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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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?

• A woman crosses a road in front of a mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kashira, Russia, southeast of Moscow, on Oct. 16, 2017.

  The Western Myth of Russian Greatness

  By Christian Caryl
• A battle scene from the film ‘The Odyssey’ by director Christopher Nolan.
• An illustration depicting a man submerged up to his nose in water. The wavy water is divided horizontally into three color bands that mimic a flag: white foam at the very top peaks, a deep blue middle section filled with bubbles, and a red lower section covering his neck and suit jacket. His blue eyes look upward with a wide, strained expression.

  As the Tide Turns Against Putin, Beware the Drowning Man

  By Peter Frankopan
• 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 illustration of a vintage-style map featuring North America and parts of Europe and Africa. Overlaid on the map are 3D red brick walls shaped exactly like the borders of the contiguous United States and Alaska, casting long shadows to the right.

  America, the Once Global Nation

  By Odd Arne Westad
• A creative illustration against a pale yellow background showing a garden planter containing a dense green hedge. Five human arms emerge from the hedge, with four of the hands holding small flags of China, Russia, the United States, and the European Union, while the fifth hand holds the flag of India.
• An illustration showing a pair of hands tightly wringing out an American flag. Water droplets shaped like missiles squeeze out of the twisted fabric and fall toward a puddle shaped like the map of Iran on a red background.
• Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin raises his right hand in a salute to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is walking a level lower in a red-carpeted auditorium.
• Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he walks off stage at the end of a campaign rally at the Santander Arena on November 04, 2024 in Reading, Pennsylvania.
• An aerial photo shows Doha in the booming petrostate of Qatar.

A guide to Tehran’s nine most strategic territories.