Senate closes corruption loophole in North East Commission 2019 budget

French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing to water down the eurozone's budget criteria. But some economists don't think that's a good idea.

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

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.

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.⁣⁣⁣

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 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.

Dwayne Johnson, the action star whose films pull in big bucks at global box offices, is aiming to entertain viewers in their living rooms with his next movie spectacle, the globe-trotting Netflix heist caper "Red Notice." Johnson stars in the movie with Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds about a race to locate and steal three valuable artifacts. The movie will stream on Netflix starting Friday after playing for a week in a limited number of movie theaters. The film ranks among the most expensive ever made by Netflix with a pricetag of roughly $200 million.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.⁣⁣

India's government has announced billions of euros worth of investment in infrastructure, as part of the country's recovery from the economic slump linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. The finance minister unveiled a public spending package totalling more than €470 billion for the next financial year, including money for roads and railways. Also today, we look at the New York Times' deal to buy the popular online game Wordle.

India's budget 2022 plans to ramp up infrastructure spending to support the economy's post-pandemic recovery. Key announcements include a state-backed "digital rupee" and tax on gains from digital currencies.