Clinton, Sanders clash on gun control

Candidates for the Democratic race for the White House have clashed on gun control and healthcare in their liveliest TV debate so far.

Hillary Clinton attacked Bernie Sanders' record on gun control, and said his healthcare plan risked derailing recent legislation. Sanders accused Clinton of being in the pocket of financial institutions responsible for the 2008 crisis.

While Clinton leads nationwide, Sanders is a threat in key states. Hours before the debate in South Carolina, Sanders - a Vermont senator - had unveiled a healthcare plan for all American citizens.

This was the final Democratic debate before caucuses in Iowa on 1 February show who the state's voters prefer as their candidate.

Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who is trailing Clinton and Sanders in polls, also took part in the lively debate in which personal attacks were few and far between.

Sanders announced his universal healthcare plan two hours before the debate started on late Sunday.

Clinton said any moves to scrap the current Affordable Healthcare Act risked plunging the Democrats into "contentious debate". Instead, the party should work on improving the programme, known as Obamacare.

Sanders responded: "Nobody is tearing this up." He said he wanted to build on Obamacare.

Gun control was the first subject in the two-hour debate, that was held near a church in Charleston where nine parishioners were shot dead in June 2015.

Clinton released an advertisement this week attacking Sanders for his attitude towards gun control. His home state, Vermont, has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the US, with close to one in two households owning a weapon.