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

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

New food immunotherapy programme at the National University Hospital

Children here who are allergic to cow's milk, eggs and nuts such as cashews and pistachios could soon be able to enjoy these foods, with the help of a new food immunotherapy programme at the National University Hospital.

They will be introduced to minuscule amounts of the food, and this amount is increased gradually over time, so that kids no longer react to the allergens in the food, which would otherwise cause mild effects such as rashes, for instance, and in extreme cases, severe allergic reactions which could be deadly. - LINETTE LAI

US Defence Secretary to visit South Korea

US Defence Secretary James Mattis will begin a two-day official visit to South Korea on Wednesday (Feb 1), his first trip overseas since assuming office as Pentagon chief. General Mattis will be going to Japan from Seoul and the visit to the region comes amid reports that North Korea may be readying to test a new ballistic missile in what could be an early challenge for President Donald Trump's administration.

China's manufacturing data to be released

Official statistics gauging China's manufacturing activity as well as the growth of its service industry will be released on Wednesday (Feb 1). The manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) reading for last month is due out alongside non-manufacturing PMI, which covers services including retail and the real estate and construction sectors. Economists will be watching to see if conditions in the world's second-largest economy are stabilising.

Indonesia's inflation rate data to be released

Indonesia's central bank expects an annual inflation rate of around 3.2 per cent in January, or 0.69 per cent on a monthly basis. Data will be released on Wednesday (Feb 1). Bank Indonesia said food prices rose in the first month of 2017 and the government raised some electricity tariffs.