REUTERS NEWS SCHEDULE AT 10 p.m. GMT/6 a.m. SGT

Here are the top stories and upcoming coverage plans for Reuters text service as of 10 p.m. GMT/6 a.m. SGT. For a full schedule of news and events, go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect.

TOP STORIES

GLOBAL

USA-FED/

Fed sees three rate cuts in 2024 but a more shallow easing path

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) – Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday recent high inflation readings had not changed the underlying “story” of slowly easing price pressures in the U.S. as the central bank stayed on track for three interest rate cuts this year and affirmed that solid economic growth will continue.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/

Blinken begins Middle East tour with strains growing in US-Israel ties

CAIRO/JEDDAH, March 20 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a tour of the Middle East on Wednesday by holding talks in Saudi Arabia, hoping to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza war as increasing strain shows in Washington’s relationship with its ally Israel.

U.S.

MIGRATION-TEXAS/COURT

US appeals court appears divided over Texas border enforcement law

A U.S. appeals court panel on Wednesday seemed divided over whether to continue blocking a Republican-backed Texas law that would empower state authorities to arrest and prosecute migrants and asylum seekers suspected of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

USA-SHUTDOWN/

US Congress struggling to reach spending deal to avert weekend shutdown

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) – A fractured U.S. Congress struggled behind the scenes on Wednesday to produce a massive spending bill to fund defense, homeland security and other programs that lawmakers must pass before the weekend to avert a partial government shutdown.

BUSINESS

USA-CHIPS/INTEL

Biden awards $19.5 billion in grants and loans to Intel to boost US chip output

CHANDLER, Arizona March 20 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden awarded Intel nearly $20 billion in grants and loans on Wednesday, marking the U.S. government’s largest outlay to subsidize leading-edge chip production and supercharging the company’s domestic semiconductor chip output.

BOEING-CFO/

Boeing burns more cash than expected as it limits 737 production

Boeing’s MAX safety crisis is causing it to burn more cash than expected, its finance chief said on Wednesday, meaning the U.S. planemaker will need more time to hit a key financial target for coming years.

ENTERTAINMENT

AWARDS-BAFTA/TELEVISION-NOMINATIONS

‘The Crown’ leads nominations for BAFTA Television awards

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) – The final season of Netflix royal drama “The Crown” led nominations for the BAFTA Television Awards on Wednesday, with a scene from former footballer David Beckham’s docuseries also up for a prize.

SPORTS

OLYMPICS-2024-SOCCER/

France v U.S. to kick off men’s soccer tournament

PARIS, March 20 (Reuters) – Hosts France will play the United States to kick off the men’s soccer tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics after the two teams were drawn together on Wednesday.

TENNIS-MIAMI/

Sinner looks for fresh start in Miami after first loss

MIAMI, March 20 (Reuters) – For the first time this season Jannik Sinner comes into a tournament looking for a fresh start. The Miami Open represents a new opportunity, the Italian said on Wednesday, as he looks to get back to winning ways after a 1-6 6-3 6-2 semi-final loss to his great rival Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells.

UPCOMING

CONFLICTS / WAR / PEACE

TAIWAN-SECURITY/ (TV)

Taiwan intelligence chief takes lawmaker questions in parliament

Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen takes lawmaker questions in parliament.

21 Mar 21:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

USA-ELECTION/BIDEN (TV)

Biden campaigns Texas

U.S. President Joe Biden campaigns in Houston, Texas

21 Mar

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/CYPRUS-AID

Cyprus hosts meeting with representatives from 40 countrries on how to better coordinate aid for Gaza

Representatives from about 40 countries meet in Cyprus to discuss how to better coordinate aid to beseiged Gaza, where residents face the imminent threat of famine.

21 Mar

USA-RACE/MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi officers accused of torturing two Black men to be sentenced

Mississippi officers accused of torturing two Black men to be sentenced. Sentencing of former Mississippi police officer Joshua Hartfield and former deputy Brett McAlpin, the last to be sentenced of six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pled guilty last year to civil rights charges for brutally assaulting two Black men, including shooting one in the mouth.

21 Mar

VIETNAM-PARLIAMENT/ (TV)

Vietnam parliament holds extraordinary meeting

Vietnam’s National Assembly, the country’s lawmaking body, holds an extraordinary meeting in Hanoi to work on personnel issues. The parliament is expected to ratify the resignation of the country’s president Vo Van Thuong, after the Communist Party of Vietnam on Wednesday approved his resignation.

21 Mar

IRELAND-POLITICS/

Contenders to replace Varadkar as Irish PM set to announce candidacies

Contenders to replace Leo Varadkar as Irish prime minister and leader of the governing Fine Gael party are expected to begin to announce their candidacies ahead of an early April deadline to elect a successor. Higher Education Minister Simon Harris is the early favourite.

