What in the World?

Colombia Earthquake and Solar Eclipse: Foreign Policy's Weekly International News Quiz

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Quiz:

What in the World?

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Quiz

What in the World?

Test yourself on the week of Aug. 8: A major earthquake hits Colombia, Lebanon achieves a regional first, and parts of Europe enjoy a solar eclipse.

By **Syd Kuntz**, a deputy copy editor at *Foreign Policy*.

!A man and woman stand with their arms around each other, both wearing eclipse glasses. The man has his arm raised as he points at the eclipse, behind the camera. Other people are visible along a street behind them, using their own glasses to look at the sky.

*A man and woman stand with their arms around each other, both wearing eclipse glasses. The man has his arm raised as he points at the eclipse, behind the camera. Other people are visible along a street behind them, using their own glasses to look at the sky.*

Spectators wear solar eclipse glasses during the solar eclipse in Paris on Aug. 12. Augustin Pasquini/Hans Lucas via AFP va Getty Images

*

August 14, 2026, 3:08 PM

Eyes were on the skies for the solar eclipse and Perseid meteor shower this week. But did you also keep track of the news happening down here on Earth? Find out with our international news quiz!

*Have feedback? Email* *[email protected]* *to let me know your thoughts.*

Eyes were on the skies for the solar eclipse and Perseid meteor shower this week. But did you also keep track of the news happening down here on Earth? Find out with our international news quiz!

---

1\. Syria announced on Sunday that it had reached a memorandum of understanding with Russia regarding what topic?

Arms deals and other pragmatic military dealings have provided common ground in the two countries’ bilateral relationship as Syria’s new government seeks to balance its foreign relations, Ahmad Sharawi wrote last year.

---

2\. A major typhoon made landfall in southeastern China on Sunday. What marine animal was it named after?

The storm also triggered rough conditions as far away as the Philippines. Southeast Asia is disproportionately impacted by inclement weather due to a confluence of factors, FP’s Joseph Rachman wrote in Southeast Asia Brief last November.

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3\. Roughly how long had new Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella been in office before a major earthquake struck the country on Monday?

Emergency response has dominated the president’s priorities so far—and also prompted some criticism, FP’s Catherine Osborn reports in Latin America Brief.

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4\. On Monday, Russia banned Yabloko, the country’s only anti-war party, from competing in upcoming parliamentary elections. What does the party’s name translate to in English?

Four years into Russia’s war with Ukraine, collective action against the regime is more difficult than ever, Alexander J. Motyl wrote in February.

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5\. Venezuela’s government announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to reestablish consular services with which country following a 17-year pause?

Caracas said the decision was made after an Israeli humanitarian delegation arrived in Venezuela after a June earthquake—a disaster that exposed the weaknesses of the country’s U.S.-installed administration, Tony Frangie-Mawad wrote last month.

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6\. On Tuesday, the Lebanese parliament passed a bill that will make it the first country in the Middle East to do what?

Lebanon now joins the more than 100 countries around the world that have ended capital punishment, FP’s Eli Wizevich and Maxine Davey report in World Brief.

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7\. Which of these island nations held a general election on Wednesday?

The election cycle was marked by divisive debates over deep-sea mining—a frontier that has also captured the attention of the United States, Elisabeth Braw writes.

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8\. In other election news, far-right politician Nigel Farage won a parliamentary by-election in the British constituency of Clacton on Thursday. However, more than a quarter of the vote was won by an anthropomorphized version of which household object?

Despite Farage’s victory in the election—which the other major parties boycotted—an ongoing parliamentary standards investigation could still threaten his seat, Andrew Connelly wrote in July.

---

9\. What prompted Zambia to temporarily suspend vote counting on Friday following an election the day before?

The country’s natural resources brought international scrutiny to the election, but voter concerns largely centered on the cost of living and frequent blackouts, FP’s Nosmot Gbadamosi reports in Africa Brief.

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10\. Stargazers in Greenland, Iceland, and parts of Western Europe enjoyed views of a total solar eclipse on Wednesday. When will the next total solar eclipse be visible from Earth?

Skywatchers in Spain, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East will be in the path of totality this time, and eclipse chasers are already predicting that it will be the “solar eclipse of the century,” *Atlas Obscura*reports.

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*Have feedback? Email* *[email protected]* *to let me know your thoughts.*

*

**Syd Kuntz** is a deputy copy editor at *Foreign Policy*.

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