it is clear the battle isn't over. another explosion and more gunfire rang out. soldiers can be seen racing around the building. >> kenyan forces are said to be diffusing explosive devices set up by the attackers. unconfirmed reports on social media say that al-shabab claims its militants are holding their ground, and that some hostages are still alive. also bob are also apparently denying a statement by the kenyan foreign minister. she says british and americans are amongst the attackers. >> from the information that we americans --three

brit.k so far one >> british-born woman. >> so far the government in the u.k. has not been able to confirm or deny the involvement of a british woman in the siege. a six thesaid that british national was killed. this man's wife and honor are among the bridge victims -- wife and under are among the british victims. he had waited outside for days before hearing the news. his relatives in the u.k. are distraught. >> very hard to take it. >> arial pictures filmed on monday highlight the scale of the fire inside westgate, which raged for hours. it is thought that mattresses and soft furnishings were set alight by the gun man. it is hard to imagine what

remaining hostages and their families must be going through. the city morgue has been told to prepare for many bodies. emily buchanan, bbc news. well, very harrowing stories emerging of the people who survived and the relatives who didn't. and what went on in that dreadful faculty where people went about their business doing the shopping and suddenly the vience was visited upon them. let's hear from a man who was in the center. he was shot, but survived. >> we were at the coffee house on the top floor, where the top parking is, and that is where we were having a meeting. we did hear gunshots. at first we ignored, thinking it could be a robbery, because that is something, and happening. -- something common happening. but he carried on for a while and there were loud explosions see thes and we went to

stairs what was happening ande saw people were running in all directions, people were falling down, nobody doing anything about it. the shots were just being fired randomly anywhere. we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. when i saw somebody running up, i first made eye contact and i saw a guy with a huge gun and he had a bag hanging from his shoulder and then when he fired two shots, it instantly showed that these were not robbers, these were terrorists. people were confused, they did not know what was happening. people are dying, and they just want to get to safety and they want to get out of the situation, i guess. his account of what he went through last saturday. we have heard about the commiserations and the condolences expressed by world leaders. but also, ordinary people have

just been coming here today. i bumped into a group of students from the kumar silence who wanted to show their solidarity. i'm joined by two of them now. welcome to you both. the camorra'shat islands are 90% muslim. tell me why you have come here today. kenyahave come here to ,nd together with our consulate the consulate in kenya, and we have come to send our condolences to the government of those who havely lost their loved ones. we wish quick recovery to those and in severely injured the hospital. >> what do you take when you hear people claiming they are doing this in the name of islam? >> i don't think these people

are muslim at all. our religion does not allow all raping, killing, doing all this. these people are not muslim and i feel so bad they are trying to use our name to destroy the name of muslim. yeah, the muslim religion does not allow -- there is not a religion that allows killing of innocent people without any reason to my telling children -- killing children, killing women. it is forbidden by our religion. >> do you worry that a could lead to some kind of backlash against the muslim community? >> we pray that it won't and we would like to ask all muslim sisters and brothers, christians, catholics, that we did together and fight all of this. we should not have any problem because these people don't have any religion, they don't know god. we should not have any problems

as these people are not muslims, christians, catholics. >> thank you for being here with us on bbc news. we have heard from a senior police source that the siege is now over. that said, there is a lot of activity going on behind us, helicopters circling around the scene. clarification, but definitive news has been hard to come by, but you have also bob saying they still hold hostages. you have the kenyan police authorities saying it is over. clarity should come soon. from nairobi, it is back to you in the studio. >> if you want to find out more on events at the westgate shopping center, our live page has the latest pictures, updates, the analysis. you will get clarity on when that siege is finally declared over. .he address, bbc.com/news

