>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here's are the stories that we're following for you. >> i'm confident the republicans will allow the government to open and extend the ability of this country to pay its bills. >> lawmakers try to work out a deal as the deadline for extending the debt ceiling gets even closer. as the u.n. inspectors could be buying time for the assad machinregime. and muslims around the world gathering for hajj.

>> three days and counting now until the u.s. government loses it's ability to borrow money to pay its bills. senate leaders are holding off last-minute talks but there is no negotiation to end the government shutdown. where do these things stand after another week of negotiations and proposals. >> reporter: this is what shutdown looks like when it meets debt ceiling. the deadline is running out. you're going to hear from the house, nothing from the white house today because they're observing the columbus day, public holiday. where we're at after the weekend, the deal that we thought we had on thursday is completely dissipated. harry reid and mitch mcconnell have gun to speak with each other, which has been considered

a good thing. they have a history of doing this. do you remember when the sequester was being debated on the 31st of december of last year out of a blue there was a deal that came out of mitch mcconnell and harry reid and everything went away. we brief they're doing something behind the scenes but we don't know what because they're not telling us. also, the susan collins deal is still out there who put forward a plan last week. her plan would extend the debt ceiling until december 31st. the democrats rejected that on saturday but it's still out there. she and another women senators are pushing this deal forward. i think it may yet end up being a starting point if not a finishing point. in the meantime the feeling is they will get something done recording the debt ceiling. but of course time is not on their side now. >> john, take a look at these

numbers. a poll released last week said that 53% of americans are blaming republicans while only 31 are blaming president obama for the shutdown. now it seems with those polls as ammunition the democrats are making demands. has public opinion pushed them in a different direction? >> reporter: that's a huge margin. that's a 22-point margin among men's when asked who do you blame for this. let's take a look at that graphic. 51% blaming the republicans and only--53% blaming the republicans, and only 31% blaming the president, that's in his favor. they're trying to push for rolling back of sequester cuts. now they hate most of sequester cuts forced on them by the republicans. the republicans hate them, too, but they hate a different set of

sequester cuts for different reasons. i think the democrats are emboldened. they know the republicans are on the ropes right now. they're hurting among their constituents. they really are in trouble when it comes to more candidates in the senate. so that's what's going on. the topic of obamacare just briefly which started all of this now isn't even mentioned. it wasn't mentioned over the weekend oncal tol on capitol his not mentioned in washington, d.c. >> john terrett, at least the skies are clearing. stocks are falling today as we move closer to that thursday deadline. the dow down 74 points. you can see there is selling off after last week's big gains which showed that optimism might be in the works. and debate continues over

raising the debt ceiling. on october 17th the government will no longer be able to borrow and it will have an estimated $30 billion left over in its coffers. that money will run out between october 22nd to the end of this month. the government must pay debt interest or risk default. on november 1st $60 billion is due for benefit payments. and on october 15th another $29 billion interest payment is due if the economy shows that it is slowing and tax payments fall short default could occur. the government shutdown also creating problems across the nation'nation's capitol. war veterans are sending messages to lawmakers on both

sides of the aisle. thousands show up at this rally in washington, d.c. on sunday. they're protesting the memorials that were closed. senator ted cruz were leading the fight to, quote, tear down the walls. >> why is the federal government spending money to erect barricades to keep veterans out of this memorial. two weeks ago the house of representatives passed legislation to open every memorial and every federal park in this country. two weeks ago the president of the united states signed a written vetoed threat. he said if you open the memorial i will veto it. >> organizers of the million veteran mark say the government shutdown dishonors veterans and they're asking congress to introduce legislation that would

prevent closing of memorials. there is a deadly tam pediatrician in india where 110 people were killed on sunday. it took place at a festival at a hindu temple. >> reporter: we're a kilometer away from the temple where the stampede happened on sunday. now district officials that we spoke to this morning said that the debt figure now stands at more than a 110 people including some 30 children. some of them as young as just a year old. as you can see all around me pilgrims still are continuing to go to the temple where this accident happened that's because this is the last day of the ten-today festival, it's an incredibly important in the hindu calendar with locals bringing offerings and prayers to the hindu goddess to make sure that the coming year is prosperous and well for them. now police have not been able to

