US Congress averts shutdown with just hours to spare

The US Congress approved a stopgap funding bill on Saturday in a rare show of cross-party unity to keep federal agencies running for another 45 days and avert a damaging government shutdown.The Senate voted 88 to 9 to keep the lights on through mid-November with a resolution that had already advanced from the House. US President Joe Biden is set to sign the measure into law in the coming hours.