African Union countries have demanded that Donald Trump "retract and apologise" for comments reportedly referring to African nations as "shitholes".

After an emergency session to discuss Mr Trump's remarks, a group of 54 African ambassadors to the United Nations said it was "concerned at the continuing and growing trend from the US administration toward Africa and people of African descent to denigrate the continent and people of colour".

The group is "extremely appalled at, and strongly condemns the outrageous, racist and xenophobic remarks by the president of the United States of America as widely reported by the media," a statement added, demanding a "retraction and an apology".

But they also thanked those Americans "from all walks of life who have condemned the remarks".

The resolution was passed unanimously after four hours of discussions.


Here’s a picture I snapped while I was cycling home to my #shithole pic.twitter.com/bVqhWUptv8 — Iain S. Thomas (@IWroteThisForU) January 12, 2018

Mr Trump's comments were allegedly made on Thursday at a White House meeting on immigration reform.

After lawmakers raised the issue of protections for immigrants from African nations, Haiti and El Salvador, the President reportedly demanded to know why the US should accept immigrants from "shithole countries", rather than - for instance - wealthy and overwhelmingly white Norway.

The President has denied using the derogatory term, but a Democrat present at the gathering said it was the "exact word used by the President, not just once but repeatedly".

Senator Dick Durbin claimed the President said "things which were hate-filled, vile and racist".

Mr Trump's alleged comment has caused a backlash among people across Africa, in Haiti and El Salvador, with many tweeting pictures of their "shithole countries".

Former Haitian prime minister Laurent Lamothe tweeted that the world witnessed "a new low" with the "totally unacceptable" remark.

El Salvador President Salvador Sanchez Ceren also criticised Mr Trump, saying he "protests and energetically reject those types of statements".

Norwegians have also been tweeting about why they will not be moving to the United States.

My family came from Norway, and I can tell you that we Norwegians think Trump is a racist "shithole." — Thor Benson (@thor_benson) January 11, 2018

Meanwhile, Mr Trump is in "excellent health" after undergoing his first medical check-up as President, according to his doctor.

White House physician Dr Ronny Jackson said the examination at the Walter Reed military hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, "went exceptionally well".

"The President is in excellent health and I look forward to briefing some of the details on Tuesday," Dr Jackson said in a short statement.

Image: Mr Trump said he wouldn't open the US embassy in London because it was a 'bad deal'

The normally routine examination comes after the 71-year-old President has pushed back against suggestions by his detractors that he is mentally unfit for the job, declaring himself "a very stable genius".

The White House also faced a barrage of questions last month after he slurred some words during a speech on national TV.

Past presidential examinations have included vitals such as height, weight, body mass index, heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation in the blood.

They have also included more detailed examinations of the heart, lungs, vision, cholesterol and blood glucose - but the White House said ahead of the check-up that Mr Trump would not undergo a psychiatric assessment.

Image: A Madame Tussauds wax figure of Mr Trump was placed outside the new US embassy

On Friday evening, the US ambassador to Britain hit back at Mr Trump for claiming the US embassy's move out of central London was a "bad deal".

Mr Trump announced on Thursday he would not be visiting London to open the new $1bn (728.6m) embassy in Nine Elms, Battersea, in south London, next Tuesday.

He tweeted: "Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for 'peanuts,' only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars. Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!"

On Friday evening, the embassy released a statement which was potentially embarrassing for the President, as a spokesman explained it was not Barack Obama who made the decision, but George W Bush - a fellow Republican.

:: Waxwork Trump mocks President outside embassy

'Mr President, are you a racist?'

It said the current US embassy in Grosvenor Square, central London, had "aged beyond its ability to be improved to current security and life safety standards without extensive investment in infrastructure that would require appropriated dollars".

US Ambassador Robert "Woody" Johnson - a Trump appointee - also explained in an article for the Evening Standard the decision to move the embassy was made in 2008 because of security fears after 9/11.

He said it was a necessary change, even though the US had been linked to Grosvenor Square for more than 200 years.

The embassy revealed the Nine Elms site, design and construction costs were all paid for by selling off other US government property in London.