Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Monday, July 18, and which we think you'd be interested in.

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

Empowering teens to be leaders

A student leadership seminar, which will focus this year with the theme of leading change in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, begins today (July 18) . Called Y.Lead, or Youth. Leverage Educate Actuate Develop, the seminar aims to empower teens to become leaders who effect positive change in society. Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam will be speaking at the event.

Republicans gather to nominate Trump

Ultra-right wing property tycoon Donald Trump is due to be formally nominated by the Republican Party for the November 8 US presidential election during the party's four-day national convention that begins today (July 18) in Cleveland.

But the event is expected to be marked by anti-Trump protests in the north-eastern city throughout the week. A potentially large "Stop Trump" march has been permitted for noon today, just hours before the convention kicks off, a day after protesters staged a downtown "march against racism, Islamophobia, attacks on immigrants and on LGBTQ people and endless war".

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has acknowledged he was "concerned about the prospect of demonstrations getting out of hand" in Cleveland, and at the Democratic National Convention the following week in Philadelphia. US authorities have been on alert since a gunman intent on killing white policemen went on a rampage and shot five Dallas officers dead. Complicating security matters is the fact that Ohio is an open carry state, meaning members of the public can legally carry their firearms into downtown Cleveland during protests.

Singapore's June export figures out today

The PSA Brani container terminal. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Singapore's export figures for June are due to be released today (July 18) . However, analysts are not expecting a repeat of the very strong set of numbers for May when non-oil domestic exports (Nodx) surged 11.6 per cent from the same month last year, in a remarkable turnaround from a 7.6 per cent slump in April. A Reuters poll suggests Nodx could contract 3 per cent in June from the same month last year given global uncertainty and stubbornly weak international trade.