resolution to fight for. >>> during an emergency session by the arab league, saudi arabia accused iran of undermining regional security. the meeting was requested by riyadh which cut ties with riyadh. the protestors were angry about the execution of a prominent shia cleric in saudi arabia. >> the iranian threat to arab internal affairs is quite clear. iran is using sectarianism as an excuse. iran has trained terrorists to create chaos. brothers and sisters, we need our meeting to show our support to our sovereignty, security and we need to prevent interference in our internal affairs. >> joining us in doha is the professor, coordinating political researcher at qatar university. very good to have you on the program. we are waiting to hear from the arab league, a statement expected shortly. we'll go to that live in just a few minutes, but first, what do you think the saudi's are trying to accomplish here? we had an extraordinary meeting of the g.c.c. yesterday in riyadh, today in cairo, the arab league i guess meeting. what do the saudi's wants to? >> i think that they want the same thing t

arabia and iran. three allies downgraded diplomatic relations with iran. the saudis also cut off air traffic and commercial ties with tehran. the dispute began on saturday when saudi arabia executed a well-known cleric. >> reporter: saudi diplomats on their way home with their families. as they were evacuated came similar action by some of the kingdom's allies, among them neighboring bahrain. after two days of demonstrations by protesters from its shia muslim majority. the gulf state that's closely allied to saudi arabia, accused iran of blatant and dangerous interference in arab countries and support for terrorism. the actions followed the arson attack at the saudi embassy in tehran. saudi arabia accused iran of doing nothing to prevent it. >> we decided to cut off all diplomatic relations with iran, and all air traffic to and from iran, all commercial relations with iran, and we will have a travel ban against people traveling to iran. >> translator: unfortunately the government of saudi arabia sees its interest in creating clashes and escalating tensions in the region. in recent ye

mine our security. >> saudi arabia cuts diplomatic ties with iran after protesters storm its embassy in tehran. chinese stocks collapse on the opening day of business in the new year forcing a trading halt. and a magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits northeastern india and bangladesh is also effected. ♪ but first at least two sunni mosques we understand have been attacked in hila that is just south of the iraqi capitol baghdad. no one so far claimed responsibility for the attacks and they of course follow saudi arabia's execution of the prominent shia cleric al--nimr and the latest from abraham who is in the iraqi capitol baghdad and tell us what more you know about these attacks. >> according to more than a security source from the providence located just south of baghdad the source said three attacks happened and three separate places, almost at one time around midnight yesterday night. attacked three mosques and one of them in the downtown of the capitol of hella and the other one in the neighborhood which is north of there and another one east of bobbel and the attacks came as the sour

>>> >>> >> we with determined not to allow iran to undermine our security >>> saudi arabia cuts diplomatic ties with iran after protesters storm its embassy in tehran >>> hello. with the world news from al jazeera. also ahead at least six people are killed and several houses damaged after a magnitude 6.8 earth quake in north-east india. a stand off continues in afghanistan after fighters attack the indian consulate. we're in sri lanka where wildlife is under threat. we will tell you why >>> saudi arabia has severed diplomatic ties with iran after demonstrators targeted the embassy on saturday night. they were protesting after saudi arabia executed a proposal entity shia cleringic. nimr al-nimr was among 47 men put to death. >> reporter: the saw deembassy ablaze in tehran. they lash out while nimr al-nimr was executed on terrorism charges. the saudi government says it made repeated requests for iran to protect the embassy. they were ignore in order. in response the kingdom has cut diplomatic ties with tehran. >> we are determined not to allow iran to undermine our security. we ar

>> saudi arabia's allies cut or cool their relations with iran as the differences between the two countries grow. hello there, i'm barbara serra. you're watching al jazeera live from london. the u.s. and european markets fall after chinese stocks collapse on the first day of trading this year. europe's password free zone under threat has been introduced at border checks. and puerto rico warns it only has one month of food supplies as it prepares to default on its debt. >> hello there, thank you for joining us. three of saudi arabia's allies have joined this diplomatic dispute with iran. bahrain said it has cut ties with tehran. and u.a.e. has downgraded relations. and saudi arabia has now announced it is ending air traffic and commercial ties with iran. it is already cut diplomatic links with iran. >> the saudi diplomats on the way home from iran with their families transiting at the dubai airport. as they evacuated came similar action from some of the kingdom's allies. among them neighboring bahrain. after two days of protesters from shia muslim majority. the gulf state that is closely allied with saudi arabia accused iran of blatant and dangerous interference in support for terrorism. the actions follow the attack at the saudi embassy in tehran and accused iran of doing nothing to prevent it. a war of words is escalating. >> we're determined not to allow iran to undermine our security. we're determined not to let iran mobilize or create or establish terrorist cells in our country or in the countries of our allies. >> unfortunately, the government of iran is creating clashes and escalating tensions. it has taken measures in policies in line with that. >> demonstrating after the execution of nimr al-nimr. he and 46 others were charged with plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks targeting civilians and security forces. saudi arabia adamant he got a fair trial. it is not the first time that diplomatic relations have been cut, but there are fears it could cause more violence. >> the sunni-dominated saudi arabia and shia-dominated iran could create damage to the relation. >> people are mourning nimr al-nimr's death and one man had been killed and a child injured. al nimr's brother has been told that the cleric will be buried in an undisclosed location. a move that could cause more protests. andrew simmons, al jazeera. >> the stand off between saudi arabia and iran comes as they and other major powers try to end two of the middle east major conflicts. in syria and in yemen. the saudis and iranians are on opposite sides in both of these wars. what impact will the current situation have on peace efforts? let's go live now to the united nations in new york where the diplomatic editor james bays joins us. these negotiation in syria and yemen, these are going to be difficult in the best of times, and these are not the best of times. what is being said at the u.n. to try to salvage the situation? >> well, there is serious concern i think at the united nations. that both of these peace tracks were always going to be difficult, as you say, but there was new hope with the new year that perhaps there could be some progress in both of these conflicts are so many ordinary people both in yemen and syria, have been suffering for such a long time. we now know that the u.n.'s envoy in syria is currently in riyadh, where he's meeting with officials. and we're told in the next few days he'll go on to tehran and then damascus. this was a pre-planned trip. he was supposed to be convening syrian peace talks, face-to-face peace talks with members of the option, with rebel fighting groups and with the syrian government. that, of courses is going to be much more difficult now. the focus of his negotiations, which were to make sure that this happens on the 25th of january in geneva is just to keep this on track trying to get everyone still invested in the process because remember what was different this time around in trying to get peace talks going was for the first time they're bringing the whole regional community and regional actors to the table. and you saw all the foreign ministers from the key countries here in new york a couple of weeks ago with iran and saudi sitting around the same table. i think future efforts like that are going to be much, much more difficult. then you turn to yemen. there they had some peace talks in switzerland. they didn't go particularly well. there was a truce in place and they were hoping to reconvene in the coming weeks. well, that truss has now ended as well. it had been broken on both sides by a number of occasions. but now the saudi-led coalition said that it doesn't believe there is a truce any more and it's resuming operations. >> there has been enormous pressure from western powers to get the saudis and russianens at the same table and then later for these talks. what about the key actors themselves. how keen were they to really participate in these talks? >> well certainly they have been doing what they've been told to do, which is attend the meetings of the international groupings. and the saudis had been performing another role, which is in riyadh getting members of the opposition together, trying to get one group who could negotiate on behalf of the various fighting groups and the opposition with the syrian government. that was always going to be difficult to get those elements of the opposition to agree to go to talks in geneva without any cease-fire or concessions from the assad side. and you're always going to have that central issue of the future role of president assad. it was always going to be very, very tricky. now i think it makes it very hard, indeed, and it's a very difficult job for them as they go to riyadh and then tehran to keep this process on track. >> james with the latest from the u.n. james, thank you. >>> at least two--south of the iraqi capital of baghdad, several walls of a mosque has been destroyed. it's been reported that the attacks are in retaliation of the execution of the senior shia cleric in saudi arabia. >> the security source did not elaborate, but they said one of the mosques inside the capital, and one of them to the north of the neighborhood. the iraqi prime minister condemned today in a brief statement and put a page on his facebook said that these groups are criminal groups, and he said in his statement that he made an order to iraqi security forces in the province to chase those people, describing them, they're trying to hit the iraqi national unity. also, iraqi interior minister condemned what happened, and in a statement put on his website what happened was a desperate attempt, saying that some groups are trying to provoke iraqi sectarian groups against each other. >> u.s. and other world stock markets are down following a massive loss on china's market. it plunged 7% before trading was suspended for the day. the fall is a reflection before the slow economic growth. monday was the first test of a new stock market circuit between china, which is supposed to stock trade when losses hit the 5% mark. adrian brown is in beijing, and he has more for us. >> well, this was the worst start ever to the trading year on the shanghai and shenzhen stock markets, the blue chip index which measures the performance of china's top 300 companies. a new system was being used on monday which was supposed to contain market volatility. so when the markets fell by 5%, trading was temporarily halted by 15 minutes. trading resumed, but then the index fell by 7%. it seems that a system that was brought in to try to calm things down actually had the reverse affect. why is the market down? a number of factors. data shows that manufacturing output had contracted for the tenth consecutive month. also china's currency is continuing to weaken, and there is another important reason. a lot of what china is produc ing simply isn't being bought by the rest of the world. demand is slipping because the economies elsewhere in the world are also slowing. why are they slowing? because china's economy is slowing. it is a vicious circle, and then in the middle of all of this, china is carrying out a vast experiment with its economy right now. it's trying to shift away from heavy industries to an economy that is service-led, but it is going to be a painful transition, and monday's performance on shanghai and shenzhen's stock markets shows why. >> let's go live to kristen saloomey. she joins us live from new york. so the u.s. and other world markets are down. how bad is it in new york? >> well, the economic slowdown are weighing on u.s. markets as well, although a rise in oil prices do seem to be preventing the kind of steep declines we've seen in shanghai and shenzhen. the dow jones industrial average and s&p are down 2.5% with the dow jones going below 17,000 for the first time in several months. it's been a very rough start to the day here. you're seeing that weaker manufacturing data in china and the falling currency there is having an affect there, and it's the world's second largest economy, so any problems there are going to be felt here in new york's stock exchange as well o. on oil we have seen changes in the start up of the new year. tensions between iran and saudi arabia seems to be driving prices up here. saudi arabia and some of its gulf allies have downgraded their diplomatic relations with iran over the execution of saudi--in saudi arabia of iranian shia cleric. all of that adding to tensions and security. that has analysts thinking that the supply of oil could be going down. that could push these prices up, but not enough to make up for the losses that we're seeing from china. so a down start to 2016 here in the united states for the markets. after what was a very flat 2015. >> kristen saloomey with the latest in new york. thank you. pro democracpro-democracy leaders investigate the disappearance of a boob publisher. he's the fifth employee from the publisher to go missing. hong kong's leader said there is no indication so far that chinese agents are involved in the disappearances, and that authorities there have no jurisdiction over hong kong. >> the prohibition under the basic law namely only legal enforcement agencies in hong kong have the legal authority to enforce laws in hong kong. no other law enforcement agencies outside of hong kong has such authority. >> we'll speak with the actor who is have taken on dangerous roles filming a drama in syria. >>> and fresh from his holidays barack obama said tha will curb gun violence using executive powers. wers. >> knew a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. in the latest move in the deepening diplomatic crisis between saudi arabia an iran, the saudi government has announced that it is cutting commercial and air traffic links with iran. >>> at least two sunni mosques have been attacked south of the iraqi capital of baghdad. it is reported that the incidents are retaliation for the execution of a senior shia cleric in saudi arabia. >>> and global financial markets are in turmoil after mainland chinese shares dropped 7% before trading was suspended for the day. >>> members of syria's opposition are meeting in the capital of riyadh. the u.n.'s envoy for syria is also attending the talks. >>> and in a new tv production season is underway in the syrian capital of damascus. 2 "t" includes several actors in neighboring lebanon. >> sometimes during the scene i lose focus because i'll be listening to the sound of the mortars waiting to hear where it lands. it is painful. syria does not deserve this. >> enduring winter conditions. snow has begun following in the region and temperatures have plummeted. the united nations estimate 200,000 families around lebanon are at risk in the cold weeks and months ahead. >>> yemeni government forces have announced the curfew in the southern city of aiden. airstrikes have resumed following an end to a cease-fire in place since mid december. the coalition has been bombing the shia-houthi movement in the country for nine months. >> first they hit the gas station with two missiles that burned the entire station. the windows from the homes nearby were blown out and the home was destroyed. after a half hour the plane came back and hit the home and what seemed to be the largest missile ever to hit yemen. >> two civilians are among the latest people killed. according to president erdogan, government forces killed 2,000 pkk fighters here. recent violence has forced many local residents to flee their homes. >>> denmark has imposed temporary identity checks on its border with germany following a similar move by sweden. it's a double blow to europe's schengen area with the influx of refugees and migrants. the schengen region includes several countries and their borders. but denmark said its country has no choice but to clamp down. >> the european union check of the internal borders you'll see more and more countries which will be forced to introducing temporary internal border control. this is something that we need to take very seriously. i'm a true believer on the freedom of movement. this is not at a happy moment at all. >> a powerful explosion has rocked downtown kabul. the interior ministry said it was caused by a car bomb but could not confirm the exact location. it was the second attack of the day. earlier a suicide-bomber threw himself up close to kabul airport. there were no injuries as police spotted the vehicle as it approached the checkpoint, causing the attack for detonate the explosives early. the blast follows a serious of attacks in the afghan capital in recent days including a suicide-bombing of a restaurant popular with foreigners, which left two people dead. >>> gunmen have attacked an indian con sue late in northern afghanistan. this tried to storm the building in the city but were stopped by security and overtook a neighboring house. this coincided with an attack on an indian air force base near the pakistani border. efforts to regain control has ended the third day with the indian territory. >> afghan special forces target armed fighters near the indian consulate. the government tried to enter the compound but failed. afghan army commanders said that they're hiding in a house on a nearby street and one civilian has been wounded. >> our special forces and commandos have been deployed in the area and i assure our countrymen that they'll eliminate all insurgents. >> india has long supported afghanistan in its struggles to become a stable democracy. both countries signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2011. since then india has given more than $300 million in aid. it's support for afghanistan has made it a target for armed fighters with links to the taliban. in may 2014 done men attacked the indian consul late. in august 2013, nine civilians died when a consulate was targeted. and in the indian embassy in kabul was attacked in 2008 an and 2009. this latest attack coincides with the raid by gunmen on an indian air force base near the border with pakistan and it's efforts to restart talks with the afghan taliban are being made. last week in kabul with president ashraf ghani, but attacks show that armed fighters are capable of causing chaos. >> a powerful earthquake in northeast india and bangladesh has killed 11 people and injured hundreds. rescue workers are working in areas where people may still be trapped. the quake could be felt as far away as nepal and myanmar. >>> now in a few hours the u.s. president barack obama is scheduled to meet with his attorney general to discuss how to limit the number of guns on america's streets. but as al jazeera's kimberly halkett reports, gun enthusiasts are pushing back against any proposed restrictions on the sale of firearms. >> with so many gun stores in the united states at the blue ridge arsenal gun range in virginia, gun and ammunition sales are up as americans rush to buy firearms before strict new gun restrictions are put in place. >> not having, not being able to get, it's making people want to get stuff before their ability rats taken away. >> many are concerned about president barack obama's announcement that he's meeting with his attorney general loretta lynch to discuss power to impose new restrictions on gun sales. >> we know we can't stop every gun violence, but what if we stop one. >> following the sandy hook shooting in 2012, which killed 26 people, president obama proposed an effort, but it failed in congress. licensed gun stores are required to conduct a background check before a customer bias gun. but guns sold at gun shows does not require the same scrutiny. it's called the gun show loophole and it's a gap that the white house now seeks to close. >> the country's largest gun rights group says that increased background checks will do little to increase public safety. >> all they want to do is blame the guns. >> donald trump says that owning a gun or the right to bear arms in the u.s. is a constitutionally protected right. >> i don't like anything halving to do with changing our second amendment. we have plenty of rules and regulations there are present of things that they can do right now that they don't do. >> many see it president obama's executive action is nothing more than a power grab. >> i don't want to dismantle the constitution. yes, i find it an affront that some people would choose to circumvent that. >> there are some people who feel passionate about it. it's not just as much firearms but it's the government telling them what they can and cannot do or what they can and cannot have. >> as far as the white house says it is far too ease to acquire a gun. kimberly halkett, virginia. >> puerto rico is in desperate financial trouble. the island in the caribbean is expected to default on some of its $70 billion worth of debt on monday. and to make matters worse a food crisis is looming. farmers on the island are urging the government to help them boost food production in a country where 85% of food stuff are imported. robert ray has more details from san juan. >> four years ago a they opened this restaurant in san juan. today her kitchen is busy creating food grown locally mostly by her sister's farm. people are packing the tables pap sustainable farm to table menu and a boost to the local economy. >> on one end we've become a poster child. something that everybody wants on this island, which is to have good food and good farming practices. >> now leaving san juan and heading up to the mountains, the second highest elevation in puerto rico where tara's sister daniella is farming. she's growing organic produce for san juan. >> time is running out. it's either now or never. >> and time is running out because is there really a food crisis on the island? >> in terms of self sustainability, yes. studies show that we have enough food to last us two weeks if the ships were to stop coming. >> two weeks. >> two weeks. that's including canned food, and probably included dog food. >> seafood, meats and staples like rice, beans and coffee mostly come from the u.s. mainland, neighboring latin american countries and even china. puerto rico's agriculture sector is stumbling along. puerto rico's agriculture secretary say they're working towards more local foods being produced. >> we developed an ambitious plan where we understand that we can increase the local production from 50% to near 25%. >> while the government has implemented a plan to redevelop the agriculture sector, that includes providing farmers with subsidies and new equipment. entrepreneurs like tara and daniella are trying to revita revitalize th the island's farming hoping that people become less dependent on imports and more on the ambitious soils of puerto rico. >> mark zuckerberg has announced he wants to build an artificially intelligent assistance. it would be his personal challenge for the year ahead. he said that the robot would be like jarvis from the comic ironman. he would be able to recognize friends, let them in the door and keep an eye on his daughter's room. more on the website at www.aljazeera.com. >> getting tough, president bush's announcement putting him in the g.o.p.'s line of fire. >>> allies of saudi arabia back efforts to cut diplomatic ties with iran. and markets falling on the first trading day of the new year.

for calm amid an dispute between saudi arabia and iran. protesters set fire to the saudi arabiian embassy in tehran, the saudis and their allies, in response suggest ties with iran. >> reporter: saudi diplomats on their way home. as they were evacuated came similar action by some of the kingdom's allies, among them bahra bahrain. after two days of protests. the gulf state that is closely allied to saudi arabia accused iran of blatant and dangerous interference and support of terrorism. it followed the arson attack in teheran. saudi arabia accused iran of doing nothing to prevent it. a war of words is escalating. >> we decided to cut off all diplomatic relations with iran, we will be cutting off all air travel to and from iran, and have a travel ban against people traveling to iran. >> translator: unfortunately the government of saudi arabia sees interest in creating clashes and escalating tensions in the region. >> reporter: shia people across the middle east have been demonstrating after the execution of a man, and 46 others, were charged with plotting and carrying out terrorist

ironman. the news continues live from london next. >> saudi arabia's allies cut or cool their relations with iran as the diplomatic dispute between the two rivals grows. you're watching al jazeera live from london. coming up on the program, u.s. and european markets fall after chinese stocks collapse on the first day of trading on the year. europe's pass free zone under threat as there are border checks to stop refugees. plus overstaying their welcome. why some african leaders will do anything to remain in power. >> bahrain said it has cut ties with tehran. the u.a.e. has downgraded relations and sudan has dismissed th its ambassador from khartoum. they had already cut diplomatic links as demonstrators set fire over the execution of a dissident shia clear. >> okay. diplomats on their way home with their families. as they evacuated came similar action by some of the kingdom's allies. among them neighboring bahrain after two days of demonstrations by protesters from its shia-muslim majority. the gulf state that is closely allied with saudi arabia accused iran of blatant and dang

our security >>> saudi arabia cuts diplomatic ties with iran after protesters storm the embassy in tehran. a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hits north-eastern india. there are reports that glesh has also been-- bangladesh has also been affected. the u.s. gun lobby prepares for battle as p obama plans to bring in stronger control measures. first chinese stock markets have plunged by as much as 8% automatically triggering a suspension in trading. investigators reacted to these latest signs of economic slow down in china by selling off shares. those concerns have begun to spread globally and have already dragged european stocks sharply lower. going to adrian brown our correspondent. this mechanism is meant to prevent the panic from spreading, but it doesn't seem to be working because the european market are sharply down as well. >> reporter: absolutely right. it has been a big day for the blue chip index here in china, in shenzhen and shanghai but for all the wrong reasons. the shanghai index felling by 4%. that was enough for the mechanism to kick in. it brought a halt and then it continue

