Congress votes to end US shutdown, avoid default

Congress passed legislation Wednesday night to avert a US debt default and end a government shutdown, a bipartisan deal set along President Barack Obama's strict terms that left Republicans little to show for the epic political drama that threatened to rattle the world economy.

The Senate voted 81-18 to send the measure to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which passed it late in the evening 285-144. Obama pledged to sign it "immediately" after the House vote. (AP)