US Congress passes spending bill to keep gov't running

The US Senate passed a US$915 billion bill to fund most federal agency activities through next September and avert a government shutdown.

By a vote of 67-32, the Senate approved the legislation that passed the House of Representatives on Friday. It now goes to President Barack Obama for signing into law.

A wide range of government agencies, including the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency and Labor Department, faced the possibility of shutting down this weekend as their funding was exhausted without this legislatio