Reuters World News Summary

Piloto, 40, says he is responding to the Communist government's call for citizens to produce more of their own food, including in big cities, in whatever spaces they can find, from backyards to balconies. LaRem party failed to win in any big city, leaving Macron, 42, without a local power-base as he eyes a possible bid for a second term as president in 2022.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. U.S. starts paring back Hong Kong's special status due to security law

The United States began eliminating Hong Kong's special status under U.S. law on Monday, halting defense exports and restricting the territory's access to high technology products as China prepares new Hong Kong security legislation. The Commerce Department said it was suspending "preferential treatment to Hong Kong over China, including the availability of export license exceptions," adding that further actions to eliminate Hong Kong's privileged status were being evaluated. Facing criticism, White House to brief Democrats on reports Russia paid Taliban to kill U.S. troops

The White House sought to play down reports it knew Russia had paid the Taliban bounties to kill U.S. troops, promising to brief Democrats on Tuesday after being accused of only sharing information with President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans. Trump administration officials said there was no consensus on the underlying intelligence among U.S. agencies and Trump had not been made aware of it. Facing crisis, Cuba calls on citizens to grow more of their own food

In the courtyard of a temple belonging to the Abakua Afro-Cuban religious brotherhood in Havana, Nelson Piloto is pulling up the lawn to plant bell peppers and cassava in the face of Cuba's looming food crisis. Piloto, 40, says he is responding to the Communist government's call for citizens to produce more of their own food, including in big cities, in whatever spaces they can find, from backyards to balconies. Pro-nuclear energy protesters rally against Greenpeace in Paris

A group of pro-nuclear protesters demonstrated against the closure of a major reactor in France on Monday - taking their rally to the Paris headquarters of Greenpeace, the activists known for their eye-catching campaigns in favour of shutdowns. The protest comes as state-controlled utility EDF plans to shut down the second and last ageing nuclear reactor of its Fessenheim plant near the German border overnight. Pompeo calls China Muslim sterilization reports 'shocking' and 'disturbing'

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday labeled as "shocking" and "disturbing" reports that China's ruling Communist Party is using forced sterilization, forced abortion and coercive family planning against minority Muslims. Pompeo highlighted a report about the situation in China's Xinjiang region by German researcher Adrian Zenz published by the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation think tank. Macron says local vote his party lost should not entail national conclusions

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he was against drawing too many national conclusions from results of local elections his party LaRem badly lost on Sunday. LaRem party failed to win in any big city, leaving Macron, 42, without a local power-base as he eyes a possible bid for a second term as president in 2022. The Greens turned out to be the big winners of the vote, gaining control of big cities including Lyon, Bordeaux and Strasbourg. UK PM Johnson's answer to COVID-19 downturn: 'Build, build, build'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his plan to spend the British economy out of its coronavirus-induced crisis, with a speech on Tuesday promising to fast-track 5 billion pounds ($6.15 billion) of infrastructure investment. Britain shut down swathes of its economy for nearly three months when COVID-19 threatened to run out of control, forcing the government to borrow tens of billions of pounds to keep companies afloat and limit job losses. Iraqi officials release Iran-backed militiamen arrested last week

Iraqi government officials said on Monday that a number of Iran-backed militiamen arrested in a raid by security forces on Thursday had been released on bail, government sources said. The three sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not specify how many of the 14 that the military announced were detained had been released. Masked Madrid health workers sing, weep and call for job security

Health workers in scrubs and face masks gathered in central Madrid's Puerta del Sol Square on Monday, demanding better terms for work in a system that was overwhelmed by one of the world's worst outbreaks of the coronavirus. In a gathering called by a group representing 10,000 contracted health workers in the Spanish capital, they waved banners reading, "Who will look after the people who look after you?" Congo president vows not to accept judicial reforms that cause 'harm'

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said on Monday he would not accept any reforms that undermined the independence of the judiciary, the latest salvo in a standoff within the ruling coalition over proposed judicial changes. The disagreement over a proposal to give the justice ministry more control over criminal prosecutions has highlighted strains in the coalition between Tshisekedi and allies of his long-serving predecessor, Joseph Kabila.