Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Tuesday (Jan 31) and which we think you'd be interested in.
It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.
Local favourites at River Hongbao
From today (Jan 31) till Saturday, home-grown performers will take centre stage at the River Hongbao with local favourites lined up for the different thematic nights. Xinyao Night today will feature local singers such as Roy Loi, Hong Shao Xuan, Pan Ying and Deng Shu Xian, who will take visitors down memory lane with their heart-tugging, iconic Xinyao songs. Tomorrow and on Thursday, getai artists Marcus Chin, Wang Lei and Hao Hao will perform boisterous, colourful numbers.
Debate on triggering Brexit
The British parliament is set to begin a debate on the bill to launch the country's exit from the European Union (EU) today (Jan 31). The initial debate on the 137-word draft law to trigger the start of the Brexit process will begin in the lower chamber of Parliament, with a vote expected the following day. The debate comes after a ruling by Britain's top court that Prime Minister Theresa May must seek parliamentary approval in order to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty.
Local companies to release numbers this week
Local investors returning to the fray today after the Chinese New Year market holiday will be wondering if the Singapore bourse can maintain its standing as the region's best performer. The Straits Times Index has rallied a sizzling 6.39 per cent so far this year. Investors will be watching a range of factors, including profit results. SIA Engineering and StarHub are among the local companies reporting their numbers later this week.
BOJ expected to maintain steady monetary policy
The Bank of Japan is expected to keep monetary policy steady today (Jan 31) and seek to allay speculation of an early tapering of its massive stimulus. At a post-meeting news conference, BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda is likely to stress that any tapering of the bank's huge asset-buying programme would be some time off as inflation remains distant from its 2 per cent target.