US ban on travel to North Korea kicks in

A ban on travel by United States passport holders to North Korea kicks in today. The US said in July it would bar Americans from going to North Korea due to the risk of "long-term detention" there, after an American student, who had been sentenced to 15 years' hard labour there, died in June after his return to the US.

Global meeting on worker safety

With worker safety worries thrust back into the spotlight, there will be further rumination on the subject next week. Experts, employers, workers and policymakers are meeting at the 21st World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, being hosted by Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, to exchange information and views. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will deliver a speech on its first day on Sunday.

Release of US jobs data

The United States will release its jobs report today, a shining spot in a moderately growing economy in the first half of the year.

Payroll gains topped forecasts in five of the past seven months, putting this year's average increase of 184,000 almost on a par with last year's 187,000, and above levels typical for the eight-year expansion.

Analysts expect barely any fall-off from that pace in last month's figures.