stop them from coming here despite the accident that happened yesterday. they have cordoned off this side of the road so that vehicles can't come in, and people are continuing to stream in. they say that was the problem yesterday. officials tolds there were is hundred thousand people who were making their way up to the temple which were one kilometer that way, and they could not control the crowd. there were rumors that on a particular bridge where there were thousands of people standing at the time people were saying that the bridge was going to collapse, that it was unsteady, and that may have caused panic among the people causing the stampede. however, officials have not told us that that was the case. they haven't given us any cause. now one of the most concerning things about this is that a similar accident happened i in 2006. 57 people died in the stampede

at that time but since then there seems to have been no action taken to make this event any safer. it happens every year. officials say they are hoping to restrict crowds in the future and prevent this kind of thing from occurring again. so far there has been no action taken. >> there are reports that four of the seven aid workers kidnapped were released. three remain in captivity into a rebel-controlled town. the relief team from seized outside of the city on sunday on their way to damascus. 20 people are dead after a car bomb exploded in a city near the turkish border, which is under rebel control.

bombings occurred in damascus, no casualties are reported. the syrian government he is supreme courted 1500 civilians to safe areas over the weekend. the current regime continues to give up its arsenal of chemical weapons. as it turns out doing so could help president bashar al-assad. >> reporter: syria is giving up it's chemical weapons. but in return the regime may have bought time to stay in power. at least until the disarmament process is completed in the middle of next year. that is also around the time the next presidential election is scheduled. until then, president bashar al-assad's cooperation is needed for the weapon's mission to succeed. >> such symbol of co lascence among the apparatus, the organs

of state, full, he is the pivot that all of these circle around. >> reporter: the war is no longer a conflict between two sides. al-qaeda is president, and assad is not just relying on the military. he also depends on the program militia. >> the americans made it very clear that they want to preserve the government. i think he will be allowed to finish his term. >> now russia and the u.s. want to revise the agreement in switzerland.

if that conference convenes in geneva discussions won't be about the regime handing over the power. the goal would be to establish a transitional governing body that involved members of the militia and the regime. it will be power sharing something that the opposition and it's regional backers don't want. in january assad made clear that a political settlement would include a cease-fire and national dialogue to decide on a new constitution and cabinet. months later the regime is just as defiant saying handing over power is not an option. assad may have won this political battle in a war that still has not been won. al jazeera, beirut. >> millions of muslims are making their way to mecca. up next on al jazeera america, we'll take a look at one man's journey to islam.

desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you.

[[voiceover]] every day, events sweep across our country. and with them, a storm of views. how can you fully understand the impact unless you've heard angles you hadn't considered? antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours.

>> the pictures tell a story of estimated 2 million muslims in saudi arabia on their travels to mecca. they spend their day in prayer, the main ritual of the hajj. we report from mecca. >> reporter: this is the mount of mercy. it has for centuries been the focal point where pilgrims spend the day in prayer and contemplation. for muslims it is a reminder of the day of judgment when they believe they will stand on a plane similar to this one for their final judgment. this is why it is considered the focal point of hajj.

habib todd burger came here. >> a friend of mine who started learning about islam was not herself a muslim but started teaching me things that she had learned, and i started with th that, and my heart continued to open more and more. >> reporter: habib hopes once he gets back home that he will try to convince his family and friends that he made the right choice. >> my families have concerns, and they also recognize that i have a deep connection with god, with the one god. i believe people have no idea what islam is.

>> reporter: originally from texas, habib now lives in california. he says his biggest challenge is to change misconceptions in america about islam. >> it's unfortunate that the media in the states has portrayed islam as it is because there is no connection between terrorism and islam. >> reporter: many like habib continue their prayers where many believe that mohammed gave his last sermon. >> a controversy has been brewing in malaysia for years surrounding the use of allah or god. muslims say it is a term for

their religion. and a landmark ruling could have a widespread repercussions for catholics. >> a three-man panel has unanimously decided that the word allah cannot be used by the catholic church in its ma lay language newspaper. the word allah is not just the arabic word for god, but it is the word for god in the ma lay language. in making its position the court said it has found no evidence that the word allah is integral to the christian faith and practice, and it is continued usage will only cause confusion among the community. now the christian community here is understandably unhappy with the decision. the editor of the catholic newspaper said that this represents a step backwards in fundamental liberties of the religious minorities, and he said there is no evidence to support the court's decision pointing to the fact that other

muslim countries such as neighboring indonesia, which has the world's largest muslim population, allow christians and muslims to use the word allah. the word allah is widely used not just in malay language bibles but church services. there are wide church implications at the time low a t although it is just the use of f the allah language in the catholic newspaper. the sirens of the lambs when we come back. on inside story, we bring together unexpected voices closest to the story, invite hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you.

