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 https://www.reutersconnect.com/planning.
TOP STORIES
GLOBAL
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/WHO
WHO reports most coronavirus cases in a day as cases approach 5 million
The World Health Organization expressed concern on Wednesday about the rising number of new coronavirus cases in poor countries, even as many rich nations have begun emerging from lockdown.
HEALTH–CORONAVIRUS/BRAZIL
Brazil widens use of malaria drugs in mild coronavirus cases
Brazil's health ministry on Wednesday issued new guidelines for wider use of anti-malarial drugs in mild coronavirus cases, a treatment touted by President Jair Bolsonaro in defiance of public health experts warning of possible health risks.
U.S.
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-NEW YORK
New York City's low-income, minority areas hit hardest by COVID-19 -governor
New York City residents from low-income communities have tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies at a higher-than-average rate, underscoring the disproportionate impact of the disease on people of color, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday.
USA-COURT/TRUMP-RUSSIA
U.S. Supreme Court blocks disclosure of Russia report material
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked the disclosure to a Democratic-led House of Representatives committee of grand jury material redacted by President Donald Trump's administration from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report documenting Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
BUSINESS
TARGET-RESULTS
Target's online sales surge eases coronavirus pain
A surge in Target Corp's online sales due to panic buying during the coronavirus crisis helped the big-box retailer post better-than-expected quarterly results on Wednesday, even as it grappled with soaring operational costs.
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/AIRLINES-SAFETY
U.S. airlines step up safety measures in preparation for recovery
U.S. carriers JetBlue Airways Corp and United Airlines Holdings Inc announced fresh safety measures on Wednesday aimed at restoring confidence in travel as several executives pointed to signs domestic demand is improving.
ENTERTAINMENT
FILM-JUSTICE LEAGUE
HBO Max grants fans' wishes to see unreleased cut of 'Justice League'
A previously unreleased version of 2017 superhero movie "Justice League" by director Zack Snyder will debut on the HBO Max streaming service in 2021, executives said on Wednesday, in response to a years-long campaign by fans.
SPORTS
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/SOCCER-LIV-KLOPP
Klopp says no Liverpool player will be forced to train
No Liverpool player will be forced to train if he does not feel safe to do so, manager Juergen Klopp said on Wednesday after the Premier League leaders' first training session for more than nine weeks.
CYCLING-DOPING/PANTANO
Pantano handed four-year ban following positive anti-doping test
Former Tour de France stage winner Jarlinson Pantano has been handed a four-year suspension after failing an anti-doping test last year, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Wednesday.
UPCOMING
POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
USA-TRUMP/PELOSI
Pelosi quips that Trump has 'doggy doo on his shoes' in ongoing spat
The top Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives compared President Donald Trump on Wednesday to a child "with doggy doo on his shoes," in an escalating spat.
20 May 18:00 ET / 22:00 GMT
BRITAIN-ASSANGE/ (PIX)
POSTPONED***Hearing continues in extradition case of Wikileaks' Assange
The extradition hearing of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange continues at Woolwich Crown Court, running until June 5. Preliminary hearings took place between February 24-28 and resumed on May 18.
21 May 20:00 ET / 00:00 GMT
BRITAIN-EU/
UK to publish draft Brexit deal texts (exact date unclear)
The United Kingdom is due to publish draft legal texts of a free trade deal it would like with the European Union. Due this week. Exact date unclear
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/GUATEMALA-ELSALVADOR (PIX)
White flags across El Salvador and Guatemala signal pleas for food, aid
Strict coronavirus lockdowns in Guatemala and El Salvador have battered the economy, prompting hundreds of families to fly white flags outside homes or wave them on the streets - not for a truce, but for food and aid to get them through the crisis.
21 May
USA-DOJ/TRADING
INSIGHT-Traders Beware: U.S. taps new tools to find fraud in volatile commodities market
Dramatic leaps in the data analysis capabilities at the DOJ and CFTC have enabled them to detect and prosecute increasingly sophisticated forms of manipulation in the commodities futures markets which for decades have gone under-surveilled, according to four officials and industry experts.
