Reuters World News Summary

In a statement published by the state news agency, the military said the warning to Prince Hamza was part of a broader, ongoing security investigation in which a former minister, a junior member of the royal family and unnamed others were detained.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Iran rejects 'step-by-step' lifting of U.S. sanctions

Iran wants the United States to lift all sanctions and rejects any "step-by-step" easing of restrictions, the foreign ministry said on Saturday ahead of planned talks in Vienna next week on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and global powers. The comments came as France urged Iran to show a constructive stance in the indirect talks with Washington in the Austrian capital, which will be part of broader negotiations. Argentina says president has coronavirus; doctor calls case 'mild'

Argentina on Saturday confirmed that President Alberto Fernandez has tested positive for the new coronavirus, saying the first-term Peronist leader was in generally good health despite having suffered a headache and light fever. Fernandez, who turned 62 on Friday, had previously said on Twitter that he was in isolation under standard COVID-19 protocols after an initial test showed he had the virus. He had received Russia's Sputnik V vaccine early this year. Myanmar protesters defy crackdown, five killed; junta hunts critics

Myanmar security forces opened fire on pro-democracy protests on Saturday killing at least five people, a protester and media said, as the military stepped up its bid to stifle dissent with arrest warrants for a further 20 high-profile critics. Despite the killing of more than 550 people by the security forces since the Feb. 1 coup, protesters are coming out every day, often in small groups in small towns, to voice opposition to the overthrow of an elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and the return of military rule. 'Running to save my life' - Mozambique attack survivors tell of horror

Luisa Jose, a 52-year-old mother of five, says she came face-to-face with Islamic State-linked insurgents when they attacked the gas hub town of Palma in northern Mozambique 10 days ago. "I was running to save my life ... they were coming from every street," she told Reuters from a stadium in the port city of Pemba housing some of the thousands who fled the violence. Further disorder in Northern Ireland amid Brexit tensions

Cars were set alight and masked people pelted a police van with petrol bombs in further disorder in pro-British parts of Northern Ireland on Saturday amid rising post-Brexit tensions in the region. Many pro-British unionists fiercely oppose the new trade barriers introduced between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom as part of Britain's departure from the EU and have warned that their unease could lead to violence. Scuffles in London as thousands join 'kill the bill' rallies across Britain

Thousands of demonstrators joined rallies across Britain on Saturday against a proposed law that would give police extra powers to curb protests, with some scuffles breaking out following a march in London. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill aims to toughen measures officers can take to disperse demonstrations, such as imposing time and noise limits, which campaigners and activists fear would be used to curb dissent. Niger's President Bazoum appoints former minister Mahamadou as PM

Niger's newly elected President Mohamed Bazoum has appointed former minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou as prime minister to lead his government, according to a decree read on national television late on Saturday. Mahamadou until recently was the chief of staff of Bazoum's predecessor President Mahamadou Issoufou. Taiwan releases train crash suspect on bond, prosecutors lodge appeal

A Taiwan court on Saturday released on bond the manager of a construction site whose truck authorities believe caused a train accident that killed at least 51 people, as family members mourned the dead at the crash site. The crash on Friday was Taiwan's worst rail accident in seven decades, when an express train hit the truck that had slid down a bank beside the track from the building site. The site's manager is suspected of having failed to properly engage the truck's brake. Jordanian military warns king's half-brother to stop actions undermining stability

Jordan's military has told King Abdullah's half-brother Prince Hamza bin Hussein to halt actions targeting "security and stability" in what people familiar with the matter said could be related to a plot to destabilise the country. In a statement published by the state news agency, the military said the warning to Prince Hamza was part of a broader, ongoing security investigation in which a former minister, a junior member of the royal family and unnamed others were detained. Pope, at Easter vigil, hopes for post-pandemic rebirth

Pope Francis, leading an Easter vigil service scaled down due to COVID-19, said on Saturday he hoped the dark times of the pandemic would end and that people could rediscover "the grace of everyday life". This year has been the second consecutive Easter that all papal services are being attended by only about 200 people in a secondary altar of St. Peter's Basilica instead of the nearly 10,000 that the largest church in Christendom can hold.