>> >> this is al jazeera - we are live in new york. i'm del walters. kenyan security forcers are in a tense stand off with gunmen who stormed an upscale mall in nairobi. hostages are being held, 59 dead. >> president obama and the first lady set to attend a memorial at the washington d.c. navy yard. >> and typhoon usagi making land with high winds and heavy rains. >> more than 24 hours after gunmen stormed the packed mall

in nairobi kenya and attackers were holding hostages, an unknown number were still inside westgate mall - trapped or hiding from the attackers. 59 people are said to be dead. 175 are said to be injured - some americans. 49 people at this hour are still missing. american and israeli security specialists are working with kenyan forces to resolve the crisis. andrew simmons has anupdate into the attack. >> much focus is on the early moment of the attack. 12 midday gunshots, screams, grenades thrown. the response was for an armed robbery. this sort of policeman was called to the scene, not the anti-terrorist squad or specialist forces. that did not happen until after an hour. so many people, diplomats, security forces and, indeed, the people of kenya are beginning to think mistakes were made.

an inquiry is inevitable. right now it's thought amongst the security services that more could have been done to contain the attack. more could have been done to prevent hostages being taken, because they are confronted now with a complicated situation. it's not as if the hostages in one place and the gunmen in another and negotiators and the security forces somewhere else. it's more complicated than that. i put this situation to the presidential spokesman who has been at high level meetings throughout this. he responded in this way. >> i can't say whether there was intelligence during this. >> if there was, it was an unforgiveable response, surely? >> i think the way you react to terror attacks is not always going to be uniform. when something like this happens it gives you the opportunity to reflect and think what things were we doing wrong. it may well that we will think

we needed to do more, we should have done more, we must do more. >> so as the long standoff goes on kenyans may be disturbed to hear that lessons could be learnt. after all al-shabab threatened many times to attack the heart of kenya, specifically in commercial targets like the shopping mall. 300m away and it's out of view. that's the way security forces want to keep it - a complete blackout for all media. >> joining us is the author of al-shabab, the history and idology of a militant group. steve hanson is a professor at a lifestyle university in norway. this is a suicide mission by all accounts. what does al-shabab hope to gain? i think this is an attack on kenya because ken yeah

contributed so much to the decline of the al-shabab over the last year since kenya entered into somalia in 2011. they removed al-shabab from a large force of income, the port city of kismayo. they had a loss of income. they made al-shabab - their forces - make them more vulnerable to the african union forces. the al-shabab has suffered a lot from the attacks of the kenya kenyans - they have been efficient in fighting them. the question is why the attack came late. the al-shabab have been hostile to the kenyans for a while. one reason might be that kenya's stay in somalia gained a lot of controversy because they are

engaged in supporting the self-governance rule in the port city of kismayo, which at times has been at rivalry with the government. this is hurting the kenyans, it's well planned. they are trying to hit kenya where it hurts, scaring away foreigners. westgate is a center where communists, tourists, workers in the united nations and diplomats frequent. by gaining a lot of attention, by doing this, they can hurt the most white or white of sectors in the kenyan economy - which is tourists. we see people discussing whether nairobi is a dangerous community and if kenya is worse to live in. that can hurt the kenyan economy, an economy dependent on

tourists for 20% of foreign earnings. >> mr hansen, you indicate that al-shabab is hurt. should be an view that as an act of desperation, an attack on a soft mall, by al-shabab. >> i think it's not necessarily an act of desperation. it is an act for the movement of the al-shabab, when they feel weak and in need of attention, they do this. al-shabab has been in decline inside somalia. it seems they establish stronger networks inside all the networks in al-shabab. there has been some expansion and it's a fact that the african union forces are not large enough to control the somali country side. it's doubtful that the african union can do this alone. you need a security service up and standing and can control and

passify the countryside in order to control the al-shabab. it doesn't seem like the stage of development of the somali security forces reached that level yet, and there's a lot of rivalry inside somalia. there's a lot of regional states that are questioning the intentions of the government in mogadishu. it's not so easy to remove the al-shabab from the somali countryside in the central areas of somalia. >> mr hansen, thank you for being with us, from the university of life sciences in norway. >> in washington - a government shutdown is looming large, pitting the republican controlled house with the developments. >> house republicans who passeded a budget friday removing funding for the responsible care act set up a showdown with the white house, that could lead to a shutdown on

1 october. the house bill is dead on arrival says the democratically controlled senate. >> we are running out of the time to fix it. we could fix it tomorrow. both houses of congress can vote to pay our bills on time and then the budget. >> the drum beat to defeat and preserve obama care took center stage on the talk shows. >> i think senate republicans will stand side by side with speaker boner and how's republicans listening to the people, stopping this train wreck that is obamacare. >> the last thing the american people want it playing of games, putting in poison pills and threatening to shut the debt. >> the government showed doors before, there were six shut downs between 1977 and 1980, the last during the clinton

administration. failure to fund the 2014 budget beginning october 1st will be felt quickly. social security and medicare payments would be delayed. military personnel will not get paid until the government reopens and government workers will beforceded to take unpaid vacations. the house version without obamacare is a stop gap bill that will keep the the government open until the 15th. >> american people don't want a shutdown or obamacare. >> politics is driving the battle. the president will veto the bill. the democrats say they won't let it happen. expect a high-stakes poker game and the senators taking on the senate and the white house. into randall pinkston joins us with more on the budget battle. is anybody speaking from a new script at least?