let's have a look at some of the other stories around the world. mexican authorities say that gun man killed 10 people, including a six-year-old girl, on the outskirts of ciudad juárez. pulled up in a vehicle and began shooting at the group come up which was -- which was celebrating after a baseball game. its ban on lift twitter, facebook, and other websites in its first free trade zone. according to a report in the "south china morning post," the shanghai zone will allow access to "the new york times," which has been blocked since last year. russia hospital in of the fbi says it is in the beginning alleged privacy -- russia's equivalent of the fbi says it is investigating alleged piracy

among greenpeace activists. comes after protests against oil drilling in the arctic ocean. says they have not heard from those on board this boat since it was raided by armed men. our correspondent is in moscow following this story for us. what is the latest? the boat -- has it moored yet? >> just in the last hour, greenpeace confirmed they have heard for the first time from the activists to just a few messages on the phone. we had a photograph center from one of the photographers on the ship. the ship appears to have more it outside the port. it is a slightly rural area. you can see from the pictures that it is not a formal port there. the ship seems to have stopped. this russian equivalent of the fbi has formally opened a case

against everyone on board the ship. but they clarify that by saying that everybody would be questioned, and only those directly involved in the action would be pursued, but it is a quite serious criminal charge of piracy as part of an organization, which under russian law holds a sentence of up to 10 to 15 years in prison if found guilty. >> it leaves that crew in a very difficult and uncomfortable position, obviously. what is the reality, do you think, about pursuing this to the bitter end? >> i think it is very difficult to tell. there are people from 18 different nationalities on board . what we have seen in the last couple of years is that the russians have clamped down hard on dissent but they tended to clamp down on the road national could you remember -- on their own nationals. you remember the pussy riot case, with of the women who ended up going to prison for two years. when people were arrested for gay activism, the foreigners were set free.

it is unclear what the russians are going to do in this case. in that statement from the committee, they did say that people would be prosecuted regardless of their nationality. that may be the russians playing hardball at this early stage. but at this point, it looks like the russians are going to take this very seriously and try to pursue a case of piracy through the court. >> quite a charge, isn't it? thank you very much. the devastating suicide bombing at a church in pakistan on sunday has led many to question the government's policy of trying to start a dialogue with the taliban and. in this special report, a look at the debate over how to bring an end to the violence -- talks or increased military force? >> one violent moment this family was torn apart. a christian, he lost six relatives in the attack on the church. there is no substitute for the brothers i lost, he said.

"i will never get them back." and there are dozens of other families here dealing with their seven losses. -- dealing with their sudden losses. over 80 people are now known to suicided in -- when two bombers blew themselves up among the congregation that i just finished sunday mass here. christian protesters have been taking to the streets. isy are -- their anger directed at the authorities for not giving them production, but also at politicians who have been calling for talks with the pakistani taliban. minister know what sure he had been pursuing a strategy of preparing ground for dialogue -- prime minister nawaz sharif had been pursuing a strategy of of preparing ground for dialogue with militants. exhausted by the

bloodshed after years in which thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed. bring some might respite from the violence, the real fear is that a could lead to militants with an even stronger position. whether it is christians at prayer or soldiers in the fields , this country is still grappling hard with how to stop the killing. do stay with us here on bbc world news, because still to come, forget coal and gas. norway is turning garbage into energy. sounds like a green idea, doesn't it? why is it causing such as think with environmentalists? russia has said the united nations chemical weapons experts are to return to syria on wednesday. the deputy foreign minister sir j laugher -- the deputy foreign minister says that the investigators are set to go back

tomorrow after a gap of more than three weeks. the recent report concluded that the nerve agent sarin was used in an attack in a suburb of damascus. a topic you an official has expressed hope that there could be idiomatic -- top u.s. official has expressed that there could be idiomatic progress. he says that after two years of paralysis, there was clear movement. >> i think we are in a different situation now. first, you have the syrians acknowledging they have a chemical weapons arsenal. next, you have the syrians who have decided to join the chemical weapons convention, something the secretary-general has long called for. and you have the russians and the americans working together through this framework agreement , and they are forming the core of the security council discussion of what a resolution should look like. this is different than it was a few weeks ago. ssad government says that the civil war has reached a stalemate. does that give you hope that

