An Al Jazeera True Crime Reports episode examines the 2006 murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu in Malaysia. It explores questions about who ordered her killing and whether officials covered it up.
Key Facts
The episode says Shaariibuu was abducted from an affluent Kuala Lumpur neighbourhood in 2006.
It says she was taken to a jungle, shot twice, and killed with explosives.
The episode describes the murder as part of a major political scandal in Malaysia.
Mary Ann Jolley, an Al Jazeera senior reporter, appears in the episode.
Halla Mohieddeen hosts the episode, which Ryan Gaffney wrote.
Artists used AI-powered software to help create the episode’s illustrations.
The episode is an Al Jazeera Originals production.
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European governments are warning against renewed US-Israeli attacks on Iran as the war disrupts oil supplies and raises energy costs. Their calls for restraint mark a shift from the response at the start of the conflict, though European countries remain divided and continue to oppose Iran’s nuclear program.
Key Facts
The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, according to the article.
Britain, France and Germany initially condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes but did not condemn the opening US-Israeli attacks in their joint statement.
On Friday, the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and Italy met officials from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt in Istanbul to discuss the war and the Strait of Hormuz.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned that further escalation could have serious effects on hydrocarbon prices and urged both sides to show restraint.
The article says disrupted energy supplies and rising oil prices are increasing household costs as winter approaches in Europe.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has opposed the US-Israeli campaign and called it illegal, unjust and unjustified.
European warnings against renewed attacks do not mean governments have dropped their opposition to Iran’s nuclear program or regional activities.
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Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel should prepare to use cryptocurrency to bypass possible banking sanctions and reduce reliance on U.S. military funding. The Bank of Israel rejected the proposal, while the article notes that Israel’s banking system has not been sanctioned and that several countries have imposed measures linked to Israeli settlements.
Key Facts
Netanyahu proposed using blockchain-based cryptocurrency as an alternative to the international banking system.
The Bank of Israel rejected Netanyahu’s proposal.
Opposition parties criticized the plan, according to the article.
The article says Israel’s banking system has not been targeted by sanctions.
The United Kingdom and other major economies pledged coordinated measures against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The European Union has sanctioned people and groups linked to settlements.
Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands have introduced restrictions on settlement goods.
Netanyahu said Israel should prepare for less U.S. support after Donald Trump’s term ends.
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Sources told the article that Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Donald Trump for more public support before Israel’s Tuesday election. Final polls from three major Israeli television networks projected Netanyahu’s coalition well short of a majority, though Channel 14’s poll offered a more favorable result.
Key Facts
A U.S. source and an Israeli source said Netanyahu spoke with Trump twice in three days and sought stronger public endorsements.
An Israeli source said Netanyahu proposed that Trump speak with Israeli reporters; a U.S. source said Netanyahu suggested wording for further statements.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu’s Likud party denied that he asked Trump for campaign support in recent days or before Trump’s endorsement.
Trump endorsed Netanyahu the previous Sunday and suggested that Netanyahu’s defeat could affect U.S.-Israel relations.
Three major Israeli television networks’ final pre-election polls projected 50 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc in the 120-seat Knesset.
Those polls projected 52 to 56 seats for Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc and 14 to 16 seats for two Arab Israeli parties.
Channel 14, described as pro-Netanyahu, projected 60 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc and 30 for Likud in a poll earlier that week.
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Attorney General Todd Blanche said President Donald Trump believes Alaska’s Senate race is unfair because another candidate on the ballot has the same name as incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Blanche said the shared name could confuse voters and potentially cost Republicans the seat.
Key Facts
Blanche made the remarks Sunday on CNN.
The race is for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Dan Sullivan.
A candidate with the same name as Sullivan is also on the ballot.
Blanche said the name could confuse voters.
Blanche said the situation could potentially cost Republicans the seat.
Trump views the contest as unfair, according to Blanche.
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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said several Southern statewide races could be competitive for Democrats in the November 2026 midterms. He said Democrats erred by failing to invest in the region earlier and predicted a strong election for the party.
Key Facts
Moore named Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina as states where he believes Democratic candidates could compete.
He said Democrats had underinvested in the South, not only during this election cycle but over a longer period.
Moore said he had personally invested in Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa’s campaign.
He described winning and improving health care, reducing child poverty and raising wages as candidates’ main goals.
Moore said he sees an energized and enlarged Democratic base while campaigning in Maryland and elsewhere.
The article said the 2026 midterm election was nine days away as of October 25.
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Gabon’s High Communication Authority announced on Saturday that it had restored access to social media, ending a ban imposed on 17 February. The regulator had said online content was fueling conflict and divisions; the ban drew criticism from the opposition and prompted many users to turn to virtual private networks (VPNs).
Key Facts
The social media ban lasted about eight months.
The High Communication Authority announced the restoration in a televised statement.
The ban covered popular platforms including Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
Many Gabonese users relied on VPNs to access social media during the ban.
