President Joe Biden on Monday said he was “optimistic” about the chances of finding an agreement with the Republican-led House of Representatives that would avoid a catastrophic default on America’s sovereign debt. Speaking at the outset of a crucial meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Mr Biden said the source of his optimism was a shared agreement between the two men that a debt default is “off the table”. Mr Biden also said the consequences that would arise should the US fail to meet its’ outstanding debt obligations would be “a kick in the ... economic well-being” for the American people. The negotiating session between the president and House speaker comes with just ten days remaining before the US Treasury is set to lose the ability to pay its’ bills by issuing new bonds. In a letter to Congress, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Monday that “it is highly likely” that the Treasury would run out of operating funds in the event that Congress does not raise the department’s statutory debt limit. A default on America’s sovereign debt would be a financial catastrophe both for Americans and people around the world who rely on US financial stability. Mr Biden said he and Mr McCarthy “talked about the need for bipartisan agreement” and stressed that he was “optimistic” that he and Mr McCarthy were “going to make some progress” during the Monday evening session. For his part, the House Speaker said he and Mr Biden had a “very productive” conversation during a phone call held on Sunday while Mr Biden was returning to Washington from the G7 summit aboard Air Force One. Earlier in the day, Mr McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol that “decisions have to start being made” on spending for the next fiscal year since “we’re 10 days out” from the debt ceiling deadline. “We have to spend less next year than we spent this year,” he said before pointing to the House’s proposal for spending cuts as the “framework” for a deal. “I’m hopeful,” he added. Read More Watch live: Biden and McCarthy meet to discuss US debt ceiling Who is Tim Scott? 5 things to know about the newest 2024 GOP presidential candidate A timeline of Donald Trump’s rivalry with Ron DeSantis

By Emma Farge and Aidan Lewis Distribution of food and medical supplies is faltering in Gaza due to

Nearly the entire field of 2024 Republican candidates and likely contenders will flip pork chops and mingle with a crowd of politically plugged-in caucus-goers Saturday in Iowa as they participate in GOP Sen. Joni Ernst's annual "Roast and Ride" event.

A possible downgrade of Italy to junk this week would be hugely symbolic, potentially consequential — and very

The world’s biggest producer of iPhones is going to outer space. Two prototype low-Earth orbit satellites made by

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy cancelled a Wednesday event sponsored by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib meant to commemorate al-Nakba, or "the catastrophe," as many Arabs refer to the period surrounding the birth of Israel, saying it's "wrong for members of Congress to traffic in antisemitic tropes about Israel."

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Army said on Monday it had selected General Dynamics and American Rheinmetall to compete to replace

Lewis Capaldi is prepared to quit music for the sake of his mental health but would hate if he had to stop performing for fans.

The foreign minister of Belarus says he can't envision a situation where his country would enter the war in Ukraine alongside Russian forces

Thousands of people have rallied for a fifth time in a month after two mass shootings in Serbia that shook the nation, even as the country’s populist president rejected any responsibility and ignored their demands to step down

Aryna Sabalenka is currently sharing a love relationship with former ice hockey player Konstantin Koltsov

Mumbai has moved on but the spectre of the attacks casts a lingering shadow on Devika Rotawan's life.