Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Thursday, July 7, and which we think you'd be interested in.
It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.
Youth put to the test at World Skills contest
Some 150 young people will battle it out at this year's WorldSkills Singapore National Competition. The participants, who are from ITE, polytechnics and related industries, will compete to be the best in 17 categories, including software solutions for business, aircraft maintenance, graphic design technology, mobile robotics, and restaurant service.
Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, will launch the competition today (July 7) at ITE College Central.
Modi eyes greater influence in Africa
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Africa on Thursday (July 7), seeking to boost his country's economic influence in a region long dominated by rival Asian power China. India has been working to improve ties with African nations as it vies for a greater share of the continent's natural resources.
Mr Modi will head first to Mozambique, the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 34 years, before travelling to South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya. On Friday, he will address a thousands-strong audience at a stadium in Johannesburg, having hosted similar rallies for the Indian diaspora in cities from New York to London.
"The visit marks an unprecedented diplomatic outreach to the African continent and underlines the importance that India places on forging a multi-layered relationship with a rising continent," political analyst Manish Chand told Agence France-Presse.
"The visit is not going to be just about the optics. It is underpinned by a substantive agenda encompassing all areas of interest - economic as well as strategic," said Chand, the editor of Africa Quarterly.
"Surprises unlikely" in Fed meeting notes
The minutes of the latest United States Federal Open Market Committee meeting will be released today, although experts are not expecting any surprises.
US Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen has been hinting that the next interest rate hike could be a while away, especially with policymakers uncertain about the full economic impact of the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union.
