Provides an overview of Xinjiang, including key dates and facts about this autonomous region of China.

A volcanic eruption could destroy the Icelandic town of Grindavik or lead to extensive ash clouds, experts have warned. The country has been shaken by more than 800 small earthquakes, prompting fears that the tremors could disrupt the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest of the country. Scientists have said an eruption at some point is ‘likely’. It comes as a Caterpillar D11 - said to be Iceland’s biggest bulldozer - has been dispatched to help build defences. The huge piece of equipment is constructing trenches to reduce the damage caused by any eventual disaster. Almost 4,000 people were evacuated from Grindavik over the weekend as authorities feared that molten rock would rise to the surface of the earth and potentially hit the coastal town and a geothermal power station. Ragga Agustsdottir, who lives close to Grindavik, said residents were fearful of what could happen if an eruption struck. Scientists have warned Iceland’s south-western peninsula could face “decades” of volcanic instability following eruptions along the peninsula. Read More Biggest volcanic eruptions in the last 10 years as Iceland town faces devastation ‘It’s like a dystopian movie’: Iceland residents describe ‘apocalyptic’ scenes as they flee volcano threat Iceland earthquakes: Are flights still running amid fears of volcano eruption? Is it safe to travel to Iceland? Your rights if you have a holiday booked

Joe Rogan gets a strong contender on Spotify

The Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas has reached a tentative deal with casino giant Caesars Entertainment that could help avert a sweeping strike

Anger was growing Saturday over the official response to an inferno that levelled a Hawaiian town, killing at least 93 people in the deadliest wildfire in the...

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has issued guidance to the military workforce for the first time about how Pentagon leadership roles will likely need to be reshuffled as a result of Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on military confirmations.

Noah Ney was sentenced as an adult on Monday, October 23 after he pleaded guilty to 12 counts involving firearms, drugs, gangs, theft, and assault

First lady Dr. Jill Biden will travel to Paris next week to celebrate the US rejoining UNESCO, according to senior administration officials, in a visit that will highlight the national security imperative of American involvement in such coalitions and emphasize the role of US leadership in the world.

A federal judge is recommending that the U.S. Supreme Court approve a settlement among three Western states over the management of one of North America's longest rivers

A lawsuit has challenged the constitutionality of Missouri’s new law requiring voters to show photo identification to cast a regular ballot

Pakistan's military says a group of militants has ambushed troops during a search operation against insurgents in southwestern Pakistan, triggering a shootout that left an army major and a junior officer dead

The bipartisan agreement to raise the debt limit cleared a key hurdle on Tuesday evening despite vehement criticism from many House Republicans. The House Rules Committee voted 7-6 to advance the legislation that codifies the bipartisan agreement struck between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s team and negotiators from President Joe Biden’s administration. The rule will now go to the full House floor before the agreement comes to a full House vote. The rule passed after an hours-long deliberation in the committee that included multiple amendment proposals. The vote comes as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the United States will be unable to satisfy its debt obligations come 5 June. The House of Representatives is set to vote But many House Republicans raised objections, including members of the House Freedom Caucus who had previously opposed Mr McCarthy’s bid for speaker in January. Rep Andy Biggs (R - AZ) told The Independent that Mr McCarthy’s deal with the White House was a repeat of his past behaviour. “When he was been in leadership for 13 years, it was not uncommon for him to be the point man to go negotiate a spending cap deal with the Democrats,” he said. Many Republicans criticised the fact that the legislation keeps in place Mr Biden’s student loan forgiveness, only claws back a small sliver of money meant to increase funding for the Internal Revenue Service and raises the debt limit until January 2025, after the 2024 presidential election. Rep Bob Good (R - VA) told The Independent that the bill symbolised a surrender from House Republican leadership. “We have literally come together and our leadership and their leadership and agreed on a Democrat bill,” Mr Good told The Independent. But many allies of Mr McCarthy also opposed the legislation. Rep Nancy Mace (R - SC), who voted for Mr McCarthy for speaker in January, announced her opposition to the bill. “Washington is, was and always will be lousy at responsibly spending your tax dollars,” she tweeted. “That won’t change unless we demand change.” Rep Chip Roy (R - TX) refuted the idea that conservatives would want the United States to default on its debt obligations. “The only person who would default in this town is Joe Biden unless Republicans default on the American dream by voting for this bad bill,” he said at a press conference. “That is why this group will oppose it, we will continue to fight it, today, tomorrow, and no matter what happens, there’s going to be a reckoning about what just occurred.” Mr Roy had tweeted on Monday that during the negotiations for the speakership, Republican leaders pledged that nothing would pass the Rules Committee without at least seven Republican votes and the committee would not allow for reporting out rules without unanimous Republican votes. During the negotiations, Mr Roy tried to stress his opposition and said why Republicans should oppose the bill. “We're not going to reduce spending through this deal. Unless we actually stand up and reduce spending it'll be on us to choose to,” he said during the hearing. “But this deal isn't going to reduce spending even though everybody's going around saying it will.” But some Republicans stressed that the agreement was the only one that could pass the House and Senate and end up on the president’s desk. “We only control one-half of one-third of government,” Rep Erin Houchin (R - IN) said. “There’s no better deal to be had.” Mr McCarthy expressed confidence in a press conference that he would have enough votes to raise the debt limit. “I’m not sure what in the bill people are concerned about,” he told reporters, saying it is the largest savings in congressional history. “We’re pulling money back for the hard-working taxpayers that are going to China. Are they opposed to work requirements for welfare?” The Congressional Budget Office estimated that if the bill passed, the budget deficit would be reduced by about $1.5 trillion through a period from 2024 to 2033. In addition, the provision in the legislation that would exempt for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who were in foster care when they turned 18 from work requirements to obtain the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, would mean 78,000 people would gain benefits. The increase comes despite the fact that the legislation would raise the age for work requirements for SNAP from 50 to 54. On the Senate side, both Republican and Democratic leaders praised the agreement. “Congress will vote on legislation that locks in that important progress,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R - KY) said in remarks on the Senate floor. “Republicans have a tremendous opportunity to take on an existential challenge facing our economy and future generations of Americans. We have a chance to start bringing Washington Democrats’ reckless spending to heel.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ((D - NY) said the bill was a reasonable compromise. “Of course, nobody is getting everything they want – there is give on both sides – but this agreement is the responsible, prudent and very necessary way forward,” he said on the Senate floor. Mr Schumer said he would bring the bill up as quickly as possible for consideration before the default deadline on 5 June. Read More Biden ‘optimistic’ about McCarthy negotiations as AOC slams ‘dysfunctional’ debt ceiling system Debt ceiling deal reached between Biden and McCarthy Conservatives bark after the debt limit deal. Will they actually bite McCarthy? GOP chairman moves to hold FBI director Wray in contempt over Biden doc Utah Republican Chris Stewart planning to resign from Congress, AP source says Debt limit deal is in place, but budget deficit is still a multi-decade challenge for US government