WASHINGTON, Dec 9, SPA -- The U.S. Congress has approved legislation allowing U.S. shipments of civilian nuclear fuel to India, handing President George W. Bush a victory on a top initiative and setting up a major shift in U.S. policy. Critics said the measure would spark a nuclear arms race in Asia by boosting India's atomic arsenal, the Associated Press reported. Following overwhelming endorsement in the House of Representatives, the Senate cleared the bill early Saturday for Bush to sign into law. It reverses three decades of American anti-proliferation policy and, supporters say, deepens ties with a democratic Asian power that has long maintained what the Bush administration considers a responsible nuclear program. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/409732