REUTERS NEWS SCHEDULE AT 0700 GMT/0300 ET
Here are the top stories and upcoming coverage plans for Reuters text service as of 3 a.m. ET/7 a.m. GMT. For a full schedule of news and events, go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect https://www.reutersconnect.com/planning or on Media Express http://mediaexpress.reuters.com/planning-tools/calendar.
TOP STORIES
GLOBAL
VENEZUELA-POLITICS
Maduro hangs on as Venezuelan protests peter out
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelans heeded opposition leader Juan Guaido’s call to take to the streets on Wednesday in a bid to force President Nicolas Maduro from power, but there was little concrete sign of change in a crisis that increasingly looks like a political stalemate.
BRITAIN-EU-LOCALELECTIONS
Voters set to punish May's Conservatives over Brexit delay
LONDON (Reuters) - English voters are expected to use local government elections on Thursday to punish Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party over its failure to deliver Brexit, revealing a divided and dissatisfied electorate.
U.S.
USA-TRUMP-BARR
Barr cancels second day of testimony, escalating battle with U.S. Congress
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday canceled plans to testify before the House of Representatives about his handling of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, further inflaming tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress.
NORTH-CAROLINA-SHOOTING
Slain North Carolina college student confronted gunman, saved lives
A 21-year-old student killed in a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte saved some of his classmates’ lives by tackling the gunman and attempting to disarm him, the city’s top law enforcement official said on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
USA-FED
U.S. Fed sees no strong case for hiking or cutting rates
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady and signaled little appetite to adjust them any time soon, taking heart in continued job gains and economic growth and the likelihood that weak inflation will edge higher.
APPLE-RESULTS-RESEARCH
Apple's upbeat forecast pushes market value back toward $1 trillion
Apple Inc shares rose nearly 5 percent on Wednesday, pushing the iPhone maker’s market valuation back toward $1 trillion as its quarterly report and upbeat forecast soothed investors worried about falling iPhone sales.
ENTERTAINMENT
FILM-EXTREMELYWICKED
Former teen idol Zac Efron plays serial killer Bundy in new drama
LONDON (Reuters) - Zac Efron, who won legions of female fans in the “High School Musical” films, takes on a more sinister role in crime drama “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile”, playing American serial killer Ted Bundy.
BRITAIN-ROYALS-CHARLOTTE
UK's Princess Charlotte celebrates fourth birthday with new photos
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s Princess Charlotte celebrates her fourth birthday on Thursday and her parents released three new pictures of the smiling young royal to mark the occasion.
SPORTS
TENNIS-GIMELSTOB
Gimelstob says he will resign from ATP board after assault sentence
LONDON (Reuters) - Former player Justin Gimelstob will step down from the ATP board of directors and will not seek re-election after being sentenced following a felony battery charge, the New York Times quoted him as saying on Wednesday.
GOLF-WELLSFARGO
McIlroy celebrates 30th birthday at happy Quail hunting ground
Rory McIlroy is back in North Carolina at the site of his first PGA Tour victory, focused on winning the Wells Fargo Championship again, though with one eye turned towards the next two majors which are looming quickly in view.
UPCOMING
POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
USA-TRUMP/CONGRESS-BARR (PIX) (TV)
With Attorney General Barr a no-show, U.S. House panel holds Mueller report handling
An empty chair unoccupied by Attorney General William Barr is expected to feature prominently Thursday in a U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearing on Barr’s handling of the Mueller report. Defying Congress, Barr late on Wednesday refused to attend the hearing.
2 May 10:00 ET / 14:00 GMT
TURKEY-BOSNIA/
Turkey's Erdogan holds news conference with Bosnian presidency members
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meet Bosnian presidency chair Milorad Dodik and presidency member Sefik Dzaferovic (1300 GMT) and hold a joint news conference with them (1530 GMT).
2 May 11:30 ET / 15:30 GMT
TURKEY-ERDOGAN/
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes two speeches
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech at the general meeting of the business association TOBB (0800 GMT) and at the seventh meeting of the Family Council (1000 GMT).
2 May 04:00 ET / 08:00 GMT
TURKEY-ELECTION/
Turkey's AK Party deputy head holds news conference on challenge to Istanbul election results
Ali Ihsan Yavuz, deputy chairman of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party, holds a news conference on developments in the party's challenge to the local election results in Istanbul at the end of March.
2 May 04:00 ET / 08:00 GMT
THAILAND-KING/CORONATION-NUMBERS (PIX) (GRAPHIC)
FACTBOX-Thailand's elaborate coronation by the numbers
How much does a coronation cost? How many kilograms of gold will be used in the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn? How many liters of holy water will be used during the ceremonies to anoint him as Rama X? This Factbox answers these questions and more, toting up the numbers involved in the May 4-6 coronation.
3 May
NUTRITION-FOOD/MYANMAR
TRFN-FEATURE-From beans to gooseberry, rice-mad Myanmar eyes healthier diet
TRFN-For half a century, successive leaders anchored agriculture policies on rice, but faced with malnutrition and worsening obesity and dietary-related diseases, the Southeast Asian nation of 54 million people is trying to diversify what it grows and eats.
3 May
AFRICA-GERMANY/MERKEL-NIGER
Merkel ends three-day Africa visit
German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits a safe-house for women in Niamey and civil society groups on the final day of her Africa visit
3 May
BRITAIN-ROBINSON/
UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson to face fresh contempt case
First hearing at High Court in London of contempt of court case against Robinson
3 May
VENEZUELA-POLITICS/LIMA GROUP (PIX) (TV)
Peru hosts Lima Group meeting on crisis in Venezuela
Representatives of the regional bloc the Lima Group will gather in the Peruvian capital Lima to discuss the political crisis in Venezuela.
