In the United States, thousands of federal workers will be unable to report for work today, as efforts to reach a compromise ahead of the working week failed on Sunday. <br/><br/>This means many federal employees will be furloughed on unpaid leave until the stalemate is resolved. <br/><br/>However, essential federal services and military activity are going on. We have a desk report:<br/><br/>A spending bill – called an appropriations bill in US political parlance – had to be passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump by midnight on Friday last week, but that did not happen. <br/><br/>The bill was not a plan for funding for the whole of 2018, but would have kept things running until the middle of next month. <br/><br/>A rare Sunday session of the Senate yielded no agreement between Democrats and Republicans, with immigration one of the main sticking points. <br/><br/>Democrats refused to back a temporary deal until their concerns on immigration reform were addressed. <br/><br/>They want President Trump to negotiate over immigration as part of a budget deal, but Republicans say no agreement is possible while federal government services are closed. <br/><br/>Republicans want funding for border security – including a proposed border wall with Mexico – and immigration reforms, as well as increased military spending.<br/><br/>Under Senate rules, the bill needs 60 votes in the 100-member chamber. The Republicans currently have 51 senators, so they need some Democratic support to pass a budget.<br/><br/>