REUTERS NEWS SCHEDULE AT 10 a.m. GMT/6 a.m. ET

Shelling and gunfire resounded around the northeast Syrian town of Ras al Ain on Friday, a day after Turkey agreed with the United States to pause its offensive in Syria for five days to let Kurdish forces withdraw.

MEXICO-VIOLENCE-SINALOA Cartel gunmen terrorize Mexican city, free El Chapo's son

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Heavily armed fighters surrounded security forces in a Mexican city on Thursday and made them free one of drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman’s sons after his capture triggered gunbattles and a prison break that sent civilians scurrying for cover. The U.S.

USA-TRUMP-WHISTLEBLOWER White House acknowledges strings attached in Trump withholding Ukraine aid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s withholding of $391 million in military aid to Ukraine was linked to his request that the Ukrainians look into a claim - debunked as a conspiracy theory - about the 2016 U.S. election, a senior presidential aide said on Thursday, the first time the White House acknowledged such a connection. USA-TRUMP-PERRY

Trump says U.S. Energy Secretary Perry to step down at end of the year FORT WORTH, Texas/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry will step down by the end of the year, President Donald Trump said on Thursday, a day before a deadline set by congressional Democrats for Perry to turn over documents in the impeachment probe.

BUSINESS CHINA-ECONOMY-GDP

China's GDP growth grinds to near 30-year low as tariffs hit production BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s third-quarter economic growth slowed more than expected and to its weakest pace in almost three decades as the bruising U.S. trade war hit factory production, boosting the case for Beijing to roll out fresh support.

SAUDI-ARAMCO-IPO Saudi Aramco delays planned IPO until after earnings update: sources

DUBAI/RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco has delayed the planned launch of its initial public offering in hopes that pending third-quarter results will bolster investor confidence in the world’s largest oil firm, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. ENTERTAINMENT

FILM-JOJO-RABBIT Hitler satire 'Jojo Rabbit' mixes dark humor with plea for tolerance

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - New Zealand movie director Taika Waititi says he likes a challenge and his satire of Adolf Hitler and Nazi culture may be his riskiest and most successful yet. PEOPLE-ALICIAALONSO

Alicia Alonso, Cuba's ballet legend, dies at age 98 Legendary Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso, who achieved global acclaim in the 1940s and went on to run the internationally renowned National Ballet of Cuba for decades, died on Thursday at age 98, state-run media said.

SPORTS FOOTBALL-NFL-CHIEFS-MAHOMES

NFL MVP Mahomes suffers knee injury, leaving future murky Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the NFL’s reigning MVP, suffered a right knee injury on Thursday that leaves the immediate future in question for him and one of the league’s title contenders.

BASKETBALL-NBA-CHINA NBA's Silver says Hong Kong tweet furor already hit league's bottom line

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Thursday that the fallout following a tweet from a Houston Rockets official who backed the Hong Kong democracy protests has already cost the league substantial financial losses in China. UPCOMING

POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS USA-TRUMP/WHISTLEBLOWER-WORRIES

'I don't see how that helps:' White House aide's words on Ukraine deal worries Trump allies A top White House aide's suggestion that President Donald Trump wanted a political favor from Ukraine in exchange for military aid upended the administration's impeachment strategy and left Republican allies flummoxed and frustrated.

18 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT EUROPE-MIGRANTS/ITALY (PIX) (TV)

More bodies recovered from migrant shipwreck returned to Lampedusa More bodies from a migrant shipwreck that took place on October 7 are brought back to the island of Lampedusa.

18 Oct 11:30 ET / 15:30 GMT USA-DEMOCRATS/POLL

Reuters/Ipsos poll: support for candidates for the Democratic 2020 nomination Following the Oct. 15 debate, the Reuters/Ipsos poll will measure support for candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

18 Oct 13:00 ET / 17:00 GMT AFGHANISTAN-ELECTION/RESULTS (PIX) (TV)

DELAYED, DATE TBC Preliminary results of the Afghan presidential election expected The Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan (IEC) is scheduled to announce the preliminary results of the September 28 Afghan presidential election.

19 Oct USA-ELECTION/SANDERS (PIX) (TV)

Bernie Sanders to hold his first campaign rally since heart attack Bernie Sanders, who has been recovering at his home in Burlington, Vermont, since his heart attack on Oct. 1, will hold a "Bernie's Back" rally at Queensbridge Park in New York on Oct. 19, his first campaign rally in nearly three weeks. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has endorsed the senator, will attend.