>>> >>> chinese stocks plunge as the world's second largest economy continues to slow. hello. we have the world news. also to come. >> we are determined not to allow iran to undermine our security >>> saudi arabia cuts diplomatic ties with iran after protesters storm its embalances ee in tehran. -- embassy in tehran. an earthquake hits north-eastern india. there are reports that bangladesh has been affected. the u.s. gun lobby prepares for battle as obama p president obama tries to bring in stronger control measures.strongercontcrr control measures. chinese stock markets of plunged as much as 8% and trading has been stopped for the day. ininvestmentors reacted to the latest signs of economic slow down in china by selling off shares. those worries appear to have spread to other markets. the prices in market and hong kong has also fallen. our correspondent in beijing. why do we think, then, that this plunge has occurred in the chinese market? >> reporter: well, most analysts you speak to say that they believe it's more poor factory activity data. in other words, china is making stuff the rest of the world seems to no longer wants. manufacturing output has continued to contract for the fifth consecutive month. also the chinese currency is continuing to weaken. it is the symbolism of it all today that really matters because this was the full day of trading in 2016. the government had put in place a new sort of circumstance breaker system that would-- circuit-breaker system that would halt the blue chip index if it dropped by more 5%. that happened. it was suspended for 15 minutes. it reopened and it fell below 7% and that meant the market had to shut down for the rest of the day. the market has fallen like this before. particularly last summer, which was a very turbulent time on the stock market here in china, but this was the first big drop of the year. it is another reminder that the economy here is continuing to spluter. it is an committee really weighted down by two problems at the moment. excessive local government debt and also currency flight. chinese who can get their money out of the country are continuing to do so because they no longer have faith in the stock market or the property market. they are voting with their feet >>> it's an economy in transition, isn't it, which has got implications for the wider region. >> reporter: you're absolutely right. china wants to transition its economy away from big heavy industries like coal and steel towards service industries. now, there was some good news for the government today because new data shows that actually the service sector has been performing quite well. so that will encourage the government. xing ping seemed to hint there would be more pain before more prosperity. they're anticipating the fact that there's going to be a rocky year of china's economy and we got acknowledgment of that today >>> thank you. saudi arabia has cut diplomatic ties with iran after demonstrators set fire to the saudi embassy in tehran. they were protesting against the shia cleric ex-execution. nimr al-nimr was among 47 men executed. >> reporter: the saudi embassy ablaze in tehran. iranians lash out after leading shia cleric was among 47 men executed in saudi arabia on terrorism charges. the vau degovernment says it-- saudi government made repeated requests for tehran to protect the embassy. they were ignored. in response they have cut diplomatic ties with tehran. >> we are determined not to allow iran to undermine our security. we were determined not to let iran mobilize or create or establish terrorist cells in our country or in the countries of awe allies. -- our allies. >> reporter: the execution of nimr al-nimr has prompted protests amongst shia communities across the middle east. nimr al-nimr and the other man, including al-qaeda preacher faris al-zahrani, were charged with terrorist attacks, targeting civilians and security forces. nimr al-nimr was sentenced to death for sedition, bearing arms. he denied the charges in relation to carrying arms and violence. the country say he got a fair trial following a judicial process. the death penalties in saudi arabia fell under islamic law and applied to both sunni and shia. iran supreme leader is warning of what he calls kdivine revenge. >> this blood will trouble them without a doubt. i have no doubt about it. policy makers executed them. the saudi arabia should know it will torment them. >> reporter: iran and saudi arabia have often engaged in a war of words of it is not the first diplomatic relations cut. >> i think that the ties between iranians and saudis were bound to clash at one point because there are so many challenges facing these two countries. the points of views die metrically opposed. >> reporter: the concern now is that the widening wrist between these two regional powers will have a broader impact across the middle east east >>> a professor of middle east politics at the london school of economics, he believes this stand off could spread to other countries in the region. >> you have war by proxies. syria and iraq, saudi arabia and iran are waging wars by proxies. the rupture of the relations today, we are seeing now the relationship between the sunni dominated saudi arabia and the shia dominated iran is at the lowest point. we could witness further escalation, but what has happened in the last 24 hours is bad, particularly as the struggle between the two gulf giants could easily be exacerbate tensions. the international community hoping for a diplomatic solution in the next few weeks at the end of january. people were hoping for a deescalation and a ceasefire. forget about it. in beirut is intense. they are up in arms trying to rally the lebanese and the muslim population against saudi arabia. the situation is bahrain is very tense. you have sizeable shia communities throughout the gulf. remember, even though saudi arabia and iran are waging a war by proxies for power, for geopolitics, for influence. the particular struggle has taken on sectarian connotations because you have sunni, saudi arabia and shia dominated iran and it is poisoning the politics. i fear that the current crisis, the ruptured diplomatic relations could easily bring about an escalation in other areas, not just syria and iraq and yemen, in bay rain and lebanon countries as well >>> they're meeting in riyadh to try and agree who should attend the upcoming talks in two weeks. the u.n.'s envoy for syria is also expected to meet opposition members. reports are coming of an explosion near the afghan capital kabul. the airport, in particular. the blasts are apparently from a taliban suicide bomber. we are just getting information about and we will keep you up-to-date on it. security forces have been fighting gunmen. the fighters are tried to storm the consulate and then they took over the compound. police reports say one civilian has been wounded so far in this gun battle. a gun fight is ongoing at an indian air force base. it is reported that at least one gunman is still holed up inside the case. seven indian soldiers and six fighters have died in the assault which started on saturday. a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in india has killed at least nine people. the quake struck just north -- near mooen. three people died and dozens more were injured in neighbouring bangladesh. we get the latest from our correspondent. >> reporter: reports are still coming in, but the earthquake struck about 30 kilometers west of the capital. it happened in the middle of the night. people say they were jolted right out of their beds. people running out of their homes screaming, crying. one person we spoke to this morning have said that the bell from a temple nearby started ringing just because of the amount of shaking. there hasn't been a lot of damage. getting information from the areas is only trickling in. the capital itself which has about a quarter of a million people as residents has reported at least one building collapse. there are reports that there may be workers underneath. the rescue teams are still on their way to the area as we speak >>> for now thank you very much. we're going to be following that situation as we get following. an employee from a hong kong publisher specializing in books that are banned in mainland china goes missing. we take a look at a century's old tradition in indonesia's capital. capital. like. >> can affect and surprise us. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> awesome! >> techknow - where technology meets humanity. >> half a million fields will lie fallow. >> if we had another year of this severe drought, i'd say all bets are off. >>> hello again. looking at the top stories here. the chinese stock market have plunged as much as 8% and trading has been halled for the day. -- at that timed for the day. saudi arabia has cut diplomatic ties with iran after demonstrators set fire to the embassy. they were protesting against the execution of a prominent shia cler cleric nimr al-nimr. at least 6 people have been killed in an earthquake just north of the city of infal. proceed democracy leaders in hong kong are urging officials to investigate the fifth employee from a company to go missing. the publisher specializes in political books that are banned on the mainland. we can talk to steven vines who is a journalist based in hong kong. thank you for talking to us here. the fifth employee from the same company goes missing. what do you think is going on? >> the overwhelming evidence is that the four other employees have been taken across the border to mainland china and mr lee bor is also there. this is very, very chilling, indeed, because the assumption always was that in hong kong you could publish what you like and that there would be problems if you were on the other side of the border, but if you were here, nobody would come over here, nobody would arrest you. the hong kong authorities are keeping very silent. they say they're investigating what is going to. it's not clear. the popular reaction here is one of quite krshl disquiet >>> it does appear that at least mr lee-- considerable disquiet >>> he didn't take any travel documents which suggests he wasn't going to travel and it wasn't voluntary. >> yes. we know this because of a phone call made to his wife who is still in hong kong in which he sort of indicated that he was on the other side of the border. she says she had no idea that he was leaving. he has been missing since wednesday. the other colleagues of his have been missing for a much longer period of time. why are they on the other side of the border, unless there was some kind of operation launched by the chew niece authorities-- chinese authorities. if there is another explanation, we certainly haven't heard about it >>> tell us about the book store which has gained repute for publishing the kinds of literature that would never be allowed to be published on the mainland. >> this is a book store that is quite well-known, particularly among travellers from the make-up land who want to read material that is banned on the mainland side of the border. they're mainly political books. the books that really worry the chinese authorities, and they are to be found in this bookshop, dealing with the personal lives of the leaders, books dealing with corruption and in this particular incidence the rumour is that this publisher was threatening to bring out a book that concerned the affairs of an alleged miss tremendouses of the chinese-- mistress of the leaders mountain president xi jinping >>> thank you. we have to leave it there for now. thank you very much for talking to us live from hong kong. leaders wanting to stay in power beyond their term of office is nothing particularly new, is it. africa has seen a number of its presidents changing the country's constitution in order to stay on, but this can lead to protests and violence. as our correspondent reports now from burkina faso. >> reporter: moments after results of elections last november were announced. the first civilian leader was appointed in almost five decades. it's when citizens broke into song and dance not just to celebrate the new president but the hard won victory that they see as dictatorship. the man who had ruled the country with an armed fist decided to change the constitution. a man, a civil society organization that planned uprising that toppled compaore. we met him out front of the office that was burned down during the protests. >> we knew if he changed the constitution, it would be forever. after him, his son, his little brother and all the family are going to be in the power in this country. >> reporter: presidents tinkering with constitution for their other purposes is nothing new. the problem of africa in general and uganda, in particular, is not the people but leaders who want to overstay in power. yet in 2005 there was a change in the law allowing him a third term. i met him in 2011. do you ever see yourself retiring soon? >> certainly i will retire. i wouldn't say soon, but i am looking forward to retirement. >> reporter: at the age of 72, he is campaigning for a fifth time in office. that will see his rule of uganda extended to 35 years. this man is in the roll. he told us al jazeera he would not seek the election in 2015. >> translation: i am currently serving an office term and will not step down before it comes to an end. at that point i would have completed 26 years in office. >> reporter: is that not enough? >> translation: more than enough. more than enough. >> reporter: but it wasn't to be. in 2015 he won another five years in office. cameroon's president have both been in power since 1982. the people of zimbabwe have not known another president since 1980. kagame recently joined the league of african leaders eager to stay on in power. it is in burundi that the fought out has been most pronounced. at least 400 people have been killed and 220,000 displaced since april last year when he announced he would seek a third term in office. this is a protest against the third term bid. it is an indication that burundis and africans at large want a change in leadership >>> following their landslide election, the opposition coalition in venezuela has chosen the next president. he is to be sworn in on tuesday. the inauguration is to be held despite a supreme court ban on some of them. our correspondent has more now from the capital. >> reporter: today the opposition coalition elected the new president of the national assembly. for many here he is a decent politician. this is the first time that the opposition will have control of the national assembly here in venezuela. despite being formed by several different factions, the opposition has vowed to stay together. this is relevant also because the supreme court has just ruled four of the legislators that were scheduled to be sworn in on tuesday might be blocked from aassuming their post. the opposition have said they will remain defiant and that all 112 of these legislators will be sworn in. both sides have called on their supporters to join them on tuesday when they go to the assembly to be sworn in, which has reawoken fears that the streets of venezuela could, again, be the stage of violent clashes that in 2014 saw people dead >>> a massive clean up is underway in u.s. after flood waters caused widespread damage in one of the hardest hit areas of saint lewis. the severe weather has triggered large scale evacuations. americans are rushing to buy guns and ammunition before an expected crack down it announced. president obama says it is too easy for criminals to get a gun and he wants to use his presidential power to impose new restrictions, but gun enthusiasts have vowed to fight any attempt to change the constitutional rights to bear arms. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: with so many guns in the united states, the blue ridge arsenal gun range in virginia, gun and ammunition sales are up as people rush to buy them after strict rules are put in place. >> people want to get their ability is taken away >> reporter: many are concerned about president obama's announcement that he is thesing with attorney-general on monday to discuss using presidential power to impose new restrictions on u.s. gun sales >> we know we can't stop every act of violence, but what if we tried to stop one. >> reporter: he says executive actions are necessary after working with congress stalled. the shooting in 2012 which killed 26 people, he opposed congressional measures to tighten gun laws but that effort failed in congress. licensed gun stores like this one are required to conduct a background check before a customer buys a gun, but some firearms sold privately at gun shows do not require the same scrutiny. it is called the gun show loophole and it is what some see as a gap that the white house seeks to close. the country's largest guns right groups says increased background checks will do little to increase public safety >> all they want to do is blame the gun. >> reporter: donald trump says owning a gun is a right to bear arms in the u.s. it is a constitutionally protected right >> i don't like anything to do with changing our second amendment. we have plenty of rules and regulations. there's things that they can do right now that are already there. they don't do them >> reporter: it is a view shared by many. >> i raise my right hand to support and defend the constitution of the united states of america and not dismantle the constitution. i do find it aan affront that people will choose to circumvent that. >> some people are passionate about it. it is not so much the arms but what the governments saying what they can or cannot do. >> reporter: the white house says it is too easy for someone who wants to commit a crime to acquire a gun. a result is expected to come as early as this week >>> to a century's old tradition. jinlt size puppets are no longer used to ward off evil but they are thriving in other ways in the capital of jakarta. >> reporter: giant puppets are used here. a frame is made of bamboo and hollow, allowing the puppet master to crawl inside and bring his puppet to life. they were originally made to represent an says tores to ward of spirits spirits. they're still popular and sought after at weddings and circumcision ceremonies. children get a kick out of seeing the puppets walk through the streets. >> it is fun and it is entertaining. >> reporter: on weekends and public holidays these are usually at the square in the heart of the old city flanked by colonial buildings. it is where families come for street entertainment, a slice of color, an alternative to a day out at a mall. they are release five pairs here. there is enough curiosity and interest in this old tradition for the puppet owners to make a living. people pay to pose for photos with the puppets. he says he can earn up to $20 a day. his ambition is to one day make enough money to own at least ten puppets. >> translation: it is a tradition, so i want to take a picture with them. >> translation: i think it is important that we preserve our culture. >> reporter: it is the pride people have for these icons of jakarta that will ensure the puppets keep dancing, entertaining generations to come >>> you can find out more about the day's top stories on the al jazeera website. al jazeera.com. that's al jazeera.com. jazeera.com. super storms, soaring temperatures, record breaking droughts. tonight understanding climate change how the lack of snow in the high farmers. >> i've got 85 employees that rely on me. >> reporter: everything we know may never be the same. >> a house with running water is a privilege now >>>

>> this is al jazeera. o. >> hello i'm lauren taylor. coming up. saudi arabia withdraws from iran and cancels ought flights. after the embassy attack. >>> fears of an economic slow down in china deepen. refusing to give up. an armed group takes over government buildings in oregon. and. >> it will potentially take care of some violence in america. >>> and sport, former france international replaces rafael for real madrid. >>> saudi arabia's allies have rallied to its side in a growing diplomatic dispute with iran. for the kingdom's execution of a dissident shia cleric. cut all ties with iran, while saudi arabia says it will hold all air traffic and commercial relations. andrew simmons reports. >> transiting here and dubai airport, as they were evacuated, comes similar action he by some of saudi arabia's allies, among them neighboring bahrain. after two days of protests from shief muslishia muslims. the action he followed the arson attack of the saudi embassy in tehran. saudi arabia accused iran of doing nothing to prevent it. a war of words is escalating. >> we decided to cut off a

arabia side. we are joined from the saudi arabian capital, riyadh. thank you for being was. many in iran said that this deal could strengthen ties with saudi arabia and iran. is that a sent in the that riyadh agrees with? >> kingdom of saudi arabia called for iran to come to the international community, this is a good step that saudi arabia is monitoring close. we would like iran and neighbouring muslim country with an influence among the world economy to be part of the international community. i think saudi arabia, they have developed the notion that iran is coming back with a genuine cause, and will stop exporting revolution ideas to some areas, i think saudi arabia will play ball. they are both big countries, wealthy countries. i think it will be a good step for the whole region >>> now that iran has come to the international stage, how concerned is saudi arabia that the tables may have turned? saudi arabia may have lost western allies. iran, after all, is now the favourite partner in the region. >> i don't think that will affect saudi arabia that it will hold us accountable econ

together, several of saudi arabia's alleys back riyadh in taking diplomatic action against iran. sectarian tensions flare in iraq talking two sunni mosques near baghdad. sweden and denmark reintroduced border controls to stem the flow of refugees. >>> chinese stocks collapse on the opening day of business in the new year, triggering an automatic suspension of trading. is. >>> two gulf states have taken steps to back saturday e arabia in its dispute with iran. bahrain says it has tut ties while the iae. saudi arabia has announced it's cutting commercial ties with tehran. it had served diplomatic links after demonstrators set fire to the embassy in tehran. they were protesting against the execution of a dissident shia cleric. >> saudi diplomats on their way home from iran with their families transitting here at dubai airport. as they were evacuated came similar action by some of the kingdom's alleys among them, bahrain after two days of demonstrations by protesters from its shia muslim majority. the gulf states closely al tloishingd saudi arabia of blatant and dangerous interferen

newshour live from london. thank you for joining us. coming up in the next 60 minutes. saudi arabia withdraws its diplomats from iran and cancels all flights as its allies cut or cool their relations with tehran. >>> u.s. and european markets fall after chinese stocks collapse on the year's first day of trading. >>> europe's passport-free zone under threat. are introducing border checks in sweden for refugees. >>> fresh from his christmas holiday, barack obama uses his executive powers. i'll be here with all of today's the sport. speculation that there will be a change at real madrid. >> three of saudi arabia's allies have joined its diplomatic dispute with iran. bahrain says it's cut ties with tehran. the uae says it's down graded relations and sudan has down grade its diplomats from khartoum. set fire of the saudi embassy in tehran. >> saudi diplomats on their way home from tehran. as they were evacuated came similar action by some of the kingdom's allies. among them neighboring bahrain. after two days of demonstrations by protestors from sheer shia majority. the gulf state closely allied t

>> saudi arabia pulls its diplomats from iran and cancels all flights as tensions escalate over the tehran embassy attack. i'm lauren taylor, this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, world markets take a dive after fears of economic slow down deep owner. refusing to give up, the armed group occupying a federal building in oregon. >>> reality checks in sweden and denmark to cope with a record number of refugees and migrants. >>> hello saudi arabia's allies have rallied to its side in a growing diplomatic dispute with iran. following kingdom's execution of a dissident shia cleric. bahrain and sudan cut all ties with iran, andrew simmons reports. >> reporter: saudi diplomats on their way home from iran, transiting at dubai airport. as they were evacuated, came similar action of the kingdom's allies. the gulf state close to saudi arabia accused iran of dangerous support for terrorism. the actions followed arson attack at the saudi embassy in tehran. saudi arabia accused iran of doing nothing to prevent it. a war of words is escalating. >> we decideto cut off all diplomatic r

northern yemen. the clinic was hit near the border with saudi arabia. many people could still be trapped under rubble from collapsed buildings nearby. doctors without borders said it's a third attack on a health facility it manages in yemen in the past three months. houthis have detained people in yemen, human rights watches documented the abusive detention of 35 people between august 2014 and october 2015. human rights watch says 27 people are still in custody, and it said many appeared to have been arrested because of their link to a sunni political party. >>> arab cleared accused iran of causing chaos in the region at a special summit. the emergency talks were requested by saudi arabia. riyadh cut ties with iran after the storming of their embassy by protestors angry of the execution of a cleric. >> iran is using secretaryianism as an excuse and created terrorists to create chaos. we need our meeting to show support to our solvety, security and we need to prevent interference in our internal affairs. >> joining us now is a professor of middle eastern history at qatar university here i