3 May
SAFRICA-ELECTION/YOUNG-VOTERS (PIX) (TV)
Will South Africa's young voters have their say?
Many of South Africa’s young voters are scratching their heads about who to vote for in May 8 parliamentary and provincial elections, as they don’t trust any of the main political parties.
3 May
DISASTERS / ACCIDENTS
NEWZEALAND-MINE/
New Zealand govt to re-enter Pike River mine to recover remains
New Zealand's government begins re-entry into the shuttered Pike River coal mine to try and recover the remains of 29 men who died there eight years ago in one of the country's worse industrial disasters.
3 May
CRIME / LAW / JUSTICE
NORTH CAROLINA-SHOOTING/
Former University of North Carolina student charged in deadly shooting spree faces first court appearance
A former University of North Carolina student charged in a deadly shooting spree at the school's Charlotte campus was due to make his initial court appearance on Thursday, according to the Mecklenburg County district attorney's office.
2 May 13:30 ET / 17:30 GMT
USA-CALIFORNIA/MURDER (PIX)
'Hollywood Ripper" case finally comes to trial in Los Angeles
Opening statements in Los Angeles in the trial of Michael Thomas Gargiulo, who is being charged with three murders in 2001 and 2008, and is suspected to have committed as many as 10 or more murders. He’s been known by a variety of monikers, including “Hollywood Ripper.”
2 May 12:30 ET / 16:30 GMT
NORTHKOREA-MALAYSIA/KIM-MURDER
Murder at the airport: the brazen attack on Kim Jong Nam
Early on a February morning two years ago, a balding man in a grey suit entered Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur airport, glanced up at the departures board and walked to check in for his flight to Macau. Moments later, his killers struck.
3 May
NORTHKOREA-MALAYSIA/KIM (PIX) (TV)
Vietnamese woman accused of Kim Jong Nam murder to be released
Vietnamese citizen Doan Thi Huong will be freed from a Malaysian prison where she had spent more than two years for allegedly killing Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader.
3 May 20:00 ET / 00:00 GMT
BUSINESS / ECONOMICS
MEXICO-ECONOMY/OECD
OECD presents Mexico study, Finance Minister to speak
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development will present its economic analysis of Mexico, including macroeconomic forecasts. Mexican Finance Minister Carlos Urzua set to speak at the event.
2 May 11:00 ET / 15:00 GMT
GERMANY-ECONOMY/SCHOLZ
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz opens a banking conference in Berlin
Germany's Finance Minister opens the "Frankfurt meets Berlin" conference on banking and financial services policy in Berlin.
2 May 08:00 ET / 12:00 GMT
BOMBARDIER-AGM/ (PIX)
Bombardier to face questions on rail unit, future of regional jets as it reports Q1 earnings
Canada's Bombardier will report first-quarter earnings as it faces questions on the future of its regional jet program and the use of working capital by its rail unit.
2 May 08:00 ET / 12:00 GMT
SNC-LAVALIN-RESULTS/
SNC Lavalin reports first quarter earnings
Engineering and construction firm SNC Lavalin, now at the center of a political controversy engulfing Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reports first quarter earnings. Investors will be looking for more details on how SNC will use the proceeds of a recent share sale in an Ontario toll road.
2 May 08:30 ET / 12:30 GMT
BARCLAYS-AGM/
Barclays faces down activist investor at annual shareholder meeting
Britain's Barclays faces a crunch vote on proposals by an activist investor to win a seat on the bank's board. The lender hopes to defeat the motion by Edward Bramson at its annual shareholder meeting, but regardless of whether he succeeds or not his efforts will bring further unwelcome scrutiny on Barclays' underperforming investment bank.
2 May 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT
USA-TRADE/EU
EU, U.S. meeting on LNG exports to Europe, part of effort to ease transatlantic trade tensions
EU-U.S. energy council with EU Energy Commissioner Arias Canete and U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry to discuss greater flows of LNG to Europe, part of efforts to increase transatlantic ties and ward off a trade conflict
2 May 03:00 ET / 07:00 GMT
BEYOND MEAT-IPO/ (PIX)
Beyond Meat issues an IPO
Beyond Meat, provider of plant-based meat alternatives will become the first publicly traded plant-based meat alternative company. The company expects to start trading on the Nasdaq under the symbol "BYND."
2 May 09:00 ET / 13:00 GMT
CBS-RESULTS/
CBS posts first quarter earnings
CBS, home to popular TV shows such as the "Big Bang Theory," and "NCIS," is expected to post a rise in its first quarter profit and revenue, helped by healthy ad sales. Investors will be on the look out for any commentary surrounding the company's merger talks with Viacom.
2 May 16:00 ET / 20:00 GMT
GOLDMAN SACHS-SHAREHOLDERS/MEETING
Goldman Sachs to hold annual shareholder meeting
Goldman Sachs Group Inc's shareholders are expected to vote in favor of executive pay and to reelect all board members at the bank's annual shareholder meeting in New Jersey on Thursday.
2 May 09:00 ET / 13:00 GMT
FIAT CHRYSLER-RESULTS/
Q1 2019 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV Earnings Release
3 May
GLOBAL-ECONOMY/WEEKAHEAD
Global Economy Weekahead
A weekly look at key economic events for the global economy in the coming seven days.
3 May
ARTS / CULTURE / ENTERTAINMENT
THAILAND-KING/CORONATION (PIX) (TV)
Thai King pays respect to Emerald Buddha and royal remains
Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn pays his respects to the Emerald Buddha and the royal remains at the grand palace.
3 May
