What in the World?

Test yourself on the week of Nov. 7: COP31 kicks off in Turkey, Pope Leo visits South America, and Jensen Huang resigns. Pope Leo stands in front of a small crowd of people including a nun, a cardinal, a bishop, and various men in business suits. Leo has both hands raised, palms facing the viewer, and wears a smile as well as a white cassock and skullcap. Pope Leo XIV waves while arriving at the Church of the Nazarenas in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 12. Connie France/AFP via Getty Images Politics November 13, 2026, 1:04 PM Did your evening plans fall through because you realized your hot date is a Chinese spy? Don’t worry—you can fill your time with our international news quiz instead! Have feedback? Email [email protected] to let me know your thoughts. Did your evening plans fall through because you realized your hot date is a Chinese spy? Don’t worry—you can fill your time with our international news quiz instead! 1. On Sunday, South African authorities announced the results from Nov. 4 local elections. Why was the election a historic one for the African National Congress party? No party won an outright majority, a further sign that South Africa’s political landscape is fragmenting, FP’s Nosmot Gbadamosi reports in Africa Brief. 2. This year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference kicked off on Monday in Antalya, Turkey. How many people are part of the official delegation from the United States, the world’s biggest cumulative carbon emitter? U.S. President Donald Trump has withdrawn the country from the Paris Agreement at the start of both of his presidential terms. He has also tried to intimidate countries that want to take action on the climate, Noah Gordon wrote in January. 3. Which former leader requested new identity papers from their home country on Monday? Hasina has been living in exile in India since fleeing Bangladesh in the wake of mass protests in 2024, FP’s Michael Kugelman reports in South Asia Brief. 4. French sports star Teddy Riner announced on Monday that he was joining the country’s presidential race. In what sport did Riner compete? The three-time Olympic gold medalist expressed concern about the rise of the country’s far right, which has broken through the French political establishment’s long-standing firewall, Robert Zaretsky wrote in March. 5. Israel’s Knesset swore in its new class of lawmakers on Tuesday, but they still haven’t formed a government. Who was tasked this week with leading coalition-building negotiations? Eisenkot’s clearest path to power is joining forces with the country’s Arab parties—something that has only happened once in Israel’s history, FP’s Steven A. Cook writes. 6. Pope Leo XIV was greeted by massive crowds during a visit to Peru that began on Wednesday. According to estimates from local authorities, roughly how many people took to the streets in the capital of Lima to see him? Leo became a naturalized Peruvian citizen after serving as a missionary in the country. His 12-day South America trip is the longest yet of his pontificate, with two earlier stops in Uruguay and Argentina, FP’s Catherine Osborn reports in Latin America Brief. 7. On Thursday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned just days after admitting to having an affair with Alice Huang, a woman believed by U.S. officials to be a Chinese spy. Alice Huang was formerly an executive at a data center company called what? Nvidia stock has plummeted this week in the wake of the scandal, which could have implications for the wider artificial intelligence industry, FP’s Rishi Iyengar writes. 8. This week’s resignations don’t end there. Following months of scrutiny, what prompted Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka to submit his resignation to parliament on Thursday? The move throws a wrench in the tenuous truce between the government and Gibran’s father, former President Joko Widodo, FP’s Alexandra Sharp reports in World Brief. 9. Also on Thursday, Russia agreed to allow which actor to participate in the next round of peace talks for the war in Ukraine? From bomb threats to drone incursions, hybrid threats from suspected Russian operatives have stoked fear in Europe in recent months, Beniamino Irdi writes. 10. Which embassy unexpectedly received attention around the world on social media this week after briefly closing on Tuesday for a staff event? Thousands of the embassy’s adoring fans shared jokes and commiserated over the closure—which prompted the embassy to celebrate its reopening the next day with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Guardian reports. You scored It’s a big world out there! Brush up on global goings-on by subscribing to World Brief, Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter. You scored Perfection! You’re a pro who needs the in-depth insights offered in Situation Report, our newsletter on national security and defense. Have feedback? Email [email protected] to let me know your thoughts. Politics Syd Kuntz is a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy. OTHER SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS Stories Readers Liked Go to slide 1 Go to slide 2 Go to slide 3 Go to slide 4 Go to slide 5 Go to slide 6 Go to slide 7 Go to slide 8 Go to slide 9 Go to slide 10 In a snow-covered landscape, a woman bundled in a coat and scarf walks past a large hammer-and-sickle sculpture that towers several feet above her head. Xi walks in front of a blurred row of soldiers. Xi wears a black suit, blue tie, and a serious expression. U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, left, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, right, stand during a press conference at NATO headquarters. Rutte is looking over at Colby, whose fingers are pressed together in a steeple gesture in front of him. Both men are wearing dark suits and ties, standing in front of a blue backdrop and U.S. and NATO flags. A camera rig and a red light are partially visible in the foreground, slightly obscuring the center of the frame. Xi (left) and Trump (right) are shown up close, with Xi looking at Trump. Putin and Xi are both seen in profile as Putin walks to the right and away from Xi, just a few feet of space between them. Xi, meanwhile, is also faced away from Putin, standing and looking down at his feet or the red carpet beneath them. Both men wear dark suits. A man wearing a dark suit jacket, light blue button-down shirt, and patterned red tie sits on a dark gray couch against a textured dark blue wall. He is looking off to the side with a mild smile, next to a teal pillow. The Twilight of the Francis Fukuyama Era By Jeremi Suri An illustration in red and blue tones depicting five silhouetted figures running forward through a dark corridor flanked by large, textured Russian lettering on the walls and floor. Light radiates from the far end of the tunnel behind them A statue of a seated, bearded man with a bare torso and draped cloth around his waist, holding a scroll in one hand, positioned in front of a row of large classical columns. Negotiators from the United States, Canada, and five European countries converse after finishing the draft of the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington on March 18, 1949. Trans-Atlanticism Isn’t Dead—It’s Being Renegotiated By Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer An aerial photo shows Doha in the booming petrostate of Qatar. U.S. Midterm Results Sen. Chuck Schumer is seen standing next to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Where Democrats Can Thwart Trump’s Foreign Policy From the Iran war to boat strikes to Ukraine, Democrats now have powerful leverage. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is seen looking down in a close up picture of his face. People gather on a stage behind a podium labeled "Fighting for an Affordable America," with a woman clapping on the left, two men smiling toward each other in the center, including Jeffries, and two people embracing on the right in front of a blue backdrop. Supporters of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Texas state Rep. James Talarico, cheer as they watch midterm election returns during a party in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 3.