REUTERS NEWS SCHEDULE AT 10 pm GMT/6 am SGT

Here are the top stories and upcoming coverage plans for Reuters text service as of 10 pm GMT/6 am SGT. For a full schedule of news and events, go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect https://www.reutersconnect.com/planning.

TOP STORIES

GLOBAL

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-USA-TRAVEL-EXCLUSIVE/

Exclusive: Biden to impose South Africa travel ban to combat new COVID-19 variant - CDC

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will impose a ban on most non-U.S. citizens entering the country who have recently been in South Africa starting Saturday in a bid to contain the spread of a new variant of COVID-19, a senior U.S. public health official told Reuters.

RUSSIA-USA-POLITICS/

Kremlin accuses U.S. of meddling in affairs, but says ready to talk

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin would respond in kind if the new U.S. administration showed willingness to talk, a Kremlin spokesman said on Sunday, while also accusing Washington of meddling in mass protests in support of detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

U.S.

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-USA-CONGRESS/

'We can't wait:' Biden to push U.S. Congress for $1.9 trillion in COVID-19 relief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of President Joe Biden's top economic aides on Sunday will press Democratic and Republican senators for a fresh $1.9 trillion in coronavirus relief to help struggling Americans and avert a larger economic crisis.

USA-BIDEN-MILITARY-LGBT/

Biden to repeal Trump's ban on transgender people joining military

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden is poised to repeal his predecessor Donald Trump's ban on transgender people enlisting in the U.S. military, a person familiar with the matter said.

BUSINESS

USA-BIDEN-YELLEN/

Yellen nomination sails through Senate panel; final vote set for Monday

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Friday unanimously approved Janet Yellen's nomination as the first woman Treasury secretary, indicating that she will easily win full Senate approval, but Republicans called for her to work with them in developing economic policies.

DAVOS-MEETING/

Davos ski resort eerily quiet without economic talkfest this year

DAVOS (Reuters) - Student protesters who urged world leaders at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos to "Stop (f)lying to us" must be pleased this year, at least as far as the flying is concerned.

ENTERTAINMENT

SAFRICA-JONAS-GWANGWA/

South African jazz 'giant' Jonas Gwangwa dies aged 83

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa jazz trombonist and composer Jonas Gwangwa, whose music powered the anti-apartheid struggle, died on Saturday aged 83, the presidency said.

PEOPLE-LARRY-KING/

Larry King, decades-long fixture of U.S. TV interviews, dead at 87

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Larry King, who quizzed thousands of world leaders, politicians and entertainers for CNN and other news outlets in a career spanning more than six decades, has died aged 87, his media company said in a statement on Saturday.

SPORTS

ATHLETICS-SHOTPUT-RECORD/

Olympic shot put champion Crouser sets world record

Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser of the United States set a world indoor record of 22.82 metres at the American Track League series opener in Fayetteville, AR. on Sunday.

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-TENNIS-AUSOPEN/

Nine active cases of COVID-19 in Australian Open quarantine, officials say

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - One case of COVID-19 among those in quarantine ahead of the Australian Open has been reclassified, local health officials said on Sunday, leaving nine active cases in the group of players and support staff isolating in Melbourne hotels.

UPCOMING

ARTS / CULTURE / ENTERTAINMENT

AUSTRALIA-DAY/INDIGENOUS WOMEN (PIX) (TV)

Indigenous women see Australia's national day as representing 200 years of brutal colonisation

First Nations Muruwari elder Aunty Rita Wright, a member of the Stolen Generation, Durag women, Leanne Watson and Jasmine Seymour speaks out ahead of Australia Day, calling for the date of the national holiday to be changed given its links to colonization and the ill-treatment of Indigenous Australians.

25 Jan 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

HONGKONG-ROBOT/ (PIX) (TV)

Will this robot be your new friend in the post-pandemic world?

The world's famous AI celebrity Sophia the Robot to be mass produced in 2021 as her creator Hanson Robotics sees the pandemic as a great opportunity to expand her role in health care, and hospitality.

25 Jan 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/THAILAND (TV)

Thai health ministry holds virtual meeting on vaccine management

Thailand's Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul chairs a virtual meeting with relevant agencies to discuss on the management of the coronavirus vaccines. This comes after the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use approval for the COVID-19 vaccine of AstraZeneca Plc, where the first 50,000 of 200,000 doses are expected to arrive next month.

