What in the World? Weekly Quiz - Nov 11-17, 2019

THIS major capital city has been overwhelmed by air pollution in recent weeks, with local monitoring stations consistently registering upwards of 900 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale. As residents of the city struggle to breathe and many activities across the city have been shut down, an official’s tweet has drawn attention and ire for suggesting that residents eat more carrots to protect against pollution-related health effects.

Citing the failure of the US to consult NATO before pulling forces from northern Syria, French President Emmanuel Macron used THIS term in an interview with The Economist to describe the impact of what he sees as a waning US commitment to the Transatlantic Alliance on its functioning and commitment to collective security.

In a rare public trial, Chinese officials sentenced nine members of a smuggling ring as part of efforts to crack down on THIS highly-addictive drug. The sentencing was the culmination of the first case China and the US have worked on together to prevent the synthetic opioid from flowing into the US, where it is responsible for almost half of annual overdose deaths, and comes as the two countries work towards a “phase one” trade deal.

A number of U.S. State Department officials have been interviewed by House Members as part of the Ukraine scandal impeachment inquiry. Of those questioned WHICH official was appointed after making a major contribution to the Trump inauguration committee.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced the discovery of THIS on Sunday, a find that could alleviate the impacts of US sanctions on Iran’s battered economy. In his announcement speech, Rouhani attacked the United States and pointed to Iran’s ‘successes’ despite the punitive sanctions, arguing, “We announce to America today that we are a rich nation.”