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.

TOP STORIES

GLOBAL

HONGKONG-SECURITY/

Released tycoon Lai says Hong Kong needs patient, not radical, democracy campaign

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai said on Thursday he was overwhelmed by the support he got after becoming the most high-profile person to be arrested under a new national security law and urged patience in a "long-term fight" for democracy.

NORTHKOREA-NUCLEAR-FLOODS/

North Korea nuclear reactor site threatened by recent flooding, U.S. think-tank says

SEOUL (Reuters) - Satellite imagery suggests recent flooding in North Korea may have damaged pump houses connected to the country's main nuclear facility, a U.S.-based think-tank said on Thursday.

U.S.

USA-ELECTION-HARRIS-POLL-EXCLUSIVE/

Exclusive: Harris could help Biden with women, young voters, maybe some Republicans too - Reuters/Ipsos poll

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly nine out of 10 Democrats approve of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris as their party's vice presidential nominee, and she is more popular than presidential candidate Joe Biden among women, young voters and some Republicans, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday.

USA-ELECTION-TWITTER/

Twitter to expand rules against misinformation on mail-in ballots, early voting

Twitter said late on Wednesday it plans to expand its rules against misinformation regarding mail-in ballots and early voting in the U.S. elections this year.

BUSINESS

INDIA-TIKTOK-RELIANCE/

ByteDance in talks with India's Reliance for investment in TikTok: TechCrunch

China's ByteDance is in early talks with Reliance Industries Ltd for an investment in its video-based app TikTok's business in India, TechCrunch reported here on Thursday, citing sources.

FIRST-CAPITAL-M-A-CAPITAL-SECURITIES/

Exclusive: China pushes First Capital merger in drive to take on Wall Street

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China plans to merge domestic broker First Capital Securities with smaller rival Capital Securities, three sources said, underscoring Beijing's determination to consolidate the brokerage industry to take on the giants of Wall Street.

ENTERTAINMENT

USA-ELECTION-KANYE-WEST/

Kanye West met with Kushner as rapper eyes 2020 election spot

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Entertainer and Trump supporter Kanye West recently met with White House adviser and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, a source familiar with the meeting said on Wednesday as the entertainer pursues his efforts to appear on the presidential ballot this November.

SPORTS

TENNIS-AUSTRALIA/

ATP Cup on course, Australia plans more January tournaments: Tiley

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The second edition of the ATP Cup is still scheduled to go ahead in January and Tennis Australia is considering adding more events alongside it to allow players to prepare for the Australian Open, TA Chief Executive Craig Tiley told Reuters.

OLYMPICS-2020-CAPEVERDE/

Olympics: Stranded Japanese honeymooners end up as Cape Verde's team ambassadors

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese couple Rikiya and Ayumi Kataoka had their honeymoon wrecked by the coronavirus pandemic, but their resourcefulness in enforced exile in Cape Verde has won them appointments as ambassadors for its Olympic team.

UPCOMING

BUSINESS / ECONOMICS

PHILIPPINES-ECONOMY/CENBANK

Philippine central bank governor holds regular online news conference

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno holds regular online news conference.

13 Aug 02:00 ET / 06:00 GMT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/TOURISM-BARCELONA (PIX)

With barely any tourists, Barcelona changes tactic in the COVID era

As the coronavirus has dealt a huge blow to tourism-dependent countries like Spain, Barcelona, one of Europe's most visited cities, wants to attract a more added value and sustainable type of tourism, being more selective while ensuring health safety

13 Aug 05:00 ET / 09:00 GMT

COLUMN-MILLER/SOCIALSECURITY (PIX)

Trump tax deferral poses a bigger threat to Social Security than you might think

President Donald Trump's recent order of a deferral of revenue collection under the payroll tax has some serious implications for the future of Social Security, a Reuters columnist argues.

13 Aug 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

USA-OIL/HICRUSH-DEALS (PIX)

INSIGHT-How a Texas shale supplier's founders made fortunes as the firm failed

In July, the board of directors at Texas frack sand supplier Hi-Crush granted $3 million in bonuses to four top executives. Five days later, the company declared bankruptcy. The payout marked the latest in a series of board decisions that allowed executives and founders to rake in tens of millions of dollars as investors saw share prices plummet to pennies.

13 Aug 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/FLU SHOTS

Flu season prep, complicated by COVID-19, starts early this year

Healthcare providers, including CVS Health Corp, are kicking off flu vaccinations early, ordering extra shots and aiming to add tests that check for both the annual flu and COVID-19, pharmacy executives and experts told Reuters.

