World News Roundup: Third Japanese cabinet minister in a month resigns in blow to PM; Kazakh leader stages snap vote to emerge from predecessor's shadow and more

A clear right-wing victory in the Nov. 1 ballot - ending nearly four years of political deadlock - raised expectations within Netanyahu's conservative Likud of speedy alliances with like-minded religious-nationalist parties. Malaysia's Muhyiddin gains backing for PM bid after indecisive election Malaysia's former premier Muhyiddin Yassin secured backing from two political blocs on Sunday as he sought to form a new government after a general election produced a hung parliament, but he had yet to win the required majority.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Third Japanese cabinet minister in a month resigns in blow to PM

Japan's internal affairs minister resigned on Sunday in connection with a funding scandal, becoming the third cabinet member to leave in less than a month in a severe blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's already shaky support. Kishida's approval ratings have sunk after the July assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe revealed deep and longstanding ties between ruling Liberal Democratic Party politicians and the Unification Church, a group that critics say is a cult.

Kazakh leader stages snap vote to emerge from predecessor's shadow

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev holds a snap election on Sunday that he is certain to win, solidifying his grip on power less than a year after he sidelined his long-ruling predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev. The former diplomat, who came to power in 2019 as Nazarbayev's hand-picked successor when the country's only ruler since the Soviet era stepped down, broke with his ex-patron after a January uprising that Tokayev called a coup attempt.

COP27 deal delivers landmark on 'loss and damage', but little else

Countries adopted a hard-fought final agreement at the COP27 climate summit early on Sunday that sets up a fund to help poor countries being battered by climate disasters - but does not boost efforts to tackle the emissions causing them. After tense negotiations that ran through the night, the Egyptian COP27 presidency released the final text for a deal and simultaneously called a plenary session to quickly gavel it through.

Israeli far-right's demand for defence post hinders Netanyahu's coalition bid

Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to swiftly form a government faltered on Sunday as a prospective far-right coalition partner demanded the cabinet role of defence minister. A clear right-wing victory in the Nov. 1 ballot - ending nearly four years of political deadlock - raised expectations within Netanyahu's conservative Likud of speedy alliances with like-minded religious-nationalist parties.

Malaysia's Muhyiddin gains backing for PM bid after indecisive election

Malaysia's former premier Muhyiddin Yassin secured backing from two political blocs on Sunday as he sought to form a new government after a general election produced a hung parliament, but he had yet to win the required majority. Muhyiddin, of the Perikatan Nasional coalition, said he had won support from two regional blocs based in the island of Borneo. That would boost his alliance's seat tally from 73 to 101 - still short of the required 112 majority.

As Biden turns 80, Americans ask 'What's too old?'

Joe Biden turns 80 on Sunday, making him the first octogenarian president in U.S. history. He is set to celebrate his birthday with a brunch hosted by his wife, Jill, a celebration that got an extra lift this weekend with his granddaughter's wedding at the White House on Saturday.

Ukraine nuclear power station shelled, U.N. nuclear watchdog says

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control, was rocked by shelling on Sunday, drawing condemnation from the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog who said such attacks risked a major nuclear disaster. Repeated shelling of the plant in southern Ukraine has raised concern about the potential for a grave accident just 500 km (300 miles) from the site of the world's worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chornobyl disaster.

World's longest-standing president seeks to extend 43-year rule

Equatorial Guinea votes on Sunday in a general election in which President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the world's longest-standing president, is expected to extend his 43-year rule at the helm of the tiny oil-producing West African nation. Over 400,000 people registered to vote in the country of around 1.5 million. Voters will also cast ballots to elect 100 members of parliament for the lower house, 55 of the country's 70 senators, and local mayors.

Turkish air strikes target Kurdish militants in Syria, Iraq after bomb attack

Turkish war planes carried out air strikes on Kurdish militant bases in northern Syria and northern Iraq on Sunday, destroying 89 targets, Turkey's defence ministry said, in retaliation for a bomb attack in Istanbul that killed six people one week ago. The strikes targeted bases of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which Turkey says is a wing of the PKK, the ministry added in a statement.

Five dead, 18 injured in shooting at gay nightclub in Colorado, police say

Five people were killed and 18 injured in a shooting at a gay nightclub on Saturday night in Colorado Springs, Colorado, police said. A suspect was in custody and was being treated for injuries after the attack at Club Q, Colorado Springs police Lieutenant Pamela Castro told a news conference.