Morning Minutes: What will make headlines, Aug 24, 2016

The Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Conference will discuss the importance of managing safety and health risks at the workplace. PHOTO: REUTERS

Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Wednesday, Aug 24, and which we think you'd be interested in.

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Conference starts today

The importance of managing safety and health risks at the workplace in a holistic way will be a key point discussed at a conference that starts on today (Aug 24).

The two-day Singapore Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Conference will also touch on issues such as occupational diseases and work-related traffic accidents, and new practices and technology that can help manage workplace hazards. The event is organised by the WSH Council, WSH Institute and Ministry of Manpower.

DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam to speak at Africa Singapore Business Forum today

Deputy Prime Minister Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is also Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, speaking at an event on Oct 26, 2015. PHOTO: ST FILE

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam will speak today (Aug 24) at International Enterprise Singapore's Africa Singapore Business Forum, in which new initiatives and agreements to foster stronger trade and investment ties with Africa are expected to be announced.

As a major emerging market, Africa is expected to grow at 4.3 per cent from 2016 to 2020.

Malaysia to release inflation data today

Malaysia's annual inflation rate likely slowed for a fifth consecutive month in July, to 1.2 per cent, as oil prices remain weak, economists predict.

One factor keeping the rate down is low transport costs. Economists also say the base comparison from a year earlier has "normalised" as price adjustments were made after Malaysia imposed a goods and services tax (GST) in April 2015.

Annual inflation pace reached a seven-year peak of 4.2 per cent in April and was at 1.6 per cent in June. Southeast Asia's third largest economy is set to release inflation data today (Aug 24).

Japan, China and South Korea trilateral talks today

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (centre), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se, prior to the official banquet of the trilateral foreign minister's meeting in Tokyo, Japan, on Aug 23, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS

Foreign ministers from Japan, China and South Korea will meet for formal trilateral talks in Tokyo today (Aug 24).

The talks led by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Japan Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se come amid rising Sino-Japanese tensions over a territorial dispute in the East China Sea, and differences between Beijing and Seoul over the planned deployment in South Korea of a US anti-missile system. North Korea is also expected to be high on the agenda.

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