Saying the US government shutdown was having a "heartbreaking" impact on ordinary Americans, President Barack Obama on Saturday renewed his call on congressional Republicans to end the five-day stalemate and pass a funding bill without conditions.

The partial federal government shutdown is riling witches and visitors alike in the Massachusetts city that held the notorious witch trials of 1692, where officials have lined up dozens of volunteers and some portable toilets to replace services lost when the National Park Service closed its visitor center.

George Clooney knows the country is going through a tough time with the government shutdown.

Washington entered the fifth day of a partial government shutdown on Saturday with no end in sight even as another, more serious conflict over raising the nation's borrowing authority started heating up.

The shutdown of the US government is a "momentary episode" and does not change the US commitment to Asia or elsewhere, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday.

Congress plunged the US government into a partial shutdown Tuesday for the first time in nearly two decades, as a conservative attempt to derail President Barack Obama's health care overhaul stalled a temporary funding bill.

As the federal government shutdown entered its second week with no end in sight, the prospect of a US default loomed next after the top Republican in Congress ruled out any measure to boost US borrowing authority without concessions from President Barack Obama.

The House of Representatives early on Sunday brought the federal government closer to a shutdown as it voted to delay President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare law for a year as part of an emergency spending bill.

The political impasse in Congress showed no signs of easing, leaving federal government functions -- from informational websites, to national parks, to processing veterans' claims -- in limbo from coast to coast.

Pressure is building on fractious Republicans in the House of Representatives now that the Democratic-led Senate is poised to send them legislation that would prevent a partial government shutdown.

Local media are reporting that Bangladeshi police have opened fire on supporters of the country's largest Islamic party, leaving one man dead. The party members are enforcing a general strike to protest a court ruling that a party leader should be executed for war crimes.

Turkey's prime minister has pointed to the US government shutdown in a bid to highlight what he called Turkey's “strong economy.” 

US officials said they may have traced a power failure at a nuclear reactor in Illinois to a failed piece of equipment at a switchyard that delivers power to and from the plant.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Japan on Sunday to remain active on the world stage and pledged support for Washington’s key ally in East Asia as the operator of a stricken nuclear plant finally set out a timeline to shut it down.

Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. are extending their shutdown of auto production in Japan amid a shortage of parts following a colossal earthquake and tsunami earlier this month.

A robotic system shutdown interrupted Monday's spacewalk outside the International Space Station, leaving an astronaut stuck with an 800-pound (363-kilogram) pump in his hands for nearly a half-hour.