come. al jazeera, jakarta. you can read much more about that story as well as the day's top stories on our website, there it is on your screen, aljazeera.com. not backing down, anti-government demonstrators seize a federal building and say their prepared to stay for years. rising 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 us on the phone now live

from burns. this protest has federal workers saying home today. what are authorities doing to break up this stand your? >> the f.b.i.'s gotten involved now. they came in yesterday and they'll pro bowl be out here today trying to make sure that there's some kind of negotiation or a process which is not violent, because a lot of these occupiers have weapons. right now, we're at the mouth of where the refuge is. there are thousands and thousands of acres of snow and prairie. there's a lake here and these guys say they are going to stay as long as it takes. we know they got a load of food in yesterday. hoop knows who's going to win out on this one. >> this all began over the quicks of these two local ranchers, but they say that bundy doesn't speak for them. >> that's right. in fact, they are on their way to california and expected to turn themselves in at 5:00 eastern today, so they're

going through with their jail time, leaving their wives at home on the ranch to keep things, keep the business moving. the sheriff here believes that these occupiers have come here not for the ranchers, they are saying they are here for the ranchers, but the sheriff thinks they came with an ulterior motive and that is to make sure that federal and local lands which are owned by the government are given back to private ownership. >> what are the locals saying about what's going on? >> you know it's mixed. we talked to a woman today, they closed the schools for the entire week and she said my 6-year-old son has to stay at home. the government offices of closed, the courts are closed. she said i wish these guys would just get out of here and i wish they never would have come. on the other hand, there are people who agree with these occupiers, because they are ranchers themselves. >> carol mckinley, thank you for joining us. there are quickly moving

developments in the middle east. more countries cutting or downgrading diplomatic ties with iran. saudi arabia was the first. now bahrain, sudan and the united arab emirates all are limiting or cutting diplomatic relations with tehran. saudi officials gave diplomatic officials until tomorrow to leave the country after shia protestors stormed the saudi embassy. they were angry over the execution of shia cleric nimr al nimr, one of 47 executed after accused of terrorism. this morning, iran's foreign ministry is accusing the saudi's of trying to cover up those executions. >> from one crying to another, and this indicates its intention and its wonton -- to create

tension after tension both back opposing sides in the conflict in syria and yemen. there are fears the standoff could stoke further tension president region. nimr al nimr has long been a political player in saudi arabia, a well known presence at anti-government demonstrations. he used sermons to criticize saudi rulers for their treatment of the shia minority. he had threaded to leave the shia muslims to secession, creating a government crack down in the minor's hard land. earlier we spoke to the former ambassador to saudi arabia. we asked if he was surprised how quickly tensions escalated between the middle east powers. >> this has been brewing a long time. the saudis have been fighting proxy wars with iran, certainly in yemen and to a great degree

in syria and iraq, as well. the saudis have in a way conflated the terrorist activities that they've seen over the last 10 or 12 years and which accounted for most of these executions, with the execution of nimr al nimr, a shiite cleric ho advocated peaceful resistance, i think it shows how the saudis have lost faith in american leadership and america's handling of relations with iran and they're going their own course. this is not surprising fallout. we have seen the saudi's receiver diplomatic ties in the past with regional rifles, including qatar several years ago over frankly something that al jazeera broadcast on one of its shows, so it's not the first time, but i think we're seeing an escalation in what has been mostly a cold war but now is heating up between as soon as

possible and shia >> based on what you said there, i should caveat for our viewers that al jazeera as a network is owned by the qatar government, which is part of what we're talking about here when we talk about the region and how we are seeing fractured ties not just between iran and saudi arabia but now the u.a.e. and bahrain weighing in as well. what do you make of that especially given what you said is seen as the lock of u.s. leadership, i believe you called it. >> russia is now trying to fill that vacuum. i don't believe that it's likely

to be successful, but certainly anyone, any major power that is interested in mediating and trying to tamp down the flames right now that are boiling, i think would be useful. sit really does remain to be seen whether any kind of mediation attempt will be helpful here. this is something that has pro bowl crossed a red line, iran is trying to make as much of this as they can among their own people. they have to account to their own people for their reaction to the execution of al nimr and the saudis likewise are trying to show their own people that they will not tolerate any kind of dissent, even if it's peaceful dissent. a new internet video appears to show isil executing five men who they claim are british spice, accusing them of gathering intelligence against isil. they are shot to death by masked executioners. the attackers mock british prime minister date cameron and threaten to invade the u.k. in san bernardino, employees are heading back to work a month after that deadly shooting.

