Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Work urgently with me on Brexit: Britain's May appeals to EU

Prime Minister Theresa May will call on the European Union on Thursday to work with her to change a divorce deal and help her win the support of a divided parliament to smooth Britain's departure from the bloc. Before arriving in Brussels for talks with EU leaders, May acknowledged that her task - to force change to a deal agreed almost three months ago - would not be easy, and a government source said a breakthrough on Thursday was not expected. Russia: we would be open to U.S. proposals for new nuclear pact

Russia would be prepared to consider new proposals from the United States to replace a suspended Cold War-era nuclear pact with a broader treaty that includes more countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday. Russia suspended the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty at the weekend after Washington announced it would withdraw in six months unless Russia ends what it says are violations of the pact, allegations rejected by Moscow. Russia offers to help U.S. on Afghan peace talks with Taliban: RIA

Russia is ready to help the United States advance its negotiations with the Taliban on withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, the RIA news agency cited Russia's foreign ministry as saying on Thursday. The comments came a day after Russia hosted peace talks in Moscow between the Taliban and opposition Afghan politicians. Indonesia finds 193 Bangladeshis locked up in shop house

Indonesian police found 193 Bangladeshis locked up in a shop house after human traffickers had lured them with the promise of getting them to Malaysia, an immigration official said on Thursday. The men entered Indonesia as tourists via Bali and the city of Yogyakarta with the intention of going to Malaysia for work, North Sumatra's immigration chief said. Forty years on from Iran's revolution: a judge's tale

Like many Iranians, retired judge Mohammad Reza made big sacrifices to help Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini launch his Islamic Revolution, enduring torture in prison for handing out leaflets calling for an end to the Shah's long dictatorship. When Khomeini returned from exile in Paris on a special Air France charter to millions of ecstatic supporters on February 1, 1979, Mohammad Reza, now 72, was among the crowds at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport. Families' anguish still raw as Genoa bridge demolition to begin

Egle Possetti has to avert her eyes when she drives past the remains of the road bridge in Genoa as she cannot bear looking at the place where her sister was killed along with her family. A 200-metre-long section of the Morandi bridge, part of a motorway linking the Italian port city with southern France, gave way on Aug. 14 last year in busy lunchtime traffic, sending dozens of vehicles into free-fall and killing 43 people. EU-backed group gathers to discuss 'good faith' plan for Venezuela

European and Latin American leaders will gather on Thursday in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo to discuss a plan to solve the deepening crisis in Venezuela, but will steer clear of direct intervention. The EU-backed group, known as the International Contact Group on Venezuela, will hold its inaugural meeting on Thursday, laying out a more hands-off approach that is at odds with calls by the United States and Latin American powers for more intervention. Explainer: The race for Nigeria's presidency in 2019

Nigerians will on Feb. 16 choose between two septuagenarians to lead Africa's largest democracy: President Muhammadu Buhari and former vice president Atiku Abubakar. The pair have run for president nine times between them. There are more than 60 other candidates, though their chances of winning are slim as the wealth and patronage networks of the two main parties drive the politics of Africa's top oil producer and most populous country. Large number of Iranian prisoners to be pardoned for revolution anniversary: Khamenei

A large number of prisoners in Iran will be pardoned on Thursday in honour of the 40th anniversary of the revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on his Twitter account. The number of prisoners that will be pardoned by Khamenei was not announced, but Iranian media earlier said around 50,000 prisoners will enjoy "the Islamic clemency". Malaysia's ex-PM Najib gears up for graft trial with charm offensive

Disgraced former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been out in recent weeks campaigning as if for an election, trying to shed the image of a wealthy, elite politician and elicit public sympathy before his corruption trial begins on Tuesday. Najib has pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering, in what is set to be the first of many trials over suspected multibillion-dollar fraud at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).