US President Donald Trump has demanded funding for his long-promised US-Mexico border wall to halt "a growing humanitarian and security crisis".

But in his first TV address to the nation from the Oval Office, Trump did not declare a national emergency to bypass Congress and build the barrier. In a televised rebuttal, Democratic leaders accused him of holding the American people hostage. Both sides are trying to gain an edge amid an 18-day government shutdown. The Republican president wants $5.7bn (£4.5bn) to build a steel barrier, which would deliver on his signature campaign pledge. But Democrats - who recently took control of the House of Representatives - are adamantly opposed to giving him the funds. The ongoing closure of a quarter of federal agencies is the second-longest in history, leaving hundreds of thousands of government workers unpaid. (BBC)