World News Roundup: Palestinian PM, government resign; British lawmakers instruct May to change Brexit deal

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Vale sacrifices output to decommission dams after Brazil disaster

Vale SA, the world's largest iron ore miner, on Tuesday vowed to take as much as 10 percent of its ore output offline in order to decommission 10 more dams like the one that burst last week, killing scores of workers and nearby residents. Chief Executive Fabio Schvartsman said it would temporarily paralyze operations using those dams and spend 5 billion reais ($1.3 billion) to decommission them over the next three years.

Saudi crown prince discusses Yemen with U.N. secretary-general

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a telephone call from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday to discuss progress on resolving the war in Yemen and other regional issues, Saudi Press Agency reported. The four-year war in Yemen pits the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement against the Saudi-backed government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people through military actions and other causes.

More than 130 African migrants feared drowned off Djibouti: U.N.

More than 130 African migrants were missing off Djibouti after two overloaded boats capsized in rough seas on Tuesday, the United Nations migration agency said. The vessels were heading to Yemen, a gateway to Gulf countries where many migrants hope to find jobs and better lives, said Joel Millman, spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

U.N. finds at least 15 mass graves in Congo after December violence

At least 15 mass graves have been found in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo in the wake of three days of ethnic bloodshed in December, a spokeswoman for the U.N.'s MONUSCO mission in Congo said on Tuesday. Earlier in January, the United Nations estimated that at least 890 were killed as a result of the violence, some of the worst in the area for years which highlighted the precarious state of inter-ethnic relations even in the Central African country's more peaceful regions.

British lawmakers instruct May to change Brexit deal; EU says 'No'

British lawmakers on Tuesday instructed Prime Minister Theresa May to reopen a Brexit treaty with the European Union to replace a controversial Irish border arrangement - and promptly received a flat rejection from Brussels. Two weeks after overwhelmingly rejecting May's Brexit deal, parliament backed a proposal intended to send her back to Brussels with a stronger mandate to seek changes that were more likely to win their support.

Palestinian prime minister, government resign

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah has tendered his resignation and that of his unity government to President Mahmoud Abbas, he said on Tuesday, dealing a blow to faltering reconciliation efforts with Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas. Abbas said in a statement that he accepted the resignation and that the government will "continue its duties until the new government is formed."

U.S. sanctions threaten Venezuela's economy as Maduro eyes next move

Venezuelans braced for the deepening of a brutal economic crisis on Tuesday after the United States imposed sanctions sharply curbing the country's vital oil exports, while the socialist government responded by refusing to load crude cargoes without payment. The Trump administration hopes the sanctions, which bar state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela from collecting proceeds from crude sales to U.S. refineries, pressure President Nicolas Maduro to step down and allow opposition leader and self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido to call elections.

U.S. sends first Central American asylum seeker to Mexico under new policy

The United States sent the first Central American asylum seeker back to Mexico through a crossing at the border city of Tijuana on Tuesday as part of a hardened immigration policy, an official at Mexico's national migration institute said. The return of a Honduran man was carried out under a U.S. policy dubbed the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) by which the United States will return non-Mexican migrants who cross the U.S. southern border back to Mexico while their asylum requests are processed in U.S. immigration courts.

Italy PM says five nations have offered help to end migrant boat stand-off

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Tuesday five countries had come forward with offers to help end the stand-off over a rescue boat moored off Sicily with 47 migrants on board. The Sea Watch 3, run by a German humanitarian group, rescued the migrants from a rubber boat off the Libyan coast more than a week ago but Italy, which has closed its ports to charity ships, has refused to allow them ashore to request asylum.

Two bombs explode in southeast Iran, police officers wounded

Two bombs exploded on Tuesday in front of a police station in the city of Zahedan in southeastern Iran, local officials told state media, causing minor injuries to three police officers. Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group, claimed responsibility for the explosions. The group said it had targeted a police station with "two strong bombs", damaging a police car and motorcycle.