Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Ethiopian crash black boxes sent to Paris as 737 MAX jets grounded globally

Two black boxes from the Boeing 737 MAX airplane that crashed in Ethiopia were being taken to Paris for investigation, Ethiopian Airlines said, as regulators around the world awaited word on whether it was safe to resume flying the jets. Following the lead of other global aviation regulators unnerved by the second crash involving a 737 MAX in less than five months, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued orders on Wednesday for the planes to be grounded. UK lawmakers to vote on four possible changes to May's Brexit delay motion

British lawmakers will have the opportunity to vote on up to four amendments to Prime Minister Theresa May's proposed delay to Brexit on Thursday, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow said. Lawmakers will vote on a government motion later which sets out the option to have a short delay to Brexit by agreeing to an exit deal by March 20, or a longer delay if no deal can be agreed in time. New premier urges Algerians to accept dialogue

Algeria's new prime minister said on Thursday he would form a temporary government of technocrats and others to work toward political change in response to weeks of street protests, and he urged the opposition to join in a dialogue. Noureddine Bedoui laid out his plans at a news conference in Algiers three days after ailing President Abelaziz Bouteflika announced his decision not to run for a fifth term that would have extended his 20 years in power. UK parliament to vote on Brexit delay, PM seeks to revive her deal

Britain's parliament was due to vote on Thursday on seeking a last-minute Brexit delay and Prime Minister Theresa May sought to use the prospect of a long extension to push lawmakers to back her EU divorce deal, which they have twice rejected. Little more than two weeks before Britain is due to leave the European Union, with no firm agreement in place to smooth the transition, May tried to up the pressure on euroskeptic rebels in her Conservative Party. Families keep vigil at hospital after Nigerian school collapses

Families kept vigil at a hospital on Thursday for children pulled from the wreckage of a collapsed school building in the Nigerian city of Lagos. Authorities have so far confirmed only that some people were killed, without giving a number, after the four-story building housing the school, homes and shops collapsed on Wednesday. NATO edges toward Trump's spending demands, Germany lags

More European allies in NATO increased defense spending in 2018, with sharp rises in the Baltics, Poland and the Netherlands, but only six governments met a target sought by the United States - while Germany lagged and Canadian outlays fell. European allies have tried to deflect threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, who last year demanded countries double NATO's defense spending goal of two percent of economic output. They say security is not just about spending targets. British soldier to face murder charges over 1972 'Bloody Sunday', reigniting controversy

A former British soldier will be prosecuted for two murders in the "Bloody Sunday" killings of 13 unarmed Catholic civil rights marchers in Londonderry by British paratroopers in 1972 - one of the most notorious incidents of the Northern Ireland conflict. The evidence was insufficient to charge 16 other former soldiers, Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service said on Thursday. Taliban leader optimistic about peace, tries to reassure Afghans

The Taliban political chief, who headed the Islamist militants' delegation during the most recent round of peace talks with the United States, said on Thursday that he was optimistic and assured Afghans that they had no reason to fear a settlement. The latest round of talks in Qatar lasted 16 days and finished on Tuesday, with officials from both sides saying that progress had been made, but there was no agreement on when foreign troops might be withdrawn. Islamic State loses ground in final Syria enclave, hundreds surrender

Islamic State militants accompanied by relatives surrendered to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) by the hundreds on Thursday as the jihadists lost ground to a U.S.-backed assault aimed seizing the last shred of IS territory, the SDF said. Many of the men were limping as they crossed out of the enclave at Baghouz along a dirt path over a rocky hill, accompanied by weeping children and fully veiled women, dragging suitcases and backpacks behind them, a Reuters journalist said. Syria's Assad struggles to reap spoils after military gains

Eight years since Syria began its descent into war, many of President Bashar al-Assad's enemies have been defeated and the bulk of the country is back under his control. But he isn't celebrating. "We must not wrongly think, as happened in the last year, that the war is over. I say this not just to citizens but also to officials," Assad told supporters in a speech last month.