"While my heart goes out to the victims of Hurricane Sandy, it is unacceptable for Congress to use this disaster as a justification for passing a bill chock-full of pork barrel spending, " Georgia Republican Paul Broun said on Monday.

BBC: US House approves Sandy aid package of $51bn

China's official justification for putting its foot down is that rapid moves towards full democracy could destabilise the territory.

ECONOMIST: Democracy in Hong Kong

It added that the book does not present a full picture of Islam as it does not contain passages cited by Islamic militants as justification for acts of terror.

BBC: US university sued over Koran class