US election: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clash in first one-on-one debate

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• From the sectionUS Election 2016

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Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have clashed over Wall Street and foreign policy, in the Democratic presidential candidates' first one-on-one debate.

Mrs Clinton cast him as an idealist who will not get things done and Mr Sanders accused her of being too tied to the establishment to achieve real change.

The TV debate in New Hampshire was their first since the Democratic race was whittled down to two this week.

Without a third person on stage, the policy differences were laid bare.

The former secretary of state said Bernie Sanders' proposals such as universal healthcare were too costly and unachievable.

And she went after her rival aggressively over his attempts to portray her as being in the pocket of Wall Street because of the campaign donations and the fees she had received for after-dinner speeches.

"It's time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out," she said.

Mr Sanders, a senator of Vermont, used a favourite attack line against her, that she backed the Iraq War, but she questioned his foreign policy expertise.

The debate comes five days before the second state-by-state contest in the battle for the presidential nominee, in New Hampshire on Tuesday.

Democratic debate - as it happened

Other highlights include:

• She represents the establishment, I represent ordinary Americans, said Mr Sanders
• By standing up to big money interests and campaign contributors, we transform America, he said
• Mrs Clinton was asked to release the transcripts of all her paid speeches - she said she would look at it
• He demanded the break-up of the big banks but she said her regulatory policies would be tougher on Wall Street
• Asked what she stood for, she named clean energy, the affordable care act and getting paid family leave
• He said he was stronger because "Democrats win when there is large turnout" and he could enthuse young people

Despite the tensions over policies, the debate ended on a warm note, when Mrs Clinton said the first person she would call would be Mr Sanders, if she won the nomination.

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Analysis - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, New Hampshire

When in doubt, say you're with Barack Obama. It was telling in this last debate before the New Hampshire primary that both candidates, when forced to defend themselves on grounds where they felt vulnerable, turned to Barack Obama for protection.

Early in the debate, when pressed by the Vermont senator on her ties to Wall Street, Mrs Clinton noted that Mr Obama had taken donations from the financial industry and still passed comprehensive reform. He did it because he was a "responsible president," she said.

Later in the evening, Mr Sanders was pressed on his foreign policy views and willingness to normalise relations with Iran. He noted that he agreed with Mr Obama on the issue, despite Mrs Clinton criticising the then-senator in 2008 for being "naive".

The Democratic president is still overwhelmingly popular among Democrats - and he proved to be a reassuring refuge.

But if this, in fact, revealed where the candidates were weakest, that can only be good news for Mr Sanders. Polls overwhelmingly show Democrats are much more concerned about the economy than they are about international affairs.

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Image copyrightReuters

Image captionThere were handshakes and smiles at the start and the finish

The debate was their first without the presence of the former governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley, who quit the race on Monday night.

He was a distant third in the first state to vote, Iowa, where Mrs Clinton narrowly beat Mr Sanders after a prolonged count.

Mr Sanders holds a big lead in polls in New Hampshire, which borders the state where he is a senator, Vermont.

Both Republican and Democratic parties will formally name their presidential candidates at conventions in July.

Americans will finally go to the polls to choose the new occupant of the White House in November.

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More on the Democratic race

• No jubilation in Hillary camp The mood the morning after a narrow win in Iowa
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• The Hillary story From first lady to senator to presidential hopeful
• Why are Americans so angry? The underlying forces that explain rise of Trump, Cruz and Sanders
• How a US election works The difference between a primary and caucus, and other questions answered

EU referendum: Leaders 'not happy' with UK reform proposals

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• From the sectionEU Referendum

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Image captionDavid Cameron is meeting EU leaders at a summit on Syria

None of David Cameron's fellow EU leaders are happy with his reform proposals as they stand, a source close to the negotiations has told the BBC.

Mr Cameron is holding talks with EC President Donald Tusk over the deal aimed at keeping Britain in the EU.

He faces two weeks of "difficult" negotiations to get all member states to back the deal, the source added.

"In a sense, this is a good sign: it means there is some kind of balance in the proposal," they said.

"There is a lot of frustration and concerns. It's clear the negotiations are going to be difficult," they added.

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Among the potential sticking points were Mr Cameron's proposals on changing the EU rules to make it easier for member states to band together to block EU laws - and plans to protect non-eurozone countries.

'Unacceptable'

These two demands will need work to incorporate them into future EU treaties.

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The EU source said some member states indicated to Mr Tusk that they found that "unacceptable".

Other issues include Mr Cameron's "emergency brake" on in-work benefits and his desire to exempt to the UK from a commitment to "ever closer union".

The prime minister is aiming to get a final deal on his reform package, hammered out with Donald Tusk, at a summit on 18-19 February.

Such objections are not unusual at this stage of difficult EU negotiations.

Mr Cameron is also under pressure at home from some members of his own cabinet, who have been prevented from speaking out in favour of a British exit.

A cabinet source has told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg that the prime minister has promised to stop speaking publicly about the benefits of his EU deal until the renegotiations are complete.

"There is agreement that the rules should be the same for both sides, and that no member of the cabinet should speak out until the PM has returned from Brussels with his deal. Downing St have given a renewed guarantee that everyone will be held to those rules equally," the source said.

Mr Cameron has been meeting key players from the EU in London, holding talks with Mr Tusk, Slovak PM Robert Fico, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, Swedish PM Stefan Lofven and Belgian PM Charles Michel, in the margins of the Syria donors' conference in London.

'Washed-out lottery ticket'

He will also meet European Parliament president Martin Schulz amid continued speculation about the role MEPs could play in deciding the fate of any deal.

Mr Cameron spent two hours attempting to convince MPs to back the deal on Wednesday, urging them to vote "with their hearts" in the referendum and talking up his "emergency brake" on in-work benefits which he claims will help curb immigration.

But some of his backbenchers say he has missed the point and should be focusing instead on the issue of sovereignty, which they say lies at the heart of the UK's relationship with EU.

In a Commons debate, Tory MP John Baron mocked the "red card" which would allow measures from Brussels to be blocked, but only if 55% of EU national parliaments agree.

He told MPs: "The so-called 'red card' system is nothing more than a washed-out lottery ticket.

"It would be like a football referee getting out his 'fraction' of a red card, only then having to consult with 14 other officials before deciding what to do - by which time the game is over.

"The government's 'emergency brake' proposal is flawed and feeds a negative narrative about immigrants.

"It ignores the fact that almost all EU immigrants come to Britain to work hard, and that large-scale EU immigration can not be stopped whilst we adhere to the EU's 'freedom of movement' principle."