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

Britain will hold its first December election in almost a century after Prime Minister Boris Johnson won approval from parliament on Tuesday for an early ballot aimed at breaking the Brexit deadlock.

MIDEAST-CRISIS-BAGHDADI-JIHADISTS/ Islamic State silent on Baghdadi death as it searches for successor

CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State supporters have responded with silence and disbelief days after the death of their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, suggesting a breakdown in the command structure of the Sunni militant group trying to agree on a successor. U.S.

USA-ABORTION-ALABAMA/ Federal judge blocks Alabama abortion ban from being enforced

A federal judge blocked Alabama on Tuesday from enforcing the strictest abortion laws in the country, saying the ban on all abortions unless a mother's health was in danger was unconstitutional. USA-PUERTORICO/

U.S. bill would provide Puerto Rico a path to statehood The question of statehood for Puerto Rico would be put to voters of the U.S. commonwealth for a third time since 2012 under legislation introduced in Congress on Tuesday.

BUSINESS USA-FED/

With balance sheet in background, markets focus on Fed's rate decision When Federal Reserve officials conclude their two-day policy meeting on Wednesday, they may at last have succeeded in divorcing the actions they take in managing the U.S. central bank's massive balance sheet from interest rate decisions.

USA-TRADE-CHINA-AGBUYS/ In U.S.-China talks, Beijing's refusal to spell out farm buys is big sticking point

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's demand that Beijing commit to big purchases of American farm products has become a major sticking point in talks to end the Sino-U.S. trade war, according to several people briefed on the negotiations. ENTERTAINMENT

TELEVISION-GAME-OF-THRONES/ HBO orders new 'Game of Thrones' series as it scraps another

BURBANK, Calif. (Reuters) - HBO ordered 10 episodes of a "Game of Thrones" spinoff called "House of the Dragon," the network said on Tuesday, shortly after reports emerged that the premium cable channel had nixed another series set in the world created by author George R.R. Martin. FILM-MIDWAY-EMMERICH/

After 20-year wait, Emmerich recounts WW2 battle in drama 'Midway' LONDON (Reuters) - Twenty years after first toying with the idea, German film director Roland Emmerich brings his World War Two drama "Midway" to cinemas next month, focusing on the 1942 Battle of Midway.

SPORTS USA-NCAA/

NCAA board votes to let student athletes endorse brands, accept sponsors U.S. college athletes can profit from brand sponsorships and endorsement deals under a new rule approved on Tuesday by the governing board of the NCAA, the organization that regulates U.S. collegiate sports.

RUGBY-LEAGUE-AUSTRALIA/BURGESS Burgess quits NRL due to chronic shoulder problem

Dual code international Sam Burgess has retired from Australia's National Rugby League due to complications with a chronic shoulder injury, his club South Sydney said on Wednesday. UPCOMING

ARTS / CULTURE / ENTERTAINMENT YUGOSLAVIA-ARCHITECTURE/ (PIX)

WIDER IMAGE - Yugoslavia's brutalist relics fascinate the Instagram generation After World War Two socialist Yugoslavia led by Josip Broz Tito set out to reconstruct a land destroyed by fighting. Initially allied to the Soviet Union, Tito broke with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1948.

30 Oct 03:00 ET / 07:00 GMT BUSINESS / ECONOMICS

LATAM-POLITICS/REFORMS (PIX) Protests, elections show LatAm turning against pro-market agenda

From the streets of Santiago to the ballot boxes of Buenos Aires, South Americans have in recent weeks strongly rejected right-wing economic orthodoxy that critics blame for fuelling an explosion of inequality, raising concerns about the prospects for economic reform to stimulate flagging economic growth across the region. 30 Oct 04:00 ET / 08:00 GMT

SWEDEN-NORDICS/ PMs of Nordic states hold joint press conference

The prime ministers from the Nordic states hold a joint press conference as part of the Nordic council meeting on Stockholm, 30 Oct 06:20 ET / 10:20 GMT

AUTOS-SELFDRIVING/SAFETY (PIX) Carmakers and repair shops clash as automation upends aftermarket

The rapid rise of crash-avoidance technology has set carmakers and repair shops on course for a collision that could determine who controls the $800 billion auto aftermarket in the digital age. 30 Oct 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

ETHIOPIA-AIRPLANE/BOEING (PIX) Boeing makes progress on 737 MAX, but FAA needs weeks to review

Boeing Co BA.N is making progress toward getting its 737 MAX aircraft in the air again but the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will need at least several more weeks for review, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said on Tuesday. 30 Oct 10:00 ET / 14:00 GMT

SAFRICA-ECONOMY/ (PIX) South Africa's finance minister presents medium-term budget policy statement

South Africa's Finance Minister Tito Mboweni to present the medium-term budget policy statement to parliament, as economic fundamentals in the country continue to paint a fragile picture. Mboweni is expected to raise the medium-term targets for budget deficits, owing mainly to bailouts to state firm Eskom. 30 Oct 10:00 ET / 14:00 GMT

TEXAS-ENERGY/FIRE-PROBE (PIX) Massive fuel-tank fire that fouled Houston air, water eyed by U.S. safety regulator

