
United States 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, Mr Trump did not declare a national emergency to bypass Congress and build the barrier.

EU says the US government has changed the bloc's diplomatic status in Washington, in practice downgrading it. The Trump administration did not notify the EU about the change. The EU has asked the US to explain the move, EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic says.

Millions of US taxpayers will still receive refunds despite an ongoing partial government shutdown, the White House has said. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has previously delayed tax refunds during a government shutdown.

World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim has made the surprise announcement that he is stepping down after six years in the post. His resignation will take effect from 1 February. Mr Kim, 59, was not due to leave until 2022, after he was re-elected for a second five-year term in 2017.

A US delegation will visit China next week for talks aimed at defusing the trade war between the world's two largest economies. The closely watched meeting follows a dismal week for US markets, with losses fuelled partly by trade fears.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Jay Powell took steps to reassure financial markets on Friday, saying that the US central bank would be patient about rate rises. He also defended his independence, saying he would not resign if requested by US President Donald Trump.

Who have been the most influential Argentines during 2018, is a traditional public opinion survey which Consultants Giacobbe & Associates have been releasing annually uninterruptedly since 1995. And this last year there were no big surprises: the main characters have been president Mauricio Macri and ex-president Cristina Fernandez.

Donald Trump's offer of a quick, massive, bilateral trade deal will not be possible if Theresa May's EU withdrawal agreement is approved, the US ambassador to the UK has warned. President Trump had previously said her Brexit proposal sounded like a great deal for the EU Woody Johnson told the BBC the UK was in need of leadership over Brexit.

Peru's gross domestic product (GDP) is set to expand 3.7% this year and the next, boosted by the good performance of private investment and consumption, according to The Economist.

The seven-year-old girl whose phone call with President Donald Trump on Christmas Eve went viral has said she still believes in Santa Claus. Mr Trump threw doubt on the existence of Santa in the call with Collman Lloyd from Lexington in South Carolina.