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

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

SCORE and Restaurant Association of Singapore to help ex-offenders get more jobs

Ex-offenders could get more employment opportunities in the food and beverage industry, with the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) and the Restaurant Association of Singapore due to sign a memorandum of understanding. The agreement will see both parties work to help ex-offenders secure jobs and stay in the industry. - NG HUIWEN

Gardens by the Bay to unveil floral clock

Singapore's largest and only floral clock will be officially unveiled at Gardens by the Bay on Tuesday. - MELODY ZACCHEUS

48th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting may cast spotlight on China's South China Sea reclamation projects

China's reclamation projects in the South China Sea may come under intense scrutiny at the 48th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting, which starts on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur. An anonymous senior United States official urged Asean members to express their concerns to China directly, while Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin played down the disputes on Monday, saying the forum is for promoting cooperation instead of sowing enmity.

Australia likely to hold interest rates

Australia's central bank is expected to leave interest rates unchanged at a record low of 2 per cent at today's board meeting.
Governor Glenn Stevens has already cautioned against stoking excessive borrowing by cutting rates amid a heating property market and rout in commodity prices, the main driver behind incomes in the last decade. Slowing population growth and an economy which has not expanded faster than 3 per cent in six of the past seven years are adding to Australia's woes.