they are willing to negotiate if and when there is a geneva conference? >> i am frankly more encouraged about getting to geneva ii that i was a few months ago. we have heard the syrian government talk about the stalemate and a need for a cease-fire. we have heard the opposition coalition that doesn't represent all factions, i realized that, but expressed over the past couple of days a willingness to go to geneva. the the cameras panned conference on the opening day of the conference, wendy syrians look at the -- when the syrians look at the opposition delegation, they will be able to say that yes, that is the representative, inclusive delegation. are we about to see a remarkable transformation? i'm talking about the welcome that iran's president, hassan rouhani, can expect as he meets

with other world leaders at the general assembly in new york in a few hours time. it is expected that his speech will be less controversial than that of his -- than those of his predecessor, mahmoud ahmadinejad. a conservative with a pragmatic political streak come was elected in june promising to me ease iran's fractious a former relations and u.s.-led sanctions. in a sign that diplomacy might be improving, both u.s. president obama and mr. rouhani have acknowledged that they have exchanged letters, and that is private some notes -- prompted some hopes that they will show mutual respect in the u.n. corridors of power. in a recent interview with american tv -- a rarity in itself, of course -- mr. rouhani said that iran would never seek weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. it appears that he has the backing of the supreme leader ali, nay, who declared last week

that he believed in heroic likability as he endorsed a rational foreign -- heroic flexibility as he endorsed a rational foreign policy but i'm joined in the cambridge studio by an iranian journalist and author. thank you for joining us. should we be feeling a wave of optimism in terms of iran's positioning here? >> i think there is every reason to be cautiously very optimistic. i think this is the most significant diplomatic overture to the west of that iran has made in the history of the islamic revolution. i think the positive change in tone that we are hearing is quite unprecedented for iran, and marks a major shift. i think we are seeing tangible signs of gestures. iran released a number of political prisoners this week. it is unprecedented to see the iranian president writing operates in an american newspaper -- >> if i could comment on that, the release of the prisoners in

particular. there are those who say it is all about timing, measure taken just before the general assembly. >> well, absolutely, but i don't think that is not a reason to count it as a positive step. president rouhani has made clear that he wants to hold true to his campaign promises in the first 100 days, and that is a gesture on the human rights front domestically. he as a signal that he is open to installation with the west on the net -- he has signaled that he is open to conciliation with the west on the nuclear negotiations. moment that at this there is every reason to consider this a very significant opening. >> i think a lot of people would start buying into that even more should barack obama and mr. rouhani actually meet. do you think that is likely? >> that is that a question of the day, isn't it? if it does happen, i think it would be the most significant handshake of this century, at this point.

but you are right, we have to wait and see, whether this is a tactical shift for iran to ward off further sanctions and economic pressure, or is this going to be a shift in how iran strategically deals with the west? >> there is still the israeli affect no doubt working on the white house to make sure these overtures are not picked up as far as their maintenance would like them to be -- as far as the iranians would like them to be. >> saudi arabia and israel are very cool on the idea of any kind of american-iranian detente . but this is a special moment for the united states. with the egyptian revolution going by the wayside and serious -- and syria in turmoil, iran has presented itself to the obama administration as an opportunity for an important foreign policy legacy, and they did not -- that in the dash that did not look

quite so possible six-month go. >> from the view of the hawks, they will be saying, look what sanctions can do. >> this kind of economic pressure that iran has been bearing -- iran is choked off from the financial system of the world, the financial -- the banking system, it cannot export its oil the way it needs to -- that has had an impact. but now it is time to see diplomacy come to the fore, because that is the point of sanctions in the end, isn't it, to a diplomacy, not to take its place. >> we wait to see what happens. thank you very much indeed. for more in-depth coverage of this week's meeting, that one in particular, of course, log onto the bbc website, bbc.com/news, and there you will find the general assembly discussion in the midst of our middle east section. waste not, want want to not -- that is a common expression.

