Reuters World News Summary

On Saturday, Jordan's military told King Abdullah's half brother Prince Hamza bin Hussein to halt actions targeting "security and stability" in the key U.S. ally. Myanmar protesters make Easter eggs a symbol of defiance Opponents of military rule in Myanmar inscribed messages of protest on Easter eggs on Sunday while thousands of others were back on the streets, denouncing a Feb. 1 coup and facing off with the security forces who shot and killed at least three men.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Ethiopia says Eritrean troops have started withdrawing from Tigray

Eritrean forces have started withdrawing from the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said, following mounting reports blaming the Eritreans for human rights abuses including rape, looting and killings of civilians. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also described an upsurge of fighting in recent days, against "enemies" he said were mingling with the civilian population.

Colombia to extend COVID restrictions as cases rise Colombia will extend coronavirus restrictions based on intensive care unit occupancy rates, President Ivan Duque said on Sunday, amid rising case numbers. The Andean country, which has recorded more than 2.4 million coronavirus cases and nearly 64,000 deaths, has so far administered nearly 2.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Japan and Germany to hold first '2 plus 2' dialogue talks in April - Yomiuri The foreign and defence ministers of Japan and Germany are looking to hold a "2 plus 2" dialogue online in mid-April, the daily Yomiuri reported on Monday. The "2 plus 2" talks will be the first among the two countries, and they are expected to discuss ways to defence and a "free and open Indo-Pacific" in face of an increasingly assertive China, the report said, citing multiple unidentified sources.

Protest parties surge in Bulgaria election, threatening Prime Minister Borissov Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov will have difficulty holding onto power, after a surge of votes in an election on Sunday for anti-establishment and anti-corruption parties that want him out. Parallel count of the vote by pollsters forecast his centre-right GERB party to remain the largest grouping in parliament, but with only 25.2% of the vote, compared with the 33.5% it won four years ago.

Analysis: Palace intrigue harms Jordan's stable image Unprecedented public criticism of Jordan's monarchy by a senior royal who has been placed under house arrest has shaken the country's image as an island of stability in the Middle East. On Saturday, Jordan's military told King Abdullah's half brother Prince Hamza bin Hussein to halt actions targeting "security and stability" in the key U.S. ally.

Myanmar protesters make Easter eggs a symbol of defiance Opponents of military rule in Myanmar inscribed messages of protest on Easter eggs on Sunday while thousands of others were back on the streets, denouncing a Feb. 1 coup and facing off with the security forces who shot and killed at least three men. In the latest in a series of impromptu shows of defiance, messages including "Spring Revolution", "We must win" and "Get out MAH" - referring to junta leader Min Aung Hlaing - were seen on eggs in photographs on social media.

Venezuela to ask U.N. for help in clearing land mines near Colombian border Venezuela will ask the United Nations to help remove landmines in its territory that it says have been deployed by "irregular" armed groups near the Colombian border, President Nicolas Maduro said on Sunday. Maduro's government on Thursday said two soldiers were killed by a land mine during military operations in the state of Apure, where clashes between soldiers and armed groups has led thousands of Venezuelans to flee across the border.

UK's Johnson to set out travel plans after vaccine programme takes off British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out plans to reopen the economy and eventually relaunch international travel on Monday when he updates the coronavirus roadmap, aided by one of the fastest vaccine rollouts in the world. As much of Europe enters new lockdowns to tackle surging cases, Johnson will give an update on his staggered plan to ease restrictions in the coming months, a huge boost for one of the worst-hit countries during the pandemic.

Kosovo parliament elects Vjosa Osmani as new national president Kosovo's parliament has appointed a 38-year-old U.S.-educated female law professor and candidate of the ruling Vetevendosje party as the country's new president, following an election in February. Vjosa Osmani took over as acting president of Kosovo last November when her predecessor, Hashim Thaci, resigned ahead of his impending war crimes trial in the Netherlands.

Jordan says prince liaised with 'foreign parties' over plot to destabilise country The half-brother and former heir of Jordan's King Abdullah, Prince Hamza, liaised with foreign parties over a plot to destabilise the country and has been under investigation for some time, the deputy prime minister said on Sunday. On Saturday the military said it had issued a warning to the prince over actions targeting "security and stability" in the key U.S. ally. Prince Hamza later said he was under house arrest. Several high-profile figures were also detained.