The suspension began amid social unrest, including strikes by teachers and civil servants over pay and working conditions.
The opposition described the suspension as an abuse of power.
President Brice Oligui Nguema won last year’s election with more than 90% of the vote, two years after his coup ended more than five decades of Bongo family rule.
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Former President Barack Obama campaigned in Ohio and Michigan ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, criticizing President Donald Trump and Republican allies over campaign attacks. He defended Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed against personal attacks.
Key Facts
Obama spoke at campaign events in Cleveland and Detroit on Saturday.
The segment features Golden Orb Weaver spiders at Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center in Davie, Florida. Videographer Charles Schultz filmed the spiders.
Key Facts
The segment is titled “Nature: Spiders in Florida.”
It shows Golden Orb Weaver spiders.
The spiders were filmed at Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center.
The location is in Davie, Florida.
Charles Schultz was the videographer.
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David Sedaris recounts mistakenly believing his friend Cristina was scheduled for a prostate exam, then imagining that she was transgender. Cristina later emailed to clarify that she had meant a colonoscopy. The essay uses the misunderstanding to discuss privacy, assumptions about transgender people, and the fact that trans women can have prostates.
Key Facts
Cristina initially told Sedaris she had a prostate exam scheduled for Tuesday.
Sedaris says he had heard that trans women can have prostate cancer and explained to his boyfriend that transition does not necessarily remove the prostate.
Sedaris assumed Cristina was transgender, but the essay does not say that she identified herself that way.
Cristina emailed Sedaris the next morning to correct her statement: she was scheduled for a colonoscopy, not a prostate exam.
Sedaris says he had thought Cristina’s personal information was hers to share when she chose.
The essay is by David Sedaris and was produced by Amy Wall.
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Composer Missy Mazzoli’s opera “Lincoln in the Bardo,” based on George Saunders’s novel, is debuting at the Metropolitan Opera. The production marks the first time the Met has premiered an opera by a woman, according to the article; Mazzoli says punk music and MTV helped shape her artistic interests.
Key Facts
Mazzoli is 45 and has composed music for opera and other works.
Her parents bought her a piano at a flea market when she was seven, and she began writing music a few years later.
Mazzoli said she played in punk bands and watched MTV for hours as a child.
“Lincoln in the Bardo” tells the story of President Abraham Lincoln grieving the death of his 11-year-old son, Willie.
Mazzoli said the opera’s setting during the Civil War felt relevant because the country was deeply divided.
The Met production includes elaborate costumes, puppetry, special effects and a large horse.
Mazzoli and lyricist Royce Vavrek also premiered “The Galloping Cure,” an opera about the opioid epidemic, that summer.
Mazzoli has an upcoming piano concerto commissioned by the New York Philharmonic.
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Composer Missy Mazzoli discusses her opera “Lincoln in the Bardo” in an interview with CBS News correspondent Faith Salie. The work depicts Abraham Lincoln mourning his son Willie, who occupies a threshold between life and death.
Key Facts
Missy Mazzoli composed “Lincoln in the Bardo.”
The opera is based on George Saunders’s award-winning novel.
Royce Vavrek wrote the libretto, or the text set to music.
The story centers on Abraham Lincoln mourning his 11-year-old son, Willie.
The opera depicts Willie in a place between the living and the dead.
Mazzoli is the first woman to have an opera premiered by the Metropolitan Opera.
Mazzoli discusses how punk rock and music videos influenced her work.
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West Yorkshire Police have opened a murder investigation after a 38-year-old man died following an attack in New Wortley, Leeds. Police described the incident as targeted and isolated and said they are working to identify those responsible.
Key Facts
The man was attacked outside a property on Hedley Chase at about 22:25 BST on Saturday.
Police said four people armed with weapons carried out a sustained attack.
Officers and paramedics treated the man, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
West Yorkshire Police said the victim’s family is receiving support from trained officers.
Investigators remain at the scene and are asking anyone with information to contact police.
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Ten years after authorities dismantled the large migrant camp known as the Great Jungle near Calais, migrants still gather in smaller camps along France’s northern coast. Many continue to attempt Channel crossings in small boats to reach the United Kingdom, despite the risks.
Key Facts
Thousands of migrants lived in the Great Jungle near Calais in 2016.
Authorities took seven days to dismantle the camp.
Dozens of smaller migrant camps now exist across a wider stretch of the coastline.
Authorities dismantle these camps about every 48 hours on average.
Migrants’ stated goal remains crossing the Channel to reach the United Kingdom.
Many migrants attempt the crossing in small boats despite the risks.
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Willie James Herndon, 43, faces federal charges over a shooting into a vehicle near Interstate 55 in Missouri on October 11. He is also charged in Missouri with the October 14 killing of 17-year-old Alyssa Wilson, who was shot while driving on Interstate 170.
Key Facts
Wilson was shot in the back while driving on Interstate 170 and died after her car crashed into a concrete median.