r. r. o. w. rising tensions. outrage as a shia cleric raises concerns in the middle east. >> deadly attack >> a u.s. service member killed, two injured. a u.s. afghan special operations mission comes under fire as the taliban continues to gain ground in afghanistan. >> power struggle. a new opposition controlled national assembly is sworn in in venezuela, but not all members are allowed to take their seats >>> deadly journey. dozens of refugees drowned trying to reach greece when two boats sank in rough sees. -- rough seas. >>> good evening, i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america's international news your. we begin with a deepening diplomatic divide between saudi arabia and iran. the saudi arabia foreign minister says the severing of diplomatic ties with iran will not affect the peace talks in syria. the two nations opposing sides in the negotiations. saudi arabia wants the syrian president and iranian ally bashar al-assad to have no future role in syria. more of saudi arabia's allies are following the kingdom's lead. kuwait recalling the ambassador for iran, and bahrain stopped flights there >>> police fired shotgun and pellets at protesters in the tiny gulf state of bahrain. day four of protests following saudi arabia's execution of 47 people, including the shia cleric. >> fall out from the execution spread first from sunni saudi arabia to shia iran. where the saudi arabia embassy was ransacked, forces saudis to cut diplomatic ties. now to center of excellence of brain aging, u.a.e. and sudan, all of which tore up diplomatic relations complaining of possess interference. r riyadh has been accused of trying to shift the real crime, the execution of a cleric. and calling it names will not hurt it. >> for more than 30 years after the iranian resolution, great powers have severed ties with iran. saudi arabia is taking measures based on immature policies and inexperience. at the heart of the spat, saudi arabia is under pressure in its region, since its ally, the united states, struck a nuclear deal with iran. add to that the saudi military coalition fighting iranian supported houthi forces to the south of saudi in yemen, and iranian military involvement to the war in syria, and you have a recipe for the saudis to feel isolated in their desert kingdom. >> saudi arabia can sustain this for some time. the issue here is that at least for riyadh, the iranians have to understand that saudi arabia is going to combat a lot of the negativity that we see in the region. u.s. officials say tensions between saudi arabia and iran will not have an impact on the coalition efforts in defeating i.s.i.l. >> as we know, the secretary was on the phone all day yesterday. we are encouraging de-escalation. any time you have region app polarization and escalation, it can cause difficulties, it opens up streams on the far side. >> residence are speaking out about the rift between the two middle eastern giants. the saudis should know it will not take corition for threat. they will not allow saudi rainions to threaten us. >> they have the right to be upset and angry because of the attack on the embassy. we should not forget the stampede at mecca. >> so the war of words goes on, with little hope either side will back down soon >>> joining us now from beirut is joseph, a middle east analyst and senior fellow at the research for islamic studies in riyadh. it's good to see you. we have iran's president hassan rouhani saying saudi arabia can't hide its crime by severing diplomatic ties. the saudis seem to have little interest in de-escalating allies, and are jumpening on board and weakening ties with iran. to this making a dangerous region more dangerous? >> not really. i think that president hassan rouhani had to say what he has to say today, what he said today, simply because he confronts at home opposition from the extremists who essentially are against him. or opposed to him. remember a couple of days ago when the iranians torched the saudi embassy, the president came out and said this was wrong. it was not the right thing to do, and that iran has got to learn how to report international law. but, of course, he had to reverse his position because at home in iran, there are a lot of people who are opposed to his policies. >> talking about the iranians, a lot of analysts thought that the nuclear deal would strengthen the moderates there and weaken the extremists, the hardliners. has the opposite happened? >> probably. we don't know much of what goes on inside of iran because it is a mysterious and closed society. they like to give the impression that it is open. it's not. >> the debates that take place are convoluted. and the divisions that exist surfaced from time to time in parliament when there are open debates, when people can follow this. make no speak about the fact that the supreme leader of islam revolution, ayatollah khamenei has the last word. it is not up to the president to opine what he thinks should be done or not. >> do you believe the saudis knew what the consequences of the execution of the shi'ite cleric would be? >> i think the soughties knew, but it was not important simply because they were applying the law as sharia courts have done. they have arrested this man for a variety of crimes and they have put this in front of judgments. >> couldn't the government decide to give him an amnesty because in moving forward with this, clearly it has a series of affects. some of which are positive for the saudi government. because it manages to take attention away from serious internal problems because the economy is a mess. they had to take perks away from saudi citizens because of the falling oil prices. >> we have to put this in perspective. we are not talking about a monastery cleric involved in scholar equities. >> we are talking about a fire brand cleric who is interested in bringing down the government. and no surprise there that government rejects and refuses to go along. >> could it be a message to washington that the saudis will not depend on the u.s. any longer and will act independently because the saudis were not worried about the nuclear deal. a trust that has grown weaker after hard line challenges by iran with testing ballistic missiles and contravention of u.n. resolutions that the u.s. talked about sanctions for, and then backed off on? >> there may be truth to this. but no one really knows. the fact is they have been an ally. there are certain saudis who are certainly disappointed with the positions that the united states took in the last several years vis-a-vis iraq. the message is not just to the iranians and the shia population, but to the sunni population of the world, and perhaps, also, western powers saying to everyone concerned, we are the will to power, we have knocksal security interests, and we will protect them. >> it's a complicated situation on many levels, and raising questions about what it will mean for the fight against terrorism in the region. >> good to have you with us and have your insights. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> iranian television broadcast images of an underground missile bumper. it was the same time time in three months that similar footage was prepared. the bunker houses missiles equipped with nuclear war heads. the video features the speaker of the iranian parliament, led on a tour by members of the revolutionary guard. the video's release came as iran faces sanctions for testing the same missiles in october. today the u.s. state department is discussing possible punishments with other u.s. agency. the white house believes the test launches violated u.s. security council resolutions. iran says the missile programme is for defense and not subject to resolutions >>> an earthquake your appeared to have been caused by human activity has been reported in north korea, reported near a nuclear testing site and has been measured at 5.1. several international mont ris agencies report signs of what they believe is an artificial quake. north korea conducted a third nuclear test in february of 2013 in that region, recording an earthquake of similar size to the one reported tonight. a north korean spokesperson said they'll make an important announcement within the hour and we'll keep you updated. >> syrians have been exposed to sanaa, coaccording to a top report. the watchdog group was looking into allegations that chemical agents had been used in 11 incidents, and said further investigation is needed to determine when or how the possible sarin exposure took place. the syrian government and opposition accused each other of using chemical weapons. >> an american soldiers was killed and two others wounded when they came under fire in moving. accompanying afghan forces fighting the taliban in marja a town in helmand province. two medivac helicopters like the ones in these file pictures were sent in to help. one was waved off after it came under fire. the other landed, struck a wall, damaged blades and was forced to stay on the ground. >> this is an ongoing situation. there is still a fight going on in the immediate surroundings, and we'll provide details as they become available. because of the situation now, we don't have the details surrounding what is taking place. >> afghan forces battled the taliban for more than six months. >> british officials suspect a londoner who sold bounce houses may be the new executioner, unnamed sources named siddharthu dh ark r, born a hindu, before becoming radicalized. he was freed on bail and since disappeared in 2014. authorities believe he's lily in syria. his -- he's believed to be in syria. his sister is not sure it is him. >> a second round of attacks home to the biggest i will ports in sidra. there has been a plea for help, saying it is powerless against i.s.i.l.'s destruction. libya has been in chaos since muammar gaddafi was overthrown in 2011. i.s.i.l. has been losing territory held in iraq and syria. colonel steve warren says the group is in a defensive crouch. >> in iraq it's about 40%, in syria, harder to get a number, always around 30%. taken together, iraq and syria. >> brad taylor is a retired special forces colonel and defense analyst and a best-selling novelist whose recent book is "the forgotten soldiers", and he joins us from houston. the event in your new book is triggered by violence in afghanistan. how concerned are you that the taliban is staging a come back threatening progress since the 2001 war. >> i'm concerned about if. the progress we are making is basically the drug trade, like the sanaa lowa area in mexico. it's a powerhouse. in 2010 people forget there's a huge battle for marja, and it's the battle after the battle. we are talking about how we defeated i.s.i.s. in ramadi. i don't consider it a defeat until you see what happened six months from now. >> i.s.i.l. is increasing presence from afghanistan. what do the u.s. or n.a.t.o. need to do to secure the gains made over the past 14 years? >> the hardest thing is to get governance down there. helmand province is one of the biggest opium producing places in the universe. it's an economic power house. you want to put a government in there, you can't put in a government saying it's okay to make heroin. if you don't have a government in there that doesn't say that, the taliban is saying get rid of that guy. >> in the broader fight against i.s.i.l., do you see reason for optimism. iraqi forces retook ramadi. and colonel steve warren talked about how they could have lost 30% of territory it controlled in syria and iraq. >> i think there is signs of optimism. i.s.i.l. is more like a kids balloon, when you squeeze it, they leave this area and go to another. you mentioned crouch. i was nod be surprised if i.s.i.l. would take on another town to prove their venketed. >> it's not clear whether american casualties in afghanistan were special operations forces. they were in an area where the u.s. special forces were active. the poach has been to increase the role of special forces. as a former colonel in this world, is it a good strategist. >> i see it as a good opponent of a strategy. i'm 99.9% positive of the special forces doing train and assist. i heard about it from a conference, image capable helicopters, i can't imagine anyone bar special forces are down there. >> are you concerned that a large number could delude them in their effectiveness. >> sorry, say that again. >> could that delude them. now that so many people are accepted to -- special forces. >> it shrunk a little bit. it's maintained steady. >> you and other top authors in the thriller espionage genre created groups that performed secret missions in the united states, and you mentioned that the c.i.a. does not have the capability for paramilitary operations and the pentagon can't keep the operations secret, and that's the reason for the groups. do you think that in reality groups similar to your task force are needed? >> no, i don't. the thing with this book. when we operated for real, we had extensive oversight for a renaling an. we thought we needed an organization to run free. i created the task force. as i wrote it, they do things, going off the reservation, but i'm writing a book it ends perfectly. but i thought it has a potential to go bad, if there's one guy in here. that's what i explored in the book. >> many of your books bring up issues that happen around the world and the new back "forgotten soldiers", brad taylor, good to talk to you. >> thanks, appreciate it. >> in france, the government honoured the vic sims -- is victims of the "charlie hebdo" shooting. a plaque was unveiled, and another near where a policeman was killed. the name of a victim was misspelled. authorities said they would correct the mistake. 17 were killed in attacks that week. >> a journalist gaoled in turkey for four months is free. he was arrested inform august while covering confrontations between the kurdish opposition and police. his two british colleagues were deported, turkey said the iraqi rasul was held as a protective measure he is tree on bail, but cannot leave the country. venezuela's knew national assembly is sworn in, changing the balance of power. supports of the government and of the opposition take to the street in dualling rallies. >> a proposal to ban donald trump from the u.k. >>> peace talks in booururundi,e to a halt. there's no word on whether they'd resume. opposition and government leaders have been meeting in uganda for a week. a top burundi official said the government would not attend because of the inclusion of groups supporting violence. a spokesman later said negotiators need more time to prepare. more than 400 have been killed in clashes since april, when the president announced he'd run for an unconstitutional third term. >> security was heavy on the streets of caracas when the opposition took control for the first type of. today's swearing in ceremony comes at a time of the rising tensions between the opposition and president madura. >> reporter: songs about change and new beginnings. jubilant supporters of the venezuela opposition joined the 112 legislators as they made their way to the capital assembly. >> last december a sweeping victory gave them a two-thirds major city. -- majority. >> translation: venezuela needed a change. we are fed up with violence and shortages and violence. we want our children to grow outline without violence. >> reporter: a few miles a way is a rally supports nicolas maduro. >> the opposition hates this country, they defended chavez. we have to dell them to respect the revolution and leaders. >> reporter: street clashes between the groups was fierce, especially after three opposition deputies were prevented from being sworn in by a spoourt ruling. it was at the ceremony that the tensions were evident. >> a sign of the challenges legislators faced as they prepared to share power over the coming five years. >> a particularly sore subject has been efforts by the opposition to free political prisoners. the government blames them for the death of more than 40 people during a month-long wave of violence in 2014. >> the assassins, the perpetrators, they can't pardon themselves, only the victims could forgive them. >> in the end pro-government legislators walked out. their frustration over the changing political landscape in venezuela, too greats for them to stay. >> the government passed a series of laws that seemed to undermine the super majority that the opposition gained. analysts here warn that the continuing of the political gridlock would exacerbate social conflict >>> the u.s. is responding favourably to the event in caracas. state department spokesman said the swearing in was an important and necessary step for venezuela. the obama is asking those on all sides to respect the authority and independence of the national assembly and is calling for the release of political prisoners held in venezuela. >> britain's parliament set a date to hear a petition that calls for a travel ban on republican presidential candidate donald trump. nearly 570,000 britains signed an online petition calling for trump to be denied entry into the u.k. coming after remarks targetting muslims >>> more than two dozen asylum seekers were killed when two boats capsized off the turkish coast. we look at the dangers survivors face after making it ashore >>> germany opened the doors to refugees hoping to solve a population problem. the role that could be played in helping the economy. . >> welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm antonio mora, coming up in this half hour of international news on what is wednesday in asia, we look at how markets are responding after the terrible beginning over the first two trading days of 2016. first a look at the stories making headlines across the u.s. in the american minute. president obama unveiled new gun control measures at the white house. the executive actions strengthened background checks and closed loopholes for unlicensed firearms sales. >>> the occupation of a federal building of wildlife refuge is four days on. organizers saying they are vowing to stay until managements of land it turned over to ranchers. no law enforcement agency has tried to remove them. showing for now a willingness to wait them out >>> a governor of michigan declared a state of emergency where the city of flint is located and the u.s. attorney-general office is investigating lead contamination in the drinking water. in summer corrosive river water was found to cause home plumbing systems to leach led. a study showing high levels of led. >> palestinians protested demanding the return of family members' bodies. about 140 palestinians have been killed in clashes with israeli forces over the last three months, most of the bodies have been released. and as nts ty ab tells us, another palestinian was killed as the west back violence continues. >> he has been shot dead by israeli forces. that soldiers has been taken to hospital with like injuries, the incident took place near the junction in the occupied west bank. it is near a settlement. this is an area, a flashpoint in recent months. since october there has been a wave of violence involving palestinians and israelis. at last counselled 20 israelis have been killed and over 140 palestinians have been killed in the latest unrest. depending on who you talked to, the reason behind the upsurge in violence is different. israelis say the reason we see the violence is because of palestinian incitement. saying that palestinian leaders is fuelling this kind of violence that we have been seeing and inflamed the street. the palestinian leaders, young palestinians. they say that that is nonsense. they say the current unrest is tied to the fact of occupation and see no hope >>> imtiaz tyab reporting from the west bank >>> in turkey, a reminder about the european refugee crisis. 36 died after two boats capsized in the agean sea, a launching point for many fleeing war-torn syria, escaping to europe. today the turkish coast guard rescued 12 people. the search offense for more. as jonah hull reports, dozens did not make it. it's the first week of a new year, the warm summer gone, and the refugee journey getting harder. off the turkish coast a rubber dingy capsized. the passengers tied to their fate. many braving the agean sea. more than 20 never arriving. the bodies washing assure the beaches of turkey. >> translation: we came an hour ago, we heard the boat sank. i think these people died when they tried to swim for the rocks. we tried to help. there wasn't much to be done. the turkish coast guard dispatched three boats and a helicopter to search for survivors. eight were rescued, including one man that emerged from the freezing water. it's submitted a million entered grease through the outlying islands in in 2015, travelling to central and northern europe as part of a humanitarian crisis on the continent in two decades. >> migrants and refugees enter greece at a rate of 2500 a day from turkey, close to the observing through december. you see the migrant flows continue through the are winter, and the fatalities are continuing as well. >> this is where most are heading, the greek island of lesbos, gateway to the european union, 10km off the coast. despite efforts to improve conditions here, international volunteers say the refugees welcome can be a harsh one. wedgen and young children are not safe at night. as are the men and women. they are stealing. there is raping. there is death there are knives and guns here. many will find safe harbour in european countries like germany. here on the greek shore the ordeal has just begun >>> germany is taking in refugees, that could help them deal with the growing population, it has the lowest rate in the world, the topic of in context segment. >> nestling at the foot of the heart's mountains, this is an affluent town home to 22,000 people. despite the apparent prosperity, one group is increasingly missing. young people. in the past 15 years, the population of the town has fallen 20%. the decline is blamed on a combination of a sweeping birth rate and net immigration. >> the schools ran out of children. we have regular schools in our area, in the first four years. has about, let's say, 150 to 200 children. that is normal. we ran out of children, down to 50 children. if you are under 50 children, you are not able to manage good school any longer. >> it's a similar story in many german towns and cities. fewer births and an ever increasing pensioner population, a leading academic says it's creating a serious skills shortages, and the professionally qualified refugees could be part of the solution. >> the big expectation is that the migrants would also be a remedy to the labour market shortage that we have in germany, we have a shortage of high school labour, and a shortage of youngsters starting vocational training positions. >> perhaps the initiative at a foundry in berlin could be a template for the future. it helps refugees that want to help by teaching them vocational courses and german language skills. people like hasan from ghana are benefitting from the trading. >> we need to forget about what has been done in the past and focus on the future. >> i'd like to stay for the future. they are kind, so good. that is our dream. i want to give a little bit of opportunity to start from. >> back here, many people want to give refugees like hasan that opportunity, the local mayor says the refugees with professional experience could help provide an answer to the shortage of jobs in the german workforce. >> joining us from berlin to discuss the decline in the birth rate is daniella schwarzer, a senior director of research. >> good to have you with us. germany has the dubious honour of surpassing japan, and having the lowest birth rate. some described what is happening there as a perfect demographic storm imperilling economic growth. has this become a priority for the german government. >> the low german birth rate has been an issue over years, and there has been readjustment in the way child care is organized in jeremy, the way families get financial support but the sermans have a pessimistic view of their future, and the numbers of birth have not been going up. there has been a slight recovering of the rate. it never exceeded 1.5 children per couple, and, indeed, it's a recurrent political issue in germany, mostly because (a), we have a shrinking population and germany is facing labour market problems. >> why is the birth rate so bad. if you look at the united states it's 1.9 per woman, in germany it's 1.4 over the past few years. >> i guess the germans have a tradition of women choosing a job or choosing to be a housewife and a mother. this is a cultural issue, and an issue related to family policy, and it's slowly changing that actually women feel i could have to make the choice, or i can have children and work at the same time. >> i know scandinavia has the same birth rate. they managed to improve actions. >> they started earlier. it is perfectly normal for fathers or mothers to leave the office to pick up their children. and mostly men work long hours and long days and women are the ones that pick up the children from childcare. that is slowly changing. as you can see, huge differences between urban germany and rural germany. the discussion changed and the necessity to do something from a national perspective, looking at the economy, and the way the german population is shrinking in european comparisons. it is a big political issue, and women started to think about their own future, and it looks like less of a choice to be made between family or work. but there are no more models to make. >> looking at democracy, the numbers show that germans of working age will decline by 10 percentage points and you need half a million migrants and refugees coming into germany to sustain what you need for a workforce. did that make germany more willing than other european countries. >> the question of solicited labour is going on, or the discussion about that issue is going on for a long time. the refugee crisis will not solve that problem. as one sees now, the refugees coming in, some of the them, indeed, are qualified. they need to learn the german language and get integrated into the labour market. that can happen for a small share of them. the reality is that many refugees that are coming in have had no professional training, university degrees, and will not be the kind of skilled labour that the german labour market needs in the next year to come. there's growing issues with a backlash against the refugees. >> public opinion has not turned hostile. there's criticism towards the policy that the government is conducting. the feeling is that the numbers are high. the population sees that may be another million will come in 2016. this is, after all a substantial sum of people to host properly, to, you know, to support financially, to integrate children into schools. there's a feeling now that may be on the local level, the structures are overburdened. it's not that the germans question the right to asylum, it's the speed and the high numbers that come in >>> daniella swartser, good to have you with us. >> cologne germany was the scene of a mass protest. the demonstration was held in the square. on new year's eve, as many as 100 women reported being assaulted in the area, one said she was raped. the victims said they were attacked by young men working in groups. >> it's important to show a reaction, that we do not accept the atmosphere in the country, changes that women can't go on the streets or at night. we do not want to give 'em away. the mayor denounced the police, and called for the perpetrators to be prosecuted. no arrests have been made. >> american officials at the expense of volkswagen. they are being sued for fitting 600,000 diesel vehicles with missions cheating software. a maximum penalty costing 48 million. in addition, volkswagen are struggling to agree with the e.p.a. on how to fix the vehicles. the deadline to reach a solution is mid january. >> stocks opened mixed in china after a sell off in monday and tuesday. the shensen market are up. hong kong's hang seng is down. according to reports, chinese regulators are going to extend stock sales to shareholders that were set to expire on friday. >> north korean nuclear testing site. north korea says it has conducted its first successful test of a hydrogen bomb. the announcement coming after the international monitoring agency reported signs of an earthquake, similar to one in the same reason in 2013, when north korea conducted a nuclear test. >> a mexican lawyer for the so-called affluenza teenager will not say that his client will drag out the extradition process. ethan couch met with his lawyer. he and his mother left texas in november. couch would receive probation for a 2013 drunk-driving crash killing four. a defense psychologist suggested that his wealthy upbringing prevented him from knowing right from wrong. tonya was deported to the u.s. and will soon be sent back to texas. >> taking hot-air ballooning to new heights. how a spanish company is making flights efficient and safer. >> and towers and buildings created out of ice and snow. >> tomorrow night, the largest refugee camp in the world is home to half a million people. why some see it as a humanitarian crisis. others worry it's a breeding ground for terrorists. >>> a towering gold coloured statue has been raised in rural china, honouring mao tse tung. it is said to have been funded by local villages. it's where tens of millions died during a push for industrialization. china's great leap forward. >>> saudi arabia coalition forces ramped up air strikes in sanaa. military and civilian flights have been hit. amid the violence something rare happened. an art exhibition opened. >> al jazeera's maryhahn had the story. >> at first glance, this could be a gallery in london or new york. this is the capital of war-torn yemen, a city at the heart of the rebellion. >> it is apparent with a closer look through the vibrant colours and brush strokes, you can see the fighting, turmoil and the loss. >> it reflects the fear that people fear across yemen, those trying to get away from death and destruction. >> the conflict plagued yemen since september 2014 when houthi fighters backed by troops loyal to the former president, and supported by iran launched a rebellion and took control of sanaa, they are up against forces of yemen's president which had the backing of saudi-led coalition air strikes. in the 10 months the united nations says more than 6,000 have been killed. half civilians. the exhibition is the first of its kind since the bombag campaign began. he was once an advisor to the ministry of tourism. now he is an artist. >> it reflects the shelling and bombardment over these months. women and children have been the main victims. >> u.n.-brokered talks to end the fighting suffered a set back. the saudi-led coalition announced it was pulling out of the ceasefire beginning in mid-december. without a clear pass to peeth, they are determined to express themselves and the turmoil they see >>> our global view segment, a look at how the news outlets are reacting to fairs events. the independent says the conflict between iraq and saudi arabia is a pretext for the two countries to continue a battle for regional dominance. neither has a history of making foreign policy decisions based on the shia sunni divide. the saudis are right fully worried about iran's resurgence because of its nuclear deal. a greek paper says 2015 was tough for europe with the migrant crisis, terror attacks, economic woes and the resurgence of nationalism. all of these things are primed to get worse in 2016. the paper says twice as many refugees are expected this year, that spain could split in two and britain might leave the e.u. international cooperation is the only way to make it better than the last, and the e.u. must sold the refugee crisis. russia and the u.s. must address international terrorism. and china needs to play a bigger role on the world stage. the largest manufacture of hot hair balloons is looking to make the sport greener, using it to cut propose an use in half. tarek bazely reports. >> it's dawn near the hills of barcelona. a newly completed hot-air balloon is inflated for the first time. the team inspects the rigging and stitching on the seams, a standard check before new booms or shipped to customers, the spanish company is the largest maker of hot hair balloons, producing 200 each year. the design, colour scheme and branding of each balloon is customized and stitched together by hand, from thousands of pieces of lightweight fabric. >> it needs to pass the stress test to double-check. the supplier checks it is good, but we check it when we purchase it. >> reporter: hot air balloons use prop an gas. a typical flight can use up to 100 litres, enough to drive a car 1,000 kilometres. hot-air ballooning is a gas-guzzling sport. that's why the government has prevented an eco-friendly model. using two players of fabric makes the balloon stronger and longer lasting. it's cheaper to fly and uses half as much gas. it gives you options it spend less fuel so you fly cheaper, and you have more capacity for a flag, you cannot land, for example, you can have extra to go to another place to land. >> the company has been working on technology to make hot hair ballooning safer. it developed an asset to alert a pilot if it comes too close to powerlines. for some. it's the sim admissibilitiy of the sport that makes it attractive. >> you see the world in a different way. when you have been there, and it's quiet. you can relax and feel yourself, as you need to fly, following the winds. it gives you a feeling that you are alone to the nation, and you can enjoy it >>> the eco balloon is more expensive to make. because it lasts longer and is cheaper to fly, it's a cost effective alternative. and one that proves that hot hair ballooning would be a sustainable sport in the future >>> in spain, madrid held its annual three kings parade. only this young one of the kings was a queen. this year local councils decided to make the change in an effort to make it more diverse. that angered conservative politicians. the left-wing mayor ended the tradition of having a local politician appear, for the role of dink baltizar >>> china's ice special is off to a start. turning 400 million pounds of ice into enormous sculptures making up an highs and snow world in a city, where the average temperatures is barely more than zero. the festival runs until february and is expected to attract 1.5 million visitors. >> robert stig wood died. he was the drying force behind many musical hits in the 1980s. he bruised many films. john travolta did the strutting, bee gees the music, buts stig wood put it together. he produced "saturday night fever", a defining film for the disco generation. his musical roster was legendary, creen, the who, rod stewart. david bowie. [ sings ] . >> and, of course, the bee gees. [ sings ] . >> helping stickwood's rso label sell tens of millions offal bums. in theatres he staged ground breakers, there was "hair." "jesus christ superstar." [ singing ] and "sweeney todd", and on the big screen he was the force behind "tommy", "grease", but it was the story of a young man in brooklyn that he found his biggest success. farewell belove robert tweeted andrew lloyd weber, the great showman who taught me so much >>> that's it for this international news hour on al jazeera. in our next hour, the latest on north korea's announcement on testing the hydrogen bomb. i'll be back with more news in 2 minutes. 2 minutes. >>> good evening, i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america >>> until we have a congress in line with the majority of americans, there are actions within my legal authority that we can take. >> president obama's emotional plea and executive actions to stop gun violence, tonight republican anger and how easy it is to buy guns and ammunition. also... >> earlier today

