REUTERS NEWS SCHEDULE AT 10 p.m. GMT/6 a.m. SGT

Here are the top stories and upcoming coverage plans for Reuters text service as of 10 p.m. GMT/6 a.m. SGT. For a full schedule of news and events, go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect here.

TOP STORIES

GLOBAL

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-BRITAIN-VACCINE/

UK to refine allergy warning on Pfizer vaccine sparked by two adverse reactions

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s medicine regulator warned people with significant allergies not to get Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine after two people suffered adverse reactions, but was set to give more detailed guidance on Wednesday based on reviews of those cases.

BRITAIN-EU/

Brexit deal hangs in balance as Johnson dines with EU leader

BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson began a crisis meeting over dinner in Brussels with the EU’s chief executive on Wednesday, hours after warning the bloc it must make concessions to clinch a Brexit trade deal and avoid a turbulent year-end breakup.

U.S.

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-USA/

U.S. inches closer to vaccine approval, economic relief as pandemic rages on

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Economic relief and a vaccine drew nearer to reality on Wednesday to counter a coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged the U.S. economy and killed 286,487 people, with year-end holiday gatherings expected to fuel another surge in infections.

USA-BIDEN/

Biden says ‘right moment’ for first Black Pentagon chief, amid congressional concerns

WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) – President-elect Joe Biden said it was the “right moment” in U.S. history for his nominee for defense secretary, retired Army General Lloyd Austin, despite some concerns about the recently out-of-uniform soldier taking on the civilian role.

BUSINESS

DOORDASH-IPO-SHARES/

DoorDash valued at $68.4 billion in blockbuster market debut

DoorDash Inc shares soared 80% in their debut on Wednesday, valuing the food delivery company at $68.4 billion or more than four times its worth at a private fundraising round six months ago, underscoring investor appetite for technology companies boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

INDIA-ANTITRUST-CEMENT-EXCLUSIVE/

Exclusive: India antitrust body raids cement giants UltraTech, LafargeHolcim units, sources say

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s antitrust body on Wednesday conducted raids at offices of UltraTech Cement and two subsidiaries of the world’s largest cement maker LafargeHolcim, two sources close to the matter told Reuters.

ENTERTAINMENT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/SINGAPORE-CRUISE

Relieved passengers leave Singapore cruise after COVID-19 scare

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A Royal Caribbean “cruise-to-nowhere” from Singapore began disembarking its nearly 1,700 passengers who were confined to their cabins for more than 16 hours on Wednesday after a COVID-19 case was detected onboard, forcing the ship back to port.

TECH-ANTITRUST/FACEBOOK

Facebook faces U.S. lawsuits that could force sale of Instagram, WhatsApp

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Facebook Inc could be forced to sell its prized assets WhatsApp and Instagram after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and nearly every U.S. state filed lawsuits against the social media company, saying the deals were unfair and ultimately harmed consumers.

SPORTS

MOTOR-F1-ABUDHABI/

Formula One statistics for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Formula One statistics for Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina:

Lap distance: 5.554km. Total distance: 305.355km (55 laps

2019 pole: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes one minute 34.779 seconds.2019 winner: Hamilton

Race lap record: 1:39.283 (Hamilton, 2019)

Start time: 1410 GMT (1710 local)

SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-PSG-IBA/

UEFA open disciplinary case over Paris race incident

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -UEFA has opened a disciplinary proceeding into Tuesday’s Champions League match between Paris St Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir when players walked off in protest at after the Turkish club accused a match official of racism.

UPCOMING

POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

CLIMATE-CHANGE/ASSEMBLY

Global “Citizens Assembly” to seek solutions to climate change ahead of U.N. talks

U.N. and British officials endorse plans to hold a 1,000-strong virtual global “Citizens Assembly” to inform talks at a U.N. climate summit due to take place in Glasgow in November, 2021. Comprised of a representative sample of the world’s population, chosen by lot, organisers, backed by British actor Mark Rylance, say the assembly will be the “biggest experiment in global democracy.” EMBARGOED TO 00:01 on Thursday Dec. 10.

10 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

TURKEY-RIGHTS/LGBT

Turkish court expected to hand verdict at LGBT students trial

A court in Turkish capital Ankara is expected to hand the verdict at a trial of 19 people for participating in an LGBT+ Pride march on a university campus.

Dec 10

ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN/PARADE (PIX) (TV)

Turkey’s Erdogan joins Azeri Aliyev at military parade in Baku

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to attend the military parade with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to mark the victory on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Dec 10

GLOBAL-POY/USA-ELECTION (PIX)

WIDER IMAGE – Pictures of the year – US Election

US Election pictures of the year.

Dec 10

USA-SOUTHKOREA/BIEGUN (PIX) (TV)

U.S. envoy Biegun delivers speech in South Korea

Washington’s point man on North Korea, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Stephen Biegun, delivers a speech at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies during his visit to South Korea.