19 Oct IMF-WORLDBANK/ (TV)

Annual meeting between the IMF and the World Bank Group Finance and development ministers, central bankers, private sector executives, and academics convene for the annual meeting between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group.

19 Oct CRIME / LAW / JUSTICE

USA-GUNS/TECHNOLOGY (PIX) A gun with a chip: How the U.S. Army may revamp the firearms market

The long-delayed marriage of information technology to firearms may be near, as the U.S. Army is asking companies for high-tech battlefield solutions to create the soldier's rifle of the future, known as the Next Generation Squad Weapon. 18 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

USA-OPIOIDS/LITIGATION- JUDGE Profile of judge overseeing opioid litigation

We will take a look at the aggressive tactics Judge Polster in Ohio has used in trying to get the parties to settle. 18 Oct 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

BUSINESS / ECONOMICS USA-TRADE/CHINA-ALUMINUM (PIX)

How A Tiny Aluminum Maker Won Protection When Donald Trump was elected president, the sprawling aluminum smelter that hugs the Ohio River here was operating at less than half its capacity and most of its skeleton crew of 270 remaining workers were fearful about their future.

18 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT USA-OPIOIDS/LITIGATION

Drug company CEOs to meet with judge to talk opioid settlement - source The chief executives of the three largest U.S. drug distributors and a drugmaker are expected to appear before a federal judge to discuss a multibillion dollar proposal to resolve thousands of lawsuits alleging they fueled the U.S. opioid crisis.

18 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT USA-FED/KAPLAN

Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Kaplan speaks before group in Washington Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Robert Kaplan participates in moderated question-and-answer session before event, "Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee -- The Disentanglement of the Global Economy," in Washington.

18 Oct 09:00 ET / 13:00 GMT USA-FED/GEORGE

Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President George speaks on U.S. economy Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Esther George speaks on the U.S. economy before the "Energy and the Economy: Markets in Transition" conference hosted by the Federal Reserve Banks of Kansas City and Dallas, in Denver, Colo.

18 Oct 10:05 ET / 14:05 GMT USA-FED/KASHKARI

Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank provides livestream of President Kashkari speaks bank summit Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis provides livestream of President Neel Kashkari's fireside chat before the closed Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines Annual Leadership Summit in Bloomington, Minn.

18 Oct 10:30 ET / 14:30 GMT AFRICA-LEADERS/ (PIX)

FACTBOX-What limits? How African leaders cling to power for decades Guinea erupted in protest this week over proposals to draft a new constitution that could allow President Alpha Conde to run for a third term in 2020.

18 Oct 11:00 ET / 15:00 GMT USA-FED/ENERGY (PIX)

Fed weighs risks to U.S. energy industry of transition to lower carbon fuels Federal Reserve officials debate the outlook for the global crude oil market and the impact of cheap renewable power with Whiting Petroleum, Oil States International, Xcel and Prisma Energy executives.

18 Oct 14:00 ET / 18:00 GMT USA-FED/KAPLAN

Fed's Kaplan participates in moderated Q&A Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Robert Kaplan. a supporter of the Fed's policy easing this year but who lately has counseled a patient approach, gives his final remarks on monetary policy, the economy and energy before the Fed's self-imposed blackout ahead of its regularly scheduled policy meetings.

18 Oct 17:10 ET / 21:10 GMT ARTS / CULTURE / ENTERTAINMENT

NIGERIA-CHILDREN/UNICYCLE (PIX) (TV) Meet Olalekan Kuyoro teaching disadvantaged kids the art of unicycling

29-year-old Nigerian, Olalekan Kuyoro runs an after school club, where children are taught the art of unicycling. The club takes in children between the ages of 7-15 training them on various cycling techniques. He believes the club is an avenue to keep the kids out of trouble. 18 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

FILM-JOKER/STAIRS 'Joker' fans flock to the Bronx to see "Steps Street" landmark

A flight of steps on a street in New York City's Bronx borough has become a tourist site for movie buffs after it appeared as the backdrop for a dance routine in a scene from "Joker," starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role. 19 Oct

DISASTERS / ACCIDENTS PG&E-FIRES/

PG&E executives defend power shutdown to California regulators PG&E executives will defend their handling of a widely-criticized power shutdown in Northern California aimed at preventing wildfires at an emergency meeting of the state's utility regulator.

18 Oct 19:00 ET / 23:00 GMT SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

ASIA-WASTE/TYRES (PIX) (GRAPHIC) How the West is fuelling a waste tyre crisis in Asia

Record volumes of waste tyres are being sent from rich world to Asian countries like India and Malaysia where fly-by-night recyclers burn them to make cheap fuel at a big environmental cost. 19 Oct

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