Test yourself on the week of March 28: Energy markets react to the Iran war, Russia expels a diplomat, and the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict intensifies.
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Test yourself on the week of March 28: Energy markets react to the Iran war, Russia expels a diplomat, and the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict intensifies.
By Drew Gorman, a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.
Turkey’s players celebrate after winning a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification match against Kosovo at the Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Pristina, Kosovo.
Turkey’s players celebrate after winning a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification match against Kosovo at the Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Pristina, Kosovo, on March 31. Armend NIMANI/AFP via Getty Images
Politics
April 3, 2026, 2:42 PM
April Fools’ Day provided us with a litany of joke headlines. We only wish our rising energy bills were a joke, too. Find out if you can tell fact from fiction with this week’s international news quiz!
Have feedback? Email [email protected] to let me know your thoughts.
April Fools’ Day provided us with a litany of joke headlines. We only wish our rising energy bills were a joke, too. Find out if you can tell fact from fiction with this week’s international news quiz!
1. As the war in Iran drives up the price of food and fuel, a Philippine government council endorsed a plan on Saturday that would impose a 30-day ceiling on the cost of which good?
Manila has rolled out a raft of programs intended to curb food and energy costs since the Iran war began, including fuel subsidies and the expansion of public transportation, FP’s Joseph Rachman writes in Southeast Asia Brief.
2. A monthlong policy took effect in Egypt on Saturday. What is the policy meant to do?
The policy includes dimming streetlights and roadside advertisements, as well as the early closure of cafes, shops, restaurants, and malls amid the energy crisis sparked by the war in Iran, FP’s Nosmot Gbadamosi reports in Africa Brief.
3. The conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan continues to intensify. Each side took the escalatory step of doing what on Sunday?
The violence comes at an awkward time for Pakistan, which has positioned itself as a possible peace broker in the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, FP’s Michael Kugelman writes in South Asia Brief.
4. Russia expelled a British diplomat on Monday over accusations of what?
The expulsion comes alongside a broader crackdown in Russia that has seen access to the internet severely curtailed, Alexey Kovalev wrote last week.
5. For the first time since 2022, the average price of a gallon of gas in the United States crossed which notable threshold on Tuesday?
War-related disruptions to the energy market could worsen as the Houthis enter the fray and threaten Red Sea shipping, FP’s Keith Johnson reports.
6. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering doing what, in response to U.S. allies’ reluctance to enter the war against Iran?
Despite the apocalyptic headlines, the war in Iran is going reasonably well for Israel and the United States, Raphael S. Cohen argues.
7. Mexico’s president on Wednesday tapped Roberto Velasco, a lawyer, to be the country’s new foreign minister. Velasco is considered a leading expert in what field?
Velasco’s appointment comes at a time of increased tension in U.S.-Mexico relations, with Washington’s economic blockade of Cuba serving as another pressure point for Mexico City, as Oscar Lopez wrote in February.
8. Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was elected president on Friday following a parliamentary vote, formalizing his hold on power after he led a coup ousting a democratically elected government in what year?
The election followed a highly stage-managed parliamentary election in December and January, which Hunter Marston wrote about at the time.
9. People marched through the streets of Bolivia’s capital on Monday to protest a government decree limiting school extracurricular activities. How were the demonstrators dressed?
A mandate for 200 days of lessons a year has effectively banned schools from hosting special events, where clowns often perform, The Associated Press reports.
10. Turkey qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2002 by defeating Kosovo in a match on Tuesday. The last time the Turkish squad qualified, it made it all the way to the semifinal round, where it lost to which team?
Turkey will face Australia, Paraguay, and the United States in Group D of the World Cup, Reuters reports.
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Drew Gorman is a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.
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