REUTERS NEWS SCHEDULE AT 6 a.m. GMT/2 p.m. SGT

Here are the top stories and upcoming coverage plans for Reuters text service as of 6 a.m. GMT/2 p.m. SGT. For a full schedule of news and events, go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect https://www.reutersconnect.com/planning or on Media Express http://mediaexpress.reuters.com/planning-tools/calendar. TOP STORIES

GLOBAL CHINA-USA-PENCE

Pence backs Hong Kong protests in China speech, slams NBA and Nike U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday accused China of curtailing "rights and liberties" in Hong Kong and blasted U.S. company Nike and the National Basketball Association for falling in line with Beijing in a disagreement over free speech.

BRITAIN-EU British PM Johnson calls for December 12 election to break Brexit deadlock

Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on Thursday for a general election on Dec. 12 to break Britain's Brexit impasse, conceding for the first time he will not meet his "do or die" deadline to leave the European Union next week. U.S.

USA-TRUMP-RUSSIA U.S. Justice Dept. review of origins of Russia probe now a criminal investigation: source

A U.S. Justice Department review of the origins of the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election is now a criminal investigation, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. USA-TRUMP-WHISTLEBLOWER

Senate Republicans push resolution assailing Trump impeachment process Republicans on Thursday pressed their campaign to discredit the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump by introducing a U.S. Senate resolution that called the process unfair but said nothing about Trump's conduct in his dealings with Ukraine.

BUSINESS USA-TRADE-CHINA

China to ask U.S. to remove tariffs in exchange for ag buys in talks Friday: sources Top U.S. and Chinese trade officials will discuss plans on Friday for China to buy more U.S. farm products, but in return, Beijing will request cancellation of some planned and existing U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, people briefed on the talks told Reuters.

AMAZON-COM-RESULTS Amazon's gloomy holiday forecast misses estimates, shares fall 7%

Amazon.com Inc on Thursday forecast revenue and profit for the holiday quarter below expectations, as it faces fierce competition and rising costs from its plan to speed up delivery times globally. ENTERTAINMENT

MUSIC-QUEEN-FANS Fans create their own 'kind of magic' in new Queen music videos

Singing in the kitchen, dancing in a field and impersonating frontman Freddie Mercury, Queen fans are giving renditions of three of the rock band's hit songs in new user-generated music videos unveiled on Thursday. FILM-RALPH-LAUREN

'It's emotional': Ralph Lauren on HBO documentary 'Very Ralph' American designer Ralph Lauren considers himself a private person, so giving cameras access to his life and fashion empire for the upcoming HBO documentary 'Very Ralph' was occasionally challenging.

SPORTS USA-TRUMP-WORLDSERIES

Trump to attend Sunday's potential Game 5 of World Series U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would attend Game 5 of the World Series in Washington on Sunday so long as Major League Baseball's championship is not decided sooner.

BASEBALL-MLB-WAS-HOU Sanchez tries to keep stellar postseason alive in World Series

Anibal Sanchez contemplated retiring from Major League Baseball in the past but rejuvenated his career and now has a chance to put the Washington Nationals on the cusp of a World Series title in the biggest game of his life. UPCOMING

POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS SWISS-JUSTICE/ (PIX) (GRAPHIC)

On trial: Swiss judicial system to face people's verdict Swiss supreme court judges are members of political parties, they may rely on their party's support to be elected and re-elected, and they donate thousands of francs a year to party coffers. This blurring of lines between courts and politics is an institutional flaw that makes the judiciary prone to political pressure, four former judges told Reuters. The matter has now reached a head, and campaigners have submitted the 100,000 signatures required to trigger a national referendum on the issue.

25 Oct 02:00 ET / 06:00 GMT USA-SYRIA/POLL

Poll-Republicans sour on their party's handling of key foreign policy matters Republicans seem to have lost some faith in their party's ability to deal with Syria and the War on Terror, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

25 Oct 03:00 ET / 07:00 GMT BRITAIN-EU/EXTENSION

EU27 envoys meet to decide on Britain's request for a Brexit extension Ambassadors of EU27 member states meet to reach an agreement on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's request for a Brexit deadline extension.

25 Oct 04:00 ET / 08:00 GMT USA-CONGRESS/CUMMINGS (PIX) (TV)

Obama, Clinton, Pelosi are slated to speak at congressman Cummings' funeral Former U.S. presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with former presidential candidate and senator Hillary Clinton are among a who's-who list of the Democrat party slated to speak on Friday at the late Congressman Elijah Cummings' funeral.