Dec 10

EGYPT-ITALY/REGENI

Italian prosecutors to wrap up Regeni investigation, present findings

Italian prosecutors are expected to wrap up their investigation into the disappearance and killing of student Giulio Regeni in Cairo in 2016. They might call for the trial of five Egyptian security officials over their alleged role in the case, a judicial source said.

Dec 10

GHANA-ELECTION/ (PIX) (TV)

Results expected in Ghana’s parliamentary election

Results from Monday’s parliamentary elections in Ghana are expected to be announced by the electoral commission after President Nana Akufo-Addo was awarded a second four-year term in office. How many seats his ruling party wins will determine how easily he will be able to enact economic reforms.

Dec 10

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-CONGRESS

U.S. Senate to vote on stopgap funding bill as haggling continues over coronavirus aid

The U.S. Senate as early as Thursday is expected to vote on a one-week extension of federal government funding Wednesday to provide more time to work out a broader spending package with coronavirus relief, if lawmakers can reach agreement after months of haggling. The move gives Congress seven more days to enact a broader, $1.4 trillion “omnibus” spending measure, to which congressional leaders hope to attach the long-awaited COVID-19 relief package.

Dec 10

INDIA-FARMS/PROTESTS (PIX)

Farmers continue their protests, reject tweaks on new farm laws

India’s farmers on Wednesday rejected the government’s proposal to amend three controversial laws and said they would step up protests seeking withdrawal of these laws which they said would harm their economic interests while helping big food retailers.

Dec 10

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/JAPAN-VACCINES

Japan govt to brief media on COVID-19 vaccination, vaccine distribution

Japan’s health ministry holds a media briefing on its preparation for COVID 19 vaccine distribution and vaccination.

10 Dec 00:00 ET / 05:00 GMT

EU-SUMMIT/ (PIX) (TV)

EU Summit in Brussels

EU leaders meet in Brussels to discuss further coordination on COVID-19, climate change, trade, security and external relations. Also on the agenda could be progress on a trade deal with Britain and a solution to the veto of Poland and Hungary to the EU’s 1.8 trillion euro financial package for the next 7 years.

10 Dec 06:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

NOBEL-PRIZE/PEACE (PIX) (TV) (GRAPHIC)

Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony

The laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize will receive the award during a digital ceremony. The scaled-down ceremony will take place on the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards.

10 Dec 07:00 ET / 12:00 GMT

PORTUGAL-CABINET/

Portugal’s government holds weekly cabinet meeting

Portugal’s government holds weekly cabinet meeting. Presser due to start at 1300 GMT.

10 Dec 08:00 ET / 13:00 GMT

CHANGE-SUITE/VMWARE

VMware’s call to action for the next decade: Q&A with CEO Gelsinger

VMware unveils its 2020 Agenda, a decade long-commitment to address trust, equity and sustainability. A Q&A with CEO Pat Gelsinger. EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M. ET

10 Dec 09:00 ET / 14:00 GMT

BUSINESS / ECONOMICS

HEALTH–CORONAVIRUS/ADB-ECONOMY

ADB to release latest supplement to its Asian Development Outlook

ADB to release the latest supplement to its Asian Development Outlook series.

10 Dec 20:30 ET / 01:30 GMT

ECUADOR-MINING/ (PIX)

Strife with indigenous groups could derail Ecuador’s drive to be a mining power

Conflicts with indigenous communities have upended Ecuador’s efforts expand its mining industry, undermining the Andean nation’s ambitious plans to develop an alternative to its oil industry.

Dec 10

CZECH-TAX/

Czech upper house debates record tax cut that would dent budgets

The upper house of parliament debates an over 2%/GDP tax cut that was approved by the lower house, which doubled down on an already huge government tax reduction proposal. The bill has divided both the ruling coalition and opposition parties and would raise an already high planned deficit for next year and take away a chunk of funding for local budgets. Any modifications would need to be voted on again in the lower house.

Dec 10

UZBEKISTAN-RATES/

Uzbekistan’s central bank reviews policy rate

Uzbekistan’s central bank to review policy rate

10 Dec 04:00 ET / 09:00 GMT

WALT DISNEY-STREAMING/ (PIX)

Disney outlines future streaming strategy

Walt Disney Co updates investors on plans for its streaming services including Disney+, the company’s competitor to Netflix Inc

10 Dec 04:30 ET / 09:30 GMT

ODDLY ENOUGH

KYRGYZSTAN-MANAS/ (TV)

Medieval art flourishes in Kyrgyzstan amid nationalist resurgence

Kyrgyz reciters of an epic poem Manas gather for a yearly celebration, with a historic reenactment, promoting the tradition.