>> sort of. we have heard a lot about the division within the republican party especially as between republicans on the house side and moderate republicans on the senate side. this morning we are hearing an effort to get democrats to join republicans in the senate to oppose the affordable care act. we heard from utah senator mike lee. >> all 45 rep was in the senate in march voted to defund obamacare. we'll keep those and at a 46, jeff from new jersey. i hope that a few senate developments, those from red states who are up for re-location will consider joining us. >> this is what the american people ask us to do. >> there, we go, if, in fact, and frankly i have no idea whether the senator from louisiana might be willing to join the republicans in the effort. senate majority leader harry

reid say all the democrats are on board and maintaining the affordable care act, maintaining funding for obamacare, meaning he'll take it out of the resolution, send it back to the house and it will be back in john boehner's court. >> yogi bear had a phrase, day jar view all over again. >> it was after midnight in hong kong and typhoon usagi is battering the region. a live report next.

>> >> typhoon usagi packing 90

miles per hour winds will slam hong kong as it heads east of the the chinese government issued a red alert. usagi is a large and powerful form. that storm will likely slam china's guangdong province. it lashed the philippines and taiwan on sunday, with torrential rains and winds. >> craig leeson is live for us from hong kong. it's past midnight and has been a restless might there. >> it sure is. we are in the grip of the storm. luckily it was not a direct hit as predicted. it made landfall 100 miles north-east in another area, killing two and cutting off electricity. it's above hong kong, 60 miles to our north, and we are feeling

the effects of the strong winds and rains, particularly here in the al jazeera studio, which is on the waterfront here in hong kong. we are expecting that those winds will increase as we get kicked by the tail of this storm as it moves inland and is expected to cause a lot of damage through the rainfall that will come as a result. >> when i saw the storm, the first thought that came to mind was katrina, based on the size it showed up on radar. did they take the storm seriously in china? >> well, they certainly did. they are used to typhoons, they get 20-odd. they haven't had a big one scoring a hit on hong kong. there was one that brushed hong kong, making landfalls 400 miles to the south in august, and that shut down the city,

delaying aircraft and transport and shut down the stock exchange. it's unlikely that will happen, but 350 airlines flights have been shut. it's the midautumn festival holiday weekend, meaning that most people are away visiting family. it's like if new york city was hit by a hurricane during thanks giving. all of those people are away, most of airports, thousands waiting for flights back into hong kong or china from here. it's causing many delays and they could last until thursday. >> based on the number of storms, the typhoons that china has seen, is there a concern that they are storm weary or used to storms this size? >> well, certainly the mainland, particularly the southern part of china has been bashed by storms this year. more than 200 people have died -

mainly through the rainfall that occurs, which causes landslides and mud movement, and they really have had a bad go in that part of china this year. they didn't need another storm, particularly a storm of this power. already we are seeing 170,000 homes disrupted within the southern parts of china, and it's likely that electricity has been cut in many parts of those places. two died in one of the cities, and we are hoping the death toll does not rise. it's likely to cause severe disruptions in the area of guangzhou, with 55 million spread out around a large area. >> craig leeson joining us live from hang conk -- hong kong. if you can, get some sleep. >> we turn now to jalelah.

the good news is it did not take a hit on hong kong. it pushed onshore 80 to 100 miles east of hong kong. the storm will take a north-west track. when it made its way on shore as a category 2, the equivalent, it brings heavy rain and gusty winds blowing in the background a moment ago. we'll continue to see this take a north-west track. it will weaken in the next 24-48 hours. within the next couple of hours, around 3 o'clock local time, that's when the storm will be the strongest across hong kong. it will progress to the west and on the back side of the storm you will feel the gusty winds in hong kong and become a tropical storm bringing heavy wind and

rain thursday through friday of next week. looking at the traffic - look at the atlantic - a quite day, and we are not expecting any activity within the next 48 hours. we had a bit of rain across the north-eastern portion of the u.s. when i woke up and walked outside in new york city it was raining because of the frontal boundary that has pushed offshore. we are looking at clear skies. it's a bit chilly in new york city. when the front pushes through the winds push in out of the north-north-west and high pressure builds behind. we are looking for sunshine, but it will be a bit chilly. we are looking mostly sunny. i think the southern tail of the front will bring a bit of rain across portions of the south-east. particularly along the i 10 from jacksonville no new orleans. we'll bring you the latest on

