Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Monday, Aug 1, and which we think you'd be interested in.

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

PM Lee Hsien Loong on six-day official visit to Washington

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrives in the US capital Washington for a six-day official visit that is a first by a Singapore prime minister since 1985.

The visit, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, provides an opportunity for both countries to renew and expand cooperation, the Prime Minister's Office said.

US President Barack Obama will welcome Mr Lee at an official arrival ceremony at the White House South Lawn on Tuesday (Aug 2) before their meeting in the Oval Office. Later that day, Mr Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will host PM Lee and his wife to a state dinner, an honour accorded by the Obama administration to only 11 other occasions in eight years.

New award for healthcare workers

A new award will be launched today (Aug 1) to recognise healthcare workers who have shown exemplary efforts to raise patient safety standards and prevent unsafe practices within the SingHealth group. The Target Zero Harm award will be presented to 10 individual winners and two winning teams fom SingHealth institutions. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong will present the awards at the SingHealth Nurses' Day celebrations at the Singapore General Hospital Campus. - WANG TIANJIE

Malaysian PM Najib to embark on three-day visit to Indonesia

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak begins today (Aug 1) a three-day visit to Indonesia, where he will meet President Joko Widodo for the first time under an annual consultation framework between the two countries. The two leaders will discuss economic cooperation, energy, boundary and labour issues as well as the haze problem.

Datuk Seri Najib will also attend the 12th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) during his stay in Jakarta. This year's edition of the forum is expected to be the biggest with more than 2,500 participants and will be attended by leaders from countries including Tajikistan, Guinea and Sri Lanka. Mr Najib, as the patron of WIEF, will deliver a special address during the opening session.

Leading companies to report results

Singapore's corporate results season is in full swing, with profit figures due out this week from leading lights including such as conglomerate Sembcorp Industries, telco StarHub, Resorts World Sentosa owner Genting Singapore, and Perennial Real Estate Holdings. Investors will be hoping the stock market will stabilise after losing it lost ground late last week over oil offshore services firm Swiber Holdings' financial woes.