The top U.S. safety regulator will discuss what caused a massive fire that burned for days at a fuel-storage facility outside Houston, releasing toxic gases that shut schools and offices and halted shipping along the largest U.S. petrochemical export waterway. Local and state officials have sued Mitsui unit Intercontinental Terminals Co over the blaze which sent fuel prices higher and cut crude exports. 30 Oct 12:30 ET / 16:30 GMT

METLIFE-RESULTS/ (PIX) MetLife to report 2019 Q3 results

U.S. insurer MetLife Inc is set to report its 2019 Q3 results. Analysts and investors will be eyeing the results of MetLife's annual review of its actuarial assumptions and whether the company's net investment income will hold up as low interest rates pressure investment yields. 30 Oct 16:00 ET / 20:00 GMT

SAMSUNG ELEC-RESULTS/ (TV) Samsung Elec Q3 earnings

Samsung Electronics, the world's top memory chip maker, is due to release its detailed earnings for the July-Sept quarter. 31 Oct 19:00 ET / 23:00 GMT

CONFLICTS / WAR / PEACE SYRIA-SECURITY/TURKEY

Turkey's Erdogan makes speech to his party, expected to comment on Syria, U.S. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech to lawmakers from his AK Party in parliament and is expected to comment on Turkey's offensive in northern Syria and on U.S. House resolutions on Turkey.

30 Oct 05:00 ET / 09:00 GMT SYRIA-SECURITY/UN (TV)

Syrian Constitutional Committee meets for the first time The United Nations' Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, convenes the new Syrian Constitutional Committee, composed of 150 Syrian men and women, for the first time in Geneva.

30 Oct 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

GERMANY-BERLINWALL/STASI LOVE STORY (PIX) (TV) Love hurts: spy victim guides tourists through Stasi prison A poignant look at a West German businessman who fell in love with a woman who turned out to be a Stasi spy and led to his imprisonment in the Hohenschoenhausen jail – he now works through his experiences by giving guided tours of the prison to visitors.

30 Oct 05:00 ET / 09:00 GMT USA-ELECTION/VIRGINIA

Virginia state elections offer early political test ahead of 2020 race The off-year elections for the Virginia state legislature are often a drowsy, little-noticed interlude before the frenzy of the U.S. presidential campaign. But not this year. The elections on Tuesday could provide an early gauge of the staying power of the grassroots anti-Trump movement that propelled Democrats to victory in last year's midterms, particularly in suburban swing districts that are common in Virginia and will be vital again in the 2020 White House race.

30 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT USA-ELECTION/LATINOS (PIX)

ANALYSIS-'Vamos to Victory': Trump's Spanish ads skirt immigration, warn of socialism President Donald Trump has run more ads in Spanish than all of the 18 Democratic presidential contenders combined, a high-stakes balancing act for the Republican president ahead of the 2020 election as he tries to fire up his white Republican base while also courting Latino voters.

30 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT UKRAINE-NATO/ (TV)

NATO Secretary General visits Ukrainian city of Odessa NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gives a news conference in the Ukrainian southern port city of Odessa during his two-day visit to Ukraine.

30 Oct 08:00 ET / 12:00 GMT ETHIOPIA-AIRPLANE/CONGRESS (PIX) (TV)

Boeing CEO testifies to Congress about grounded 737 MAX Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg testifies to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the grounded 737 MAX that was involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.

30 Oct 10:00 ET / 14:00 GMT BRITAIN-EU/BARNIER (PIX) (TV)

EU Brexit negotiator Barnier speaks at forum The European Union's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier addresses the European Economic and Social Committee.

30 Oct 10:00 ET / 14:00 GMT CANADA-POLITICS/

Canada's NDP leader Singh speaks to reporters New Democrat Party leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to reporters after holding an orientation session with his newly elected caucus.

30 Oct 13:30 ET / 17:30 GMT CRIME / LAW / JUSTICE

EXXON MOBIL-LAWSUIT/ (PIX) (TV) Ex Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson scheduled to testify in climate trial

Former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson is expected to take the stand as an Exxon witness as part of a trial in a lawsuit by New York's attorney general accusing the oil company of misleading investors about the risks of climate change regulations to its business. 30 Oct 05:30 ET / 09:30 GMT

MARYLAND-SHOOTING/ Jury selection begins for trial of man accused of massacre at Maryland's Capital Gazette newspaper

The man who shot dead five people at a Maryland newspaper will argue that he was not criminally responsible for his actions because of a mental disorder at a trial that begins with jury selection on Wednesday. 30 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

USA-EDUCATION/CHEATING (PIX) California businessman to be sentenced over U.S. college admissions scandal

A California businessman is set to become the latest wealthy parent to be sentenced for taking part in a vast U.S. college admissions cheating and fraud scheme. 30 Oct 14:30 ET / 18:30 GMT

(PIX) (TV) (GRAPHIC) FRANCE - BTF non-competitive bids

30 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT DISASTERS / ACCIDENTS

BRITAIN-FIRE/GRENFELL (TV) Grenfell Tower inquiry to present first report on deadly blaze

The public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 71 people in June 2017, will publish its report on the first phase of its investigations. After hearing evidence from hundreds of witnesses and poring over more than 20,000 documents, the inquiry led by a retired judge will seek to establish exactly what happened at Grenfell Tower, a high-rise social housing block in west London, on the night of June 14, 2017. 30 Oct 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)