Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Global COVID-19 cases hit 250 million, eastern Europe infections at record levels

Global COVID-19 cases surpassed 250 million on Monday as some countries in eastern Europe experience record outbreaks, even as the Delta variant surge eases and many countries resume trade and tourism. The daily average number of cases has fallen by 36% over the past three months, according to a Reuters analysis, but the virus is still infecting 50 million people worldwide every 90 days due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Kuwaiti govt resigns, possibly helping to end political standoff

Kuwait’s government on Monday submitted its resignation to the ruling emir, a move which along with an amnesty pardoning political dissidents could help end a standoff with opposition lawmakers that has hindered fiscal reform. The resignation, reported by state news agency KUNA, is the second this year by a government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah in the feud with the elected parliament of the Gulf OPEC producer.

Iran-backed militia behind attack on Iraqi PM -security officials, sources

A drone attack that targeted the Iraqi prime minister on Sunday was carried out by at least one Iranian-backed militia group, Iraqi security officials and sources close to the militias said. The sources, who spoke to Reuters on Monday on condition of anonymity, said the drones and explosives used in the assault were Iranian-made.

Former U.S. President Obama says ‘act now’ to help island nations

Former U.S. President Barack Obama called on the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow on Monday to address the risks that island nations face from rising sea levels. Obama said their tales at the 2015 climate talks had been crucial to the resulting Paris Agreement, which commits countries to holding the rise in the average global temperature to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

China builds mockups of U.S. Navy ships in area used for missile target practice

China’s military has built mockups in the shape of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships, possibly as training targets, in the desert of Xinjiang, satellite images by Maxar showed on Sunday. These mockups reflect China’s efforts to build up anti-carrier capabilities, specifically against the U.S. Navy, as tensions remain high with Washington over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Relatives of MH17 victims call for clarity on Russia’s role in crash

Relatives of the 298 people who died when a Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down over Ukraine in 2014 on Monday asked judges presiding over the Dutch murder trial looking at the crash to provide clarity over the alleged role of Russia in the incident. Piet Ploeg, whose brother, sister-in-law and nephew died in the crash, told judges to look specifically at Russia’s role in the Ukraine conflict.

Amnesty says NSO’s Pegasus used to hack phones of Palestinian rights workers

The mobile phones of six Palestinian rights workers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank were hacked using Israeli technology firm NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, Amnesty International and internet security watchdog Citizen Lab said on Monday. The new findings followed NSO’s blacklisting last week by the U.S. Commerce Department amid allegations its spyware targeted journalists, rights activists and government officials in several countries.

Veering from democracy, Nicaragua’s Ortega locks in another term

Daniel Ortega easily secured a fourth consecutive term as Nicaragua’s president, early results showed on Monday, after the former guerrilla fighter suppressed political rivals in a vote critics said was rigged but which won Russian recognition. Nicaragua’s Supreme Electoral Council said that with roughly half the ballots counted, a preliminary tally gave Ortega’s Sandinista alliance about 75% of votes.

Singapore court grants stay of execution to Malaysian in drug case

A Singapore court on Monday stayed the execution of a Malaysian man convicted of heroin smuggling pending an appeal to be heard on Tuesday on grounds that he was not of sound mind, the man’s lawyer said. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam is set to be executed on Wednesday, but rights groups have urged he be spared from hanging because he was intellectually disabled.

Poland fears ‘major incident’ as migrants from Belarus head for border

Polish authorities accused Belarus of trying to spark a major confrontation on Monday and said they had mobilised additional soldiers as footage on social media showed hundreds of migrants walking towards the Polish border. In one video, shared by the Belarusian blogging service NEXTA, migrants carrying rucksacks and wearing winter clothing were seen walking on the side of a highway.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)