LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood writers and major studios on Sunday reached a tentative agreement that would bring an end to a strike that has lasted nearly five months.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents more than 11,000 screenwriters, said in a statement that the labor union has reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 Minimum Basic Agreement, "an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language."

(U.S.-Hollywood Agreement)

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KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia's latest leading index showed the country's economic performance will remain moderate in the near term over uncertain global prospects, The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said on Monday.

The July index anticipated a modest economic performance with a better negative 0.9 percent, registering 109 points as compared to negative 2.1 percent in June, the DOSM said in a statement, adding that the improvement was supported by a significant increase in the number of housing units approved. (Malaysia-Economic Performance)

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CANBERRA -- The Australian government has outlined its long-term vision for the job market, identifying five key objectives for the future.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Monday released the federal government's landmark employment white paper and announced nine immediate steps the government will take to boost jobs and opportunities. (Australia-Job Market)

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SEOUL -- South Korea's number of businesses rose last year due to the growth of transportation companies and beauty-relevant services businesses, statistical office data showed Monday.

The combined number of businesses was 6,141,263 at the end of 2022, up 1.0 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. (South Korea-Number of Businesses)

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HANOI -- The business management and operation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Vietnam have shown signs of improvement in the first eight months of this year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The total revenue of Vietnamese SOEs reached 1,136.621 trillion Vietnamese dong (about 46.73 billion U.S. dollars), or 71 percent of the annual target, and 102 percent compared to the same period last year, Vietnam News reported on Monday. (Vietnam-SOE)