Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Friday, April 8, and which we think you'd be interested in.

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

EDB-ST Pioneering The Future Dialogue

Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh and former Chief of Defence Force Winston Choo will address Singapore's military might in Asia and how the country relates to the rest of the world at a dialogue today. It is the fourth in a series of six dialogues in the EDB-ST Pioneering The Future series, which taps the brains of the Republic's pioneers for tips on how to make the most of future opportunities.

Start II's 6th anniversary

Today will mark the 6th anniversary of the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) II between Russia and the United States. But US President Barack Obama said at the conclusion of two-day summit on nuclear security that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin's focus on building up the military at the expense of economic development has slowed progress on the next phase of nuclear arms reductions. Mr Obama said the possibility of progress in future years remains, as both countries continue to abide by the agreement. But reductions during Mr Obama's remaining less than 10 months in office are unlikely, he added.

Japan's consumer confidence index

Japan will release last month's consumer confidence index today. The data measures households' sentiment towards consumption activities like purchasing power and income growth. The index had dropped to 40.1 in February , the lowest in a year, from 42.5 in January and below market consensus. A level above 50 implies that consumers expect the situation to improve. A fresh fall will raise the burden on policymakers.