25 Jan 21:30 ET / 02:30 GMT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/INDIA-VACCINE-DELIVERY (PIX) (TV)

WIDER IMAGE - From factory to faraway village: behind India's mammoth vaccination drive

In Bhubaneswar, capital of India's mineral rich but impoverished eastern state of Odisha, authorities on Wednesday (January 13) began the arduous task of counting and packing COVID-19 vaccine vials into insulated boxes with ice-packs to keep them at between 2-8 degrees Celsius for up to three days.Then, it fell on veteran health department driver Lalu Porija, who had driven his delivery van all night to reach the storage site, to truck them some 500 kilometres back to Koraput, guarded by an armed policeman.

25 Jan 23:00 ET / 04:00 GMT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/BRITAIN-PUB (PIX) (TV)

400 year old Oxford pub to shut following Coronavirus pandemic

400 year old Oxford pub to shut following Coronavirus pandemic. JRR Tolkien, Tom Hardy and CS Lewis were said to frequent the Grade-II listed Lamb and Flag pub.

25 Jan

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/NEWZEALAND

New Zealand investigates first community COVID-19 case in months

New Zealand is investigating the country's first probable community coronavirus case, in months, in a woman who recently returned from overseas.

25 Jan

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/WHO BRIEFING (TV)

WHO chief Tedros and other officials due to give press conference

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), to give press conference on the latest developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, which also follows the first week of the WHO's Executive Board being held through Jan 26.

25 Jan

CORONAVIRUS-HEALTH/SAFRICA-REGULATOR

CANCELLED-South Africa's medicines regulator provides update on vaccines

South Africa's medicine regulator, SAHPRA, to provide an update on COVID-19 vaccine applications and registrations, a month after J&J became the first manufacturer to apply for a vaccine license.

25 Jan 04:30 ET / 09:30 GMT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/VERILY (PIX)

FOCUS-Alphabet's Verily bets on long-term payoff from virus-testing deals

For Alphabet Inc's Verily, a healthcare venture that is one the tech giant's most prominent "other bets," the coronavirus pandemic offered an immediate business opportunity.

25 Jan 06:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

BRITAIN-EU/TRADE (PIX)

Brexit trade problems mount for Britain's small companies

Late last year, Andrew Duff was dealt alarming news. His burgeoning sales of high end Scottish beef to Europe would have to be put on ice in January, his business too small to navigate the post-Brexit customs border.

25 Jan

TURKEY-GREECE/ (TV)

Turkey, Greece resume talks on maritime disputes

Turkish and Greek officials meet in Istanbul to hold the 61st round of Exploratory Talks, aimed at addressing maritime jurisdiction and other issues between the two countries. The meeting marks the resumption of long-suspended bilateral talks between Ankara and Athens, following months of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.

25 Jan

VIETNAM-POLITICS/ (PIX) (TV)

Vietnam hosts 13th Party Congress

Vietnam's ruling Communist Party holds its a massive five-yearly National Congress - the Southeast Asian country's biggest political event for years. During the nine-day event, a new Party and government leadership will be selected, as will plans and a roadmap for the next five-year period.

25 Jan

HEALTH CORONAVIRUS/BRITAIN-DEATHS

UK COVID-19 death toll approaches 100,000

The United Kingdom's death toll approaches 100,000. What went wrong - voices from the bereaved.

25 Jan

UGANDA-ELECTION/ (PIX) (TV)

Ugandan court to decide on opposition leader's release from house arrest

A Ugandan court to decide whether to release opposition leader Bobi Wine from house arrest. The military surrounded the home of the pop star-turned-legislator, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, shortly after he cast his ballot in a presidential election that incumbent Yoweri Museveni won.

25 Jan 02:00 ET / 07:00 GMT

EU-FOREIGN/ (TV)

EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels

EU foreign ministers meet to discuss a range of current affairs, including the arrest of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and relations with the United States after the inauguration of President Joe Biden

25 Jan 03:00 ET / 08:00 GMT

USA-CONGRESS/FINANCIAL-RULES (PIX)

FACTBOX-Rules that could be reversed under a Democratic Congress

With Democrats wielding a tie-breaking vote in the U.S. Senate, liberal think tanks are identifying Wall Street-friendly rules introduced by Donald Trump's administration they would like to see scrapped using the Congressional Review Act.

25 Jan 06:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

USA-TRUMP/IMPEACHMENT-MANAGERS

Diverse team of U.S. House Democrats to lead Trump's second impeachment

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deliberately picked a team of nine impeachment managers, essentially prosecutors, who represent the diversity of the Democratic party in terms of race, gender and sexual orientation. Story looks at the team an highlights the contrast between it and the mostly white Senate that will serve as jury.

