>> 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. >> 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 this man, nimr al-nimr, who was a prominent cleric in saudi arabia, also among them was an al-qaeda preacher, human rights watch has criticized th the executions, but saudi arabia said that they referred a fair trial. >> we deal objectively with the cases on hand. there is no difference between what a person does regardless of his ethnic origin, affiliation or what he believes. we deal with facts and criminal intent. >> last year a special court in riyadh sentenced to death for is he addition, and bears arms.

he did not deny the political charges against him but he said he never carried weapons or called for violence. many had been linked to attacks in the kingdom between 2003 and 2006, and said to have been carried out. >> there is no difference as long as it is carried out. >> iran warned of dire consequences if nimr was killed. that news was repeated in the news of his release. >> iran will definitely try to neutralize this by igniting the

soft spots in the region. >> following these latest executions more may still be on the way. at least 2200 similar cases are still to be had in the saudi arabian courts. >> well, shia muslims in saudi arabia have taken to the streets to condemn the execution of nimr al-nimr. dozensallyed in the eastern town, and chanted down with assad, the name of the saudi ruling family. mohammed, just to highlight the anger being felt especially in iran, we have a statement. >> yes, the stream leader of the revolution issued a tweet that

said that it is iran is the first to criticize the executi execution. and iran is accused by saudi arabia of being behind every arrest relayed to shia-sunni conflicts in the region. they accuse them of waging war inside the region, and we see this reaction. iran is very concerned and warned before the execution of nimr al-nimr, and they repeated that again today. iran has accused by saudi arabia

of being--of having an and in yemen and behind it in jaar and lebanon, and to them this is not a surprise for the saudi reaction even though the saudis have confirm that this execution has nothing to do with sectarianism. it has nothing to do with shia-sunni conflict in the region but was a purely judicial process. >> dozens of people protested. that's the native area of the area itself. it could be surprising if we

don't see more people turning up. he has been leading protests between 2011 an 2012, an that's the area where he has--they're not concerned about more reaction because they believe that iran has done what it can do to stabilize the region. >> live for us there. >> well, saudi state media reporting that the coalition fighting against yemen ou houthi rebels has violated it's cease-fire. since last year thousands of people have been killed. negotiations are scheduled to resume in two weeks' time.

two indians have been killed in an attack on an air force base. the air base is only to india's russian-made fleet of mig 21 and helicopters. >> the confrontation began around 3:30 a.m. with several men dressed in military uniform arrived in an official vehicle carrying guns and explosives. the police cordoned off the base as soldiers confronted the gunmen inside. after the gun battle which lasted several hours all four gunmen were killed. security forces then began searching for more members of the group. the area was already on alert after a senior police officer was briefly abducted earlier this week. >> after police officers county attorney car was hijacked, a red alert has been broadcast.

we're closing the roads and checking the vehicles. >> they have reported no attacks. in you'll last year, three men armed with guns and grenades were killed. in them latest attack, they believe that the gunmen are members of an armed group based inside pakistan. >> pakistan is our neighbor. we want peaceful relations with our neighbors. we want peace but any attack will get a fitting response from india. >> they have been alert for attacks since india's prime minister made a surprise visit to pakistan which was seen as a huge diplomatic overture. they say that pakistan must take some responsibility for the attacks. >> they cannot abdicate and say that these are forces which are not under our control, meaning

more state cannot dictate from actions of its own cities. if they're none state or otherwise. >> talks between indian and pakistani officials are expected later this monday. celled talks are been called o off. no righthere has been no word yet. >> 15 members of iraq counter terrorism forces have been killed in central ramadi in addition to the 60 soldiers and tribesmen who have been killed by isil in recent days. on monday the government said it had reclaimed the city from isil. caroline malone has the latest. >> the iraqi army has been celebrating their victory in retaking ramadi, but it looks like their fight isn't over. nearly a we can after the