Prosecutors say a white SUV seen leaving the October 11 shooting matched the appearance of Herndon’s Buick Enclave.
Police recovered a shell casing at the October 11 scene and are testing it to see whether it came from the weapon used to kill Wilson.
Authorities tracked a vehicle they say was Herndon’s from the October 11 shooting and Wilson’s death to a hotel in Caseyville, Illinois.
Prosecutors say Herndon tried to flee when they approached him at the hotel on October 16.
Investigators said they found a rifle, ammunition, two license plates and handwritten notes about police vehicles in the hotel room.
Federal prosecutors charged Herndon with being a felon in possession of a firearm; Missouri prosecutors separately charged him with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
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Palestinian content creator Nisreen Skaik, who has just turned 12, spoke to Al Jazeera about winning a Junior Digital Creator Award. She said she wanted to deliver the voice of Gaza’s children to the world.
Key Facts
Nisreen Skaik is Palestinian.
Skaik has just turned 12.
She creates digital content about Gaza.
She won a Junior Digital Creator Award.
Skaik spoke to Al Jazeera about what the award means to her.
She said she wanted to deliver the voice of Gaza’s children to the world.
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CBS News’ “Sunday Morning” presents a selection of evocative photographs captured during the week of Oct. 18–24, 2026. The provided article text does not describe the individual images.
Key Facts
The feature is titled “Photos of the week.”
CBS News published the feature as part of “Sunday Morning.”
The images cover the week of Oct. 18–24, 2026.
The page describes the images as evocative.
The supplied text includes links to other CBS News stories and programs.
Listed topics include the Israeli election, small businesses facing inflation, and health issues.
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The IMF projects Bangladesh’s GDP per person at $2,886 in 2026, slightly above India’s $2,749, even though India’s total economy is nearly eight times larger. The comparison does not mean Bangladeshis have greater purchasing power: India is ahead on the IMF’s purchasing-power-adjusted measure, and the report projects faster growth and lower inflation in India.
Key Facts
The IMF’s October 2026 outlook projects Bangladesh’s total GDP at $506.4 billion and India’s at $4.15 trillion in 2026.
The report estimates GDP per person at $2,886 in Bangladesh and $2,749 in India for 2026.
After adjusting for differences in local prices, projected GDP per person is $10,884 in Bangladesh and $12,998 in India.
The IMF forecasts 2026 economic growth of 3.6% in Bangladesh and 7% in India.
The report projects average consumer-price inflation of 8.7% in Bangladesh and 5% in India.
Bangladesh’s projected GDP per person remains higher through 2028, but the IMF forecast puts India ahead in 2029.
The article links Bangladesh’s economic gains to its garment industry, remittances and increased participation of women in the workforce.
GDP per person is an average and does not show how income and wealth are distributed among people.
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Director Peter Berg’s film “The Mosquito Bowl,” based on Buzz Bissinger’s book, tells the story of four All-American football players who joined the Marines after Pearl Harbor and later fought in the Pacific. Berg says the film focuses on the human cost of war, including the Battle of Okinawa, and recreates the 0-0 football game played on Guadalcanal before Marines shipped out.
Key Facts
The film is directed by Peter Berg and is based on a book by Buzz Bissinger.
The story follows four All-American football players who volunteered for the Marines after Pearl Harbor.
The film’s first battle sequence depicts Tarawa, where footage of American dead on the beach brought the war’s human cost to U.S. audiences.
Berg researched the film at Marine boot camp on Parris Island, South Carolina, where he wrote much of the script.
The Mosquito Bowl was a December 1944 game on Guadalcanal between two Marine regiments that ended in a 0-0 tie.
Neal McCallum, now 99, attended the game after joining the Marine Corps shortly after his 17th birthday.
Berg said his father served as a Marine during the Korean War and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Sudanese miners, including children and young people supporting relatives, take dangerous and poorly paid jobs in artisanal gold mines. Fourteen-year-old Altayeb Alhadi died in an air strike attributed to Egypt at a mining site in Sudan’s Red Sea region; the attack killed at least 72 miners.
Key Facts
Altayeb’s father died in a well collapse when Altayeb was six, and his mother died two months later.
At age 14, Altayeb left his village in White Nile state to find work and support his siblings.
He first worked in transport and other jobs, then began mining gold near Jabal Al-Aigdat.
A fellow miner said Altayeb died from his injuries within hours of the October 10 air strike.
Altayeb worked with about 15 young men and children, using basic tools to remove gold from rocks.
The group could spend two to three weeks digging and sometimes earned about $100 to share after finding a gram or less of gold.
Since Sudan’s civil war began in 2023, economic hardship has pushed thousands of people toward artisanal gold mining.
Egyptian authorities have accused Sudanese miners of crossing the border and linked some to smuggling and trafficking; Sudanese authorities did not respond to the allegations described in the article.
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