Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. U.S. to withdraw all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela

The United States will withdraw all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela this week, the U.S. State Department said late on Monday, citing the deteriorating situation in the country after months of political unrest. It followed Washington's Jan. 24 decision to withdraw all dependents and reduce embassy staff to a minimum in the South American country hit by unrest over a contested presidential election. Asked if meeting with Conservative lawmakers went well, PM May says 'sufficient'

British Prime Minister Theresa May said a meeting with her Conservative lawmakers ahead of a vote on her Brexit deal on Tuesday was "sufficient", when asked if it had gone well. Conservative lawmakers and ministers attending a meeting just hours before parliament was due to vote on May's tweaked deal, with eurosceptic politicians questioning how legally watertight the new assurances were from the European Union. China says Xinjiang has 'boarding schools', not 'concentration camps'

China is running boarding schools not concentration camps in the far western region of Xinjiang, its governor said on Tuesday, as the United States called conditions there "completely unacceptable". China has faced growing international opprobrium for what it says are vocational training centers in Xinjiang, a vast region bordering central Asia that is home to millions of Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities. Brexit hangs in the balance as parliament to vote on May's tweaked deal

Britain's exit from the European Union hung in the balance on Tuesday after the government's lawyer said last-minute "legally binding" assurances won by Prime Minister Theresa May to her divorce deal left the risk over the Irish backstop "unchanged". Scrambling to plot an orderly path out of the Brexit maze just days before the United Kingdom is due to leave, May rushed to Strasbourg on Monday to agree the assurances with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Singapore, China, Indonesia ground Boeing's 737 MAX 8 as concerns mount

Singapore suspended operations of all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in and out of Changi airport on Tuesday, and Indonesia and China grounded their fleets of the U.S. planemaker' s latest model after it suffered a second fatal crash in less than five months. The scare has wiped billions of dollars off the market value of the world's biggest planemaker, as the Boeing Co share closed 5 percent down on Monday having fallen by as much as 13.5 percent at one point. Taliban pile pressure on Afghan government forces in west

Taliban fighters have stepped up pressure on Afghan forces in the western province of Badghis, killing 20 soldiers and capturing 20, an official said on Tuesday, as the militants make advances even as they hold peace talks with U.S. officials. A large number of Taliban insurgents launched attacks on several army posts in the province's Bala Murghab district, beginning on Saturday night, said Qais Mangal, spokesman for the defense ministry in Kabul. Dissident Republican 'IRA' claims responsibility for UK letter bombs

A dissident Republican group calling itself the "IRA" claimed responsibility on Tuesday for letter bombs sent to buildings in London and the University of Glasgow last week. "The claim was allegedly made on behalf of the 'IRA'," British police said. Hardline Iranian cleric consolidates leadership position

Hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi has swiftly emerged as one of Iran's most powerful figures and a contender to succeed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Last week, he was named chief of the judiciary and on Tuesday he was elected deputy chief of the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for choosing the supreme leader. U.S.-backed SDF says 38 Islamic State fighters killed in enclave

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Tuesday 38 Islamic State fighters had been confirmed killed in a U.S.-backed offensive against the jihadists' final enclave in eastern Syria, after the area was pounded by ferocious bombardment overnight. Three SDF fighters had been killed and 10 wounded, Mustafa Bali, head of the SDF media office, said in a post on Twitter. Thousands demand quick change in Algeria after Bouteflika concessions

Thousands protested across Algeria on Tuesday, demanding immediate political changes a day after ailing President Abelaziz Bouteflika abandoned his bid for a fifth term in power but stopped short of stepping down. Huge crowds gathered in several cities and Ennahar TV reported workers began a strike that paralyzed operations at the Mediterranean port at Bajaia.