21 May 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT
SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/JAPAN-USAF (PIX) (TV)
U.S. Air Force conducts readiness training during emergency pandemic measures
The U.S. Air Force in Japan will conduct surge training around Yokota airbase near Tokyo in a bid to show its readiness to respond to possible threats around Japan and in East Asia even as ground crews and other personnel wear personal protective equipment required under emergency coronavirus measures.
21 May 19:00 ET / 23:00 GMT
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/SINGAPORE-ROBOT (PIX) (TV)
Singapore deploys disinfecting robot in malls
Singapore deploys robots to disinfect malls as the city state prepares to ease lockdown restrictions.
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/BRAZIL-IMAGE (PIX)
A PICTURE AND ITS STORY - Death in Arara community
The body of Valnir Mendes da Silva, 62, lay on a sidewalk of Arara community, where he died after residents requested help from the emergency service as he was suffering from breathing problems. According to residents, it took about 30 hours to remove the body.
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/LATAM-ELDERLY (TV)
Latin America takes a closer look at retirement homes as coronavirus outbreaks spread
Deadly outbreaks in retirement homes in Mexico and other parts of Latin America have sent authorities scrambling to contain the spread of the virus in the region’s small but often poorly regulated long-term elderly care sector.
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/EID-INDONESIA TRAVEL (PIX) (TV)
Indonesians defy travel ban to visit home for Eid celebration
Indonesia airport and roads are busy ahead of Eid al-Fitr as people defying ban to travel home
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/BRITAIN-BRIEFING (PIX) (TV)
UK government daily briefing on coronavirus updates
Government officials hold a daily briefing to update on the coronavirus outbreak in the United Kingdom.
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/SHIFFRIN
Alpine skiing-Shiffrin speaks to Reuters about staying fit during the pandemic
American Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin discusses how she stays fit amid the coronavirus pandemic as well as her kindness initiative and newfound love of playing guitar.
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/MALAYSIA
Malaysia daily health ministry briefing on coronavirus
Health ministry's daily news conference on latest coronavirus situation.
21 May 05:00 ET / 09:00 GMT
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/NIGERIA-BLIND (PIX) (TV)
Visually impaired Nigerians struggle to navigate coronavirus challenges
Lawal Adebimpe knows she must remain a safe distance from people to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in Nigeria. But her blindness means she usually holds people to navigate her way around the heaving megacity of Lagos.
21 May 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/IRELAND (INTERVIEW)
Interview with Irish Finance Minister on coronavirus economic impact
Interview with Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe as his government decides how it should extend job retention and special welfare schemes for coronavirus-hit workers and firms, and what kind of targeted supports should be offered to hardest hit sectors such as bars and restaurants as they prepare to reopen in the coming months.
21 May 10:30 ET / 14:30 GMT
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/CASES (PIX) (GRAPHIC)
Global coronavirus cases expected to surpass 5 million - Reuters tally
Global coronavirus cases are expected to surpass 5 million this week, with many South American countries seeing rises in new cases, according to a Reuters tally.
21 May 11:00 ET / 15:00 GMT
BUSINESS / ECONOMICS
COLOMBIA-COFFEE/ (TV)
Interview with the head of Colombia's coffee federation on output
We'll interview Roberto Velez, the head of Colombia's coffee-growers' federation, on the outlook for the crop this year after two months of output decreases.
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/LITHUANIA-MANNEQUINS (PIX) (TV)
Fashionista dummies sit at quarantined tables in Vilnius cafes
Starting Wednesday, restaurants in Vilnius' old town will sit mannequins, dressed in creations by local designers - many out of work due to the lockdown - at tables kept empty to comply with quarantine requirements.
21 May
HEDGEFUNDS-SALTCONFERENCE/ (PIX)
Salt Conference
Investors, business executives and political leaders attend the Salt Conference, a three-day event of idea-sharing, networking and entertainment.
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/WTO (PIX)
Wanted: New head of WTO. Must thrive under global pressure and conflict
The coronavirus pandemic has further complicated an already tough task for the World Trade Organization: choosing a new boss.
