinbaum’s comments came after Iran moved its camp from Arizona amid tension with the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump’s insistence on enforcing his antagonistic immigration policies is threatening the country’s ability to successfully host the World Cup, Antonio De Loera-Brust argued last December.
3. Amid negotiations to end the war with Iran, the United States launched strikes against Tehran on Tuesday morning. What was the reason given for the strikes?
Gulf countries recognize that Iran has not lost its war with the United States—a fact that is reshaping the region, Amir Handjani writes.
4. The foreign ministers of the United States, India, Japan, and Australia met in New Delhi on Tuesday for a four-day meeting aimed at reviving a geopolitical bloc. What is the grouping’s name?
Although Trump’s second administration has sidelined the Quad, its struggles are also rooted in more structural flaws, Sarang Shidore argued last week.
5. Numerous European countries summoned Russian representatives on Tuesday after Russia threatened a new wave of strikes on Kyiv, saying what?
Russia and Ukraine are looking for alternative ways to bring about an end to their war as U.S.-led negotiations fail to produce results, FP’s Sam Skove reported last week.
6. The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday called for a cease-fire in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to help contain the outbreak of which disease?
Repeated disease outbreaks on the continent reveal the shortsightedness of wealthy countries that have failed to invest in health delivery infrastructure in Africa, FP’s Howard W. French wrote last week.
7. Hamas confirmed on Wednesday that Israeli forces had done what?
Israel can afford to fund its own military, meaning the United States should end its military support for the country, FP’s Steven A. Cook argues.
8. French lawmakers voted on Thursday to abolish a colonial-era law that did what?
The National Assembly unanimously voted to adopt a bill that repealed Code Noir, which was signed into law by King Louis XIV in 1685, FP’s Alexandra Sharp reports in World Brief.
9. French tennis player Arthur Gea temporarily left the court during the first set of his French Open match on Sunday. Why?
“I can’t move anymore,” Gea told the chair umpire before skedaddling, The Associated Press reports.
10. Pope Leo XIV unveiled his first encyclical on Monday, in which he warned of the existential dangers of what?
Leo quoted the wizard Gandalf from TheLord of the Rings to beseech humans to build a civilization of love and uproot the evils posed by AI, Sky News reports.
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Drew Gorman is a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.
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