TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Cabinet approved a ninth straight increase in the nation's defense budget as the government bolsters funding to develop longer-range cruise missiles and stealth fighters to...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's government proposed a larger national budget in 2021 on Friday to help the coronavirus-hit economy rebound by up to 7.5% and provide increased handouts for...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's government offered incentives to attract investment and wide-ranging financial goodies for ethnic Malays and the poor but hiked taxes for the rich in a...

MADRID (AP) — The Latest on Spain-Catalonia trial and politics (all times local):

2:20 p.m.

Spain's prime minister has acknowledged that it's doubtful his government will be able to gain enough support to keep alive its attempt to pass a national budget.

PHOENIX (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday requested more information before he approves a settlement in a lawsuit filed by Motel 6 guests who say employees of the national budget chain shared their private information with immigration officials.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Latest on a federal judge's review of a settlement in a class action lawsuit filed by Motel 6 guests (all times local):

3:20 p.m.

A federal judge has asked for more information before he approves a settlement of a lawsuit filed by Motel 6 guests who say employees of national budget chain shared their private information with immigration officials.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Spanish government's bid to pass a national budget is doomed unless it bends to the demands of Catalonia's separatists for a referendum on secession, the leader of the wealthy northeastern region says.

MADRID (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says he will take his 2019 national budget proposal to a vote in parliament, even though his center-left minority government doesn't currently have enough support to get it approved.

The move is a political gamble that could trigger a snap election if Sanchez's Socialist administration fails to win parliamentary approval for his spending plan.

ROME (AP) — The lower chamber of the Italian Parliament has approved a 2019 national budget that includes funding to realize campaign promises made by leaders of Italy's populist government.

The Chamber of Deputies Saturday night passed the budget law on Saturday night, following the Senate's approval last Sunday.

The government tied support for the budget to a confidence vote to assure the spending package's quick passage to avoid European Union sanctions for excessive debt.

ROME (AP) — After a raucous marathon session, the Italian Senate early Sunday approved a national budget law that was tweaked after the European Union objected to plans by Italy's populist government to satisfy expensive campaign promises with a large deficit.

The budget, which was revised by the government so the European Union wouldn't trigger sanctions, faces a Dec. 31 deadline for final approval in the lower Chamber of Deputies.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Cabinet approved a record 5.26 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget Friday as the country seeks to bolster its arms capability by increasingly buying advanced U.S. weapons.

The budget plan endorsed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet rises 1. 3 percent from the previous year, a seventh annual increase since Abe took office in 2012.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission warned Italy on Wednesday that its budget plans are in serious breach of the rules underpinning the euro single currency and said that the country should face sanctions.

The European Union's executive arm, which supervises national budget plans, has invited eurozone countries to examine its assessment in two weeks and, if they agree with it, the Commission would launch an "excessive deficit procedure" that could result in fines for Italy.

MADRID (AP) — Catalan regional president Quim Torra issued an ultimatum to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday over the wealthy northeastern region's future. It was promptly rejected by the Spanish government.

Torra indicated he could deny Sanchez the votes he needs to approve the national budget in Spain's parliament unless the government proposes by next month an independence referendum in Catalonia.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The head of the European Central Bank is urging political leaders to repair gaps in the way the euro is set up to prevent another crisis — including by finding money to help governments hit by deep recessions.

Mario Draghi said Friday in a speech in Florence, Italy, that sharing some government funds could provide "an extra layer of stabilization" for countries facing economic and market turmoil that can't be calmed through national budget and economic policies.

TOKYO (AP) — Imagine a national budget that reflects steady growth, gives a healthy boost to science and technology while reserving big slices of the overall pie to defense and social spending. It's generous with infrastructure improvements, and is certain of unquestioning, unanimous approval in parliament.

Congratulations. You are now thinking like a North Korean economist.

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington's attorney general sued Motel 6 on Wednesday, alleging the national budget chain disclosed the private information of thousands of its guests to U.S. immigration authorities in violation of the state consumer protection law.

ROME (AP) — The Latest on the political crisis in Italy (all times local):

8:00 p.m.

Italian Premier Matteo Renzi has resigned after a humiliating defeat on his reforms agenda that was central to his nearly three-year-long government.