that's all i have an real money. victoria azarenko i'm kim bondy, senior executive

>> welcome back to al jazeera. i'm del walters. these are your headlines. millions of muslims are gathering for the annual pilgrimage known as hajj.

four of those seven aid workers kidnapped in syria are now freed 24 hours after their othe ordeal began. they are abducted after delivering medical supplies. battle over the budget. still no end in sight as the government shutdown is now entering it's third week. the statue of liberty is open to visitors. the state will pay the federal government $61,000 a day to keep lady liberty up and running. governor cuomo saying the money new york spends pales in comparison to how much she was losing when she was closed. a number of national parks and monuments have reopened because states decided to foot the bill.

mount rushmore is open, south dakota will pay to keep it up and rounding. grand canyon is also up and running all said about a dodds national parks will open thanks to temporary funding from individual states. an american lawyer in afghanistan has helped a teenage afghan girl win justice. a case involved sending her torturers back to jail. it's a landmark legal case with a ray of hope for women in afghanistan. >> receive of papers represent a modest step forward for women's rights in afghanistan. a teenager one of thousands afghan girls sold in marriage who end up in abusive families. only she wanted to punish them. her case ended up in afghanistan

supreme court with help of american lawyer who explains the ruling. >> basically said that mom, mother in law and father in law should be rearrested and go to prison for five years. >> they were convicted for torturing her because she refused to be a private. she was about 13 when she was rescued. her hair burned off, her finger nails pulled out. her case base a symbol of widespread abuse against women here. that's how motley found her. she has worked closely with her. the torturers were sentenced to ten years and jailed until a court freed them in july. she appealed and won. >> with it's a qualified victory. her husband, brother, and brother-in-law are still to be prosecuted. she wants financial compensation and to have her marriage annulled. all that means going back to court.

that's difficult for this shy girl who two years ago was illiterate. she does not enjoy the limelight and frets over each court appearance. >> she is the only female in afghanistan ever that has ever appealed a case and has told the court that she wants people to be punished independently. that's important. >> reporter: she doesn't seem to care about being a pioneer even at a time when the law protecting women here are under threat. in this halfway house for abused women and girls you don't have to look far to see the scars of the national problem. jennifer glass, al jazeera america, kabul. >> on the economic front the news not so good for seniors. social security cost of living increases will be the smallest in years. it will be 1.5% among the lowest

since automatic increase were adopted back in 1975. robert schiller, the economist best known for his real state praises in the u.s. is the winner of nobel prize for economics. shiller is famous for his monthly case survey. he shares that prize. could rival media be working together? there are reports out that netflix is in discussions with some cable operators to add a streastreaming app to top boxes instead of being a competitor, netflix could help them entice customers to pay for additional services.

>> meteorologist: i'm meteorologist dave warren. we're looking at a lot of rain in texas, and flooding is a big problem in south texas. all this moisture coming in from the pacific. you can see the rains moving from south to north. they are in a drought in texas, but a little too much rain leading to flooding especially south of san antonio. they picked up a half inch of rain and estimating a foot of rain, so big flooding problems in south texas. the flood warnings continue, and also a wind advisory that is farther north with another storm. these are all the warnings and advisories. we're seeing winter storm warnings. big storm here that is just starting to develop. you see this spi spin developin,

and it is windy with the possibility of even more flooding. now here's the future weather outlook here by 6:00 very heavy rain with storms loo look likel. that's moving to the dakotas pushing to the east. that's just in western south dakota. already too much rain and snow on the ground, the moisture is saturated, and this rain coming down and can't go anywhere. that's why flood warnings are issued there. the storms will move through the midwest, minnesota and the great lakes. that cold air there, the snow is drying out just a bit, just light snow but certainly in an indication of how cold the air is behind this storm. you can see the temperatures in chicago climbing in the upper 60s with thunderstorms tomorrow, and then dropping into the 50's with a low of 40 on wednesday. that wind will pick up there in chicago, but it dries out as the storm pushes a little farther east. the temperatures are warming up in houston. the 80s. there is that cold air in

billings, 41 degrees and warming up i in the mid-atlantic coast s systems push to the east. typhoon nari effecting vietnam and now turning towards japan. watching the tropics closely as it passes by tokyo in the next few days. >> keep in mind that as you watch this next story you never see dave warren and this man in the same place. the street artist known as banksy said it will continue. the truck called silence of the lambs. he calls england home. fascinating. thanks for watching al jazeera america. i'm dale walters. inside story is next.

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