14 people were killed and 20 others injured when sayed farook and his wife tashfeen malik opened fire during a holiday party. the believe has been closed since the december attack. the couple was killed during a shootout with police. their neighbor has been indicted on terror charges for his role in the attack. president obama is to meet attorney general loretta lynch later today with hopes of getting guns off the streets. the president is preparing to use his executive power to close loopholes in gun laws, saying it is necessary after numerous efforts to work with congress to pass stricter gun laws have stalled. thousands of residents along the mississippi are told to evacuate with rising floodwaters heading into tennessee and arkansas. floods left two dozen people dead and breached levees, threatening even more homes. >> just the tops of these thousands are peaking out from the floodwaters in southern illinois.

>> the river is expected to crest along the northern tennessee and arkansas border early this week, and then head farther south into mississippi. >> we're considering the plan for that 48 mark, we're going to have the right people and resources in place to deal with whatever situation comes our way. >> at least one levee happen already breached for ther north in olive branch, making some homes only reachable by boat. >> my mom is older and this is where she lives and she wants to stay, so we're going to do everything we can to make that happen. >> as rising water levels are monitored, authorities are going home to home warning of the floodwater coming their way. southern california is

forecast to get lots of rain in the days ahead. the rain began overnight. it could last for a week. local officials are doing everything they can to prepare for what could be a historic storm season. last el niño, the big storm that happened 18 years ago, we lost about 14 people and we had billions of dollars of damage, so we are determined to get out in front of this. >> the mayor said the city has been preparing for this series of storm systems as much as half a foot is expected which will increase the likelihood of flooding and landslides in southern california. >> in new york, the governor is taking a controversy approach to protect the homeless from the harsh winter, signing an executive order that would require local governments to take homeless people off the streets starting tuesday. officials would have to remove the homeless by force if necessary once temperatures drop below freezing. global markets seeing red to kick off the new year. the fears that have investors in a selling mood this morning.

a dire debt situation facing puerto rico, the warn in the leaders are offering over its food supply.

taking a look at the big board now, stocks are trading lower in the united states after a dramatic drop overnight in the chinese stock market. the nasdaq, the dow and s&p. are all down two percent since the opening bell just about 15 minutes ago. >> in china, stocks plunged 8%, triggering a halt in trading there. investors reacted to news of an economic slowdown and weakening currency and those worries spread to overseas markets. european stocks opened lower,

down as much as 4% throughout the day. we have more from beijing. >> it seems that a survey carried out by a private group showed that manufacturing output in china has contracted for the 10th straight month. also, the chinese occurrences, the yuan is continue to go weaken. the reason why manufacturing is declining is there is a drop off in demand for what china makes. the economy is slowing elsewhere in the world, why is it slowing? because china's economy escrowing, creating a vicious circle. ed ad to that, right in the middle of all this, china is carrying out a big experiment at the moment. it wants to transition its economy away from big industries like steel and coal and it wants to focus on really an industry that is more service led. that is though creating a very painful transition. just a few days, be a president

xi addressed the nation on new year's eve and said that fruitful gains come with persistent efforts. i think by persistent efforts he was referring to the fact there's possibly going to be more pain this year. gold prices trading higher today as traders look to make what they consider a safer investment. for the second time, puerto rico is expected to default on its billion dollars debt. the island owes creditors more than $70 billion. the government said it doesn't have the funds to pay it. all sectors of the island's economy are feeling the effects. in fact, it's agriculture sector warns there is only a one month food fly on hand. al jazeera's robert ray explains. >> four years ago, tara rodriguez opes this small organic restaurant in san juan.

>> i base our menu every day on the vegetables that we get from different farmers that we know. >> today, her kitchen is busy, creating food grown locally mostly by her sister's farm. people are packing the tables, a sustainable farm to table menu and a boost for the local economy. >> what i have seen in these past few years, on one end we have become a poster child of something that everybody wants on this island, which is to have good food and good farming practices. >> now we're leaving san juan heading up to the mountains, the second highest elevation in puerto rico where her sister, daniella, is farming on two acres. on the drive up, we pass a shuttered poultry farm, a symbol of the island's economic problems. at about 2,000 feet above the sea, an oasis. her sister is growing organic produce for the restaurant in san juan. >> time is running out and it's either now or never.

>> 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, and that's including canned food, probably even including dog food. >> that's remarkable. that's frightening. >> it's absolutely frightening. >> staples like rice and beans and coffee come mainly from the u.s. mainland, neighboring latin america countries and china. puerto rico's agricultural sector is stumbling along, 1% of the gross domestic product. >> you are trying to produce food on the island. >> yes. >> 85 percent of food is imported. >> yes. >> the agriculture secretary said they are working toward more local foods being produced. >> we developed an ambitious, a plan where we understand that we

can increase the local production from 50% of our consumption to near 25%. >> while the government implemented a plan to redevelop the island's agricultural sector, that includes providing farmers with sub decease and new equipment, entrepreneurs say things are promising, but they need more collaboration from the government. >> at the same time, we've been the only, you know, or one of the only faces, places, or initiatives that is actually tackling this issue right from the bottom up, so i have no government support whatsoever. >> the two sisters are trying to revitalize the agriculture of the island, farming and offering organic food fortress dents with the hope that people become less dependent on imports and more ambitious with the soils of puerto rico. robert ray, al jazeera, san juan