21 Mar

USA-SHUTDOWN/

US Congress struggling to reach spending deal to avert weekend shutdown

A fractured U.S. Congress shuffles towards a weekend partial govenrment shutdown as time runs short to pass legislation funding fund defense, homeland security and other programs.

21 Mar

SENEGAL-ELECTION/ (PIX)

PREVIEW: After delays and violent tensions, Senegal holds election to pick a successor to President Sall

Senegal holds its delayed presidential election on March 24. President Macky Sall is not on the ballot after two terms in office. Nineteen candidates including Prime Minister Amadou Ba of Sall’s ruling coalition will be vying to succeed him.

21 Mar 02:00 ET / 06:00 GMT

EU-BELGIUM/ (TV)

Interview with Belgian prime minister

Interview with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to discuss the future of Europe’s nuclear energy industry, immobilised Russian assets and the G7 Russian diamond ban.

21 Mar 02:30 ET / 06:30 GMT

GREECE-FIRES/AIRCRAFT

Greek parliament to approve 361-mln euro agreement on purchase of fire fighting aircraft

Greek parliament expected to approve an agreement for the purchase of seven DHC-515 aircraft from Canada, reinforcing Greece’s fire-fighting aerial fleet against blazes that have ravaged the country in recent years.

21 Mar 05:00 ET / 09:00 GMT

USA-ELECTION/REPUBLICANS-TRANSFORMED (PIX)

US Republicans have taken sharp populist turn in the Trump era, Reuters/Ipsos data shows

Since his arrival on the U.S. political scene eight years ago, Donald Trump has transformed the Republican Party, both in terms of what it believes and who makes it up. An analysis of party makeup and views on key issues from interest in foreign policy, to belief in trade, to trust in the U.S. system of government will illustrate how the party has evolved since 2015, growing to include more non-college-educated Americans and committed to a more bare-knuckles style of politics.

21 Mar 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

USA-ELECTION/MIGRATION

What could Biden and Congress do to address U.S. border security?

U.S. President Joe Biden is blaming Republicans for refusing to pass legislation to reduce illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border while Republicans say the Democratic president should first use his executive authority to stem crossings.

Both Biden and Congress could take steps to address illegal crossing as immigration has become a top concern for Americans in the runup to U.S. elections on Nov. 5.

21 Mar 06:00 ET / 10:00 GMT

SENEGAL-ELECTION/PRISONERS (TV)

Senegalese family released under amnesty law vows to vote out ruling party

When Aramata Djiba was arrested and taken with her four-month-old baby to a maximum security prison in Senegal’s capital Dakar, she felt it was the “end of the world”. Djiba was indicted in September alongside five of her relatives on criminal charges the family say were politically motivated, and was released this week under a new amnesty law – which she said the president introduced “to save his own name.”

21 Mar 08:00 ET / 12:00 GMT

USA-ELECTION/YASS (PIX)

Republican hedge fund owner and TikTok investor Yass is top donor in US election so far

The biggest donor in the U.S. election so far is Jeffrey Yass, a Libertarian hedge fund owner who started off as a professional poker player and is now a major investor in TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance.

21 Mar 09:00 ET / 13:00 GMT

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/WHO (PIX) (TV)

WHO hold news conference on global health issue with focus expected on Gaza

WHO director-general and experts hold news conference on global health issue with focus expected on Gaza.

21 Mar 10:00 ET / 14:00 GMT

GERMANY-SWEDEN/

Sweden’s foreign minister meets German counterpart in Berlin

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock hold a joint news conference in Berlin

21 Mar 10:00 ET / 14:00 GMT

(PIX) (TV) (GRAPHIC)

Agriculture Ministry publishes monthly crop estimate report

Government gives estimates for sowing and harvesting of the country’s most important crops.

21 Mar

BUSINESS / ECONOMICS

COLOMBIA-INVESTMENT/

Colombia policy lurches chill investment, risk economic growth

Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s track record of unpredictable policy lurches has contributed to a sharp drop in investment that is expected to continue this year, as some business owners complain strategic planning has become almost impossible.

21 Mar

USA-FUNDS/SETTLEMENT

Looming U.S. stock changes could cause headaches for international funds

The looming introduction of a shorter settlement cycle for U.S. securities is causing headaches for international fund managers, who face staffing problems, the prospect of holding more cash and raised foreign exchange risk as they prepare to comply.

21 Mar

LOUISDREYFUS-RESULTS/

Agricultural commodity group Louis Dreyfus reports annual results

21 Mar

CERAWEEK-ENERGY/

CERAWeek energy conference 2024

The CERAWeek energy conference 2024 brings together global leaders to advance new ideas, insight and solutions to the biggest challenges facing the future of energy, the environment, and climate.

