Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Tuesday (Nov 15) and which we think you'd be interested in.

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

Smart bins along Orchard Road

Solar-powered smart bins are being piloted along Orchard Road, which are designed to compact waste and hold up to eight times more trash than regular bins. They will not have to be cleared as frequently, and are even equipped with a wireless device to provide free Wi-Fi to people within a 30m radius.

Malaysian PM Najib to visit Japan

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will be in Japan today (Nov 15) on a three-day visit at the invitation of his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. The trip will also include a courtesy call between Mr Najib and Japan's Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister, Keiichi Ishii, Malaysia's foreign ministry said. During the trip, Mr Abe may announce the transfer of two large patrol ships to Malaysia to help the South-east Asian country bolster its maritime security, The Japan Times reported.

URA private home figures

The Urban Redevelopment Authority's monthly data on new private home sales, scheduled to be released today (Nov 15), is expected to show that sales last month soared past the 1,000-unit mark, on the back of strong buyer interest in Forest Woods and The Alps Residences. In September, developers moved a decent number of unsold units, though there were no launches. Overall, 509 new private homes were sold that month, up 8.8 per cent from August's 468 units.