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/>

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 yesterday. The failure to agree on a deal means many federal employees will be furloughed on unpaid leave until the stalemate is resolved. However, essential federal services and military activity are continuing. <br/><br/>The shutdown began at midnight on Friday, when lawmakers failed to agree on an extension to federal funding. The Senate set a vote for midday today on advancing a measure to provide temporary government funding through February 8.<br/><br/>The crisis started on Friday when the Democrats refused to support another short-term government funding extension demanding that the President Donald 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 also want that funding for border security including a proposed border wall with Mexico and immigration reforms, as well as increased military spending. There have been four government shutdowns since 1990. In the last one, in 2013, more than 800,000 government workers were put on temporary leave.<br/>