Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Private jet demand rises as wealthy Russians spend lockdown in West

Some private jet companies have seen a rise in demand from wealthy Russians who want to spend time in the West during the coronavirus crisis but who were unable to take commercial flights amid tight restrictions by airlines and governments. Passengers are heading for countries such as Britain and Cyprus where they own property, have residency rights, sometimes thanks to holding dual nationality, or have close relatives, according to industry sources. British minister says 'move on' from rage over PM adviser Cummings' road trip

A British minister said on Wednesday that it was time to "move on" after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior adviser provoked outrage and widespread scorn by making a 400 km (250 mile) road trip during the coronavirus lockdown. Dominic Cummings has refused to quit after it was revealed that he had driven from London to northern England in March with his 4-year-old son and his wife, who was sick at the time, to be close to relatives. Johnson has backed his adviser. EU must evolve its position in talks on future ties: UK negotiator

The European Union must evolve its position to reach an agreement with Britain, the UK's chief negotiator David Frost said on Wednesday, repeating his position that at the moment the two sides are far apart. Asked whether Frost would want the EU's negotiator to have a changed mandate for the negotiations, Frost said: "Our view at the moment is that mandate, at least in key areas, is not a mandate that is likely to produce an agreement." Nigerian military unlawfully detain children at rehabilitation centre for militants: Amnesty

The Nigerian military are unlawfully detaining boys and men at a rehabilitation centre for alleged members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Amnesty International said in a report released on Wednesday. In the latest allegations of rights abuses since Boko Haram began its insurgency in Nigeria's northeast, Amnesty criticised Operation Safe Corridor, a programme that receives financial and technical support from the European Union, Britain, the United States and the U.N. International Organization for Migration. Rwandan genocide suspect Kabuga denounces charges as 'lies'

Rwandan genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga told a French court on Wednesday that the international charges against him were lies. Asked if he understood the charges made by an U.N. tribunal, Kabuga told the court through an interpreter: "All of this is lies. I have not killed any Tutsis. I was working with them." Border closures, pre-travel tests of little use against COVID-19 spread: EU agency

Border closures do little to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the European Union's public health agency said, as EU states weigh lifting some travel restrictions imposed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said measures such as testing travellers before departure or temperature screening on arrival are also largely ineffective, though it confirmed that travelling facilitates the spread of the virus. New Iran parliament convenes under strict coronavirus curbs

Iran's new parliament convened on Wednesday after the Feb. 21 elections under strict health protocols and social distancing rules to ward off the coronavirus in one of the hardest-hit Middle Eastern countries. Many lawmakers wore masks and their temperatures were taken before entering the parliament building in southern Tehran, Iranian media reported. Hong Kong police arrest 300 as thousands protest over security laws

Police in Hong Kong fired pepper pellets and made 300 arrests as thousands of people took to the streets on Wednesday to voice anger over national security legislation proposed by China, that has raised international alarm over freedoms in the city. In the heart of the financial district, riot police fired pepper pellets to disperse a crowd, and elsewhere in the city police rounded up groups of dozens of suspected protesters, making them sit on sidewalks before searching their belongings. France bans hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 amid safety concerns

The French government on Wednesday cancelled a decree allowing hospital doctors to administer hydroxychloroquine as a treatment to patients suffering severe forms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. The move, which takes immediate effect, is the first by a country since the World Health Organization said on Monday it was pausing a large trial of the malaria drug on COVID-19 patients due to safety concerns. Exclusive: U.S. ahead of schedule in cutting Afghanistan troop strength - sources

U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan is down to nearly 8,600, well ahead of a schedule agreed with Taliban militants in late February, in part because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, U.S. and NATO officials said. A key provision of the Feb. 29 agreement between the Taliban and the United States, to which the Afghan government was not a party, involved a U.S. commitment to reduce its military footprint in Afghanistan from about 13,000 to 8,600 by mid-July and, conditions permitting, to zero by May 2021.

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