After two years women back in Kuwaiti parliament

Today's headlines: China abstains in UN vote condemning Russian annexation of Ukrainian territories; Japanese wrestling champion Antonio Inoki dies; Malaysia: majority party calls for early election; Shashi Tharoor favored for Indian Congress presidency; Putin's popularity plummets.

KUWAIT

After two years, women return to parliament. Two opposition candidates, Jenan Bushehri and Alia Al Khaled, won their election battle on Sept. 29. Of the 50 seats up for grabs, opposition forces gained 28

CHINA-UCRAINE

Beijing abstained yesterday in voting on a resolution condemning Russian annexation of occupied territories in Ukraine. In addition to Moscow's foregone vote against it, India's abstention was added. The U.S. and its allies, initiators of the initiative, will now present the document to the General Assembly, where vetoes are not contemplated.

JAPAN

Wrestling (wrestling) champion Antonio Inoki, who was also well known in Italy, especially in the 1980s, has died at the age of 79: famous was his exhibition match with Muhammad Ali in Tokyo in 1976. The iconic wrestler was also for several terms a member of the upper house of the national parliament.

MALAYSIA

Umno, the main party in the ruling majority, is calling for early elections by the end of 2022. The vote is expected to be held in September 2023. The opposition is opposed, arguing that holding elections in November is difficult because of possible seasonal flooding.

INDIA

Former diplomat and veteran of Indian politics Shashi Tharoor is given as the favorite in the Congress presidential race. The vote is scheduled for Oct. 17; he would be the first non-Gandhi-Nehru dynasty leader in 25 years. The historic party has long been in crisis, overpowered by PM Modi's BJP.

RUSSIA

According to various polls, the military mobilization has caused Putin's popularity among the Russian population to plummet from 83 percent to 77 percent in just a few days. It is the most significant drop since 2018, when the president had raised the retirement age despite promises, losing 9% approval rating in one month. Less than 60 percent of Russians believe that "we are going in the right direction."

GEORGIA

The opposition National Movement party has proposed that parliament discuss a bill introducing an "occupation tax" to be applied to all fleeing Russians arriving in the country. The reason is Russia's control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Tourists would also have to pay at least 0 for this.

• AsiaToday