puerto rico. a 6.7 magnitude earthquake in india struck before dawn sending people south into the streets. it was felt as far away as bangladesh and myanmar. >> the earthquake struck about 30 kilometers west of the capital. it happened in the middle of the night. people were jolted right out of their beds. people running out of their homes screaming, crying. one person we spoke to this morning had said that a heavy bell at a temple nearby started ringing just because of the sheer amount of shaking going on. there hasn't been a lot of reports of damage, however, the rural parts of the state have poor connectivity to begin with even before the earthquake happened so getting information from those areas is still only now trickling in. the capital itself, which has about a quarter million people as residents has reported at least one building collapse.

there are reports that there may be workers underneath, so local rescue teams are checking that right now and rescue teams from the region are still on their way to the area. a mental of hope for refer jesus in the year ahead. humanitarians working on the greek island of lesbos gathered on new year's day, using life jackets to send a message of peace. more than half a million people arrived on that island during 2015. many seeking refuge from war and poverty in the middle east. about 3,000 life jackets were used to represent all the lives lost and hope for safer crossings in 2016. sweden is sending a different message, travel restrictions r. going into effect today to make it tougher for representative gees to call that country their new home, including tighter border controls with identity checks on buses, trains and boats headed for sweden. hillary clinton pushing back against criticism on the campaign trail, the new accusations she faces from gop presidential front runner donald

trump. the new star wars movie still an unstoppable force at the box office, the new records being broken by the sci-fi film.

bill clinton is back on the presidential campaign trail for his wife hillary in new hampshire. the camp hopes the president's popularity will hope with that state's primary. his presence is also opening up the campaign to new attacks, as hillary clinton found out when she was heckled on sunday during a rally. >> you are very rude and i'm not going to ever call on you. >> that woman was identified as a republican state representative who said she wanted to ask misclinton about her husband's controversial past. >> the clinton camp is also pushing back against comments by donald trump. the republicans spoke on it in a cbs news interview. she is constantly playing the woman card. it's the only way she may get legend. i'm not sure anybody else but me is going to be here and i think she's a flawed candidate. you see what's happened recently, and it hasn't been a very pretty picture for her or

bill because i'm the only one willing to talk about his problems. what he did and what he has gone through i think is frankly terrible, especially if she wants to play the woman card. >> this morning, trump has released his first political ad. his campaign said the commercial will beginning rung tomorrow. we asked dave leventhal if the commercial could be a game changer. >> we have been hearing of course for months that donald trump is leading in this poll and leading in that poll, but the poll numbers in some which these early states are kind of cutting against him a little bit. ted cruz is really up in iowa. there's several candidates in new hampshire really kind of nipping at the edges of donald trump, too, a few of them include chris christie. new hampshire, if you look at its history, you sometimes will have candidates kind of come out of nowhere, i'm thinking john mccain in 2008 and really set

themselves on a major path going forward, could happen again. bottom line, donald trump is looking at these last few weeks before the game really begins in earnest and putting serious money behind his effort here and not just relying on free media. in jackson mississippi a city councilman is standing by some controversial comments toward police. he is angry about high speed chases through his community. his proposed solution is controversial. >> what i suggest we get the black heard ship together and ask these jurisdictions coming into jackson, we throw rocks and bricks and bottles at them. that will send a message we don't want you in here. >> he made the comments last week. he said the chases carried out by police officers from all white neighboring jurisdiction are motivated by race. >> they are not chasing murderers. they are not chasing kidnappers.

they are not chasing bank robbers. they are chasing someone who may have stole candy, a misdemeanor, so we're going to endanger all the citizens in jackson because this person feels that a misdemeanor is important? >> the mayor of jackson who is black said he does not condone violence, while community members and head of a suburb police department called the comments very disturbing. new video in the investigation into the sunken cargo ship the el faro. the ntsb showed the wreckage on the ocean floor. the video was captured using a remote controlled underwater vehicle. it sank in october while sailing through a category four hurricane on its way to puerto rico. none of the 33 crew members survived. the ship's black box recorder has not yet been found. for the third week in a row, the force is still with star wars. the force awakens at

$740 million i also now the second highest earning film of all times. >> nothing will stand in our way. >> its domestic gross surpassed jurassic world and even titanic. it reigned over the holiday weekend, hauling in eight eye million dollars. avatar is the highest earning domestic film with a lifetime gross of $760 million. here are the worldwide numbers, avatar number one, titanic not far behind. jurassic word is third, then it's the avengers furious seven. the star wars, the force awakens, all at about $1.5 billion world wild for now. rounding out the top 10, all at just over a billion dollars. thanks for watching. the news continues next live from doha.

this is al jazeera. hello. welcome to the newshour. with the top stories on al jazeera. standing 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,