neighborhood saudi arabia. earlier saudi arabia and bahrain cut diplomatic ties with tehran. the gulf states say the diplomatic moves are in protest against an attack on a saudi embassy in tehran. tensions rose after the kingdom executed a shia cleric. the iranian president has accused saudi arabia of covering up what it is calling a crime by severing diplomatic relations. saudi arabia saying the process that should end in peace in syria can still move forward but with saudi growling at iran and vice versa how can that possibly happen? >> as you say the saudi ambassador when he came to speak to reporters i asked him that question. and he said the process should continue and we entirely back them. the second part of his answer, though, was he didn't think iran was completely committed to either of those peace efforts. let me remind you where we are with those two peace initiatives, which the u.n. had hoped would get a new year in 2016. we had talks on yemen that took place in geneva at the end of last year. they were hoping those talks would start again in the coming days in the new ye

week where we see saudi arabia's regional allies taking sides against iran. what should we expect, an escalation or de-escalation. >> basically. they had need to go forth to iran. they would like to make it clear that they have the backing. talking about some. wealthiest nations on earth. some of those countries have a huge regional influence. some of the countries have several ties. they have chosen to downgrade ties. when they meet today in saudi arabia. they are going to further condemn the attacks on the saudi arabia embassy. and reiterate the stance of saudi arabia that it is further spreading the ideology in the region. saudi arabia presents as the sunni power base, defender of sunni. and therefore you see more countries today in riyadh siding with saudi arabia. it is crucial for saudi arabia. once they come out of the meeting with a united stance, they go further, expand the influence of the arab league, arriving for other countries to join them. we have seen some countries, the crisis, them saying that we need to see more wisdom. not necessary cutting ties. they would like to

undermine our security >>> saudi arabia cuts ties with iran after protestors storm its embassy in tehran >>> accused of murder - two israelis charged over an arson murder in the west bank killing a toddler and his parents >>> syria - hospitals running out of medicine, stores are closed and food in short supply - forcing children to dig through the rubble. >> if you move us, you move us to a graveyard. >>> we meet the south africans struggling to ging to get back taken away during apartheid >>> real madrid were given a work out by valencia. and ben stokes blasts his way into the history books. action from the second test is coming up >>> saudi arabia today severed diplomatic ties with iran. demonstrators in tehran set fire to the saudi embassy on saturday night. they were protesting against the execution of a prominent shia cleric by saudi arabia. nimr al-nimr was among 47 put to death on terrorism charges. gerald tan reports. >> reporter: the saudi embassy ablaze in tehran. iranians lash out after a leading shia cleric was among 47 executed in saudi arabia on terrorism charges. the saudi

] >> the caribbean nation where music powers have a free run. >> saudi arabia has executed 47 people on terrorism charges including a prominent shia cleric as well as an al-qaeda preacher. >> these are some of the 47 men executed in saudi arabia. they have been convicted of carrying out terrorist attacks targeting civilians and security forces. they included this man, a prominent shia cleric, who was a central figure during shia protests in saudi arabia, which intensified in 2011. also among them was a leading al-qaeda preacher. human rights has criticized the executions, but saudi arabia said that they had a fair trial. >> there is no difference between what a person does regardless of his ethnic origin or affiliation or what he believes. we deal with facts and criminal intent. >> last year a man sentenced to death for is he edition, disobedience and bearing arms. he did not deny the charges against him but said he never carried weapons or call for violence. saudi arabia is stamping out terrorism after a suicide-bom suicide-bombing in august. many of the others such as al-qaeda preache

>>> good evening, i'm jonathan betz in for antonio mora, and this is al jazeera america. china's slowdown. the world's second largest economy could be losing steam >>> homecoming - americans freed by iran reunite with their families, and there will be close eye kept on iran and the nuclear deal >>> and not enough to stop the finger pointing of politicians >>> china's commim growth has fallen to a 25-year low. just a couple of hours ago the country reported its growth fell to 6.8% in the fourth quarter of 2015. overall china had a 6.9% economic growth last year. florence louie has more from beijing >>> well, the annual growth of 6.9%, really, has been something widely predicted. many analytic analysts predicted it would be in the region of 9.72%. it comes as no big surprise, and would be considered an enviable figure for many countries in the world, for china, it isn't. it's a country used to high single digit growth and single digit growth. it is really the lowest figure in 25 years. now, there's a lot riding on the numbers. it's not just about the chinese economy. it's so big that many countries are dependent on the chinese economy. it's the world's second largest. china is a huge trading partner for many countries, we have seen commodity export prices driven up because of demand and prices drop, affecting commodity of forces. there's a lot riding on the figures. many economists and analysts say the slowdown is inevitable. china has been the driver of world economy. the slowdown is not a huge surprise. >> florence, thank you. here at home oil prices fell again today. crude oil prices fell to $29 a barrel - the lowest in 13 years. the drop after iran announced plans to increase production by half a million after the nuclear sanctions were lifted. it's good news for consumers, bad for the oil industry which shed tens of thousands of jobs. tom ackerman has more on that. >> pleasant in texas likes to call itself the birth place of cattle. but it's oil that has done well. >> it's given the community and country a chance to advance a lot of programme in things they were wanting to do. >> the prairie landscape is dotted with oil wells, thanks to dramatic advances in hydraulic fracturing. that development made the u.s. the biggest producer of crude. but in some ways it's proven too much of a good thing. the more america, the o.p.e.c. countries and others add to the global surplus, the less each barrel is worth. >> collectively it makes sense for all the producers to ratchet back production. individually, and that's the calculus. the country or energy companies making, it makes sense individually for them to continue to produce. that's what we are seeing. >> as a result. some drillers depending on the high oil prices are driven into bankruptcy, and texas is pricing for the downside of a cycle. oil boom to bust. >> it is a consistent bright spot and forecast to be a third of what it was. if oil prices stay at counter levels, economists see a loss of jobs. >> the crew working at this drilling services company is half the size it was this time a year ago. jobie is too discouraged to pay attention. >> it's not the money, it's the uncertainty of the fact you don't know what you have day to day. it's the fact that any day it could get worse. some find hope of newmarket since the u.s. dropped a ban on crude oil exports. the first tanker leaving texas laden with cargo bound for europe. no one is looking for the day that crude sells for $100 a barrel >>> economics and global affairs correspondent patricia sabga joins us now. how much oil do we expect iran to start pumping? >> iran says it will pump half a million barrels a day on top of what it does. and within seven months it would be back up to presanction level of 3.4 million barrels of oil a day. keep in mind some say it's vicious, but the point is iran is back, it's pumping, and it's pumping into a market that is awash in cheap oil already. this will increase supply more, much to the chagrin of saudi arabia, which is iran's fellow okay member, but -- fellow oak member, but bitter rival. saudi arabia has the policy of keeping the pipes open, watching oil plunge from $140 to about $28. that is a 75% drop. >> it's a huge drop. how long do we expect saudi arabia to keep the taps on, do you say. >> saudi arabia can't sustain this forever, the break even oil price is $100. we have seen belt tightening from saudi arabia. they are cutting energy subsidies to their people, welfare benefits, it's not just saudi arabia, other oil producers are under pressure, most don't enjoy the cushion of large oil rerefers, saudi arabia has $615 billion. others don't, they have spent their windfall. cou countries like venezuela, russia has something but not as much as saudi arabia. they have people on side with generous welfare benefits and subsidies, and a lot of these oil-producing nations can no longer afford to do that. that is tantamount to break a social contract. when you do that with the people it can lead to political unrest and geopolitical instability. >> there are big effects we can see. one a lot of americans are enjoying is how low do we expect the prices to get. >> some analysts, in fact many are calling for oil to reach $20 a barrel. now that oil is below $30, it sets the stage, if you will, for oil to drop to $20 a barrel. the stage is set for lower oil prices ahead. what it takes in order to get oil prices up, it's not just the logic of the market. that should tell o.p.e.c. to turn off the taps and not pump so much supply. market forces are not enforcing discipline. >> why is it happening? >> you need a grievance from oil producers. within o.p.e.c., you have bitter rivals. they'd are to agree to production cuts together. it's not just within o.p.e.c., you need non-o.p.e.c. producers like russia to step up and agree to cuts. >> no one will do that yet. >> take a look at syria, of countries involved in the war in syria. it gives you an idea how far you would have to go to come to agreement. >> we have the shell oil producers, what does it mean for them? >> shale oil producers are hit hard. their cost of production is higher than saudi arabia and others. in 2015 we saw a lot of shale oil producers in this country go bust. a lot of these operations borrowed money, issued debt, and issued debt to finance the expansion of the operations and future operations. they did that when oil traded higher. now it is low, and they can't afford to pay back the debt. some - there is some forecasts ta see as many as a third going bankrupt before the end of this year. >> it's a sobering number there. >> thank you for the insight. >> iran and the international atomic energy agency pledged to cooperate on inspections to ensure that iran is complying with a landmark nuclear deal. iran's president met with the head of the agency in tehran, two days after it was implemented. some of five americans released from the iranian prison are back with their families. lisa stark has more from washington >>> jamie rizzuto's wide smile -- jason rezaian's smile said it all. free after 141 days in prison. "the washington post" journalist, wife, mother and brother together at the u.s. military facility in germany. doctors are evaluating rezaian's health, and also two others, a former marine, held for four years. seen with his family. and a christian pastor, whose wife touted his release on twitter. rezaian and the others were let go after more than a year of secret negotiations. rezaian told "the washington post", he was feeling good physically. his brother has been a tireless advocate for rezaian's release. >> he was held in solidary confinement. one person in the room >>> a fourth iranian american opted to stay in iran, and a fifth, student matthew, was released separately on saturday of. >> he's looking forward to coming home and having serious hamburgers, things like that. >> reporter: in iran on monday head of the atomic agency met with president hassan rouhani. israeli president binyamin netanyahu, who has been sharply critical of the deal, said his government will keep a close watch on iran's compliance. >> the u.s., too, is keeping a watch. it imposed new sanctions on companies and individuals involved with the ballistic program. >> on the campaign trail, republicans applauded the release of americans, but blasted president obama for cutting a deal including dropping charges for some iranian americans for violating sanctions against iran. >> you look at the deal which took forever to get done. you look at how bad and one-sided it is. >> the families of those released say they are hope to have their loved ones free. as ali rezaian put it, congress told the plt to use everything at their disposal to bring the americans home >>> more details are emerging about the 10 u.s. sailors. they were held at gunpoint, there was no exchange of fire. questions about why the sailors left the planned routes remain unanswered. >> the diesel engine on the boat had a mechanical problem. the sailors were detained and released 15 hours later. >> iraqi security forces are going door to door searching in baghdad for three americans missing since friday. they were taken from an apartment in the south-eastern part of the city. if erp kidnapped -- if they were kidnapped, they'll be the first americans abducted in iraq since u.s. troops withdrew since 2011. coast guard sent a fourth day searching for rescuers off hawaii. there were life rafts found, but no sign of the marines. they went missing when two helicopters crashed. rescuers say it is possible to find the crew alive >>> still ahead - water crisis. the blame game continues in michigan as more national guard soldiers are called out to help hand out water to flint's residents. >> british lawmakers debate a petition to keep donald trump out of the u.k. >> our american story is written everyday. it's not always pretty, but it's real... and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight. >>> the michigan national guard send more troops to flint to help with the water crisis there. president obama declared a state of emergency for the city, but it fell short of the declaration that governor rick schneider wanted. we have this report from flint. >> the red cross and the national guard dolled out 26 cases of water in flint last week alone. the mission continues. >> reporter: the red cross is in full-fledged crisis mode, going block by block, knocking on doors, seeing who needs bottled water. just about everyone does. >> thank you again. >> the mood is as bitterly cold as the weather. >> i'm not sure what to make of it. i'm pretty sure i can't say on tv what i really think of it. we are afraid. we are va afraid. we don't know what guage has been done to us. >> governor rick schneider apologised. the governor took aim at the presidential candidates and others for what were attempts at politicizing the crisis, and pointed out remarks clinton made on sunday. >> we said it was outrageous that the government took the action that it has. >> we don't know what to do. the governor has given us this and that, whatever else. we are still here. we are hurting, and we need more help >>> as people scrambled monday to get cases of water from the national guard, they are feeling the effects. >> you keep it or nothing like that. the national guard set up in fire stations around the city. they can't track a number of cases of water it tolled out. >> i was surprised out at the amount of bottled water. the filters, how fast they are getting here, how fast they are going out. >> this is a flint resident. so moved by the crisis, he joined the volunteers on monday. >> looking in homes, and some of them don't know where to go, some don't watch the news. >> the residents are wondering how long the crisis will go on. >> we live in america. >> one of the short-term goals is to get every home in the city of flint one clean water filter so one spigot in every home is dolling out clean water. >> thank you. republican presidential candidate donald trump took his campaign to the heart of evangelical america. he went to liberty, to a christian college. vop front-runner told the crowd he'd end the fight against christianity. >> if you look at what is going on throughout the world. if you are christian, they are chopping off heads. you look at the different places, i'm under siege. >> i'm proud of it, very, very proud of it. we have to protect. bad things are happening. >> trump bashed president obama and said that hillary clinton would be a continuation of his presidency >>> well, trump may be popular amongst some republican voters, he has fewer fans in britain, members of parliament began to debate whether to ban trump from entering the u.k. dana lewis has more from iraned. >> a lot of people here, especially members of parliament, said they shouldn't bother with a debate, a ban an donald trump, because he thrives on scandal and publicity. the best thing he could do is ignore him. m.p.s were forced to hold the discussion because of the size of the public petition. >> british parliament airians couldn't agree on whether to ban trump are from the u.k. one by one they thrashed him. >> i heard of a number of cases where people are excluded for insight: hatred. not for stupidity. >> several muslim m.p.s said trump should be banned like extremists, not treated differently because he's rich. you. >> this is a man, high profile, involved in the american show business industry. for years and years, a man interviewing for the most important job in the world. his words are not comical. his words are not funny. his words are poisonous. >> the petition to ban was signed by more than 570,000 people, the largest to spark a debate in parliament. anger driven by a suggestion that there are no go zones in the u.k., where police fear muslim areas. they'd be delighted to show us where the no-go areas for police are. we've never been able to find one. you'll be interested, there are more killed by shotguns every day than killed every year in this country. >> reporter: trump threatened to pull out of a pledge in scotland. that's where they got the start. trump's treatment of the environment here, and what she called the bullying of neighbours contributed to her anger. which reached a boiling points over comments concerning immigrants in america. >> if i win and lose. paints have been made. people are thinking about the implications. there's a difference between free speech and hate speech. >> anticipating the idea that the british government probably will not proceed with a ban against donald trump, one minister said the best way to handle him is with ridicule. there was a lot of that today when it came to donald trump >>> oxfam reports that by the end of this year, the wealthiest 1% will own more than the other 99% combined. >> 62 people held as much wealth as the bottom half of the world's poorest. the wath of 62 people rose 44%. up to 1.76 trillion. the wealth of the poorest half fell. just over a trillion dollars. that's 41% drop. >> blocking traffic. still to come. protesters in california shut a bridge on martin luther king. sending a message to leaders. >> and actors say they'll boycott the oscars after no actors of colour were nominated. when you're on hold, your business is on hold. that's why comcast business doesn't leave you there. when you call, a small business expert will answer you in about 30 seconds. no annoying hold music. just a real person, real fast. whenever you need them. so your business can get back to business. sounds like my ride's ready. don't get stuck on hold. reach an expert fast. comcast business. built for business. >>> the university of cincinnati reached a settlement with the family of a man shot and killed by campus police in july. the university agreed to pay $4 moi 8 million for the family and provide undergraduate education for his 12 children. the shooting was captured on bodycam warn by the officer. activists in the san francisco area marked the martin luther king junior holiday with a protest in the middle of the bay bridge. the californian highway patrol said protesters blocked the traffic. backing up traffic for miles. among the demands, protesters call for the resignation of the mayors, and the police chief of oakland and the police chief of san francisco. 25 people were arrested >>> the federal bureau of investigation director spoke about law enforce. during a speech at the martin luther king junior memorial. >> if doctor king was with us, he would be a tremendous help in helping us have a difficult conversation in this country, between law enforcement and the communities we serve and protect. especially communities of colour. i imagine two lines, one that is law enforcement and one that is communities we serve and protect. they are never together given the nature of the work. i feel them arcing apart in american lives. >> james comey later told the crowd all new fbi agents are encouraged to visit the memorial >>> the academy of arts and science issued a statement after two prominent african american members of the film community said they will not attend the oscars after the academy failed to nominate any black actors. for the second year in a row all the nominations went to white performers. actress jada pinkett smith posted a tweet saying it's time for people of colour to ignore the oscars. director spike lee also will not visit the oscars >>> a study bit the centers for disease control and prevent show half the u.s. counties are susceptible to lime disease. a varietiry of tick that can carry the back tear ya are present in 45% of counties, up from 30% in 1998. c.b.c. warns the public should take precautions to avoid exposure. the number of cases has tripled since the 1990s >>> tonight music fans are mourning the death of eagles cofounder glenn fry. he died in new york of complications from pneumonia and other conditions. he was 67 years old. the eagles formed in 1971 and wam one of the most successful bans in the history of rock music. when they broke up in the 1980s, he launched a solo career. eagles got back together in 1994 and have been touring since. the ban was abducted into the rock'n'roll hall of fame in 1938. that does it for us at this hour. i'm jonathan betz, thank you for joining us, for the news at any time. go to aljazeera.com. leave it here because ray suarez is up next with "inside story". have a good night. justices of the supreme court include one justice in her 80s and seven in their 70s. the next president may get to a point two, three, even four justices shaping the nation's highest court for a generation. is black robes, gray hair, it's tonight tonight's "inside story."