government claimed control of this city center. iraqi troops are suffering new setbacks with coordinated attacks. in a recently released video they say they're still fighting in the center of ramadi. this shows the headquarters in the center of the city. al jazeera has been told that there was a car bomb attack and intense shelling on iraqi forces i in a government compound in the city. and isil fighters are still in control of buildings nearby. isil used another 10 suicide-bombers in attacks in the army north of the city destroying army vehicles and taking control of the tense division headquarters. the army has made big advances to and around ramadi in recent woke. that will help 100 families who

have been trapped by the fighting. >> isil has been accused of using people as human shields. >> may god punish them. they shot people in the head who refused to go with them. bodies are still there. you can go and see them. >> retaking ramadi was the first big victory for the army since mid 2045. but it seems that the army is battling for the wider area and remain under threat of boobie traps left by isil fighters. >> some british troops who served in the iraq war may face prosecution for war crimes according to a head of an unity created to investigate abuse between 2003 and 2009. the investigators are obtaining significant evidence of alleged abuse.

>> the british soldiers filmed here was subsequently jailed. allegations of abuse and murder remain unresolved and unpunished. asked about the veerty of the allegations, they told the independent newspaper i feel there is significant evidence to be obtained to put a strong case between the service prosecuting authority to prosecute and charge. he went on, at the appropriate time it will be a matter for us to discuss with the spba whether they meet the war crimes threshold but there are syrias old gas stations currently being investigated. they had nearly $85 million of funding and is tasked to work

until 2019. but they admitted that the work may not be complete by then. it has a caseload of 1500 alleged victims, including 280 said to have been unlawfully killed. the former commander of british forces of afghanistan said that they need more support. >> the allegation where wrongdoing takes place, but they need to have a more effective way of screening out. lot death of iraqi detainee reveal systemic abuse of prisoners by british soldiers only one soldiers was jailed in connection to ill treatment. the public inquiry into 2014 allegations with british troops murdered and mutilated iraqis held in detention was found without evidence.

they stated: the number of legal cases continues to grow. and the ability to deal with them is starting to look questionable. one clear interference from the review is the complexity and sheer number of cases he's looking at risks overwhelming his team. that's bad news for the ministry of defense here in london because they set up in part to prevent the international criminal court from looking at the abuse allegations. if they fail, the icc is on stand by, and we could see british soldiers facing trial in the hague. ball brennan. al jazeera, london. >> and still to come on the program, russia's revenge. moscow bans imports of turkish fruits and vegetables.

and what is next for europe' newest refugees and those wanting to make the treacherous journeys in 2016. an impact. >> let's do it. >> techknow - where technology meets humanity.

>> a reminder of the top stories. saudi arabia has executed 47 people on terrorism charges. indian air force base in the north has been attacked. the facility is located

50 kilometers from the border of pakistan. an attack by isil in and around the iraqi city of are a hadi has killed 15 members of iraq's counterterrorism forces and local tribesmen who were fighting with them. russia's ban on turkish goods has come in effect. so what will though sanctions mean especially for fruit farmers. in southern turkey we have these reports.

a few months ago he grew more plants in hope of doubling his profits. recently russia imposed economic sanctions against turkey for shooting down one of its fighter jets near the syrian border. they are now worried about what this means for his business. >> people like me, we're hearing that citrus prices are declining because of russia banning our products. all of us feel the impacts. >> this is the wholesale market local produced from here are shipped to all over the world. one of turkey's main exports, a business worth almost $1 billion, and a third of these exports go to russia. >> it's the farmers who are unlikely to suffer because of

the economic sanctions, and they're all worried that they may no longer be able to sell their goods if the political cries continues. they all say that the government has to take action or there will be big losses. the farmers are under pressure to finish harvesting citrus fruits before it gets cold. the region produces 75% of turkey's citrus products. these are seasonal workers, mostly syrian and local villagers whose future is also uncertain. >> the situation is bad, it's not good. our daily wage is very little and we come here very early. 3:00 in the morning until evening. most of us are in debt, and life is very expensive. >> he was hoping to sell this year's harvest to iraq, but the

border crossings have been closed. he's now looking for buyers in istanbul. >> it's not my job to find alternative markets. it's the government's or trade traders. fruits can't wait long in r refridge raters. and we have commitments towards workers an. >> the turkish government has promised to compensate those effected by the russian sanctions, adding that it will impose restrictions on russian goods. but until this dispute comes to an end citrus farmers will continue to worry about their future. al jazeera, in southern turkey. >> two rival afghan taliban factions have split following the leader omar back in july.