13 Aug 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

SERBIA-CHINA/HUAWEI (PIX) (TV)

Despite opposition from West, Serbia pushes for cooperation with China's Huawei

This week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo embarked on a weeklong trip to central Europe, In Slovenia, an EU and NATO member and a former Yugoslav republic Pompeo will sign a Joint Declaration on 5G technology as Washington wants to counter risks posed by China's "infiltration into high-tech networks" in the region. Meanwhile, Serbia, another former Yugoslav republic, is becoming increasingly reliant on Chinese investments, including the introduction of 5G technology and the Huawei-developed Smart City surveillance system which is installed in the capital Belgrade.

13 Aug 08:00 ET / 12:00 GMT

USA-FED/BOSTIC

Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Bostic speaks before virtual summit

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic speaks on "Equitable Solutions for the Future of Cities" before the National League of Cities Constituency Groups Virtual Summit.

13 Aug 11:00 ET / 15:00 GMT

USA-ECONOMY/KUDLOW

White House economic adviser Kudlow speaks at virtual event

Larry Kudlow, director of U.S. National Economic Council, provides overview overview of economy and prospects for recovery and growth into 2021 at Council of Americas plenary session, part of 2020 Washington Conference on Americas virtual series.

13 Aug 11:00 ET / 15:00 GMT

MEXICO-ECONOMY/RATES

Mexico monetary policy meeting

13 Aug 14:00 ET / 18:00 GMT

USA-FED/BRAINARD

Federal Reserve Board Governor Brainard speaks on technology innovation

Federal Reserve Board Governor Lael Brainard speaks on "Technology Innovation" before the Innovation Office House hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

13 Aug 15:00 ET / 19:00 GMT

CONFLICTS / WAR / PEACE

AFRICA-ISLAMISTS/NIGER (PIX)

Does a village in Niger hold the key to defeating African jihad?

A dispute between ethnic Fulani herders and their nomadic Tuareg neighbours over stolen cattle and motorbikes threatened to turn violent in the village of Amataltal when one man grabbed his rifle and began firing skywards. It was a rare outburst in the quiet commune in northern Niger, residents said, and it came with a warning: disputes like this one have opened the door elsewhere to Islamist militants expert at exploiting ethnic conflict to boost recruitment and make large areas ungovernable.

13 Aug 03:00 ET / 07:00 GMT

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/BELGIUM-TESTING (PIX) (TV)

Belgian students to self-collect saliva in large COVID-19 testing experiment

Thousands of students at the Belgian university of Liege will collect weekly from September a sample of their saliva in a rapid COVID-19 test which replaces more commonly used swabs, in one of Europe's largest experiments with the new testing method. The pilot testing scheme could be used in other universities, schools or companies, if it proves successful in identifying more quickly clusters of infections among students, Belgian researchers and government officials told Reuters, in a move that could be part of measures to facilitate the return to school and work amid the pandemic.

13 Aug 08:00 ET / 12:00 GMT

CRIME / LAW / JUSTICE

NIGERIA-JUSTICE/ (PIX) (TV)

Nigerian lawyers fight back against police brutality, graft When Divine Umukoro refused to pay police a bribe after breaking Lagos state's night-time curfew, she says they slapped her, slashed her car tyres and threatened violence. Citizens' Gavel, founded in 2017, stepped in to help. It, along with the Headfort Foundation, founded last year, aim to help marginalised Nigerians get fair treatment from the police and the courts.

13 Aug 05:00 ET / 09:00 GMT

POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

USA-ELECTION/CONGRESS-CONSPIRACY

Supporters of pro-Trump conspiracy theory gain momentum toward Congress

This week's House primary win by a Georgia businesswoman and supporter of the fringe "QAnon" conspiracy theory is the latest in a series of victories for backers of the idea. A look at the pro-QAnon candidates who will be on congressional ballots in November.

13 Aug 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

ZIMBABWE-PROTESTS/ (PIX)

Zimbabwe court expected to rule on third bail bid by journalist over protests

Zimbabwe court is expected to decide whether to free on bail a journalist who was arrested last month for supporting anti-government protests, in a case that has sparked an outcry over muzzling of the press. Hopewell Chin'ono has twice been denied bail.

13 Aug 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

AUSTRIA-USA/POMPEO ARRIVAL (PIX)

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in Austria

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected in Vienna. He has announced to meet Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and IAEA Director General Grossi on Friday.

13 Aug 11:50 ET / 15:50 GMT