REUTERS NEWS SCHEDULE AT 11 a.m. GMT/6 a.m. ET

A top Iraqi militia leader warned of a strong response against U.S. forces in Iraq following air strikes in Iraq and Syria overnight that hit several bases of his Iranian-backed group and killed at least 25 people.

HONGKONG-PROTESTS/ Hong Kong to end year with multiple protests, kick off 2020 with big march

HONG KONG, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Hong Kong will end 2019 with multiple protests planned for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day aimed at disrupting festivities and shopping in the Asian financial hub, which has seen a rise in clashes between police and protesters since Christmas. U.S.

NEW YORK-STABBING/ Suspect in knife rampage at rabbi's home appears to have acted alone: New York police

NEW YORK, Dec 29 (Reuters) - An assailant who stabbed five people attending a party at an Hasidic rabbi's home in what New York's governor called an act of domestic terrorism appears to have been acting alone, police said on Sunday. TEXAS-SHOOTING/

Shooter among two dead in Texas church attack A gunman who opened fire in a Texas church, killing one person and leaving another in critical condition, died after parishioners at the Sunday morning service shot him in response, authorities said.

BUSINESS GLOBAL-MARKETS/DECADE-CREDIT

The Decade of Debt: big deals, bigger risk NEW YORK, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Whatever nickname ultimately gets attached to the now-ending Twenty-tens, on Wall Street and across Corporate America it arguably should be tagged as the "Decade of Debt."

CHINA-ECONOMY/ China rate switch to ease funding costs, but banks not ready to pass cut along

BEIJING, Dec 30 (Reuters) - China's move to change the way banks price loans could help ease funding costs, especially for struggling small firms, although lenders are expected to try to limit the hit to their earnings by not fully passing the cut along. ENTERTAINMENT

AUSTRALIA-PAPUA/ZACEFRON 'Killing Zac Efron' star is home after falling ill in PNG

SYDNEY, Dec 30 (Reuters) - American actor Zac Efron confirmed on Monday that he recently fell ill while filming a survival reality TV show in Papua New Guinea. RELIGION-HANUKKAH/ISRAELIS

Candle light and doughnuts: Israelis celebrate Hanukkah RAMAT GAN, Israel, Dec 29 (Reuters) - As sun set on Sunday, Jews across Israel marked the last night of the Hanukkah festival of lights.

SPORTS OLYMPICS-2020/ASBESTOS

Tokyo 2020 to take measures after asbestos found at venue: Asahi TOKYO, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Tokyo 2020 organisers will take "emergency countermeasures" after asbestos was found at the water polo venue for next year's Games after initially opting against treating it when it was discovered two years ago, Asahi newspaper reported on Monday.

TENNIS-AUSTRALIA/COURT Australian great Court hits out at LGBTI education, trans athletes

MELBOURNE, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Australian tennis great Margaret Court has launched a tirade against transgender athletes and called the teaching of LGBTI materials at schools the work of the "devil" in a fiery sermon at her Perth church. UPCOMING

CRIME / LAW / JUSTICE TAIWAN-LAWMAKING/ (TV)

Taiwan parliament discusses anti-infiltration bill aimed at China Taiwan's parliament discusses - and may pass into law - an anti-infiltration bill aimed at preventing China from meddling in Taiwan politics which the opposition says is an affront to democracy.

31 Dec 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

ENVIRONMENT-PLASTIC/DIET (GRAPHIC) THE REUTERS GRAPHIC-The plastic we eat: Visualising the amount of microplastic in our diets

We’re breathing microplastic, eating it and drinking plastic-infused water every day. This graphic-driven piece shows how much we ingest over various time periods. 31 Dec