Qatar’s surveillance games

Qatar

The Middle Eastern nation is hosting the FIFA World Cup starting Nov. 20—the first Arab country to do so. Qatar has spent billions of dollars building seven new stadiums and refurbishing an eighth in order to host the soccer tournament. Much of the expense has involved an elaborate electronic surveillance system that will use facial recognition technology and drones to monitor tens of thousands of spectators. Organizers say the system sets a new standard for security, but critics question the level of intrusion posed by its 15,000-plus cameras. —Jenny Lind Schmitt

Syria

Refugee children in northwest Syria are spending hours livestreaming on the popular video-sharing app TikTok asking for donations. But according to an October BBC investigation, the refugee families receive only a fraction of donated funds. The BBC found that although livestream viewers often donate up to $1,000 an hour, TikTok takes up to 70 percent of donations. Middlemen who work with TikTok-affiliated agencies in China and the Middle East and who facilitate the videos also take a portion of the money. TikTok disputed the amount of its cut and said explicit requests for monetary gifts violate its policies. —Elizabeth Russell

Mexico

Violence rocked the small southwestern town of San Miguel Totolapan on Oct. 5, when members of the Los Tequileros criminal gang stormed the town hall and killed Mayor Conrado Mendoza Almeda and 19 others, including police officers and council workers. The gang is linked to a powerful drug cartel in a violent part of western Mexico. In 2018, over 36 mayors, former mayors, and mayoral candidates were killed in the region. In the latest attack, the main highway in the state of Guerrero, where San Miguel Totolapan lies, was reportedly blocked by large vehicles to prevent security forces from reaching the city. —Jenny Lind Schmitt

New Zealand

Farming may be about to get more expensive in New Zealand. The government on Oct. 11 proposed a greenhouse-gas tax on livestock methane (emitted by belching) and nitrous oxide (in urine) amid an effort to cut the country’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says farmers can charge more for their climate-friendly products, but the Federated Farmers association and government opposition say the plan will “rip the guts out of small-town farming” and transfer food production to countries less concerned about greenhouse gases. Dairy ­products are the nation’s biggest export earner. In a similar plan, the Netherlands plans to buy out 600 farms next year to reduce livestock numbers and emissions. —Amy Lewis

Gambia

At least 70 children died from acute kidney injury across the country in a crisis health authorities linked to Indian-made cough syrups. The World Health Organization in an Oct. 5 medical alert said four pediatric cough syrups manufactured by the New Delhi–based Maiden Pharmaceuticals contained “unacceptable” levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which can cause diarrhea, altered mental state, and kidney injury. India is the ­largest global provider of generic medicines. Gambian police said U.S.-based Atlantic Pharmaceuticals Co. imported 50,000 bottles of the contaminated syrups into the African country. Indian health authorities shut down Maiden’s ­factory in northern Haryana state and launched an investigation. —Onize Ohikere

Taiwan

As the island faces increasing military threats from China, the civilian defense training organization Kuma Academy is teaching Taiwanese residents cross-strait geopolitics, invasion scenarios, and first-aid ­techniques. Taiwanese billionaire Robert Tsao, 75, has pledged $32 million to create a civilian militia. The founder of United Microelectronics Corp., Tsao aims to train 3 million fighters among Taiwan’s nearly 24 million citizens within three years. He has partnered with Kuma, which started in 2021, to scale up the academy’s operations as Taiwan’s government also ramps up the production and procurement of weapons. China insists on “reunification” with the democratically governed island, which it claims as its own. —Erica Kwong