Republican senators vow to block Obamacare

The US government is bracing for a possible shutdown, as Republicans in Congress demand that President Barack Obama's healthcare law be stripped of funding in exchange for their passing a bill to keep the government running past 1 October.

The Democratic-controlled Senate has passed a bill to avoid a shutdown - without defunding the health law. But the bill's path in the House is unclear and the chamber is not expected to take a vote until the weekend.

After the Senate vote, three Republican senators told reporters they would not give up in their attempt to block the health law, sometimes known as "Obamacare".