The world's most powerful government shut down yesterday after President Donald Trump and the US Congress failed to reach a deal on funding for federal agencies.

It came a year to the day after Mr Trump was sworn in as President.

For the first time since October 2013 - when a similar stand-off lasting more than two weeks kept only essential agency operations intact - federal workers were being told to stay at home or work without pay until new funding was approved.

Mr Trump yesterday blamed the shutdown on the Democrats' insistence on protections for approximately 700,000 young, undocumented migrants who arrived in the country as children.

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