al jazeera live from doha. also ahead, condemnation of saudi arabia's execution of a she's dissident as new warnings of vengeance emerge in iran. floods in the u.s. and more expected as the mississippi rises further downstream. running out of room in sri la i lanki. forests there are disappearing according to the specialists. syria's opposition is trying to agree on who should be part of upcoming direct talks with the as add government. the u.n. special envoy is to be bringing together. damascus based opposition members and syrian kurdish pyd groups that have been accused by some opposition factions of being regime allies. meanwhile government troops are battling free syrian army fighters near the border with jordan. they say they're under heavy bombardment by fighter jets there. regime forces are hoping to retake territory in the south which has been out of government control for more than three years. small towns in north-western syria are running out of food and medicine. a recent prisoner swap was meant to end a siege by pro-government forces, but the aid that the towns were expe

minutes furious protest as saudi arabia executes 47 people convicted of charges relating to terrorism. among them a leading shia cleric. >>> india on alert after fighters kill two soldiers at the border of pakistan. >>> and celebrating too soon, the iraqi army said it's in control of ramadi, but 15 soldiers are killed in fighting around the city. >>> and the u.s. workers beginning the new year with a pay rise after a two-year fight. >> i'm robin adams with the sport in doha. the premier league serving up interesting results and there is a new league record. they managed to make history. i'll tell you about it later. >> hello, we begin this news hour in arme saudi arabia where 47 people have been executed after being charged request terroriswith terrorism. among them an shia cleric sheik nimr al-nimr. shia-led iran said that saudi arabia would pay a high price for his execution. also put to death is a preacher known for supporting al-qaeda. >> these are some of the 47 men executed ms. saudi arabia arabia--inside saudi arabia. they included this man, nimr al-nimr, a central fi

>> this is bbc world news america. >> funding of the presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation. the newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity. kovler foundation. and, hong kong tourism board. >> want to know the most romantic spots? i will show you. herelove heading through for an evening stroll. that a stunning backdrop makes the romantic unforgettable. >> i have lived in this city for years and it makes me fall in love with it time and again. news. now, bbc world this is bbc world news america. words andting war of a dispute over the saudi arabia and execution of a shiite cleric causing turbulence in the middle east. obama takes aim at gun sales and plans to bypass congress. we see how easy it is now. >> thank you. you get everything on sale here. tradition ofd welsh names losing their distinctive character. welcome to our viewers on public television and around the globe. ran and saudi arabia, tensions are expanding. hranomatic action against prompted an attack on a saudi embassy. here is our chief international correspondent. >> more protests across the region over the execution of the leading cleric. hrain.as ball inre is a growing crowd communities. the cleric was known for his fiery speeches for minority shiite rights. was convicted for sedition and violets. -- violence. >> i'm a spokesperson and i'm applyingrned about sharia law, according to the facts we have. niun grows louder with mosques attacked and a prayer leader killed in retaliation. the reaction rises along sectarian lines. hrain followed saudi arabia in ordering all diplomats to leave. even sudan, in northeast africa, has cut ties. >> the divide goes back centuries to a battle over who should lead the muslim community after the death of the prophet mohammed. it's put the faith into two main -- it has split the faith into two main branches. the issue of leadership has become intensely political, following the islamic revolution. >> a pledge to export revolution threatened the neighbors. historic deal to dismantling nuclear program had thereon returning to the fall -- had iran returning to the fold. of reducingbilities crisis have been reduced. that is bad enough, by itself. if this escalates into some kind between iranly and saudi arabia -- currently, it is a proxy war -- the we have to worry. worry., we would have to >> there was cautious hope in negotiations. the year has begun with fear of a greater crisis. bbc news. anchor: for more on the tensions between iran and saudi arabia, i spoke with robin wright, a contributor to the new yorker. >doe the hostility that we are seeing between saudi arabia and iran have the ability to escalate? >> i doubt it. it could fuel a proxy conflict across the region, in yemen, in syria, particularly. it comes at a terrible juncture. everything is expected to happen this month, the implementation of the iranian nuclear deal, the syrian peace talks, a second yemenof peace talks on just after the cease-fire has fallen apart, right after the first progress in iraq in confronting and pushing back isis. this is a moment where you need to develop cooperation. there is a danger of escalation. given all that you outlined, what made saudi arabia execute a cleric? >> a big question. it was clear that it would provoke a reaction in the region and beyond. this has complicated tensions in the region and shiite communities, weather in michigan or india. it has heightened tension to a conflict that has dated back more than a millennia and it plays out in a strategic rivalry today and an ideological and sectarian conflict. >> backing away from the brink now with a way to get all the initiatives and everything from the nuclear deal. it gets it back on track. tryingunited states is to go back to try to salvage the peace efforts. is, you know, even if there a recovery, the original schism is deeper. anchor: the white house has advised both countries to show restraint. saudi arabia is an ally. do you think the united states has influence? >> not enough to make a difference. that is the problem. they have better ties with tehran. secretary kerry made a call to his counterpart today. does this have enough influence to pull this off? it will take an international effort to prevent this from derailing the peace process. close to white house the new monarchy? >> you have a man in power who is elderly and ailing and his young son is the deputy crown prince and is a young player. stableess of a community. -- a stable leader. anchor: obama will make remarks about ractions. obama said that his plan will likely include more background checks and the closing of loopholes at gun shows. he says they are legal and in accordance with the constitution. his critics are not sure. we went to a gun show to see how easy it is to get your hands on a firearm. >> any guns today? ofpeople from all walks life are buying gun from the industry. >> i am here to get a laser sight for my gun. >> what are the dangers you think are out there? >> it seems like the public events of terror and things like that are on the rise and i think that i am often with my small children and it would make me feel more secure, if i had a means of defending myself and my children. >> fetching pink rifles for the women and shotguns and revolvers. some are for hunting. >> what is this for? a short barrel gun. thank you. >> you can get everything on sale. >> in america, the right to bear arms is in the constitution and moves by the president to tighten the rules will be fiercely resisted. >> it will make crime worse and terrorism worse. it will make them worse in this country and help the terrorists. >> nearly all the dealers at the gun show are registered. if you wanted a hunting rifle like this, you need to complete a form. you can walk out with the rifles and as much ammo as you can carry. , non-registered dealer, there is the gun show loophole. >> if i want to buy this rifle from you for $400, i can just walk out with it? >> if you give me the money and show me a drivers license to prove that you are a resident, i would ask you the question, are you a convicted felon or is there a reason, legally, that you cannot own the gun. say, no reason whatsoever. >> isil the gun to you. you could have lied to me. there is no way i would know. >> he thinks that is mad. the guns are a symbol of freedom and liberty. a component of national identity and part of the national psyche from an early age. the nation's gun show. >> for more on the actions obama may take, i spoke to alberto gonzales, the former unite states attorney general and a council to george bush. >> what action could the president take, in your view? challenge and it remains to be seen on this difficult issue. every time the president issues , i assume that he is advised by lawyers and that he has the authority to issue the executive order to expand the types of transactions . it remains to be seen. >> the president says he has the legal authority and the white tose intends to force more register as gun dealers and increase background checks. is that something you support? i support that, so long as the information by the government is used for that purpose and the database is accurate and complete. the substance of what he is trying to do, i do not have a problem with that. i am concerned about the president having the authority to do this with executive action and i think the country would be in a stronger position, if this was taken by both branches of the congress and the president, making this more lasting and making it not a law that can just be undone by congress. >> george bush supported .ncreasing background checks why is this issue so politically toxic, with opinion polls suggesting that americans are in favor of more background checks. >> when the government takes action to increase background checks, who knows where it will stop? we have a number of laws and regulations on the books that are not fully enforced and gun owners would like to see the enforcement of the existing laws. listen, i am in favor -- we have a strong second amendment in the country and it is a different culture than where your viewers may be from. there is concern about regulation by the federal government and there is a slippery slope concern. then your opinion, is second amendment and unqualified right? >> no question that it is not. the supreme court recognized the reasonable regulations are ok and the background checks are ok. at one point, the nra supported expanding background checks. i may have that wrong. no question that reasonable regulation is constitutional and we are talking about the fact that there is a policy matter and, in my judgment, the legitimate question is whether or not the president has the authority to do this through executive action. , thank alberto gonzales you for joining us. , arying guns in this country group of activists refuse to stand down, after taking control of a federal building. they are protesting government overreach in controlling public lands. federal officials have been wary of moving them by force. this is the militia insisting that the federal government has no right and they are taking it back. bundy was asking them to leave. >> i would not say that words do it and i would say that actions would. it will be for the federal government to remove the unconstitutional presence here in the county. >> he would not say how many there were and the media was given access to the site, of to a point. >> you will not get any photographs are anything like that. we are not about that. >> critics of the militia say the federal authorities should enforce the law and that these men are domestic terrorist who are using force to impose their will. the ranchers insist that the law is on their side. the individual americans, i want them to live free and have access to the natural property rights. that is what it is about. >> this is where you are sleeping? >> yes. know, there are people sleeping still. >> we were taken into the buildings the protesters have is a lot of there food and soup here to enable us to hold up here for a long time. the fbi will not say what they plan to do here and not a single law enforcement official has been seen near this. this is not a standoff yet. >> you are watching bbc world news america. the financial markets take a tumble to start the new year and we will survey the damage ahead. a group in pakistan and kashmir said they carried out attacks on the indian air force base on saturday. we have this report. >> the heavily armed gunmen stormed the site. about 10 commenters from where .e're standing in the moment there are at least two more gunmen believed to be inside. the entire episode is turning out to be a huge embarrassment on saturday. , the indian shoulders that soldiers have been killed in the operation. only security is allowed to go beyond this point. andas been quite some time there is an air force chopper. we have also seen this carried inside the airbase. believe that this is precisely the reason it is going to be a step back for the indian prime minister. and met the counterpart this was considered to be a diplomatic development between these countries. >> clawing back a bit of the ground. withrt time ago, i spoke our business correspondent at the new york stock exchange. >> what extended the global markets into such turmoil? same is some of the concerns we saw at the end about fireworks here and around the world. concern about growth fallingaw the currency and what all this would mean to the global economy. the shockwaves and people wonder if they will be able to sell as much as as they have in the past. is a weeeak -- this is the key question many are asking. the worst part of the year is since 2008. some people entered the year feeling fairly pessimistic with concerns. we also see weaker oil prices. it is not asserted a global company. there is concern about growth. anchor: should the be a law about changing welsh place names? there are historic landscapes. some of the tongue twisters are too much to be managed. and it fitsests perfectly. it dates back to the 1300s with this stilles of written at the entrance. he does not pay for the business. >> they cannot sell it or say it properly. ande is internet marketing you need to have someone that people will remember. it does not mean that they have to like them. >> a name that you give to the place is a political situation. the name seemed to be changing. it is better known to some as where the telegraph cable connects. it is called nameless by some. problems withlar the sleeping giant to some people. it is to the consternation of some campaigners. >> the name was recorded early on. a green island. concern about some new names bordering on the ridiculous. >> a group of people who came in and call this sausage island, i am reluctant to use the word. these names can stick very easily. >> she says she has done nothing wrong and the government will consider legal protections that could be hard to enforce. she and the donkeys remain happy on the hill. sounds sausage island better in welsh. that brings us to a close and you can find more on our website. thank you for joining us here. please tune in tomorrow. >> make sense of international news. >> funding of the presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation and the newman's own foundation. foundation. and, the hong kong tourism board. >> i will show you. >> i love heading for the evening stroll. it is utterly unforgettable. >> hong kong makes me fall in love with it time and again. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. gwen ifill is away. on the newshour tonight: a deep gulf grows wider. saudi arabia and its allies break diplomatic ties with iran as the crisis between long-time rivals intensifies. also ahead: it's 2016, and the race for the white house is heating up. bill clinton hits the trail for hillary, while donald trump releases his first ad. then, on the homefront. why injured veterans who want children can't get help with in vitro fertilization treatments. >> it's very angering and it brings a lot of resentment towards my active service. i don't regret joining the marine corps.