leadership has been in dispute since. the agreement which includes a prison exchange wa took place. >> now if we take in the peace talks level now afghan government said they wil will--talking about the group that will make--now these two groups agree with each other and final agreement, and in the

fight against afghan government. the afghan government will face taliban if they disagree with each other then they're going to be fighting with each other and it will be easier for the afghan government to fight them. this is important news. this agreement does not mean that they have reached a final agreement with each other. >> in 2015 as we know record numbers of people traveling it europe seeking a new life. more than a million refugees and migrants arrive last year. more than a third of those were syrians looking to escape the civil war. laurence lee looks at how well europe will be able to cope with the continue the influx in the coming year. >> when historians commit to paper the events of 2015 they won't be short of things to write about, the mass movement of people sees thousands running away from horrors from the

european union it results with itself and human rights groups as to whether these people are refugees at all, let alone they should be helped to build new lives. increasingly new members of the e.u. which argue that the refugees and migrants should be kept out to defend you're christian it was shouted down germany and sweden, which was to offer a lead in human rights. as the year ended the best clue came with what 2016 might have in store. turkey being groomed for a quicker entry into the european union in turn for a plan to hold refugees inside it's borders before they come to greece. in the same way the european union tried to convince african leaders that they could work together to create the conditions that would stem the flow of human traffic across the

mediterranean. >> for work, for the time they stay in turkey is important as well. >> blocking some routes will only lead to some others opening. perhaps north from the coast to romania or ukraine. human rights groups say not only will they not work, they're immoral. >> in turkey, the refugees don't enjoy human rights at all. syrians enjoy some sort of protection, but 80% of all syrian kits in turkey don't go

to school, syrians are not allowed to work legally, and when we talk about people of iraq, afghanistan, iran, they're not allowed any protection in turkey. that will be a huge point of concern for us. >> of course, the paris attacks changed european thinking enormously. another one like it would make things harder for refugees. equally any sort of agreement between the west, russia and turkey on what to do about at this hour i can't hardly looks likely. as hard as it was for all these people interest is every suggestion that 2016 could be even harder. laurence lee, al jazeera. >> millions of low-wage workers in the u.s. will begin the new year with a pay rise. what is th amid the national debates of what is the minimum

wage that one can live on. >> he has held down a full-time job for three years. but his pay is going up more than an dollar an hour to $10.15. >> basically, me and my workers, we got fed up. the othe or organizer came to talk with me and said enough is enough, don't you think? >> i said yeah. they started a fight for $15 an hour two years ago. they walked off the job in protest. some were even arrested. some from home healthworks and college proffers, joined the prayed highlighting the pain of low wage earn. they would adapt a $15 wedge over time with smaller minimum wages taking place in 15 states

this year. businesses argue that a higher minimum wage will force them to cut jobs. >> mcdonald's is the world's largest fast-food hamburger restaurants, one of the most recognizabl recognizable brands. >> more than all half fast food workers require some public assistance to get by. >> what that indicates is that tax payers, through the public benefit programs who basically subsidizing the low-wage cost model--the low wage model of operating a business. >> he said he would be happy to have more money to spend, even though it would take two more years to reach $15 an hour. >> if you work a full time job, you should have minimum wage,

period. >> he vowed to continue the fight until all workers receive that minimum wage nationwide. >> remember you can find out more on many of the stories we're covering over on our website. the address to click on to is www.aljazeera.com. www.aljazeera.com for all of news and sport. violence that spread to other parts of the country, with little hindrance from the authorities. now tens of thousand of rohingya, are housed in primitive camps under government armed guard, while others have tried to flee oversees to malaysia. but as jason motlagh reports, the refugees are being exploited and abused by people traffickers, while aid agencies and governments are failing to