Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Monday, Sept 19, and which we think you'd be interested in.

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to speak at UN assembly

Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan is visiting New York City for the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, which begins today (Sept 19).

Dr Balakrishnan will be attending a number of meetings in the city, including the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Global Governance Group, the Informal Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the foreign ministers' segment of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate Change. He will also speak on the future of Asean at a special discussion hosted by the Asia Society.

Lunch to thank marriage solemnisers

It was 55 years ago that the Registry of Marriages was set up for the registration of civil marriages in Singapore. Today (Sept 19), Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin will host a thank-you lunch for more than 400 licensed solemnisers who help couples here say "I do". Those attending include pioneer solemnisers who have been volunteering their services since the 1970s.

US to release housing market data

The United States will release its housing market index for September tonight (Sept 19). The housing sector has been one of the economy's bright spots, with economists predicting that home prices will rise by 5.2 per cent, more than double the rate of inflation this year.