What in the World?

Test yourself on the week of Aug. 29: Iceland votes, China threatens Pacific island nations, and Guinea-Bissau approves a new constitution. A worker installs a polling booth at the city hall in Reykjavik, Iceland. A worker installs a polling booth at the city hall in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Aug. 27. Jonathan NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images Politics September 4, 2026, 12:57 PM September arrived without any resolution to several global conflicts. Were you able to look beyond those front-page headlines to keep up with the world’s other developments? Have feedback? Email [email protected] to let me know your thoughts. September arrived without any resolution to several global conflicts. Were you able to look beyond those front-page headlines to keep up with the world’s other developments? 1. Voters in Iceland on Sunday rejected a government proposal to reopen talks to do what? The move was prompted by concerns over Iceland’s lack of a military and its reliance on the U.S. security umbrella, Gloria Dickie wrote last week. 2. U.S. President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated video on Sunday depicting U.S. military forces doing what? Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran has almost certainly irreparably damaged his foreign-policy toolkit and led to the premature peak of his global influence, FP’s Ravi Agrawal writes in an exclusive prerelease from our latest magazine. 3. Why did China’s Pacific islands envoy on Monday threaten “consequences” for participating members of the Pacific Island Forum, which held a meeting this week? Australia and other members of the forum pushed back against China’s attempt to influence the meeting, FP’s James Palmer reports in China Brief. 4. Why did the United Nations’ food agency say on Tuesday that it is halving food assistance to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank starting this month? Preventing the next large-scale conflagration in the West Bank—not Gaza— should be Trump’s priority, Azriel Bermant argued last month. 5. Provisional results on Tuesday showed that voters had approved a referendum on a new constitution in Guinea-Bissau. The new charter would expand presidential authority. Which of the below is not one of the powers it would grant to the president? Coup leaders across Africa have changed strategies to retain power, sometimes extending transitional government windows, delaying elections, or using elections to legitimize their continued grip on power, Salah Ben Hammou and Sydney Dobbins wrote in July 2025. 6. Oil giant Chevron confirmed on Wednesday that it planned to expand its operations in which Latin American country? Also this week, Trump announced an agreement with Venezuela’s interim government that will allow the United States to take a partial stake in Venezuela’s oil. The deal won’t lower gas prices anytime soon and is likely illegal, FP’s Keith Johnson reports. 7. Argentine President Javier Milei said on Thursday that he would assert the country’s claims on the Falkland Islands, currently a British overseas territory, by doing what? Claims to the islands are a rare point of national consensus in Argentina, while younger British voters care less and less about them, Antonio De Loera-Brust wrote in July. 8. Finland’s border guard said on Friday that it was investigating whether an object found on its southern shore had violated its territory. What was the object? The discovery comes as Germany and Russia escalate a diplomatic standoff over what is believed to be an attempted Russian drone attack on German territory, FP’s Alexandra Sharp reports in World Brief. 9. Soccer superstar Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international soccer on Monday. Across 21 years as a member of the Argentina national team, Messi scored 125 goals, placing him second in all-time goals scored by men at the international level. Who is in first place? Messi wrote his retirement letter shortly after the World Cup, but decided to make it official following the death of his father, Jorge, on Aug. 8, ESPN reports. 10. French President Emmanuel Macron joined King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the British Museum in London on Wednesday to view a nearly 1,000-year-old embroidery depicting what event? The Bayeux Tapestry’s loan to the British Museum marks its first time on English soil since its creation, Reuters 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. 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