21 Mar

REDDIT-IPO/ (PIX) (TV)

Reddit holds IPO at the New York Stock Exchange

21 Mar

GRAINS-ARGENTINA/EXCHANGE

Buenos Aires Grains Exchange publishes weekly crop forecast report

21 Mar

CLIMATE-CHANGE/NUCLEAR-IAEA (PIX) (TV)

IAEA nuclear energy summit in Brussels

The UN’s nuclear arm, the IAEA, will host its first ever summit in Brussels at a time when nuclear power is increasingly seen as a low-carbon solution to the global climate crisis. Representatives from the atomic agencies of South Korea, Japan, the United States, China and France, along with executives from nuclear energy supply-chain providers will be among the speakers at the event.

21 Mar 02:30 ET / 06:30 GMT

TAIWAN-ECONOMY/RATES

Taiwan central bank holds quarterly rate setting meeting

Taiwan central bank holds quarterly rate setting meeting.

21 Mar 04:00 ET / 08:00 GMT

GRAIL-M&A/ILLUMINA-EU

EU court adviser offers opinion on Illumina, Grail’s fight against EU antitrust review of their deal

An adviser to Europe’s top court makes a recommendation on Illumina and Grail’s fight against an EU anttrust review of their deal despite the deal not meeting the turnover threshold for EU merger scrutiny in a case closely watched by Big Tech and Big Pharma eyeing acquisitions of start-ups. Judges usually follow the majority of such non-binding opinions

21 Mar 04:30 ET / 08:30 GMT

SWISS-SNB/RATES (PIX)

Swiss National Bank rate decision

21 Mar 04:30 ET / 08:30 GMT

DARDEN-RESULTS/

Darden Restaurants Inc Q3 2024 Earnings

Olive Garden parent Darden Restaurants is expected to post a rise in third-quarter sales on Thursday helped by steady demand at its casual dining restaurants. Investors will look out for comments on demand, pricing actions, impact of commodity and labor costs, annual forecasts.

21 Mar 07:00 ET / 11:00 GMT

CERAWEEK-ENERGY/LNG-PERMITS (PIX)

Are extended LNG export permit reviews draw new scrutiny

The Biden administration’s decision to extend LNG export permit reviews for climate reasons has drawn rebukes from energy executives and questions about the decision’s impact on export plant financing and construction schedules. Seeking comment from Energy Secretary Granholm on latest projection for what criteria are being added, and what European buyers think.

21 Mar 08:00 ET / 12:00 GMT

CERAWEEK-ENERGY/IRA (PIX)

What’s the state of IRA-financed clean-energy two years after law’s debut?

The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act was hailed a year ago as unleashing a development boom for solar, wind, and cleaner fuels. European executives publicly worried US incentives would draw industry away from the EU. What projects are moving ahead thanks to the tax credits and incentive? Which have fallen away as more information on qualifying projects emerged?

21 Mar 08:00 ET / 12:00 GMT

CANADA-CENBANK/

Bank of Canada to discuss normalisation of balance sheet

Bank of Canada (BoC) deputy governor Toni Gravelle will discuss normalization of the central bank’s balance sheet in a speech on March 21 at the CFA Society of Toronto.

21 Mar 09:30 ET / 13:30 GMT

USA-TREASURY/ANNOUNCEMENT

Treasury announces sales: 3- and 6-month bills; 2-year FRNs; 2-, 5- and 7-year notes

Treasury Dept. weekly announcement of 3- and 6-month bill sale offerings; announces sales of 2-year floating rate notes; 2-, 5- and 7-year notes.

21 Mar 11:00 ET / 15:00 GMT

CRIME / LAW / JUSTICE

SHIPPING-SECURITY/SOMALIA-PIRACY (PIX) (TV)

INSIGHT-Somali pirates’ return adds to crisis for global shipping companies

As a speed boat carrying more than a dozen Somali pirates bore down on their position in the western Indian Ocean, the crew of a Bangladeshi-owned bulk carrier sent out a distress signal and called an emergency hotline. No one reached them in time. A resurgence of pirate attacks is piling risks and costs onto shipping companies also contending with repeated drone and missile strikes by Yemen’s Houthi militia in the Red Sea and other nearby waters.

21 Mar

DENMARK-FRAUD/

Court hearing in Denmark in trial against Briton Sanjay Shah who is charged with defrauding the Danish tax authorities

Hearings in a Danish trial against UK hedge fund trader Sanjay Shah accused of being the mastermind behind the so-called “cum-ex” trading scheme, in which the Danish state lost more than 12.7 billion crowns. The scheme involved submitting wrongful applications to the Danish tax authority for dividend-tax refunds worth billions of Danish crowns on behalf of investors and companies from around the world.

21 Mar 05:00 ET / 09:00 GMT

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

WATER-DAY/MEXICO (PIX) (TV)

Water is disappearing from Mexico’s vital desert oasis Cuatro Cienegas

Alfalfa crops and other agricultural activity is sapping dry the ancient oasis of Cuatro Cienagas, the most important wetland in the Great Chihuahuan Desert and a geological anomaly that scientists say can help them understand the origin of Earth, climate change and the chances of life on Mars.

21 Mar 09:00 ET / 13:00 GMT

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