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

Chinese President Xi Jinping assured U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that China is doing all it can to contain a new coronavirus that has killed almost 640 people, including a doctor who sounded the alarm only to be threatened by police.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-VIOLENCE/ At least two Palestinians killed, 16 Israelis hurt in violence over Trump plan

JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - At least two Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank and 16 Israelis were hurt on Thursday in a surge of violence that erupted amid Palestinian anger at a U.S. peace plan. U.S.

USA-IMMIGRATION-TRAVEL/ Trump administration limits New Yorkers' access to travel passes

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Trump administration has restricted New Yorkers' access to several programs that allow faster security checks when they enter the United States, widening a dispute over a New York state law limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. TEXAS-SHOOTING/

Accused El Paso mass shooter charged with 90 counts of federal hate crimes EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas man accused of deliberately targeting people of Mexican heritage in a shooting rampage that killed 22 people at an El Paso Walmart store last year was charged on Thursday on 90 counts of federal hate crimes.

BUSINESS USA-ECONOMY/

U.S. payroll gains seen picking up, benchmark revisions under spotlight WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. job growth likely picked up in January, with unseasonably mild temperatures seen boosting hiring in the weather-sensitive sectors, indicating the economy will probably continue to grow moderately despite a deepening slump in business investment.

GOLDMAN-SACHS-FUNDRAISING/ Exclusive: Goldman Sachs to raise $8 billion for new buyout fund - sources

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc plans to raise $8 billion in only its second buyout fund since the 2008 financial crisis, bolstering its ability to secure deals worldwide, said two people with direct knowledge of the matter. ENTERTAINMENT

AWARDS-OSCARS-PREVIEW/ Cliffhangers, slam dunks and dark horses at Sunday's Oscars

Hollywood's awards season reaches its climax at Sunday's Oscars, with a cliffhanger over the top prize after a season marked by dark horses, renewed anguish over diversity, and a South Korean underdog that could snatch victory from the biggest names in show business. PEOPLE-HARVEY-WEINSTEIN/

First defense witness in Weinstein's New York rape trial takes aim at accusers NEW YORK (Reuters) - The first defense witness in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial acknowledged on Thursday sending messages to the former producer in which he disparaged the "dog pile of actresses" who had accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct.

SPORTS GOLF-PROAM/

Taylor leads at Pebble Beach, 'stallion' Mickelson starts well Nick Taylor seized the first-round lead at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Thursday while defending champion Phil Mickelson drove the ball "like a stallion" to get off to a good start at an event he has won five times.

BOXING-HEAVYWEIGHT-JOSHUA/ Spurs stadium 'front-runner' for Joshua's next bout: promoter

World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua wants his next fight to be in London in June and Tottenham Hotspur's 62,000-seater stadium is the most likely venue, promoter Eddie Hearn said. UPCOMING

ARTS / CULTURE / ENTERTAINMENT KENYA-ART/ (PIX)

Kenyan sculptor turns scrap metal into art with a message Two life-size lions crafted from scrap metal guard the entrance to Kenyan metal sculptor Kioko Mwitiki's studio. Beyond the pair, a leopard, holes in its metal body mimicking the animal's spotted texture, crouches next to a giant elephant sculpture.

7 Feb 02:00 ET / 07:00 GMT BUSINESS / ECONOMICS

ECB-POLICY/REVIEW (PIX) ANALYSIS-ECB's house price headache too big to solve What if vital inflation data used to justify trillions of euros worth of central bank stimulus to support Europe's economy is flawed?

7 Feb 02:00 ET / 07:00 GMT USA-ECONOMY/WEALTH-TRUMP (PIX) (GRAPHIC)

Blue collar boom? College grads, baby boomers' big winners in Trump's economy It was an eye-catching statistic that President Donald Trump rolled out in his State of the Union address: the wealth held by the poorest half of American households increased at three times the rate of the "1%" since he became president. It's true, but it masks who the true winners were.

7 Feb 06:00 ET / 11:00 GMT CAE-RESULTS/ (PIX)

Training specialist CAE to report third quarter fiscal 2020 earnings CAE Inc is expected to report higher profits for the third quarter of fiscal 2020. The Canadian training specialist has seen increased demand for its simulators for Boeing's 737 MAX jets.

7 Feb 13:00 ET / 18:00 GMT CONFLICTS / WAR / PEACE

SYRIA-SECURITY/TURKEY Turkish Defence Ministry to hold media briefing likely to focus on Syria

Turkish Defence Ministry to hold media briefing which likely to focus on developments in Syria. 7 Feb 03:00 ET / 08:00 GMT

FRANCE-DEFENCE/MACRON (TV) Macron give speech over defence strategy

French President Emmanuel Macron gives a much-anticipated speech on nuclear deterrence and French defence strategy, in which he is expected to update the doctrine of the EU's sole nuclear power, now that Britain has left. 7 Feb 04:30 ET / 09:30 GMT

POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS TURKEY-SLOVAKIA/

Turkish Foreign Minister holds news conference with Slovak counterpart. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu holds news conference with Slovak counterpart.

7 Feb 03:30 ET / 08:30 GMT SWISS-VOTE/GAY-DISCRIMINATION (PIX) (TV)

Swiss vote on anti-homophobia law as critics decry censorship When 41-year-old Jehanne, a lesbian, was insulted repeatedly on a tram ride in the Swiss city of Geneva last month, she turned to her aggressor and threatened to call the police. But he retorted that it was no use since his remarks did not constitute a crime under Swiss law, underscoring a Swiss loophole in LGBT rights that campaigners are seeking to correct. Swiss vote on Sunday in a referendum on a law which criminalises homophobia.

7 Feb 05:00 ET / 10:00 GMT SPAIN-UN/HUMAN RIGHTS

UN human rights expert Philip Alston to hold conference in Madrid The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, will present the preliminary findings from his fact-finding visit to Spain - conducted between 27 January and 7 February 2020 - to assess poverty in the country.

7 Feb 06:00 ET / 11:00 GMT USA-POMPEO/EU (TV)

Pompeo hosts EU's Borrell U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosts high representative of European Union for foreign affairs and security, Josep Borrell Fontelles, at State Department.

7 Feb 09:00 ET / 14:00 GMT CRIME / LAW / JUSTICE

PEOPLE-HARVEY WEINSTEIN/ (PIX) (TV) Weinstein rape trial continues

Harvey Weinstein rape trial continues in Manhattan. 7 Feb 09:30 ET / 14:30 GMT

USA-EDUCATION/CHEATING (PIX) Former Pimco chief to faces sentencing in U.S. college admissions scandal

Douglas Hodge, the former chief executive of the investment firm Pimco, is scheduled to be sentenced after pleading guilty to participating in a massive U.S. college admissions fraud and bribery scheme. Federal prosecutors in Boston say that Hodge paid $525,000 to facilitate the admission of his daughter and son to the University of Southern California as fake soccer and football recruits through the use of bribery. 7 Feb 11:00 ET / 16:00 GMT

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE-FIREFLIES/ (PIX)

Fireflies under threat, with light pollution a glaring problem The world's fireflies - those flying beetles that illuminate the night with their courtship rituals - face a global threat from habitat loss, pesticides and the night-time artificial light that humankind has made ubiquitous since the 19th century.

7 Feb 11:00 ET / 16:00 GMT

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