Dec 10

CHINA-KUNGFU/ (PIX) (TV)

China’s “iron crotch” kungfu master

Wang Liutai is no ordinary kungfu master. For the 65-year-old from a village in central China practises and teaches a unique and excruciating-looking strand of the martial art, coined “iron crotch” kungfu. This involves Wang bearing the force of a 2-meter-long, 50-kilogram log swinging through the air and smashing into his crotch.

Dec 10

LIFE-SPAIN/SKATEBOARDER (PIX) (TV)

Barcelona skateboarder achieves stature, proves height is no big deal

Athletic, cheerful and doe-eyed, Petar “Stewie” Stantchev has a sizeable arsenal of skateboarding tricks he likes to flaunt on the squares of Barcelona, the city the Bulgarian-born 25-year-old chose to live because of its vibrant skateboarding scene.

10 Dec 08:00 ET / 13:00 GMT

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

SOUTHKORA-ENVIRONMENT/MOON (TV)

South Korea’s Moon to announce carbon neutrality by 2050

President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, one of the world’s most fossil-fuel reliant economies, will make public announcement to go carbon neutral by 2050.

Dec 10

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/GAZA-CHRISTMAS (PIX) (TV)

Gold doesn’t glitter this Christmas for Gaza jeweller

Jeweller Melad Al-Amash’s gold miniature Christmas trees and Santa Claus figurines are on holiday display again in Islamist-run Gaza but the coronavirus pandemic is keeping his traditional customers away.

Dec 10

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/SOUTHKOREA-MASK-CHAIR (PIX) (TV)

The face-mask seat: a South Korean student’s attempt to recycle in COVID times

South Korean furniture design student, 23, Kim Ha-neul, melts down discarded face masks and turn them into stools to promote an eco-friendly solution for disposable masks, which are made of plastic and cause environmental pollution amid pandemic.

Dec 10

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/CANADA-EMPLOYMENT

Non-white women facing brunt of joblessness in Canada’s pandemic

Nine months into the pandemic, Black, Chinese-Canadian and other non-white women continue to bear the brunt of joblessness, even as employment levels for their white counterparts have recovered to near pre-pandemic levels, Statistics Canada data provided to Reuters shows.

Dec 10

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/GERMANY INSTITUTE (PIX) (TV)

Germany’s Robert Koch Institute holds news conference on COVID-19 situation

Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases holds a news conference on the COVID-19 situation in the EU’s most populous country, which is struggling to bring down case numbers.

10 Dec 04:00 ET / 09:00 GMT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/IRELAND

Irish Foreign Minister Coveney speaks at Northern Irish webinar

Coveney speaking EU leaders gather in Brussels to discuss Brexit

10 Dec 07:30 ET / 12:30 GMT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/PFIZER-VACCINE (TV)

FDA panel considers emergency approval of Pfizer vaccine

An outside advisory panel of the Food and Drug Administration considers an application by Pfizer for Emergency Use Authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine.

10 Dec 09:00 ET / 14:00 GMT

SPORTS

OLYMPICS-2021/PHELPS

Olympics-Michael Phelps discusses the 2021 Games and the ‘Olympic mindset’

American swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, discusses his outlook for the 2021 Tokyo Games and the role of optimism in creating an “Olympic mindset” in an interview with Reuters.

Dec 10

WORLD-WORK/DELOITTE

How organizations and leaders can leverage the lessons of 2020 to fundamentally reimagine work – report

Deloitte’s 2021 Global Human Capital Trends report, released on December 10, finds that 72% of executives see “the ability of their people to adapt, reskill and assume new roles” as a priority for navigating future disruptions EMBARGOED FOR 5 A.M. ET

10 Dec 05:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

CONFLICTS / WAR / PEACE

ASEAN-SUMMIT/DEFENCE (TV)

Defence Ministers of ASEAN meet via video with counterparts of U.S., Russia, China, India

Defence ministers from the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN meet virtually with counterparts of partner countries that include major powers the United States, China, India, Russia, Australia and Japan.

Dec 10

IRAQ-SECURITY/UNDOCUMENTED CHILDREN (PIX) (TV)

Undocumented, children born under ISIS still in limbo

Undocumented, many children born under the Islamic State face bleak future, as Iraqi government pushes forward plan to close camps for the internally displaced in Iraq

Dec 10

ETHIOPIA-CONFLICT/ (PIX)

Aid agencies try to access war-hit Tigray in Ethiopia

Aid agencies continue to try to get access to Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray region in order to deliver relief, after the government said that it did not need a “baby-sitter” for relief operations.

10 Dec 03:00 ET / 08:00 GMT

ARTS / CULTURE / ENTERTAINMENT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/SPAIN-GIFTS (PIX)

No Christmas corporate party this year? In Spain, a basket could fill the gap

Colleagues won’t toast this year at the traditional corporate Christmas parties as big gatherings are forbidden due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Spanish tradition of sending Christmas baskets is already filling the gap.

10 Dec 04:30 ET / 09:30 GMT