25 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT USA-ELECTION/CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Where Trump, Democratic presidential candidates stand on criminal justice reforms A look at the criminal justice policies and proposals for the 2020 presidential field ahead of a South Carolina forum on criminal justice reform.

25 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT USA-ELECTION/BLACK VOTERS

Democratic rivals look to break Biden's firewall with black South Carolina voters With each passing day, South Carolina looms larger as perhaps Joe Biden's last line of defense if he hopes to secure the Democratic presidential nomination next year.

25 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT USA-RUSSIA/BUTINA (TV)

Russian agent Butina to be freed from U.S. prison, awaits deportation Convicted Russian agent Maria Butina is set to be released from a Florida prison after serving most of her 18-month sentence for conspiring to influence U.S. conservative activists and infiltrate the National Rifle Association, and is expected to be quickly deported to her native country.

25 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT TURKEY-ERDOGAN/

Turkey's Erdogan meets Guinea, Afghan leaders Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets Guinea President Alpha Conde (1130 GMT) and Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum (1430 GMT) but it is not clear whether he will make any public statements.

25 Oct 07:30 ET / 11:30 GMT CLIMATE-CHANGE-FUND/ (TV)

Global climate fund looks to raise up to $10 bln in new financing round The Green Climate Fund, set up to help developing nations tackle global warming, aims to raise up to $10 billion in fresh pledges of financing from donor governments at a conference in Paris. French finance minister Bruno Le Maire chairs the meeting and hold presser at the end of it

25 Oct 08:30 ET / 12:30 GMT BUSINESS / ECONOMICS

MEDIA-AT&T/HBO MAX (PIX) Behind AT&T's plan to take on Netflix, Apple and Disney with HBO Max

AT&T-owned WarnerMedia, under scrutiny from activist investor Elliott Management, is among the last of the major media and tech companies to announce details of its entry into the streaming war. Ahead of AT&T's October 29 investor day presentation, when WarnerMedia will announce details for its HBO Max service to Wall Street analysts, we will reveal exclusive details. 25 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

MEDIA-AT&T/HBO MAX-SUBSCRIBERS FACTBOX-Which HBO subscribers will get HBO Max at no extra charge?

Next week, when WarnerMedia reveals details about its upcoming subscription streaming video service HBO Max, some current HBO subscribers in the U.S. will learn that they will have access to the new service at no additional charge. We tell you who. 25 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

USA-TRADE/MEXICO Mexico's chief negotiator gives update on new NAFTA deal as U.S. ratification window closes

Mexico's chief negotiator for the trade deal meant to replace NAFTA speaks at news conference about the progress made so far to convince U.S. House Speaker Pelosi to put the agreement to a vote, as the number of days left in the U.S. Congress calendar grows ever shorter. If the deal is not passed this year, most observers believe it will be kicked back to after the 2020 presidential election. 25 Oct 08:00 ET / 12:00 GMT

SERBIA-TRADE/ (TV) Serbia's PM Brnabic signs accession to Eurasian Union in Moscow

Serbia's PM Ana Brnabic is to sign accession to Russia-dominated Eurasian Economic Union in Moscow. 25 Oct 08:30 ET / 12:30 GMT

ARTS / CULTURE / ENTERTAINMENT FASHION-VALLI/HENNES & MAURITZ (PIX) (TV)

Giambattista Valli shows off H+M designs at Rome fashion show High-end fashion meets retail as couturier Giambattista Valli presents his new collection for Stockholm-based clothing label H&M Hennes in the sumptuous 17th-century Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome.

25 Oct 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT SOUTHKOREA-KPOP/BIGBANG (TV)

K-pop boyband BIGBANG's leader G-Dragon discharged from military service Leader of South Korean K-pop boyband BIGBANG G-Dragon is discharged from the mandatory military service. Thousands of fans are expected to gather in front of the military unit to greet him.

26 Oct 18:00 ET / 22:00 GMT CONFLICTS / WAR / PEACE

MEXIC0-VIOLENCE/SINALOA El Chapo's oldest son personally led the dramatic rescue of his half brother in Mexico battle

Ivan Archvaldo Guzman, the leader of Los Chapitos wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and the oldest of El Chapo Guzman's sons, personally led cartel gunmen in the assault on security forces that led to the release of his half-brother Ovidio from a house in the city of Culiacan, Mexico's security minister said, contesting versions of the story that said Ivan had been caught with Ovidio. 25 Oct 11:00 ET / 15:00 GMT

Also Read: Boris Johnson hails great new Brexit deal, Northern Ireland party holds off on sign-off

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