don't waste things to me you don't go without. bashs been put into great put into practice with great in these yes men norway. bash it has been put into practice with great enthusiasm in norway --it has been put into practice with great if these he has a minute norway. some environmentalists are crying foul. >> the waste from tens of thousands of households, a disgusting, decaying mass. the stench sticks in the back of your throat. classed ashis isn't a waste. it is seen as energy. anything that can be recycled is before it gets to this stage. and then they pilot up -- pile it up a ton at a time ready to burn. all that waste is burned in here

, the incinerator. it is 850 degrees in there. what you get at the end of this process is therefore a load of action. some metal can be recycled or it an awful lot of heat -- some metal that can be recycled. and an awful lot of heat. the steam drives this turbine, producing electricity. the scalding water is piped off from the plant. houses and public schools across oslo. rubbish from across europe helping to keep them through the harsh winter. energy from waste, and dream, youalists' would assume. not completely. should be tol goal reduce the amount of waste, but when you have a power plant that requires we produce more and more waste, we are not able to

reduce the amount. >> public transports also running on rubbish fueled by biogas given off by decaying food and other organic waste, enough eventually to run over 100 buses each year. but for now, most of our rubbish ends up not here, but in landfills. the energy locked within, wasted forever. do stay with us. in the next half-hour, kenyan security forces are scouring the nairobi shopping center where more than 60 people have been killed in that assault by islamist militants. there have been for the bursts of gunfire in the morning. for now, the situation seems to have calmed, with a senior police chief saying it is over.

>> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.

hello. you're watching "newsline." i'm keito kitagawa in tokyo. here is a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. world leaders gaered in new york for the u.n. general assembly focused on the civil war in syria. apple stores to pick up the new iphone shattering sales records. and owning a car may be a goal for many people in china, but that appears to conflict with the capital's efforts to combat congestion. world leaders are set to discuss a range of international crises as they meet in new york for the united nations general assembly. it could end up being one of their most meaningful gathering in decades. the civil war in syria will be at the top of the agenda. leaders from 193 member states are scheduled to attend when the

annual general debate opens later on tuesday. they're expected to discuss the use of chemical weapons in syria. many believe government forces used poison gas last month to kill hundreds of civilians in a suburb of damascus. u.s. president barack obama wanted to bypass the u.n. and carry out punitive strikes on the regime of syrian president bashar al assad. now he's expected to call for a united response. members of the u.n. security council are set to debate a resolution on the elimination of syria's chemical weapons. the syrians nurture a strategic alliance with iran and many are waiting to hear what iranian president will have to say. japanese prime minister shinzo abe is scheduled to speak on thursday. he's expected to announce additional aid to syrians who have been displaced by the fighting. senior diplomats at the general assembly have agreed to

kick start talks on iran's nuclear program. the iranian foreign minister will meet this week with delegates from six major powers. eu foreign policy chief ashton met on the sidelines of the general assembly. >> we talked about a number of important issues but focused on the nuclear issue. we had a good and constructive discussion. >> ashton will sit down on thursday with delegates from the five permanent members of the security council and germany. she said negotiators will meet again next month in geneva. britain's foreign secretary held another meeting a the u.n. william hague said he welcomes recent statements by iran's leaders about improving relations with the west but hague says the iranians must back up their words with action.

>> the time is now right for those statements to be matched by concrete steps by iran to address the international community's concerns about iran's intentions. >> negotiations over iran's nuclear program broke down in april. he's indicated more openness to discussing nuclear issues. many leaders taking part in the general assembly have called for tougher action against north korea. now, chinese authorities have taken a step to prevent the north koreans from developing weapons of mass destruction. they've released a list of goods and technologies banned for export to the country. officials at china's commerce ministry say the items could be used to develop nuclear facilities, biological weapons and missiles. the list is more than 230 pages long. u.s. secretary of state john kerry met last week with his