'Would you visit me in prison?' The creepy dating profile of James Holmes revealed as he heads back to court today

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US government shutdown is beginning to take its toll on business, warns Commerce Secretary… and not just in America

Mr Obama is refusing to negotiate with the Republicans over the budget issues until they pass a temporary bill to reopen the government. He also wants agreement to raise the $16.7 trillion US borrowing limit, to avoid the country defaulting on its debts.
US defence contractor Lockheed Martin will today put 3,000 of its workers on unpaid leave - a move it announced on Friday - but has not ruled out further lay-offs if the shutdown continued.

National Guard aircraft maintenance facility that is closed due to the federal government shutdown, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash

United Technologies, which produces Blackhawk helicopters and has the US government as a major client, has also temporarily placed 2,000 employees on leave without pay.
It said that certain sections of its manufacturing business had been halted because there were no government inspectors working to sign off products.
The widening impact of the shutdown sparked concern at Apec meeting in Bali on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said the US had to confront its fiscal problems "in a better way than they are doing it now with shutting down the government".

Sign of the times: A message near the Capitol Building in Washington as the shutdown comes to the end of its first week

FTSE LIVE: Markets turn red as name-calling US factions show no sign of settling budget crisis

The FTSE 100 has opened down 47.4 points at 6,406.5 as investors fret over the lack of progress in breaking a political stalemate over the US budget and debt ceiling.
US Democrats and Republicans came no closer over the weekend to a budget agreement that would end a government shutdown, let alone a deal on the borrowing limit needed by October 17 to avoid an unprecedented default.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner said he would not raise the debt ceiling without a 'serious conversation' about what is driving the debt. Democrats said it was irresponsible and reckless to raise the possibility of a default.

US crisis: Polls show most American people are against the government shutdown

Many in the markets still expect a deal to be reached to avoid the potentially catastrophic fallout of a default by the world's biggest economy. However, Asian markets were down overnight and top German and French markets have also opened in the red this morning.
'We're going to wobble our way down until about Thursday and then there's going to be a solution and there will be a melt-up,' predicted Justin Haque, a broker at Hobart Capital Markets.
Michael Hewson of CMC Markets said: 'Financial markets continue to seem remarkably sanguine about the goings on in Washington as we head into day seven of the US shutdown.
'This perception appeared to be reinforced on Friday with reports that Republican House leader John Boehner was determined to do all he could to avert a government default.

 

Federal Government suspends Dana Air license again

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the operations of Dana Air...again. The suspension was announced on Sunday night October 6th by the Coordinating General Manager for the aviation parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati.

The NCAA said it shut Dana’s operations to enable it conduct an operational audit of the carrier and its planes. This suspension makes it the third time the NCAA would ground Dana Air over safety and other related issues since the crash of Dana flight 992 that killed over 150 passengers in June 2012.

NCAA suspends operations of Associated Airlines following crash

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has suspended the operations of Associated Airlines, following the ill-fated crash that occurred on Thursday October 3rd, which killed 13 passengers.

NCAA announced the suspension yesterday Saturday October 5th via it's Director-General, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu. He said;

“Associated Airlines operations have been suspended by the NCAA. Let me say for the purpose of clarity, I said their operations, I mean all their operations of Associated Airline have been suspended by the NCAA. I did not say any certification was cancelled but all operations.”

Capt Akinkuotu explained that the suspension of the airline is to pave the way for ongoing probe into the cause of the crash.

‘Lamar's depressed’: Khloe Kardashian reveals her husband’s issues prompted her to stop fertility treatment in dramatic Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Khloe Kardashian admitted estranged husband Lamar Odom is a 'a very depressed person' as she discussed her now troubled marriage in the latest episode of the family's reality TV show.

The episode was shot before the couple's current marital strife but Khloe opened up on Sunday's episode about Lamar's personal issues.

During the episode Khloe became exasperated with a string of phone calls from her husband, who was away on a basketball training camp.

Visibly angry: Khloe Kardashian pursed her lips angrily every time estranged husband's Lamar Odom's name was mentioned on Sunday night's episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians

Ring, ring: Khloe was curt and brief with Lamar every time he tried to telephone

And one in particular left her worried as despite ringing her at her mother's home, 'bugging out' Lamar did not seem to comprehend where his wife was.

'There is a lot of emotional issues I think that Lamar has,' explained Khloe.

'I do want to help or cater to Lamar but also there is only so much anyone can take.
'Lamar is a very depressed person, which is sad but understandable with everything that he has been through in his life.

'I do love Lamar with every ounce of who I am but it is really scary when someone is in such a deep low and you know they are relying on you to get them out and you are trying and trying and trying and nothing is really working.'

Has Madonna ditched Kabbalah for Islam? Singer reveals she is studying the Koran

Holy studies: Madonna in a red kabbalah bracelet, said to ward off misfortune

It is almost a quarter of a century since she first sang Like A Prayer.
But it seems the intervening years have done little to help Madonna decide exactly who she’s praying to.
For it appears the queen of re-invention may be on the verge of one of her most startling changes yet, after she revealed she was studying the Koran.
The 55-year-old was raised a Roman Catholic, but for the past 17 years she has been a devout follower of Kabbalah, a mystical offshoot of Judaism.
Now the singer, whose current partner is a Muslim, has begun investigating Islam.
She said: ‘I am building schools for girls in Islamic countries and studying the Koran.
‘I think it is important to study all the holy books.
‘As my friend Yaman always tells me, a good Muslim is a good Jew, and a good Jew is a good Christian, and so forth. I couldn’t agree more.
‘To some people this is a very daring thought.’
Madonna has followed Kabbalah since 1996. She famously  persuaded her former husband, British director Guy Ritchie, to attend Kabbalah services before they split in 2008. But she and her current partner Brahim Zaibat, 25, have reportedly argued about religion because of his Muslim faith.

Madonna is said to dilute her children’s orange juice with  specially blessed Kabbalah water, and often wears white clothes because they attract ‘positive energy’.

In the past the entertainer has been challenged by senior Jewish figures for her faith, prompting her to say her beliefs ‘would be less controversial if I joined the Nazi Party’.
In her latest interview, with Harper’s Bazaar magazine, she said it ‘made people nervous’, adding: ‘It made people mad. Was I doing something dangerous? It forced me to ask myself, is trying to have a relationship with God daring? Maybe it is.’
Madonna said she was a ‘big believer in ritualistic behaviour’ and was ‘not a big fan of rules’. She explained:  ‘Rules people follow without question.

Brought up a Catholic, Madonna is pictured wearing the Cross round her neck

‘Order is what happens when words and actions bring people together, not tear them apart. Yes, I like to provoke; it’s in my DNA. But nine times out of ten, there’s a reason for it.’