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/RUSSIA-CASES (PIX) (TV)
Moscow streets are getting busier again despite growing pandemic
People and cars coming back to Russian capital streets despite the coronavirus threat.
21 May
FONTERRA-RESULTS/
NZ's Fonterra slashes farmgate milk prices as virus hits demand
Fonterra said on Thursday the coronavirus outbreak was "like nothing we've experienced before" even as the world's largest dairy exporter posted a near 59% jump in nine-month underlying operating profit due to agreed upon contracts.
21 May
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/BRITAIN-CREDIT (PIX)
Britons spurned by banks caught in a coronavirus credit crunch
The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the few remaining sources of credit for thousands of Britain's low-income borrowers, judged too poor or too risky to lend to by mainstream banks.
21 May 02:00 ET / 06:00 GMT
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/AUTOS-TRUCKS (PIX)
While U.S. economy slides, heartland auto dealers cry out for more trucks
Jerry Bill is worried the coronavirus could hurt business at the Des Moines auto dealership he runs, but not because there's a shortage of buyers for the big Ram pickups on his lot. "Our biggest issue will be if we don't get more inventory," said Bill, general sales manager of Stew Hansen Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale, which sells around 2,700 new vehicles a year.
21 May 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT
HEALTHCARE-CORONAVIRUS/USA-SMALLBUSINESS (PIX)
Indiana mattress business adapts to lure customers back
Lauren Taylor is figuring out what’s required to run a mattress store in the age of a deadly pandemic. As of Monday, customers could again flop down to test the firmness of a floor model at Holder Mattress Co.’s two stores in Indiana, as Gov. Eric Holcomb allowed more parts of that state’s economy to reopen. But after studying the logistics and hygiene requirements, Taylor decreed only one customer or group can shop at a time—since everything needs to be sanitized between buyers. She still hasn’t figured out home deliveries.
21 May 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT
MEDTRONIC-RESULTS/
Q4 2020 Medtronic PLC Earnings
Medtronic is expected to report its fourth-quarter results on Thursday before markets open. Investor focus will be on COVID-19 and elective surgery trends impacting the company's business.
21 May 06:45 ET / 10:45 GMT
LLOYDS-AGM/
Lloyds Banking Group holds virtual AGM
Britain's biggest domestic lender Lloyds holds its annual investor meeting behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the bank's CEO and Chairman due to answer pre-submitted investor questions in a webcast following the meeting and outline the bank's response to the outbreak.
21 May 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/AMAZON.COM WORKERS (PIX)
Could coronavirus help Amazon.com workers unionize?
Amazon.com employees across the country are seizing on the coronavirus to demand the world's largest online retailer offer more paid sick time and temporarily shut warehouses with infections for deep cleaning. Supporting them are labor groups and unions eager to penetrate the Seattle-based behemoth after years of failed attempts to unionize its operations.
21 May 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT
HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/GAP-AUTOMATION (PIX) (TV)
FOCUS-Gap couldn't staff warehouses safely due to the virus. So, it added more robots.
U.S. apparel chain Gap Inc is speeding up its rollout of warehouse robots for assembling online orders as part of its response to social distancing constraints created by the coronavirus pandemic - a harbinger of retail industry automation to come.
21 May 09:00 ET / 13:00 GMT
USA-FED/WILLIAMS
New York Federal Reserve Bank President Williams participates in video webinar
Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams discusses how the New Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as part of the Federal Reserve System, is working to support the flow of credit to households and businesses and the overall U.S. economy during the pandemic in video webinar discussion organized by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, CenterState CEO, and Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce.
21 May 10:00 ET / 14:00 GMT
DISASTERS / ACCIDENTS
ASIA-STORM/INDIA-AFTERMATH (PIX) (TV) (GRAPHIC)
Aftermath of Super Cyclone Amphan in India
Aftermath of a Super Cyclone Amphan that swept into India a day before.
21 May 00:30 ET / 04:30 GMT
