Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Monday, May 9, and which we think you'd be interested in.
It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.
PAP's Murali Pillai to be sworn in as Bukit Batok MP when Parliament sits
The new MP for Bukit Batok, Mr Murali Pillai of the People's Action Party (PAP), will take his oath of allegiance when Parliament sits at 1.30pm this afternoon.
He will also hold his first Meet-the-People session at the PAP's branch in the constituency in the evening.
Mr Murali won 61.2 per cent of the vote against Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan in Saturday's (May 7) by-election. Mr Murali told reporters: "I hope to learn quickly from fellow PAP MPs and I want to start contributing actively."
Today's Parliament sitting will see a range of issues debated, including cycling, electric cars, and heritage matters. Changes to the law to allow the Government to reimburse employers for the extra week of paternity leave new fathers will get are also expected to be approved today. - RACHEL AU-YONG
Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus and the Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism Exercise to take place
The Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus and the Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism Exercise will take place today. The exercise aims to enhance the momentum of practical cooperation among ADMM-Plus militaries. It also promotes the familiarisation of national and regional responses to maritime security and terrorism threats through the conduct of professional sharing and a scenario-based sea and land operations exercise.
The ADMM-Plus is a platform for Asean and its eight Dialogue Partners to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region. The eight "Plus" countries are: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Korea, Russian Federation, and the United States.
Philippines votes for new president
Some 54 million Filipinos will vote today to chart the course for their nation over the next six years.
Five candidates are running for president. They are Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, 71; Senators Grace Poe, 47, and Miriam Santiago,70; former interior minister Mar Roxas, 58; and Vice-President Jejomar Binay, 73.
Mr Duterte, a tough-talking populist candidate, is favoured to win the presidency. He led in the last survey conducted prior to the polls, with 33 per cent. His closest rival, Ms Poe, had 22 per cent.
In all, 44,872 candidates are competing for 18,082 posts, from president to councillors. A new president may be declared as early as Wednesday. - PHILIPPINES CORRESPONDENT RAUL DANCEL
Eurozone finance ministers hold talks on Greece debt deal
Eurozone finance ministers will hold an emergency meeting today to try to thrash out a difficult deal on fresh reforms for Greece as fears grow of a repeat of last year's chaotic bailout negotiations.
The ministers will also discuss debt relief for Greece, which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has demanded as a condition for a new agreement. The clock is ticking to complete the long-stalled first review of Greece's 86-billion-euro (S$133 billion) EU-IMF bailout so cash-strapped Athens can unlock billions of euros to pay the European Central Bank in July.
