Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Madrid demonstrators reject government's Catalonia policy

Tens of thousands of people waving Spain's red-and-yellow flag demonstrated in Madrid on Sunday to oppose any concessions by the government to Catalan pro-independence parties and to call for early elections. Demonstrators chanting "Spain! Spain!" and "We want to vote!" filled the Plaza de Colon in the city center in the largest protest Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has faced in eight months in office. Party that nominated Thai princess for PM faces ban after king's rebuke

The Thai political party that nominated a princess as its candidate for prime minister could be banned from a general election in March after an activist said on Sunday he would file a petition seeking its dissolution. Thailand's Election Commission is to meet on Monday to consider the candidacy of Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi, 67, who stunned the nation on Friday when she said she would be the prime ministerial candidate for a populist party loyal to ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Saudi Arabia says has 'nothing to do' with Bezos-AMI dispute

Saudi Arabia had "absolutely nothing to do" with the National Enquirer's reporting on an extramarital relationship involving Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, the kingdom's minister of state for foreign affairs said. Bezos on Thursday accused American Media Inc (AMI), the Enquirer's owner, of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing "intimate photos" he allegedly sent to his girlfriend unless he said in public that the U.S. tabloid's reporting on him was not politically motivated. Climate change seen as top threat, but U.S. power a growing worry: poll

Climate change is the top security concern in a poll conducted by the Washington-based Pew Research Center, followed by Islamist terrorism and cyber attacks while respondents in a growing number of countries worried about the power and influence of the United States. In 13 of 26 countries, people listed climate change as the top global threat, with the Islamic State militant group topping the list in eight and cyber attacks in four, the non-profit, non-partisan Pew Research Center said in its report. Germany's SPD restores working-class appeal before regional votes

Germany's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) unveiled a position paper on Sunday that calls for more generous state allowances for the unemployed, children and pensioners, seeking to appeal to working class voters in four regional elections this year. The SPD, junior coalition partners of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, have been debating how to regain the confidence of voters who handed them their worst results since 1949 in a 2017 national election. UK's May rejects pivot towards Brexit customs union compromise

British Prime Minister Theresa May has rejected the idea of targeting a customs union with the European Union, pouring cold water on hopes from some that she could shift her Brexit policy to win over the opposition Labour Party. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29 but has yet to find a deal which is acceptable to both Brussels and lawmakers at home, raising the prospect of a disorderly exit that could damage the world's fifth largest economy. Afghan president offers Taliban local office, but group wants Doha instead

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday offered the Taliban the possibility of opening an office in Afghanistan but the proposal was swiftly spurned by the group that is determined to keep his government out of accelerating peace talks. Ghani has expressed alarm at the Taliban shutting his administration out of negotiations with the United States as well as recent Moscow talks with Afghan opposition politicians, and repeated earlier offers to give the group a secure official address to aid any future diplomacy between the two sides. Pope denounces 'scourge' of human trafficking and slavery

Pope Francis urged governments on Sunday to take decisive action against the $150 billion-a-year human trafficking business and the plight of millions of modern-day slaves. Francis was addressing tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square two days after the Roman Catholic Church marked an annual day of prayer and awareness over human trafficking. Withdrawal of U.S. forces in Syria likely to start in 'weeks': U.S. general

The United States is likely just weeks away from starting the withdrawal of ground troops from Syria ordered by President Donald Trump, the top U.S. commander overseeing American forces in the Middle East said on Sunday. U.S. Army General Joseph Votel, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, also said he believed troop levels in Iraq would remain broadly steady, adding: "We don't want to keep people on the ground that we don't need and (who) don't have a valid mission." South Korea signs deal to pay more for U.S. troops after Trump demand

Officials signed a short-term agreement on Sunday to boost South Korea's contribution toward the upkeep of U.S. troops on the peninsula, after a previous deal lapsed amid U.S. President Donald Trump's call for the South to pay more. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, where the United States has maintained a military presence since the 1950-53 Korean War.