Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Thursday, Sept 15, and which we think you'd be interested in.

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

Conference on aquaculture sustainability

Members of the aquaculture community here and overseas will gather in Singapore today (Sept 15) at a conference that promotes sustainability of the industry.

Local and international experts will discuss global trends as well as share examples of sustainable and innovative practices at the second edition of the Aquaculture Industry Engagement Day. Issues faced by the aquaculture industry here include harmful algae blooms and mass fish deaths.

The conference, organised by Republic Polytechnic and the Tropical Marine Science Institute, will look at how emerging technologies can be tapped to counter such problems caused by climate change.

Japan's Democratic Party to hold elections

Industry Transformation map for retail sector out today

Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S. Iswaran is expected to unveil the industry transformation map for the retail sector at the Singapore Retail Industry Conference 2016 today (Sept 15).

The map will take into consideration the challenges facing the industry such as fewer business travellers, lower spending per person and the shift to e-commerce. Key strategies will be mapped out, such as adopting innovation and technology to drive productivity.

Bank of England to announce interest rates

The Bank of England will today (Sept 15) announce its interest rate decision and asset purchase target, which economists predict will remain unchanged.

After slashing their growth forecasts and cutting interest rates to a record low, Governor Mark Carney and his officials face mounting evidence that Britain is weathering the vote to quit the European Union better than they expected.

The Monetary Policy Committee had last month raised the possibility of further stimulus before the end of the year. Sentiment-based indicators, including a gauge of services and a measure of household confidence, have bounced back last month after plummeting in July.

While official data have been sparse, those published so far - including figures on trade and construction - have also been better than expected.