It’s mischievous to say National Assembly delays INEC budget – Senate Spokesperson

Japan's military is looking into developing a new fighter jet and boosting its online and space-related defense systems amid fears of North Korea and China.

A Taliban spokesman has said Germans are welcome in Afghanistan and that the group hopes Berlin will open diplomatic ties. The militant Islamist group is aiming for international legitimacy — as well as substantial aid.

A controversial broadcast reform bill was rejected by the Polish Senate by a 53-37 margin. The bill now returns to the lower house of parliament where it will test the ruling party.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday⁣. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.⁣⁣⁣

A Brazilian Senate committee has backed criminal charges against President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. A 1,200-page report accuses the president of downplaying the disease and questioning the safety of vaccines, exposing the public to mass infections. However, the Senate committee doesn't have the power to bring charges, and it's unlikely that the attorney general or lower house speaker will open criminal proceedings, since they are both Bolsonaro allies. We tell you more.

The law would have made homophobia a crime that is treated similarly to racism. Right-wing lawmakers were particularly opposed to the proposal.

It is the first time a budget has been rejected in Portugal since the country's transition to democracy in 1974. The move ends six years of relative stability under Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

The much-awaited Anambra gubernatorial election comes up this Saturday, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is assuring residents of its readiness to organise a hitch-free poll.⁣⁣⁣

The passage of the first budget in three years saves the country from facing its fifth election in two years.

The budget was key to helping Naftali's Bennett's fragile coalition remain stable until at least 2023, when he plans to pass the prime ministerial reins to his foreign minister, Yair Lapid.

Portugal is to head to the polls on January 30, after the country's president called a snap election. The announcement comes a week after parliament rejected the minority government's 2022 budget bill.