25 Jan 06:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

ESTONIA-GOVERNMENT/ (PIX)

Estonian parliament to votes to confirm the new Prime Minister

Estonian parliament is expected to confirm Kaja Kallas from centre-right Reform party as the next PM early in the week, following resignation of Juri Ratas of centre-left Center party after a corruption scandal.The new Reform-Center coalition would exclude the far right EKRE party the government, signalling the end of its policy initiatives such as the proposed referendum to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

25 Jan 08:00 ET / 13:00 GMT

CLIMATE-CHANGE/SUMMIT-NETHERLANDS (TV)

US, China join Dutch international Climate Adaptation Summit

The Unites States and China take part in the online international Climate Adaptation Summit, which aims to set out practical solutions and plans for dealing with climate change until 2030. The event comes just days after the decision by U.S. President Joe Biden that the U.S. will re-join the Paris Agreement on climate change. Speakers expected to appear by video link at the opening ceremony include Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Han Zheng, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

25 Jan 08:00 ET / 13:00 GMT

VENEZUELA-POLITICS/

Venezuela ex presidential candidate Henrique Capriles speaks to reporters

Two-time Venezuelan presidential candidate Henrique Capriles speaks with reporters following a months-long falling out with the country's main opposition leaders.

25 Jan 09:00 ET / 14:00 GMT

BUSINESS / ECONOMICS

USA-STOCKS/BUYBACKS

U.S. corporate buybacks may be turning the corner

U.S. corporate buyback levels are slowly increasing after the steep slowdown during the pandemic, but they could remain well below 2019 levels for a while. In the latest example that things are turning the corner, Netflix said this week it will explore returning excess cash to shareholders via share buybacks.

25 Jan

BRITAIN-WORKERS/CARERS

UK advisory, finance firms try to ease pandemic pain for working parents

With offers ranging from free counselling to unlimited paid time off, Britain's financial and professional services firms are trying to persuade parent employees, juggling jobs and childcare during a pandemic, that their career is not over.

25 Jan

TURKEY-MARKETS/FOREIGNERS (PIX)

Foreigners suspend disbelief, edge into Turkish markets

Foreign investors who for years saw Turkey as a lost cause of economic mismanagement are edging back in, drawn by the promise of some of the biggest returns in emerging markets if President Tayyip Erdogan stays true to a pledge of reforms. More than $15 billion has streamed into Turkish assets since November when Erdogan - long sceptical of orthodox policymaking and quick to scapegoat outsiders - abruptly promised a new market-friendly era and installed a new central bank chief.

25 Jan

DAVOS-MEETING/RWANDA (PIX)

Rwandan President Paul Kagame speaks at virtual Davos summit

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is due to speak at a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum. He will share a platform with the Spanish prime minister and Coca Cola CEO on advancing a new social contract.

25 Jan 04:00 ET / 09:00 GMT

USA-CONGRESS/WALL-STREET

ANALYSIS - U.S. Democrats in Congress face challenges in repealing Wall Street-friendly rules

With control of the Senate, Democrats want to repeal the Trump administration's Wall Street-friendly rule changes, but they may struggle to win enough moderate votes and risk making it harder for President-elect Joe Biden's agencies to write tougher new rules, said lobbyists and analysts.

25 Jan 06:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/BUSINESSROUNDTABLE-WORKERS (PIX)

Investor payouts and job cuts jar with companies' social pledge

When Randall Stephenson joined 180 CEOs of many of the richest U.S. companies in signing the Business Roundtable pledge on the "purpose of a corporation" in August 2019, the then-chief of AT&T Inc promised to look out for the interests of all the wireless carrier's stakeholders, not just shareholders. By September 2020, AT&T had eliminated 23,000 positions, raised its common dividend by 2% and bought back $7.5 billion of its stock. Advocates of a socially-minded stakeholder capitalism say AT&T's case is representative of the hurdles they face in challenging the leverage investors have over U.S. companies.

25 Jan 06:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

USA-FED/INFLATION (PIX) (GRAPHIC)

Fed set to look beyond possible post-pandemic inflation shock

Between closed theaters and restaurants and prices slashed by airlines and half-empty hotels, Americans may have as much as $2 trillion in extra cash socked away if current government relief proposals are factored in. For the Federal Reserve, that is both blessing and curse: Fuel for a recovery once coronavirus vaccines take hold and people can travel and shop freely but a possible catalyst for a surge in prices that policymakers already are bracing to explain.

25 Jan 06:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/INSURANCE (PIX)

Life insurers impose waiting periods while bracing for long-term COVID fallout

Global life insurers are imposing waiting periods and scaling back policy amounts to curb potential payouts for COVID-19-related deaths as their reinsurers warn about long-term physical and mental health side-effects, many of which are still unknown.

25 Jan 07:00 ET / 12:00 GMT