>>> this is al jazeera. hello everyone. i am felicity barr. welcome to the newshour live from london. in the next 60 minutes two jewish citizenship are charged over a west bank arson attack which killed a mother, father, and baby. protestors stormed the embassy in tehran after the execution of a shia dissident. demonstrators demand officers as a 5th book publisher from hong kong goes missing. mourning the mexican mayor shotded after just 24 hours in her new job. hello, everybody. robert adams with the sport live from doha. here is a site you don't often see. smiling, a good start to the manager of the english champion. an update coming up we will begin this news hour with some breaking news coming to us out of afghanistan where the indian consulate has come under attack. local officials say they heard explosions and shots after four gunmen tried to enter the compounds in northern afghanistan. afghan special forces are at the scene right now. more from al jazeera's ka kai savini, monitoring efforts from the afghan capitol. what more do we know about this attack? >> reporter: we know in a number of gunmen tried to enter the consulate and they entered the house next to it and they opened fire from there. the fighting, itself, is still going on. we believe there are some casualties. right now, we don't have much detail on that. >> early days, of course, at the moment, kai but have we got any idea who might be responsible for attacking the indian consulate? >> it's not for a time -- the first time the indian employ diplomatic consulate has attacked. at that time, always afghan intelligence were claiming pakistan behind the attacks and remember from the consulate, pakistani government always showed they are not happy. after afghanistan. even if taliban claims it might not be that straightforward. >> i know you will keep up, up to date with that news off of afghanistan. two israeli citizens have been charged over an arson attack that killed an 18 month old and his parents in the occupied went bank. a managed 21 has been charged with murder and a 17-year-old has been charged as an accessory to murder. they are charged with belonging to a terrorist organization. in july, masked men attacked the family home with a malatov cocktail burning it to the ground. the mother, father, and an 18 month o 18-month-old son died. the only survivor was 4-year-old akmed. he was badly burned and is still recovering. charles stratford. in the occupied west bank. >> i am in the bedroom where this attack happened last july. it's incredible to see so many personal belongings of the family that died in that attack still here. even the pram that was used to push ali around, the 18 month old baby who died in a attack, we are told in the corner here was where his crib was where he was sleeping on that night. the brother of the wife that was killed, rouhan, says it was around 2:00 o'clock in the morning that suddenly the window behind me was smashed. were thrown inside. according to a statement that saad, the father who died of his injuries a few days later in hospital said that he grabbed akmed and made a bee line for the door. his wife, rohoun grabbed what she thought was ali, a bunch of blankets and both parents on fire, so we are told, tried to get out of the house. when they did not get out of the house, according to this statement, there were two maveningdz men standing there. the young boy was pushed back into the house and the door was closed and the two parents were basically left to die burning on the floorout outside of the house, now there are great doubts here in this village as to whether justice will be served. when you look at the statistics, there are very few cases of indictments being made against these israeli citizens against palestinians, a very macarbe or somebe atmosphere. >> human rights say there is a culture of impunity. there was a surge of violence against palestinians in 2015. attacks have doubled in the last five years. a major study by the israeli rights group yesterday in over 10 years found 92% of cases end without any charges. the latest israeli army figures reveal 96% of military investigations into allegations of misconduct also end without any action. joining me now in the studio is josie managelberg. thank you for coming in to al jazeera. some surprise has been expressed that any charges have been laid at all. were you surprised when these charges were announced? >> i would say i am surprised. i think the pressure otisitioni internal security, the justice system, this was such a horrific attack that it couldn't keep the society indifferent from a family is attacked and murdered while they are asleep in such a horrific way. i think the pressurek from all levels, if you like to find the cull pripz. the prime minister of jewish tear richlt and now it's left to the justice system actually to find out if the two guys are the ones charles stratford in his report there said amonged the palestinians, there were grave doubts justice will be done, the trial will go through to the full conclusion. but presumably t wouldn't be in the interest of the israeli government for that not to be seen to be taking place properly a trust of confidence. under the occupation, a lot of the activities of this type of terrorist commit crime after crime against them are and this is they need to be convinced actually it's going to change or at least on this case there is no justice going to be that so the confidence is low they specifically shock theitsisi society. there is an understanding, some understanding among the security services and the government that this time, they can compromise the security. they undermine law and order as a society and the israeli government to do something about this they actually don't even want to see this kind of government in place. a view which she want to i implement in israel. >> the horrific case of settler violence toward palestinians. as we saw very few cases ends up in court, very few charges are laid. why is that? obviously the palestinians will say that's simply because the justice stem doesn't want to prosecute israelis but is it also about how difficult it is to investigate those attacks. why this is the case so many attacks on palestinians on innocent people going without charges. without finding the culprit. in this sense, the government is complicit with the settlers in breaking the law. actually, the settlement. they allow them to be in certain ways. this is the result of it. i think the israeli government should make accountable to the fact that they allow those criminals to keep on doing that without pressing charges against them. i think the israel's security forces concentrate more on preventing palestinian militancy and terrorism looking at jewis and israel terrorism. it's about time they do much more again. >> okay. good to get your views and thoughts on the story. now, already tension relations between regional rivals saudi arabia and iran have reached a new low. 40 people have been arrested in tehran after demonstrators set fire to the saudi embassy. qatar strongly condemned that attack. am. protestods were angry over the execution. the saudi government news conference is due to take place shortly in riyadh. we will go back to that as soon as it gets underway. first, rob mathson has this report. >> the saudi embassy in tehran. iranians are furious after a cleric was among 47 men executed in saudi arabia on charges of plotting and carrying out stairrist attacks. it will iran's supreme leader is warning of what he calls divine ref he isseng. >> a wrong deed because this blood will trouble them without a do you not. i have no doubt about it. policy makers executed them. the decision makers should not under estimate that this blood will trouble them. it will torment them. iran revealed its true face in support for terrorism. sentenced to death for sedition, disobedience and bearing arms. he didn't deny the political charges against him but said he never carried weapons or called for violence. riyadh followed a judicial process. a view supported by the muslim world league which says the death penaltied in saudi arabia fell under islamic law and apply to sunni and shia. saudi arabia vowed to stamp out terrorism after 15 people were killed in a suicide mosque in the southwestern city in august. the leader of iran's alleys, a lebanon-based group, hezbollah says the execution carries what he calls a message of blood. >> to the family of the scholar and martyr, to the great muslim slarz and everyone asking for rights, my condolences to all of them for the martyrdom of this great similar. foreign ministers reported to say they have no further interest. part of the huffing and puffing, a lot of rhetoric. i think in a few days, things will come down and eventually saudi arabia and iran will have no, ma'am choice but to forge ahead and find language to avoid sectarian warfare throughout the region. >> tehran and readd with the conflict in yemen and syria, there are fears this latest rift may have a wider implication. >> you saw him in rob's report, joining us, the middle east and columnist for the gulf news thanks for being with us on the news hour. we saws there strong words from iran. hezbollah. we are waiting for the press conference with the saudi foreign minister. are you expecting equally strong words with him, too? >> i doubt it very much. he will try to calm down but obviously we will have to respond plus using firm language if not equally vociferous language. neither hezbollah or beirut, but again, you have to understand hezbollah has a particular awed yenings. i think the foreign minister of saudi arabia will try to be very firm and say that international law needs to be applied when it comes to dmrok attic. in the region, the sovereignty of saudi arabia according to the law. >> was this a press conference aimed at the domestic audience or aimed at a wider international audience because it's not just being iran and hezbollah who have con determined the execution. human rights groups around the world have connell determined it there hasn't been much in the way of the u.s. and u.k. but what message do they want to send to those people? >> i think you are right. multiple audiences. press conferences type of address. the audiences especially in the western world when there has been a defendant great deal of criticism they did commit crimes of terrorism and were tried and found guilty. he will have to win over some of the skeptics in the west who don't believe this is the case. it is on him to make the case. he will succeed because the evidence that has been presented is overwhelming that in fact the sheik is not add innocence as a lot of people have made out to be. he has participated sedition. he has encouraged people to participate in violence and in one instances, there is a video that shows him in which fire was launched that. nevin western countries is a inono he admitted he was a political dissident, opposed to the saudi government but he, himself, be denied he ever carried out violence. >> that is correct. >> the problem for saudi arabia, i guess, is that groups like amnesty international say that the execution indicates saudi arabia is using execution to settle political scores and is using the guys as quote counter tear troichl clamp down on dissent after those death sentences were carried out. does saudi arabia actually worry about groups like amnesty international who have also condemned and criticized the execution saying they were distu disturbing, particularly if some were executed for non-violent crimes? saudi arabia, does it care what human rights groups think about what happens in the country? >> like all governments around the world, obviously, there is international pressure. amnesty international, human rights watch and other organizations do, in fact carry their weight. and people pay attention to them. i think it's a mistake that saudi arabia does not pay attention to these organizations. it will also try to defend its positioning trying to ensure that it's legal system goes forward and is disrespected. i think as i sid, there is a public relations initiative that needs to be clarified and emphasized but i think the saudis are on solid ground. the trial they have put together. mind you these individuals with terrorism groups not for petty groups. others, which is the case where every three -- every day there are three different individuals who have been hanged for much, much less offenses their terrorist activity. therefore, people do pay attention to the organization. and have a say in what goes on. >> human rights watch would also condemn what happened as well as shashim. good to have you with us with your thoughts. we are awaiting at the foreign ministry in riyadh in saudi arabia, waiting for thephon minister to give a press conference. there has -- it has been thought to have been happening in the last hour. we are awaiting arrival. we will cross straight back to riyadh as soon as he appears on the podium. also still to come on this news hour, still, not over, gun battles resume at the indian air force base near the pakistani border. yemenis under sees in taiz. a human chain highlights their suffering. >> sport football fans. kabul hoping for afghan nationalism. ♪ ♪ the u.s.-led coalition said it conducted 26 new advances. they have killed at least 50 soldiers, iraqi soldiers. 23 soldiers. they will claim control. this video from the armed group, the crossing. army base, another attack in hadifa that killed 18 people. al jazeera's waddill e braham has more now from the capitmore >> the first one was in hadil province when six fighters infiltrated inside at a time military base north of tikrit according to the governor, three of them were killed in the iraq forces and those people and the three of them, they reached inside. according to our security forces. at least 13 people were killed and 10 from the iraqi security forces. >> isil claimed responsibility. he job description soldiers in the sinai "penguins of madagascar." the group said it killed 10 soldiers in raqua. friday, egyptian airstrikes hit a number of targets in the area. dozens of soldiers were killed last year in sinai. syria's opposition is trying to agree on who should be part of upcoming direct talks of the as assad government in two weeks' time. the meeting in riyadh. the opposition wants to include a democratic syria which will keep state institnuingsz tact. the negotiations. power after a six higher week negotiation period. preconditions to stop government attacks in opposition areas and facilitate the return of millions of refugees. as the syrian civil war continues, the humanitarian situation worsens day by day. small towns close to the lebanese border are feeling the impact. prison swap. pro-government forces. many, warning you may find some of the footage in this report disturbing. the people of maiduri were promised help. it hasn't come. shops were empty or closed. on the streets, dejection and despair. >> we have only got water. how come there isn't any food? in the end, we were eating starch. everything has gone. >> no one is allowed to leave maiduria. the situation is extremely bad. >> in the middle of a weinter chill, students are scrabbling for scraps or picking weeds from the road 150id in a dissipate attempt to fill tiny plates. bullets and bombs didn't kill these victims. they starved to death. humanitarian aid was part of a prison swap deal in december. dozens of fighters and their families were transported out of the town to lebanon headed for turkey. in exchange, hezbollah and other shia fighters were given safe passage out of small towns in northern syria. to damascus. the rebels lost control on most of the towns in the syrian army. many residents believe the probe government forces are blocking supplies. >> dealt with with 150 cases of unconsciousness. people were unconscious because of malnutrition. they hadn't been getting enough food for a number of days. >> struggling to help rising number of syrians suffering from malnutrition. what sound there is on the streets come mainly from children playing or people trying to salvage what thing. after months of depr i have a tion, it was hoped the prisoner swap deal would get them what they needed. many are wondering if it will ever arrive. joining us in the studio, a senior lecturer at the school of air abic studies. talk us through exactly what's happening in riyadh at the moment. they are having to decide who is going to be part of this delegation to hold peace talks with the afghan government in two weeks' time. how easy is it to come up with that 50-man delegation? >> very difficult. what they are trying to do is to more or less centralize in the forces in syria and given that they have very different aims, different orientations, different ideological backgrounds action different leaderships, it is very difficult to come up with a delegation and send it to negotiate given many of them refuse the identify of negotiations to begin with. refugees, not negotiate with the person. it was the responsibility. waiting for a compromise. probably assad is in agreement. for many this is a red line. >> what are agreed on, then, going forward? >> i think the agreement to negotiate comes from two things. one, almost major advances since august. the russian intervention, things got more complex. the regional responses, especially saudi arabia supports some of these rebel groups. very much interested in seeing the escalation in syria. it's more about the international sponsors and regional powers as opposed to the revolutionaries fighting against the regime. >> this goes on to meet members. we have had many conferences, piece talks before. >> it's very difficult to assess that, but what we saw is that the army issues a statement saying it had to be one, geneva i says it has to be in good shape. the positions are held. not upheld. >> good to get your thoughts. still to come. reclaiming what is rightfully theirs. south african people fighting to get back their land. sri lanka, the government trying to protect threatened wildlife. england cricketer ben stokes blasts into the history books. robin will have the details in sport. >> new moms forced to choose. >> the united states does lag behind other countries on this. >> now a revolution in workers' rights... >> my story is so many peoples' story. >> that could decide the election. >> it can be different. >>> back and a reminder the top stories here afghanistan has come under attack. local officials say they heard explosions and attacks when gunmen entered. two israelis are being charged in connection with an arson attack in the occupied west bank. demonstrators, angry about the execution by saudi arabia at the prominent sheik cleric. to mexico, a mayor was shot dead 24 hours after starting her new job. 100 kilometers of mexico city. she was sworn in as mayor of mexico city on friday and was dead on saturday, shot and killed at her home detectives suspects nine people were involved in her murder. two were killed at the scene. police officers and soldiers chased and detained four others. we demand a full complete investigation by the state government to the final consequences the. there are four people who will have to request who was the mastermind this crime. the state governor is suggesting the mayor pledged to tackle crime head on yes felt some fest threatened by her opening speech. >> reporter: violent crime in the region is widespread. the area where she was murdered is the most violent city in mexico based upon the number of cases of murder, rape, kidnap, armed robbery and extortion. the may offer took office on the same day a massive push to provide security. politicians including two mayoral candidates were killed before elections last year. adam if you can bring us up to date with the latest on the investigation into her murder. >> at least two people have been killed in the investigation. one is a minor. many organized criminal gangs are packed full of young men looking to make easy money because there aren't that many opportunities here other than this being an occurrence that happened just after this woman took office, they don't have any leads other than those people in their custody. it's not clear if those people are going to roll over on whoever perhaps ordered this because this was a highly organized attack. we have seen local officials in recent months and years have to take on these investigations on the front line because many of these criminal groups are operating brazenly and throughouting the law totally, buying off politicians, buying off local authorities and the people paying the biggest price are those local authorities. >> yeah. a shocking attack. how common? put in to place how common is this? >> literally in the hundreds here in mexico according to the local association of authorities in mexico, more than 100 mayors have been attacked in the past 10 years since basically the beginning of the drug war. 1,000 public functionaries, people who work in local government have been attacked. many killed you can see lists in local papers of the dozens of congress people, mayors, police chiefs who have been killed or disappeared or who were statemented, had their lives attempted, that is, drug gangs and organized criminal groups attacking them. the reason is because these gangs rely on corrupt officials in these cities and states, not just in the capitol, mexico city. they need these people under their thumb. up to the border, they make millions of dollars off drug sales in these local areas. the only way they can do that is to have local government in their clutches. this was clear for the whole world to see in the case of the 43 students. one of the main culprits in that case. so that surprised many outside of mexico. people are under attack or if they are not. live with the latest in mexico city. the new year started in el salvador like 2015 ended as one of the murder capitols of the world. at least 29 people were murdered within hours of festivities beginning including gang members killed. the murder rate surged last year. it's estimated there were more than 6,000 murders, 16 people every day on area. a gun fight has resumed at an indian air force base near the pakistani border. it's believed one gun gunman is at the base. .7 sxwinl soldie.7 sxwinl soldi gunmen have died. investigating whether there are links to pakistan. in new delapp with the latest. >> this attack caught everyone off guardehli with the latest. >> this attack caught everyone off guard. the military had, they said had done a great job and the operation was over. this is part of a search operation. at least one gunman still inside the base for security forces now whether this gunman or gunmen were part of the same group that had the initial attack on saturday that hasn't been confirm yet. the blame is automatically right, target india especially military installation. yesterday, saturday, the country's home minister had a conciliatory tone saying he wanted great relations with all of indian's neighbors including pakistan that the country would defend themselves. hard liners are blaming pakistan's government or the military for helping these groups routinely which india has said has happened but pakistan denies. >> another book publisher in hong kong has mysteriously disappeared. he is the 5th executive to go missing all from the same company which specializes in political books banned in mainland china. >> protesters out on the streets demanding to know the fate of publisher li bo. he is the 5th person from the same book publishing company to go missing in recent months. last seen in hong kong, his disappearance is the most troubling. >> the most scary thing is that what happened to those even the honk kong government refused. >> the hong kong government said it is investigating. local media is reporting lee phoned his wife from china on the night he disappeared appear being taken there against his llee reportedly told his wife he was assisting in an investigation and told her not to make a scene about his disappearance. she is quoted as saying lee left behind his paperwork, that he would have needed to get across the border, leaving many to believe he was smuggled there by mainland security officials. hong kong is home to a issuing business in political books about china, ruling elite, banned in mainland china. hong kong special status agreed before the handover from british cologne y'all rule guarantees media. the. >> they should be afraid of a university. >> free testers took to the streets over what they see as an attack on academic freedom. they believe it's part of the same gradual process to grind down hong kongs autonomy. chinese authorities believe the recommending e-mail is more important containment of it information is more important and certainly more and more chinese leaders believe hong kong is less and less important for china's organization efforts. >> at the bookstore, itself, no signs of life. on display, only the covers of books that for now are no longer on sale. messages of support, this one wishing the missing staff a safe return soon. robert mcbride, al jazeera, hock kong. >> a human chain has been formed to highlight the suffering in yemen. houthi fighters are battling saudi-led forces. appealing to the united nations to help end the siege and allow vital supplies in. pro-government forces backed by saudi arabia have set up their blockade in sanaa. >> earlier, they said they blame the u.n. for failing to distribute aid properly. >> they signed an agreement. they get the money and send the shipment to the port and airport. not in the ground to be distributed. with this to the houthis, the malitias a, the people so, where the united states why do they condemn this action? armed protectors have occupied a u.s. government building in oregon to support father and son ranchers who have been ordered to return to jail. the demonstrate orders are angry over the prosecution of dwight jr. and steven hammond convicted of arson on public land. they insist they were acting to protect their laundfrom wildfires. the court found their original senltsdz were too short and ordered them to return to prison. the united nations has started the new year with a new set of sustainable development goals. world leaders met in new york last september to approve steven new targets of tackling hunger, poverty and other global problems. the gloel globes replace the millennium goals that expired in 2015. governments will use the objectives to frame their agendas and policies over the next 15 years: in sri lanka the president stopped housing projects around the oldetnate reserve to ends deforestation by 2020. now, fernando reports now from the national park. nature in all its beauty a century ago, 80% of sri lanka was covered by forrets. today, less than 30%. even parts of the country's oldest and largest nature reserve has suffered from encroachment as the country's population expands. over 1,000 hecht owners of forrets are joining the reserve cleared for housing in recent years provoke a huge outcry from environmentalists. these aerial pictures show the extents of the deforestation. >> the population is a problem. they don't understand that these are the reserves and must be protected. it's the main reason these areas come under threat. >> the outcry from the president's office to halt any further land being cleared for housing in the area. the population grows and progresses, forests like this and the animals in them face increasing threat. environmentalists satisfy they must be protected to ensure their long-term sur arrival. environmentalists say land deforested should be used for development rather than clearing remaining forests. failure change course, they say, would be disastrous, not least for wildlife. already in the endangered category. they may tend to lose some of this. the leopard and sloth bear are among the animals under threat. environmentalists say the new government appears to be responding to their concerns a presidential task force is coordinating a 3-year environmental protection plan which aims to reverse some of the damage and actually expand the country's forest cover. >> we are working together to ensure at least by end of three years, we will have an additional 5 or 6,000 hectares of reforestation. >> the doctor says the challenge is to strike the right balance between, on the one hand, the need to free upland for development and on the other, the need to protect the environment, especially for wildlife pieces already on the verge of extinction. al jazeera, northwest sri lanka. >> the catalan far left party says it won't support the leader for another term forcing a new round of local elections and weakening a group that wants to split from spain. the decision comes two weeks after general elections in which no party won outright. new elections are likely to be in march. it will add to political uncertainty across spain. the south african government has re-opened its land claims and e redistribution program. under the program, lands taken during the aparted i'd area if return toed the original owners. one group says they haven't benefitted. more from cape town. >> pretorious has been living in the humbar settlement for more than 20 years. five years ago, the local government demolished some of the homes saying they were both illegal. the community here is determined to stay. they want to remove us again because they see we are living and you can see the view. if you are going to move, you are going to move us to our graveyard. toward the death. you want to move us also. >> some houses are built on an area that was designated stay empty as a fire brake on the slopes of the hill of the world heritage site. this xhuty says this is their land. this is what's known as a colored community, an apartheid term given to people of mixed race. people like barry are reclaiming their indigenous heritage saying they want recognition as the first people of south africa. in district 6, a group perform an ancient sacred ceremony of what they say is an cest ram land. activists say past segregation laws robbed people of their identity and heritage. >> black and white settled on our an cest recall land. so, the beneficiaries of that stolen land, that land, you know, today, they will find they don't own 1% of the an cest recall land in south africa. >> law preserved more than 85% for the minority white population. the government is tearing out land claims and redistribution process and identifying hair strategy sites land marks and land occupied but it says the process has taken longer than expected in ours terms they should be justice on the manner in which the land is allocated. >> will be done in a responsible manner paid to those officials say they are expecting almost 400,000 land claims and may pay out as much as $11,000,000,000. the only acceptable outcome will be reservation of rights they claim to an cest recall lands throughout the country. >> still to come on the program: >>ed canada's east coast has the world's highest and most vigorous ties. a new project to generate clean action green electricity from the ebb and flo of the tidal waters behind me. >> a competitor struck spectators, the dakar rally faces more headaches as the opening stage is cancelled. >> as promised action all of your sport now are rob discipline. >> football first. chelsea won their first match back in charge after beating critt palace hitting just about manage to go crack a smile. something you don't see too often. oscar opened in the 29th minute they have to know things are going not as wished we are to look for causes. today's other fixture erbeded in a draw. it was a former spurs player gave evanton the lead. tottenham fourth for the result. arsenal lead the way with a two-point advantage. west ham close up the top 6. football fans in afghanistan have been left disappointed after their team narrowly lost. afghans took the lead in the 70th minute. the advantage lasted two minutes. afghanistan defenders c themselves to blame. there was a party mood on the streets of kabul earlier as supporters gather to watch the game on big screen. afghanistan 150th in the world rankings. football is considered a source of national unity. this was the last time they will compete in the cup as they moved in to the new central asia association. >> sunday's opening states of the dakar rally has been cancelled because of bad we think in argentina which prevented the prolong which injured at least 10 spectators. one competitor'ska car plowed into the crowd. the first chinese woman to compete in the race was the driver. the injured were taken to hospital but haven't provided details of the injuries yet. >> england's cricketers are in firmly control they have mningd managed to strip. probably hating the site of ben stokes, the thorn in their side. the second quickest in hist re. stokes reaching 200 in just 163 balls eventually at the 258 england going on to declare the innings in 629% for 6. south africa 141 the first e return. against australia, the third test in sydney, 85, wickets began to tumble. the lions took two and windies lose. visitors closing on 207%. the first australian open stars beginning. traditional lead putting together the national teams of 2. the tournament for the final time, czech republic. colva won the women's title. australian pairing. russian born. the winner here nba star the best example the official ejected him from the game. he had to be hauled away by the coaching staff as he continued his protests leaving the team short-handed. the u.s.a., hard work for the buffalo bulls, hundreds turned out to help shovel snow so the game against the new york jets could go ahead on sunday. $10 each and a free lunch from the team with so area and wind energy popular alternatives to fossil fuels, the attention is turning to harnessing the ocean tied. there are plans for underwater turbines. al jazeera's daniel lak has this special report from the bay of fundi in nova scotia. can the planet's tides generate power? here is what they are discovering. 14 billion metric tons of water, more than the combined floo flow of the world's rivers moves through this passage each is day. taking a wind turbine and putting it under water. in a high flow: failing in 2009 action when a smaller unit broke down hours after it was put in the water the site characteristics, turbine location. this is really where we have learned from this back again today. >> low tide. i am standing quite literally on the bottom of the ocean but every day, twice a day, the water surges in here and turns this into a bay that can be 12 or more meters deep. north american tidal project is just across the bay. the annapolis royal generating station has been generating power since 1984. the undersea turbines are in a much larger scale: he wants them to go ahead. the turbine will almost certainly disrupt or damage migrating fish. it's only clean if you believe the premise these things kill fish t it's not a vacuum up there there are fish living there in the area. >> even though sign hissed whose who is research say there is a long way to go before the sea bottom is covered. dozens of turbines powering nova scotia. >> a lot of challenges to it. the marine environment is difficult to work in. the cost of electricity will be high. they also have this question of what impact will have on the environment. balancing that impact against the cost of energy from fossil fuel will be crucial. can tides so high they make rivers run backward help ease climate change or must they ebb and flo as they have always done? daniel lak. >> just before we go, we will take you back to the city of riyadh in saudi arabia where we are still awaiting the arrival of the saudi foreign minister who is due to hold a press conference there. a joint press conference, in fact, with the advisor to the pakistani foreign minister. back to riyadh as soon as those two men appear at the podium. right now, felicity bar. thank you very much indeed for watching the news hour. david foster has the latest news in a couple of hours. bye-bye. >> elderly americans addicted to painkillers prescribed by doctors. >> have you ever thought about going off of your painkiller dosage? >> no. i don't know if i'd have the courage to stop it. >> but is it leading to abuse more than it's helping. >> he would prescribe what he felt was appropriate... the result, she died. >> faultlines checks into rehab to investigate who's responsible for the hidden epidemic. >> i was just doin' what the doctor's told me to do. >> al jazeera america brings you independent reporting without spin. >> not everybody is asking the questions you're asking me today. >> we give you more perspectives >> the separatists took control a few days ago. >> and a global view. >> now everybody in this country can hear them. >> getting the story first-hand. >> they have travelled for weeks, sometimes months. >> what's your message then? >> we need help now. >> you're watching al jazeera america. >> so where we are standing... this will be the panama canal? >> this will be flooded. >> technology, it's a vital part of who we are... >> they had some dynamic fire behavior. >> and what we do. >> trans-cranial direct stimulation... don't try this at home. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is what innovation looks like. >> can affect and surprise us. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> awesome! >> techknow - where technology meets humanity. >> we made border security a top priority. >> it's not really immigration.

>>> standing together, several of saudi arabia's allies back riyadh in taking diplomatic action against iran. you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up, sectarian tensions flare in iraq, the tackers strike at least two sunni mosques near baghdad. >>> sweden and denmark reintroduce border controls to stem the flow of refugees. >>> chinese stocks collapse on the opening day of business in the new year, triggering an automatic suspension of trading. >>> two gulf states have taken steps to back saudi arabia in its diplomatic dispute with iran. bahrain says it's cut ties completely with tehran, while the u.a.e. said it's downgraded relations. sudan said it's dismissing the iranian ambassador from kartoum. earlier, demonstrators set fire to the embassy in tehran protesting against the execution of a prominent cleric who criticized saudi policy towards its shia muslim minority. >> saudi diplomatics on their way home transversing dubai airport. as they were evacuated came similar action by some allies, among them, neighboring bahrain. after two days o

>>> saudi arabia cuts diplomatic ties with iran after protestors storm its embassy in tehran. an earthquake hits north-eastern india. there are reports bangladesh are also affected. the u.s. gun lobby as president obama tries to bring in stronger control measures >>> first, chinese stock markets have plunged by 8%. automatically triggering a suspension in trading. investors reacted to the slow down by selling shares. those worries spread to other markets like hong kong and japan. they're being dragged down as we speak. this mechanism that is triggered when stocks plunge below 5% is meant to stop panic spreading, but it does seem that there is a certain amount of kon c-- contagion. >> reporter: you're right. this mechanism, this circuit breaking mechanism was supposed to contain market volatility. what happened on monday was it fell by 5%. that was enough to cause trading to be suspended for 15 minutes. trading then resumed with the market dropping by 7%, which meant the market had to halt for the rest of the day. when that market was temporarily closed, after it fell by 5%, it di

. >>> saudi arabia allies closing ranks against iran. the leadership saying the saudis are trying to deflect blame. >>> this is al jazeera america live in new york city, i'm del walters. in just a few hours, the president will layout plans to ruse gun violence, saying he wants to expand background checks and close loopholes. the president's prior efforts to tighten gun regulations failed and this is one of his final efforts to cackle what he is calling the most frustrating issue of his presidency. al jazeera's libby casey is live in washington. the proposals are already drawing opposition from the right. what are they saying? >> absolutely, dell, it's no surprise, because the president and republicans have fought over the issue of gun control for years now. with this, the final chapter of the obama administration beginning, the president is putting the issue front and center. congressional republicans here in washington who wanted to set the tone and give their own agenda a lot of attention this january are finding themselves on defense. >> it didn't take long for a partisan battle to ignite

anybody else for that matter >>> tension between saudi arabia and iran, but peace stays on the table when addressing regional conflicts. the world news. u.s. president obama moves to curb gun violence. we tell you why some people are not happy with his plan. a militia group stands its grounds in oregon and remains holed up in a federal building. if you're a first-time home buyer it is become more difficult to buy within a city center. i will tell you why housing projects like this are becoming more and more popular with the first home buyer >>> saudi arabia says its decision to break off ties with iran will not affect its efforts to negotiate peace in syria and yemen. the saudi ambassador has called on and said normal relations can resume when iran stops interfering. tensions rhodes after the kingdom executed a prominent shia cleric. diplomatic editor is reporting joochlt dip low mats are concerned because you have these two heavy weight nations of the middle east which have always had strained relations. they're now at a new low. having said that, i suspect they would have been slig

