Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Malaysia faces crucial graft test as Najib’s first 1MDB verdict looms

Malaysian former prime minister Najib Razak, fighting dozens of charges over a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal at state fund 1MDB, faces his first verdict on Tuesday in a landmark case that tests the country’s efforts to stamp out corruption and could have big political implications. Najib was voted out in a historic 2018 election amid public anger over allegations that $4.5 billion was stolen in a globe-spanning scheme from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a fund he co-founded. Prosecutors allege more than $1 billion made its way into his personal accounts. Modi says coronavirus risk persists in India, recoveries rise

India needs to be “extra vigilant” as the novel coronavirus threat persists, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a public address on Sunday, even as the country registered a record number of patient recoveries in a day. Infections from the coronavirus have risen rapidly in India, the world’s second most populous country, with more than 48,000 cases recorded in the last 24 hours. India has so far recorded nearly 1.4 million cases and more than 30,000 deaths. Spain’s coronavirus epidemic is under control, government says

Spain’s coronavirus epidemic is under control, the foreign ministry said on Sunday, after the British government imposed a 14-day quarantine on all travellers returning from the Mediterranean country in response to a surge in new cases there. Hospitals are coping well with the increase in infections and more than half of new cases are asymptomatic, the ministry said, adding that outbreaks in Catalonia and Aragon should soon be brought under control. Australia reports jump in daily new cases, record deaths

Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, recorded 459 cases of the new coronavirus, the second-highest daily total and up from 357 cases the previous day, the state’s leader said on Sunday. Premier Daniel Andrews also told a press briefing that Victoria had reported 10 COVID-19 deaths in past 24 hours, Australia’s highest ever daily number. Putin says Russian Navy to get hypersonic nuclear strike weapons

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday the Russian Navy would be armed with hypersonic nuclear strike weapons and underwater nuclear drones, which the defence ministry said were in their final phase of testing. Putin, who says he does not want an arms race, has often spoken of a new generation of Russian nuclear weapons that he says are unequalled and can hit almost anywhere in the world. Some Western experts have questioned how advanced they are. UK travellers criticise Spanish quarantine; Britain defends move

British tourists reacted with dismay on Sunday at their government’s abrupt decision to impose a two-week coronavirus quarantine on travellers returning from Spain, but the government stood by it, saying it would make no apologies. The measure upset the plans of many people either on holiday or planning to take one, hit hard at the Spanish tourism sector just as it emerges from months of lockdowns and travel restrictions, and caused more disruption for airlines and tour companies. News of Kuwait emir’s health ‘very reassuring’, parliament speaker says

News about the health of the Emir of Kuwait, who is in the United States for medical treatment, is “very reassuring”, parliament speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim said on Sunday in a statement carried on the parliamentary Twitter account. Kuwait’s 91-year-old ruler, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah arrived in the United States on Thursday to complete medical treatment following surgery for an unspecified condition in Kuwait. U.S. sends envoy to press for peace talks in Afghanistan

Washington has dispatched a special envoy for Afghanistan to press for peace talks between the government and Taliban fighters, with the diplomat scheduled to visit Kabul on a trip with stops in five nations, the U.S. State Department said on Saturday. U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad departed on Friday to travel to Doha, Kabul, Islamabad, Oslo and Sofia, the department said in a statement. North Korea declares emergency in border town over first suspected COVID-19 case

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared an emergency and a lockdown in a border town after a person suspected of being infected with the novel coronavirus returned from South Korea after illegally crossing the border, state media said on Sunday. If confirmed, it would be the first case officially acknowledged by North Korean authorities. Staff leaving U.S. Chengdu consulate under high security as deadline looms

Staff of the U.S. consulate in Chengdu made final efforts to clear the premises on Sunday as security remained tight outside, ahead of a Monday closure ordered by Beijing as China-U.S. relations continue to worsen. A mini tourist atmosphere prevailed outside the facility on a tree-lined street on a hot Sunday, as onlookers shared sidewalk space with dozens of uniformed and plainclothes police opposite the entrance.