(Washington, D.C.) A new survey by the Federal Reserve shows that U.S. economic activity has changed little in the past few weeks, with the job market slowing in nearly half of the regions and overall consumer spending declining further, except for middle- and high-income consumers.

(Bloomberg, Washington) New data from the U.S. Space Force shows that the U.S. military is about to deploy two new weapons designed to interfere with Chinese and Russian intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance satellites, giving the Pentagon three counter-space capabilities.

(Bloomberg, Sydney) An analysis by an Australian think tank has found that cooperation between the US and China in science and technology research has continued to decline to its lowest level in 20 years. This shift could reshape the global innovation landscape, which is crucial to security and economic growth.

(Washington/Moscow) US President Donald Trump has dispatched special envoys Joshua Witkov and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of reaching an agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war. However, Trump dismissed reports that Witkov had instructed the Russians on how to present their peace proposal to him.

(Washington, D.C.) U.S. President Donald Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has "basically agreed" to increase and accelerate purchases of U.S. agricultural products. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that since Tuesday, China has purchased at least 10 shipments of U.S. soybeans, totaling approximately $300 million (about S$389 million).

(Tokyo) Japanese media reports that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's high approval ratings are prompting opposition parties to intensify preparations in response to the possibility that she might call an early general election. Analysts predict that the election could be held as early as January next year.

(Washington, D.C.) The U.S. government announced that starting January 1 next year, foreign tourists visiting U.S. national parks will have to pay up to $250 (about S$324) for an annual pass, more than double the current price.

(Reuters, Sydney) Australian telecommunications company Optus experienced a disruption to emergency call services near Melbourne, affecting approximately 14,000 customers. A company spokesperson said the outage was caused by sabotage.