usagi as it pushes to the west. >> today president obama will pay tribute to the 12 americans who were killed in the nation's largest - latest mass shooting. his remarks are said to come later this afternoon near the site of the washington navy yard. the president and first lady are expected to meet with family members of the victims. eight were injured. polls in germany closed and angela merkel is expected to win a third term. we go live to german chancellor angela merkel's conservative party in berlin. polls suggestive her christian democrats may get the largest seats in parliament. her seats may be limited and may be forced into an awkward coalition with her leftist rivals, general -- germany's social democrats. >> we are approaching the end of the election day. we'll have a better idea of how

things will look. in terms of polling data, german chancellor angela merkel is on track for a third term as chancellor. her center right party is likely to win the largest percentage of the vote, ahead of its center left social democrat rival. no absolute majority, of course, this is a country of coalitions, and as she knows too well, you either get the coalition you want or you get the coalition you simply have to live with. the coalition she wants is a continuation of her current arrangement with the free democrats. their support has fallen away disastrously since the last election, further pushed out by the emergence of an anti-euro party drawing support away from the conservative parties on the right. she may have no choice but to turn to the center left, the social democrats forming a grand coalition spanning the parties left and right. it's outlandish in many

countries but has worked during angela merkel's first term. they will likely demand a high price, key cabinet positions and policies in talks that may go on for weeks and months before germans see the shape of their government. >> still ahead - a colourful way to help save endangered rhinos from poachers.

>> 59 people are dead. 30 hostages are still inside on day two of the siege inside an upscale mall in kenya. kenya's government ministers are saying there's 175 people injured in saturday's attack. the some articlian rebel group -- some articlian rebel group known as al-shabab have taken responsibility, in opposition to kenyan operations in sam articlia. it is ryano day in south africa, home to 83% of rhinos, and 73% of the world's rhino population.

poachers know it. the number of rhinos poached in south africa has risen steadily. there has been 63 7 killed in 2013 alone. it's a drastic situation needing draft measures. >> the ryano is sedated with a tranquilliser and a hole is drill said into the horn. a pink dye is injected. >> we are trying to contaminate the animal's horn with a mixture of meddise nal compound and an indelible dye. we are removing the value from the horn and putting it in the live animal where it belongs. at the moment a dead ryano is worth more than a live one. we want to change that. >> the dye can be detected when

the horn is ground to a powder. >> this is a normal horn, and this is what it looks like when contaminated. it has a distinct smell and is toxic. if this gets on to my skin it will make me sick. it's dangerous to humans. anyone consuming it risks nausea, stomach ache and diarrhoea. there's no chance anyone would die from it. in the first half of this year, 400 rhinos were killed. up to 1,000 could die until the end of the year. >> some staff may be involved. it's a challenge. it's too much money with the horns. they don't do anything, but it's a psychological thing. >> dyeing ryano horns is a temporary solution to buy time and save animals. the idea is that if poachers know horns in this part of the

country have been contaminated, they are less likely to hunt here, because they can't sell them. after four years the horn will grow out and the dye disappear. it's hoped that by then a new and better method would have been found. >> after a decade of conflict only a few people in the democratic republic of congo can afford a car or truck. around goma it is common to see people using handmade wooden scotters scooters. we take a test ride. >> it takes concentration and a steady hand to ride this down a hill. this man is carrying one of his friend's, but mainly it is used to transport goods. >> this helps many people here. my father died when i was young.

we didn't have much money. it has given me money. >> they are used to carry almost anything. this man is bringing timber from the hills into town. here other things are being delivered. here it has rubber at the front providing suspension, the boards for rubbing straps and ropes, used to tie the cargo on the back. on the back wheel is a brake, operated with your foot. this attracted some attention. i don't think it's normal for people to see a foreigner trying to do this. it's bumpy but has tyres and suspension. that takes out some of the bumps. getting faster. i found the brake. bringing it to a stop. there we go. it's good, very simple, but it's very tough. it needs to be. they can carry more than half a tonne. going uphill is hard work. most people here can't afford

motorbikes or cars. many say if you own one of these you'll be able to make a living. eight are made a month. finding a strong enough tree for the wood is crucial. it takes years to learn how to make them well. >> translation: i used to raise goats. but one day i saw a tree and cut it and straightened it. the tree was so good i knew i could use it to making is nice. i gradually learnt how to make them. >> people are fond of the transport machine. many in congo suffered conflict and live in pov ertity. this can overcome some challenges. looks like fun.

from al jazeera i'm del walters. earthwise gurr illa warriors is next. for more check us out online. [[voiceover]] in today's technological age, is heavy manual labor disappearing, or is it just becoming invisible? physical work was once celebrated with hymns of praise. but workers today must be content that their hard work is better than no work at all. this series looks at the state of physicark