What's Next: Aug 4, 2017

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro waves a national flag during the closing of the campaign to elect a Constituent Assembly, in Caracas on July 27, 2017. PHOTO: AFP

Venezuela's National Assembly to meet

Venezuela's freshly elected 545-member National Assembly will have its first official session today. President Nicolas Maduro said the assembly is necessary to give him the powers needed to bring peace to the country, after more than four months of opposition protests punctuated by violent clashes between security forces and hooded demonstrators. More than 120 people have been killed since the unrest began in April.


Experts to share insights on security

Military officers and security experts from around the world are in town for a pow-wow on security matters ranging from fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and terrorism, to defence diplomacy. Speakers for the Asia Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers include those from the United States, China, India and Indonesia. Professor Wang Gungwu of the East Asian Institute will give a lecture on China's responses to a changing world.


US July job data out today

The United States will release its job report today. Payrolls climbed by 222,000 in June, above an upwardly revised 152,000 in May, as employment increased in healthcare, social assistance, financial activities and mining. Last month's figures are expected to fall between the June and May numbers. If last month's report disappoints, it could lessen the odds of an additional interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve. It could hit the greenback hard too.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 04, 2017, with the headline What's Next: Aug 4, 2017. Subscribe