. >> we decided to cut off all diplomatic relations with iran. >> saudi arabia i kicks out iranian diplomats after protesters attacked the saudi embassy in iran, angry over the saudi execution of a prominent shia cleric. >>> attacks, taliban storm northern afghanistan. >> our special commandos have been deployed in the area. >> and more than a dozen people are injured in bombings near kabul's airport. >>> and power shift, national assembly tomorrow -- >> there are fears of violence as government supporters vow to save the legacy of the late hugo chavez. >>> and financial crisis. >> we'll have to sacrifice essential services for the people of puerto rico. >> puerto rico defaults on a $1 billion debt payment and lawsuits loom because it paid some creditors at the expense of others. >> good evening i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera's international news hour and we begin this evening with the diplomatic crisis involving saudi arabia and iran. u.n. security council has just condemned the attack on the saudi embassy in tehran and a number of nations are siding with the saudis. bahrain

>> in saudi arabia 47 people are executed on terrorism charges. among them, a shia cleric. hello, i'm felicity barr. this is live from london. also coming up. government attack in india near the border of pakistan leaving six people dead. russia's revenge, russia imposes sanctions on turkish goods after one of its jets were shot down near the syrian border in nevada. [ music ] >> and cramping creativity, the copyright law aimed at hip dering guyana's music scene. we begin in saudi arabia where 47 people are accused of plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks have been executed. among those is sheik mimr-al-nimr. shia minority who live in saudi arabia say they're marginalized. iran said that saudi arabia pay a high price over his execution. also put to death, a man arrested in 2004 accused of possessing weapons. >> these are some of the 47 men executed in saudi arabia. convicted of plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks if included this man, nimr al-nimr, a cleric. among them was an al-qaeda preacher. >> the usual dethe judiciary deals with facts and criminal intent. >> la

of the iran or anybody else for that matter >>> despite ending ties with iran, saudi arabia says it's committed to talks on regional conflict. you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up the chinese government intervened heavily to prop up a struggling stack market. the tides have changed, the flow disaster for those in a low-lying part of senegal >>> first, we begin with news from kuwait. the country has recalled its ambassador to iran in protest against the attack on the saudi embassy in tehran. earlier saudi arabia said its decision to break off ties with iran will not affect its efforts to negotiate peace in syria and yemen. the saudi ambassador to the u.n. has called on the security council to condemn the attack on its embassy in iran. it is also said that normal relations can assume when iran stops medaling in other country's affairs including saudi arabia. tensions rose after the country executed a shia cleric. >> reporter: diplomats are, obviously, concerned because you have these two heavy weight nations of the middle east which have always h

in the g.o.p.'s line of fire. >>> allies of saudi arabia back efforts to cut diplomatic ties with iran. and markets falling on the first trading day of the new year. >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm del walters. president obama back at the white house this morning. his first order of business will be trying to end gun violence in america. >> we know we can't stop every act of violence, but what if we try to stop even one. what if congress did something, anything to protect our kids from gun violence? >> the president will meet with attorney general loretta lynch later today with hopes of getting guns off the streets. he said he's tired of congressional inaction and he's willing to use executive action to close loopholes in current gun laws, and the president throwing down the gauntlet. >> you're absolutely right. he's coming out of the blocks on the new year, and happy new year to you. the day after he's going to be having this meeting with attorney general loretta lynch, and it springs from the frustration. the president said this has been his number one

>> furious protests in saudi arabia as it executes 47 people who it says are terrorists. among them a leading shia cleric. >> iran has led the international condemnation of the executions warning saudi arabia will pay a heavy price. hello there, i'm felicity barr, and this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, india on alert as fighters kill two soldiers of an air base at the border of pakistan, and celebrating too soon the iraqi army said it is in control of ramadi but 15 soldiers are killed in fighting around the city. and u.s. workers beginning the new year with a pay rise after a two-year fight. hello, we start this program in saudi arabia where 47 people accused of plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks have been executed. among those put to death was the prominent shia opposition cleric sheikh nimr al-nimr. shia-led iran said that saudi would pay a high price for its execution. also put to death was a leading preacher known for his support of al-qaeda. he had been in custody since 2004 after being arrested at the yemeni border and having possessed weapons. >> th

and baby. pro tests over saudi arabia's execution of a shia dissidents, iran warns of repercussions. >>> demonstrators demand answers at a fifth book publisher from hong kong goes missing. >>> mourning the mexican mayor shot dead after just went to four hours in her new job. two jewish citizens have been killed in an arson attack that killed a toddler and his parents in the west bank. one was charged with murder while a 17-year-old charged as an accessory to murder. they are also charged with belonging to a terrorist organization. in july, masked men attacked the family home with a molotov cocktail, burning it to the ground. the mother, father and their 18-year-old son died. the only survivor was 4-year-old ahmed, badly burned and is still recovering. >> al jazeera's charles stratford is at the ruins of the families home in douma. >> i am in the bedroom where this attack happened last july. it's incredible to see so many personal belongings of the family that died in that attack still here, even the pram that was used to push ally around who died in that attack. in the corner is whe

down grading diplomatic ties with iran today, saudi arabia was the first, then bahrain, tehran, saudi officials gave, shia protestors stormed the saudi embassy. they were angry over the cleric nimr al-nimr's execution. >> evacuated came similar action by some of the kingdom's allies, among them neighboring bahrain. after two days of demonstrations by protestors from its shia muslim majority. the gulf state that's closely allied to saudi arabia accused iran of blatant and dangerous interference in arab countries and support for terrorism. the actions, a war of words is escalating. >> we are determined not to let iran undermine our security, we are determined not to allow iran to create or establish terrorist cells in our countries or the countries of our allies. a. >> unfortunately, in recent years i.t. has taken measures and followed policies in connection with that. >> after the execution of nimr al nimr, he and 46 others were charged with plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks. targeting civilians and security forces. saudi arabia is adamant he got a fair trial. it's not the fi

. >>> outrage at saudi arabia's execution of a shia i can't dissident has iran warning repercussions. >>> the missing journalist in hong kong. >>> we begin in israel where prosecutors charged two jewish settlers in connection with an arson attack in the occupied west bank. one is an adult charged with murder and the other a minor charged with being and accessory to murder. this is all that's left of the family home. in july, masked assailants attacked it with molotov cocktails burning it to the ground, the mother and child burned, the only survivor is 4-year-old ahmed. >> i'm in the bedroom where the attack happened last july. it's gyp credible to see so many personal belongings of the family that died in that attack still here, even the pram used to push ali around, the 18-year-old baby who died in the attack. this is where his crib was when he was sleeping on that night. the brother of the wife that was killed said that it was around 2:00 in the morning that sudden live the window behind me was smashed and the molotov cocktails thrown inside. according to a statement that sad, the father wh

>>> >>> this is al jazeera >>> welcome to the news hour in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes. a deal has been done to get aid to starving people in syria, but for some it could take days to arrive and tens of thousands are left out. >> the situation of iraq is crisis that has, you know, that has been forgotten >>> a plea for help. aid workers say the world is ignoring the suffering of iraqis. thousands of protesting in germany after mass sexual assaults in new year's eve in cologne. plus island calls on its best and brightest to return and help rebuild the economy. >> reporter: i'm with the sport. another busy day of cup games. there has been a big surprise in this competition. a billion dollar replay with liverpool. those details later in the program >>> aid agencies are trying to get food and medicine into besieged towns in syria where tens of thousands of people are starving to death. images of emaciated bodies and starving children. in the former mountain holiday resort of madaya around 42,000 people have been cut off from aid since july. volunteers hand out the few supplies they have left. >> translation: are we not arabs as well? i swear to god we are arabs. these children, what wrong have they done. what child what wrong did he commit? >>> aid agencies have supplies of food and medicine ready to leave damascus. they hope that the first druks will arrive-- trucks will arrive on sunday. supplies will also see delivered in kefraya and foua. they have been blockaded by rebel groups, but there are still thus more who need help-- thousands more who need help. people are trapped in the dramas can you say suburb of darayya and zabadani. i.s.i.l. fighters have cut off 200,000 people in the eastern city of deir az space says zar. it is not clear when or if they will get it. a spokes woman for the world food program in the middle east says she hopes aid supplies will get to civilians soon >> we expect that tomorrow, sunday, we will have the first aid trucks going to madaya carrying food for the 40,000 people who are besieged in the town. in addition there will be other humanitarian supplies on this convoy. by monday or hopefully also sunday we will be reaching for kafraya. throughout the week more convoys carrying humanitarian supplies will be reaching these besieged areas which will include baby food, it will include blankets, children, winter clothing, water, water purifiers, medical supplies, by all the u nuchlt and humanitarian agencies operating in syria >>> the u.n. is also trying to help more than a million syrian refugees who fled the war in lebanon. our correspondent has more from a refugee camp in the beqaa valley. >> reporter: six month old child has a serious burn across his face and head. his family can't afford to buy wood so she put whatever she could find on the fire burning. sometimes these material give off toxic fumes and the embers burn out of control. >> translation: i had put nigh lan and plastic shoes to keep us warm and woke up with the tent on fire. by the time we started putting the fire out my baby was burnt. >> reporter: part of the problem is that these are restrictions that they can't earn for themselves. they can't get jobs unless they're sponsored by a lebanese national. >> translation: we are displaced and have absolutely no human rights. just look and see. where are my human rights. look at these kids. no problem clothes. i have ten people to take care of. i'm old. how can i feed them and keep them alive? >> reporter: the u.n. appealed to international donations to help syrian refugees every year, but last year it received half of what it had asked for, which means many refugees here are having to go without. >> reporter: it's people in the newer refugee camps like this that are most vulnerable. they p don't even have the most basic things they need to the run-up to winter. they need things like wood and fuel for the fire and plastic sheeting to water proof their tents. the syrian refugee family needs four to five hundred dollars a month to survive. many are getting about a third of that. >> translation: it's cold and water is leaking into the tents. look at the tarps, we don't have plastic to cover it for the rain. yesterday than an ng. to brought us one tarp. what can that do to stop the leaking? the u.n. gets us aid. wet get $150 a month. it is not enough. >> reporter: an appeal for 2.84 billion in lebanon >> we're mostly exposed about people in exposed areas, insecure shelters. we know that 55% of refugees in lebanon live in garages, warehouses, not only tents, but also tents and all of them need our help and support >> reporter: there are more than one million refugees here who may need help. most of them living below the poverty line. back at the baby's tent, his mother who has been in lebanon for three years can only hope things will get better, especially during these long winter days >>> neighboring iraq, there are thousands of people facing a hard time in camps. our correspondent is in north-west offer bill where more than 4,000 people are living >> reporter: the winter conditions have made life here much harder than they already are. now, i want to bring in a guest we have here, somebody who can talk about this more. we're going to speak now to the head of the unicef office inner bill, mr barfa. i want to ask you, with all the various concurrent cry-- kri cease going on-- crisis going on. >> i would like to start with how many concerned unicef is of the situation of children in iraq and across the region affected by the multiple crisis that we're facing. iraq is particularly very unique situation that we are facing in. we are calling it a forgotten crisis because we are surrounded by other countries which much higher profile. let me state a few facts. we have 3.2 million displaced population. on top of that we have nearly 250,000 refugees that are also in iraq. out of the 3.2 million those in iraq, many of those are children. those children are going through difficult situation, getting them to school is hard and the majority of them, at least 700,000 of them, miss at least one year of their schooling. there is no proper high jeem, there's no water, there's no proper health care system. the entire life of the children is affected and their future is crashing on their helped and we're actually watching a situation that we will see quite large number of children that lost their future. so we are dealing with a situation that is so dire that getting resources to support children, put them in school, put them in protection centers, put them into a life with dignity where they get proper water, hygiene and appropriate toilet is becoming difficult because getting resources in iraq is not as easy as it is maybe in other places. >> reporter: what are the particular challenges right now with the onset of such cold weather worsening, winter weather conditions as far as getting the type of aid that these people desperately need right now to female inner bill and beyond? >> imagine living in this flimsy tent next to us and being a child. when you go in there's no heating system. we are wearing layers and layers of clothes and we are feeling miserable. it goes sometimes to subzero. children do not have warm houses, warm water to shower, warm clothes to wear or warm home or shelter. it is still haunting me every day we wake up. we pack the car and i come back and find a child under the negligent of the car trying to warm themself. it is as difficult as any human being can imagine. we're trying our best. we just have to find heating system in the schools to get children some sort of heating in the clash room. we've distributed in this particular camp 1900 winter kits and 190 achieve received warm clothes, but it is the type of the ice-- tip of the ice. around 770,000 winter kits to reach 770,000 children, but look at the 3.2 million people that i talk about and the number of children that are 50% of them affected by the winter. it is a very harsh winter. it breaks even the people who are wearing warm clothes. if we do not get resources to warm these children, we're likely to see many children affected by this harsh winter. >> reporter: you're describing extremely haunting scenes that children experience on a daily basis here in iraq, stuff that you've seen with your very eyes. even today with the distribution that has happened, i am seeing children here walking around in sandals even in this cold weather. it is only dire and getting very worse. >> it is getting worse. we are in early january and this is the peak of the winter and it is going to stay this kind of condition for a while and we're not going to see the situation improving unless we get the resources we need to address those many children. agencies are trying their best. unicef is putting the best we could to address this sort of situation, the winter situation that we're dealing with. we're getting air conditioning in the schools, we're getting kerosene heating systems in the schools and child friendly spaces where children are there, but it's small. it's small and it's absolutely very small portion of what children need. we are in this difficult situation where i would hope the world will understand the situation of iraq is crisis that has been forgotten. it is been forgotten crisis that needs a lot of support from the international community >>> the syrians say tv is reporting the government there has told the united nations it is ready to take part in talks with the opposition later this month. that's after a meeting between u.n. envoy and the syrian foreign minister in damascus. it's understood that it is reinforced the need for groups which will be taking part adding that the government won't negotiate with what it calls terrorist organizations. the opposition has issued its own demands ahead of any negotiations, including the end of bombardment on civilian areas and lifting blockades on rebel territories. gulf leaders are holding an emergency meeting in the saudi capital over increased tensions are iran. it severed tensions with iran. they're protesting against the ex-execution of shia cleric nimr al-nimr in saudi arabia. he was an outspoken cleric. he was among 47 men executed on terrorism charges earlier this month. our correspondent joins us. what do we expect to come out of this meeting? do you think we are going to get an escalation or deescalation? >> reporter: saudi arabia is trying to build a united front against iran. so they're starting with the dcc because right after the crisis we have seen some different reactions. countries like kuwait and the u.a.e. and qatar down grading those or recalling am was dorse. i think the saudis are pushing for a united front for them to go to at the time arab league, which is a gathering and build up more pressure in iran saying that they will come out saying we have most of the world with us against iran. so to put more pressure on the iranians. the prince said he is to escalate >>> if they're getting a united front. >> reporter: it is a situation where we have saudi arabia, a sunni power base, versus iran, a shia power base, and at stake huge issues like the situation in syria, ewe rake and yemen. in all those areas you have them saying they're using shia ideology spreading its future. they're saying the saudis are destablings those parts of the world. you have two most powerful players in the region and it will continue >>> how successful do you think saudi will be in getting a united front amongst arab countries? do you say it has already been quite different responses? >> reporter: it's going to be quite interesting to see what happens in the world >>> i'm going to interrupt you because we have got a press conference now coming from riyadh with that meeting. so let's jump in and listen. >> translation: the interference in the affair which lead to all the security and ability as it is between our brothers and we come up with one common view regarding the iranian attacks and now i would like to give the word to the secretary general. >> translation: thanks be god. brothers and sisters, all the officers, this is a statement which is issued which in this meeting of 9 january 2016 in sau saudi. they have made their meeting today on 6 january made with the foreign minister and also the president of the gulf state in the presence of all other highness and the foreign minister of the united emirates, the responsible minister for different affairs and the foreign minister of qatar and the deputy of the -- of queue wait, the - kuwait and the general of the state. all this allegation about the attacks against the embassy and they confirm the condemnation and we accuse all this, and bearing all the responsibility for this act. this is of the 1961 convention and 1963 and also against the international law which states that the country is to protect all the diplomatic delegations, and also the interference of the internal affair of the saudi kingdom and the ordeal regarding all the execution to all, and this is on the help to make it target all the protests of the saudi arabia, and all this acts does not serve peace and stability in the world and is against all the neighborhood and the interference of the internal affairs of these sovereignty of the state, and this only leads to more hatred and more clashes in the region. also the council that reconfirmed that it is standing hand-in-hand with saudi arabia and supports all the procedures in order to come to the tourism and also to chase all those who take to the justice and that the independence of the justice if the saudi arabia and neutrality, and also the council confirm and agree to support for the saudi arabia and especially against all the acts against there and allegations in tehran and will take all steps in the act and condemn and refuse and also all the supports from the international council and ask for all the organization and the international community to take the proper steps to stop all this attacks on the diplomatic delegations in iran. also the council condemn the condemnation of the occupation of the three islands and also creating sectarian problems and also the final toils organization in all it supplies the kingdom. also the plan there for their to pose some of the cells which are to cause some destruction and to have been arrested and supported by hezbollah, and from the iranian system, and all this interference and also the council asks for the international community to take all the steps in order to get iran to respect the neighborhood and not to interfere and to cause the instability of the region and the support for the tourism not to interfere of the whole state. this is issued on 9 january 2016. >> translation: from al jazeera, the ministry of foreign affairs seek this call and do these meetings. what's the aim of it? >> translation: the organization of the islamic corporation, the kingdom ask to call for the meeting with the islamic organization in order to discuss the attack on the saudi embassy in iran. not all the numbers. the purpose of this meeting to define the position of its members which is against the international law according to the convention of the organization of islamic corporation and it will take a decision like the other state have taken and also the arab to make a decision regarding these steps or these attacks against the saudi embassy. or gain interference into the affairs of in the regions. >> translation: mekka newspaper. when the saudi and the state issue this decision like some form of punishment on the united nation or the countries of the gulf, the work and all the decision which done the iranian aggression and which we have succeeded in. now we are working with the international community in order to clear the picture that iran, the way to behave in the last 35 years sw not acceptable and look-- is not acceptable and look at all the procedures that we cannot take towards iran if they continue in their policy, their present policy. so all the issues will be very clear very soon. >> translation: with increase of interference in iranian in neighbors' country, will gulf state, when see more issues taken by them, there is a meeting with the league arab, arab league, will you meeting today and tomorrow with the arab league, what steps you going to take in this meeting? >> translation: in the meeting tomorrow in the arab league, the gulf state, their position was very clear and will be the determined in tomorrow's meeting with other arabic brothers >>> we've been watching the gcc conference in riyadh following the gcc meeting to discuss iran. here in the studio we have our correspondent. we were hearing there the real emphasis that gcc has been hurt by iran's interference in saudi arabia, but really nothing new has come out of this meeting. >> reporter: absolutely, no. there's no statement that shows that all clear indication of a more confrontation in the future. it's quite clear that saudi arabia is on the offensive trying to build international support for its case. so they are now asking for this meeting or the gcc countries to show that they are one family against iran. tomorrow they will be asking the arab gathering to say the same thing and they will alsoing asking the islamic conference to also do the same thing. they would like to show the international community and iran that saudi arabia stands on solid ground and that they're the defender and they have huge religious legitimacy because it is one of the powerful richest nations. you have the statements basically saying that iran is destabilizing the reason, promoting terrorism, interfering with the sovereign states like saudi arabia, but it falls short of what some people thought this could be a mement for saudi arabia to ask all the gcc countries to sever all ties with iran, which is not going to be the case because countries have different agendas >>> it's provocative talk. have we seen iran responding? >> reporter: at the beginning of the crisis they were critical. it back tracked in days following saying that the attack on the embassy was a big mistake and those who committed the attack will definitely be prosecuted, but you're talking about two countries who have a long history of political divide, each accusing the other of stoking sectarian divide in the reason. those issues are solved but we continue to see more tensions and more problems in saudi arabia and iran. i think it's more pronounced now particularly when it comes to syria. this is one of the areas that both countries are trying to have their hands on the issue and unless they solve it we will continue to see more tension >>> thank you very much. still ahead here on this news hour. how this device could help improve bangladesh's dismal rail safety record. imagine flying from britain to australia in this. one woman has just done it and we will find out what it was like. also what happens when trucks race on snow. all that's coming up in sport with robin. >>> the syrian government has told the u.n. that it is ready to take part in talks with the opposition later this month. meanwhile eight agencies say the first food and medicine trucks should arrive in the besieged cities in syria on sunday. other top stories this hour in iraq aid workers say the world must not forget the suffering of thousands of people in displacement camps. they're facing a tough winter without enough food, warm clothes or fuel. interference in saudi's internal affairs. attack on the saudi embassy is going to lead to more hatred in the region. german chancellor is calling for tougher immigration laws after attacks on women in cologne on new year's eve. arabs and north african men were involved. the chief of police has been suspended and accused of mishandling the case. protests in the city. our correspondent is live for us. describe the atmosphere for us. it sounds from where we are pretty tense, but it looks quite calm. >> reporter: this is the city's area just outside the main station. behind me is taking place the rally at the far right group and there are, perhaps, 500 people who have come for the demonstration, but off camera there is another rally taking place of considerably more people from the left wing which is in government with angela merkel's christian democrats. there's the sense that other demonstrations are going on, but the greater prepond rans of people is at the left wing rally. certainly those people have made clear they have come to oppose the other rally. they have come to stand up for the rights of the refugees or the asylum seekers trying to get asylum here in germany. the other side say there is too many asylum seekers in german. they want to see a cap on the number. so far the rallies have been peaceful, but certainly vocal. there have been sirens going off, but so far it has been peaceful. that is something that the police, and there are very many police on the streets of cologne, that is something the police station have been trying to keep a lid on, trying to keep a peaceful element to the protest here. it is worth reporting that the government has been talking today about toughening up the measures to deal with asylum seekers who commit crimes. certainly that might be welcomed by some in the demonstrations behind me >>> thank you for that very m h much. now to the historian michael sturmer. he is in berlin. interesting that we have got these two rival rallies going on in cologne at the moment, one the far right, the other more leftist liberal rallies and that that has drawn more people onto the streets. >> michael, we're just checking that you can hear me. this is laura in doha. >> i can hear you but you have to speak slowly and clearly because the connection is bad >>> apologies for that. i want your impression of what is happening in cologne at the moment. you have two rallies. the far right and the left more liberal rally. more people are at the liberal rally. >> well, this is not a question of left and right. this is a defining moment for the country and especially for angela merkel. there has been too much lying in the past, too much denying and there's also fear of the future >>> i have to jump in there. lying and denying about what? >> about the nature of the attacks on the new year's eve and there is a kind of spiral of silence over many, many months now and this has come to desightive point or turning point over the events of the new year's eve in cologne. that is the real meaning. it's the defining moment for angela merkel's chancellorship and the final moment for the mood in the country. nobody knows how this will translate into major shifts in the political party system. probably the right wing will gain the social democrats will suffer and angela merkel's party will suffer majorly and the left party will be the winner >>> what do you want to see chancellor angela merkel do in response to these attacks? >> well, what she has to do is she has in the coming week the chance to stand up in parliament and explain what will have to be done, now they are going to change asylum laws, how they are going to change social benefits paid out in cash today, paid out in practical goods tomorrow and there will be many more background checks. what has rattled people is the fact that about 300 immigrants got lost somewhere in the process. nobody took the fingerprints, nobody registered their names, nobody has the foggiest idea where they are, and this is in the background of the paris assassination, the paris murder. that rattles people much more than what you see in front of the cathedral. these are a few hundred people probably not very representative but the real fact is deep down in the psychology of the people >>> thank you very much for joining us there with your views. michael sturmer joining us there from berlin as big discussions get underway in germany as to its refugee policy. the former egyptian president has had his appeal against a corruption case rejected. he and his two sons were sentenced to three years in prison last may. they were accused of stealing millions of dollars to upgrade their property. he remains in a military hospital. we're joined now by the chief here. do talk us through this case and what happened in court today. >> yeah, of course. in court actually as first time when the chairman of the court said that the accepted appeal from justice an appeal-- judge just as an appeal. crying from the court saying this is a very good, but me said no, we accepted it just as appeal but will refuse it in the subject. so the final decision is rejecting the appeal. actually t as we mentioned in the news, no physical or material is effect, but it is a significant effect for that verdict. that means accordingly to high-level sources in egypt that maybe the military middles will draw. also his son, jamal, who wants to play a political role, may be prevented to do this. he cannot play this role because this is condemned. he condemned in the corruption case. so he cannot. he announced before that he can be a candidate for a presidential election in the future against the president asisi >>> how much support is there in egypt for the former president? >> there is still some people who are saying they are aligned with them and also defenders of them. actually, they use is to attend all mubarak, the trial, supporting him. even after the verdict they said they will not looech mubarak-- leave mubarak. the verdict to condemn mubarak and his sons. the more important effect, actually, is again jamal mubarak as president, he will not play any more political role, but for jam al he hope, there are supporters from him, especially from the businessman sector in egypt who was trying to make him as their candidate in the future >>> he is the one to watch in the future >> yeah >>> thank you for that. >> thank you >>> two policemen have been killed in the egyptian capital. they were shot on their way to work in the giza district of greater cairo. one was killed and the other was wounded and arrested. yemen's government has reversed a decision to expel a u.n. official heeding an appeal from ban ki-moon. the foreign ministry declared that he must leave for making what he called unfair statements. the u.n. has been highly critical of the yemeni government and the saudi-led military coalition that is helping it to fight shia houthi rebels. electoral reform and more harm me between different religious and ethnic groups. they're two aims of the reforms proposed by the president. the constitution has been outlined to change. >> reporter: some of the key changes expected will be changes to the electoral system which some analysts say are deeply flawed. again, the abolishment of the presidency, giving power to the government in a more broad-based fashion. a lot of work to be done by this assembly. there is formal process of consultation which seeks to include all parties, all basically opinions with regards to the constitution and what we're seeing is that house will debate and discuss the potential changes at which time it will come up with a cohesive set of proposals for the constitutional change and then seek to take it through to bring to it to you fruition >>> a british pilot has completed her three-month trip from britain to australia. she landed in sydney on saturday. she braced rough weather to fly her 1942 beoin steerma nshn. >> to fly something like this, low level halfway around the world, seeing all the iconic landscapes, geology, vegetation. just the best view in the world. very few people get to fly it like i did >>> ireland is now the fastest growing economy in the e.u. and the dramatic reversal of fortunes in the country's finances is changing the population. as the country recores, employers and the government want many to return. a report from the irish capital in dublin on those making the move back home. >> reporter: rebuilding the irish economy. the country is putting its bankruptcy in 2009 behind it and many of those who went abroad looking for work are coming home. people like paul o'brien who spent five years in sydney. >> a year ago i came home and yes, from talking to people, when you step off the aeroplane, it was a lot more enthusiastic and promising. >> how can we get those young talented immigrants who have left ireland to consider ireland again >> reporter: ireland now has the highest gd. p growth in the european union, but one vital commodity is missing, those skilled professionals abroad and the government wants them back. as do employers like the boss of engineering form ethos, greg haydon. >> we started in the height and then the crash happened and we went on three-day weeks. we reduced salaries. it still wasn't enough. we had to let people go. guys left ireland as grants, they got suburb experience abroad. they had a lot to offer the countries they went to. there's a huge amount to offer them in coming back here. i thought that was a good thing to tap into >> reporter: so as ireland picks itself up as life particularly here in the capital dublin begins to return to pre-crisis levels of prosperity, the return of workers who left is a welcomed buy product. the government expects 2016 to be the first year in seven in which those returning outnumber those leaving. it wants to attract 70,000 home by 2020. >> the higher-skilled immigrants, the college graduates, it specialists, there is a labor shortage. how long that labor shortage will last and how long this upswing of the economy is not a guess. >> i suppose it's peppered with caution as well because although time can be great heeder, i certainly still remember the reasons why i went in the first place because there was to work. >> reporter: the chief watch word now is caution >>> coming up golf's world number one starts the new year in peak form. reactions on the tournament of champions is ahead in sport. >>> an engineering student in bangladesh is hoping his invention will improve rail safety. police figures show an average of 70 people were killed by trains every month last year. our correspondent has this report. >> reporter: the tracks don't inspire much confidence in this man. many are decades old. some were laid during british colonial rule before 1947. worried from reading frequent reports of derailment he decided to build a robot. inside a sensor detects cracks and derailments sending alerts with coordinates to a station. >> translation: right now all the maintenance works and check ups are done manually. we need a huge amount of manpower for that. not enough employees. we're trying to make an automated system >> reporter: lack the maintenance is not the biggest problem. a large number of tracks run through chaotic marketplaces and the middle of busy slums. it is a real danger for the people around. in 2015 police say an average of 70 people died each month after getting hit by trains. this man says he has seen 50 to 60 accidents during the 28 years he has set up shop here. he has recovered 10 dead bodies with his own hands. >> translation: some people are wandering onto to the tracks talking on their phones, some are absent minded, some have had an argument with a girlfriend and looking to end things. >> reporter: a proliferation of illegal crossings pose another threat with vehicles getting stuck on the uneven ground. >> they simply came, got stuck inside the rail track, the train came. the driver saw the train is coming but she could not move. >> reporter: with thousands of unregulated crossings around the country, safety remains a problem that will take coordination between different government agencies so solve. in the meantime he is showing that one person's ideas can still make some difference >>> with sport now. >> reporter: thank you very much. smaller clubs will do their level best to upset those in the action on saturday. they're already in for a big pay day after holding liverpool to a draw. there was no choice but to play the reserve team because of the red current injury crisis. 11 changes for this contest. in nine minutes liverpool were a goal down. three minutes later the winners were back on level terms thanks to the 19-year-old clair. just on the stroke of half-time, they had another goal. um see the liverpool's keeper made a complete mess of things there. the visitors came back again in the second half. bradley smith ee equalized making it two two meaning a money exiter. they are set to make a million dollars from tv rights. aston villa leading wycombe. later it is norwich against man city. watford and west ham at home. manchester united against sheffield. quite a lot of interest around arsenal's quest to lands three cup title in a row. >> look, we want to win every competition we participate and the fa cup is one of them. for us it's an important competition. >> reporter: back to barcelona where they will attempt to wrestle the lead away from madrid. they're one clear at the top with a win. the game kicking off in just over an hour. they're 17th in the league at the moment. barce's coach warned the players not to expect an easy match. >> it is an important game for us because it's officially the last game of the first half of the season. even though we still have a game to play, but all in all it's an important game. we will find a logical complication when we have teams in the area and this will be made worse by the fact that they have three very strong attackers. >> reporter: five games in total in spain taking place on saturday. there's the mid table class between getafe and betis. really ma drik and deportivo. the first grand slam with a win in the warm up. federer with a straight set win. six one and six four. confirmed in a little over an hour. it will be a repeat of last year's final in brisbane. fedderer taking on the canadian who earned his place in the final with a straight set win. seven six seven six was the score. straight sets for the brisbane title. it was also a trophy win. six three and six to claim the open crown in china. she is said to go up to the 4th. staying with tennis, australia has the first hop man cup title in 17 years. a final singles game was won six three and six four at the perth arena. the 21-year-old was actually born in russia and received a visa last year. the n ml play offs get underway on saturday as the remaining teams fight for a place in next month's super bowl. it will be one of the coldest in history. the game temperature is for cast to be minus 15 degrees. the top has been rolled over the surface. fans will be offered hand warmers, free coach and an indoor facility at the nearby university prior to kick off. at the time wild card play office will be on saturday. kansas city chiefs and . on sunday seattle against vikings and the packers and the red skins. the world cup ski event has been cancelled in switzerland due to poor weather there. a surface has been constructed from artificial snow after long bout of warm weather. the days were followed by thick fog making it too dangerous for the event to go ahead. day seven of the rally is taking place now. there is a 27 team lead. the world only track race on snow took place in u.s. nine drivers competing head to head with custom-made vehicles. speeds of up to 150 km/h. it was fair to say the conditions weren't friendly on everyone. br ice mensies won. jordan has in a four shot lead at the tournament of champions in hawaii. he shot off with one off the pace. there was a highlight though. the chip in eagle. that's your sport. more later >>> thanks very much. do stay with us here on al jazeera. i will be right back with another full half-hour bulletin of news for you. for you. >>> gulf leaders accuse iran of escalating tensions with saudi arabia. this is al jazeera. live from our headquarters in doha. also on the program. a city divided as germany's chancellor has tougher laws for asylum seekers in cologne. a deal has been done to get aid to starving people in syria, but for some it could take days to arrive and for tens of thousands of

backed by saudi arabia have set up their own blockade of the rebel-held capital. a ceasefire in yemen which began last month is now officially over. the saudi-led coalition fighting against anti-government forces made the announcement. the truce had been repeated lip violated by both sides. i'm underby the saudi-led general. why was the truce called to an end? >> i will tell you will and your audien audience, since two weeks the president asked the coalition to have chance to negotiation and to be flexible. we respect this request and we - unfortunately, the militia starts by keeping attack the border of saudi arabia and they escalate in firing targets towards the area. we were in control of all of this, but we expected the see fire. we asked for the ceasefire to extend. unfortunately, we had more than one thousand (audio indistinct) the blockade in the city (audio indistinct) we evaluate this ceasefire >>> what will follow next, then, if your evaluation is the ceasefire is not useful, will there be war or will there be restraints for the peace talks in switzerland? >> those mil

of a shia cleric in saudi arabia has middle eastern countries taking sides. >> this is not a violent or hostile situation >>> occupation of a federal building is demanding changes. the day that sent stocks into a tumble >>> we begin with calls for calm amid escalating tensions between saudi arabia and iran, a day after saudi arabia cut off ties with tehran, bahrain and sudan follow eld suit and downgraded its relationship. tensions flair after demonstrators in iran set fire to the saudi arabian embassy after the saudis executed a shia cleric. andrew simons reports. >> reporter: diplomats on their way home with their families, transiting here at dubai airport. among them bay rain. up to two days of demonstrations by protestors from a shia muslim majority. the gulf state that is closely allied to saudi arabia accused iran of blatant and dangerous interference in arab countries and support for terrorism. the actions followed the arson attack at the saudi embassy in tehran. saudi arabia aaccused iran of doing nothing to prevent it. a war of words is escalating. >> we decided to cut off a

peace negotiations on syria. on wednesday, he met with saudi arabia's foreign minister in riyadh. the special envoy will travel to syria, iran and turkey over the next few days. peace talks are scheduled in geneva for the end of january. here is what is coming up next. baghdad offering to mediate in the dispute between saudi arabia and iran, but many iraq ease want to cut ties with their saudi neighbors. plus the environmental disaster that has forced a state of emergency in an l.a. suburb. urb. >>> the top stories on al jazeera. for the second time this week chinese stocks have plunged and market have been closed after heavy losses triggered an automatic trading halt. investors react to the weaker economy and the falling chinese currency. south korea says it will increase military cooperation with the u.s. after north korea's claim of a successful hydrogen bomb test on wednesday. the u.n. security council has strongly condemned the country and promised new sanctions. refugees are struggling to feed themselves and to stay warm. aid agencies say many are dying from hypothermia caused b

the line of fire. >>> anand allies of saudi arabia cutting diplomatic ties with iran. and markets in the first trading day of the new year. >> this is al jazeera live in new york city. i'm del walters. president obama back at the white house today. he says his first order of business will be trying to end gun violence in america. >> we know we can't stop every act of violence, but what if we try to stop even one? what if congress did something, anything to protect our kids from gun violence? >> the president meets with attorney general loretta lynch later today with hopes of getting guns off the streets. he said he's tired of congressional inaction, and that he's ready to use his executive powers to close loopholes in the nation's gun laws. mike viqueira is in washington for us right now. the president is throwing down the gauntlet. >> well, that is exactly the case. del, remember it was this time a year ago when president obama said he was going to use his pen and his phone to go around a congress that has time and time again provided obstacles on his cherished goals and programs. t

anybody else for that matter >>> despite ending ties with iran, saudi arabia says it is committed to talks on regional conflicts. you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up the chinese government intervenes to pop up a stock market. bomb's efforts to-- obama's efforts to gun laws. the technology show where everything is going digital >>> saudi arabia says its decision to break off ties with iran will not affect its efforts to negotiate peace in syria and yemen. the saudi ambassador to the united nations has called on the security council to condemn saturday's attack on its embassy in iran. he also said normal relations can resume when iran stops interfering in the internal affairs of the countries of the region including saudi arabia. tensions rose after the kingdom executed a dissident vee acleric. >> reporter: diplomats are concerned because you have these two heavy wait nation $of the middle east which have always had strained relations. they're now at alall time low. they would have been slightly heart end by the words of the saudi arabia alwas

mediate in the dispute between saudi arabia and iran, but many iraq ease want to cut ties with their saudi neighbours. plus a house divide. how a u.s. town is reacting to the occupation of a government building by an armed militia. ia. >> this year is blowing our minds. >> scientists are studying el nino from space and the oceans. >> when the pacific speaks... everybody better listen. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is what innovation looks like. >> can affect and surprise us. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> let's do it. >> techknow - where technology meets humanity. >>> hello again. the top stories. for the second time this week chinese stocks have plunged and markets have been closed after heavy losses triggered an automatic close. investors are reacting to the weaker economy. tens of thousands of people along syria's borders who fled the conflict are struggling to feed themselves and stay warm. aid agencies say many are dying from hypothermia called by the cold wenty conditions. military cooperation with the u.s. after the cl

accusing iran of escalating tensions with saudi arabia and interfering in its internal affairs. the gulf corporation council has been holding an emergency meeting over deteriorating relations with its ray johnal rival tehran. diplomatic ties were cut. they were angry at the execution of a prominent shia cleric in saudi arabia last week. >> translation: the actions in iran do not serve peace and stability in the world. it is against all interests and interference in the sovereignty of the state. it only leads to more hatred in the region. we stand hand-in-hand with vaesh in order to counter-- saudi arabia in order to prevent terrorism and bring those to justice >>> the chair of contemporary middle east studies at the london school of economics is joining me in the studio. did the vau decency get what-- saudis get what they wanted in this meeting? >> the council expressed total support for the saudi position. politically and symbolically. they did not cut diplomatic relations as iran as saudi arabia would have liked. they did not retake any concrete measures in saudi arabia even thoug

>> a shia cleric and leading al-qaeda preacher among 47 men executed by saudi arabia. for terrorism offenses. good to have your company. i'm david foster. you're watching al jazeera live from london. also from this program, fighters kill at least two soldiers at an air base at the border near pakistan. and we meet a farmer who is feeing the bite as russian tanks take effect. and the u.s. worker is beginni beginning 2016 with a pay raise after a two-year fight. saudi arabia is defending its decision to execute 47 men, among them a leading shia clear, and prominent al-qaeda preacher. both of whom are convicted of terrorism charges. first we look at rob matheson's report on the men's death. >> these are some of the 47 men would who were executed in safer who were accused of convicting and carrying out terrorism attacks. they included this man, nimr al-nimr, who was a figure in the protest in saudi arabia which intensified in 2011. among them was a al-qaeda preacher, human rights criticized the executions, but saudi arabia said it was after a fair trial. >> we deal with the cases on mer

>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> saudi arabia executes 47 people convicted the terrorist attacks including a shia cleric. iran warns the kingdom will pay a high price. you're with al jazeera. an indian air base near the pakistani border is attacked just days after p.m. visits to lahore. quality education for all is one of u.n.'s goals >>> saudi arabia has executed 47 people on terrorism charges. they include a prominent she' cleric and prominent preacher. >> reporter: these are some of the 47 men executed in saudi arabia. they had been convicted of plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks, targeting civilians and security forces. they included nimr al-nimr who was a central figure during shia protests in saudi arabia which intensified in early 2011. also among them was a leading preacher faris al-zahrani. human rights watch has criticized the executions but saudi arabia say the men received a fair trial. >> translation: the judiciary is objective and we deal objectively with the case on merit. it doesn't matter what he believes. we deal with facts and criminal intent. >> translation: last

>>> gulf leaders accuse iran of escalating tensions with saudi arabia. this is al jazeera. live from our headquarters in doha. also on the program. a city divided as germany's chancellor has tougher laws for asylum seekers in cologne. a deal has been done to get aid to starving people in syria, but for some it could take days to arrive and for tens of thousands of others they're left out. >> the situation of iraq is crisis that has been forgotten >>> a plea for help aid workers say the world is ignoring the suffering of iraqis. gulf arab leaders are accusing regional rival iran of escalating tensions with saudi arabia and interfering with the kingdom's internal affairs. the gulf corporation council has been holding an emergency meeting over deteriorating relations with tehran. riyadh cut off diplomatic relations after protesters stormed its embassy and set fire to if. they were angry over a prominent shia cleric in saudi arabia last week. the secretary general of the corporation says saudi arabia has the organization's full support. >> translation: the actions in iran do not ser

tensions in the middle east, saudi arabia cutting dip ties with ran and more countries join after the violent response to the execution of a shia cleric. >>> president obama pushes gun control center stage as he tries to find a new way to curb deadly shootings. >>> global markets nose dive after mideast tensions, weak that economic data and the chinese currency sinks stock markets worldwide. >>> this is aljazeera america live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy. two ranchers at the center of a standoff in oregon plan to turn themselves in to federal authorities today. armed anti government protestors have been holed up since saturday. they are angry over that prison sentence for the ranchers who burned federal property and they say they will not leave the federal building until the government hands over the land. the group is occupying a remote national wild life refuge near burns oregon, led by ammon bundy. his father led another anti-government standoff in 2012 at a nevada cattle rank. bundy said they are prepared to stay for years if they have to. al jazeera's carol mckinley joins

here on al jazeera. >>> already tense relations between the regional rivals saudi arabia and iran of struck a new low. forty people have been arrested in tehran after demonstrators set fire to the saudi embassy. the protestors were angry as saudi arabia's execution of the shia cleric with 46 others accused of terrorism offenses. rob has more. >> the sawed embassy ooblast in tehran, iran supreme leader is warning of what he calls divine revenge. >> this blood will trouble them without a doubt. i have no doubt about it, policies makers executed them. the saudi government's decision makers should not underestimate that this blood will trouble them. it will torment them. >> saudi arabia's foreign ministry said iran revealed its true face represented in support for terrorism. >> he was sentenced to death for disobedience and bearing arms. he didn't deny the political charges against him but said he never carried weapons or called for violence. riyadh is animate he got a fair trial based on facts and which followed a judicial process, a view supported by the muslim world league which said