north koreantv says a successful hydrogen bomb test has been completed. we're with the world news from al jazeera. also ahead. >> every time i think about those kids, it gets me mad president obama's cry for help. his emotional call for action on gun control. another desperately sad scene. more refugees drown in rough seas while trying to reach greece. a power struggle in venezuela.

protests as the opposition is sworn in the united nations security council is expected to meet on wednesday to discuss north korea a. a short time it was announced a hydrogen bomb test was completed. north korea says it will continue to strengthen its nuclear program in order to protect itself against the united states. a magnitude 5.1 earthquake near the nuclear test site in north korea a. more from adrian brown. what more details are eemerging now from this possible hydrogen bomb test in the north? >> reporter: the north korean's claim that they carried out a test of a hydrogen bomb early on wednesday morning. they say that test was successful and was carried out

in defense of the nation. reaction is coming in thick and fast around the region. the south korean president's office has announced that she has summoned her key national security advisers for an emergency meeting. the japanese prime minister has said that the test posed a serious threat not just to japan security but also to regional security. i think you will possibly see the japanese and south koreans getting together for talks in the next 24 hours or so to formulate what their response should be. a response also from the state department saying they can't verify whether this was, indeed, an h bomb test, but if it was they condemn it. here in china no official reaction so far, but the foreign ministry are due to hold one of their regular press briefings in a short time. so we will get what china's thinking is later on today. but certainly in the past they have criticized them when they

have carried out nuclear tests. remember this is the fourth test that has been carried out since 2006. in 2006 it involves plutonium, and as in 2009 and in 2013 it sought to involve uranium. it is going to take weeks or months to determine whether uranium - with whether hydro gem, i'm sorry, was involved in time, but a lot of reaction in the region. interestingly, the markets are slightly up, so i would have thought they would have gone down, but they have responded in an unusual way as you say, no advance warning was given to china about this test. what is this telling us, then, about beijing's influence over itser attic neighbour-- eratic neighbour? >> reporter: well, it tells us, really, that china's influence over north korea is not as strong as it once was.

there have been serious strains in that relationship that have been reflected really during the last couple of years. in the past north korea has tended to listen to china, but china now seems to have less and less influence over north korea. so the question is if there were to be further sanctions against north korea, china's role in that would be key because the oil, the food that north korea needs has to pass through china. so china will now be assessing what it should do. it is said in the past that it wants to avoid the korean peninsula being knew clee arised arised-- nuclearised. the big worry for the rest of the region, particularly the united states, in particular, is whether this test, this h bomb test today, could be the first

step to bringing the north closer no developing a war head, a nuclear war head, that could be mounted on a long range missile that could reach the united states. that will be the big worry in the united states today thank you. what exactly is a hydrogen bomb and how does it work? it's the most powerful type of nuclear bomb. in some cases it can reach more than 2,000 times the of the nuclear bombs which were dropped by the u.s. on the japanese cities in the 1940s. unlike atomic bombs which release energy by breaking apart, a hydrogen bomb derives its explosive force from nuclear fusion. it produces extreme heat and can spark fire storms and intense white light that can induce blindness. a professor says testing bombs is a way for north korea to ignore natural it wants-- signal it wants something from the

international community. >> it is april substantial step forward. they have never been used against civilians. we have theoretical predictions of what it could do, but we have predictions. this is a major step up. i also have to say we have no other evidence other than what the north koreas have said. they said this a couple of months ago that they had this. there was a lot of scepticism. north korea goes through a cycle of provocation. they pull something at least once a year. these things are usually intended to shake down the americans or others for assistance or attention. the north koreans were robust in the discussions in the south and north in december. this may be signalling a way to get something from those discussions. in the coming election, which is coming up in april, this may be a way of signalling that you need to pay attention to us and you should sort of participate

in inter-korean talks president obama has issued an executive order to make it harder for americans to get guns. than emotional u.s. president outlined his plan getting the backing of congress could take years. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: this just doesn't happen. >> every time i think about those kids it gets me mad. >> reporter: an emotional president remembering the 20 children killed in their classroom over three years ago. his tears in part for one of the victims, this girl. she was a loving, generous, smart, funny, brilliant, talented little girl who loved to show how much she loved her family and her friends every day. >> reporter: her father was here to watch the president change the rules for how guns were purchased. now if people want to buy a gun on line or at a gun show, they have to get a background check.

a bill couldn't get through the congress senate. >> the gun law may be holding congress hostage, but it won't be the government. >> reporter: it could be thrown out. >> we don't beat the bad guys by taking away the guns. we beat the guys by using our guns >> reporter: it is likely that the president's moves are going to be challenged in the court system and also in the u.s. congress. he is asking for more money for mental health care and to speed up background checks and do more investigations. he is going to face a fight in congress to get that money >> reporter: there were more than three million guns sold in the u.s. just last month. still he says he is optimistic there can be a solution. >> it takes he tum, constant dedication to the cause--

momentum. i feel many want to see less gun deaths. >> reporter: this is a fight that is far, far from over while some have praised obama's plans, some pro-gun organizations say it is a breach of his powers >> we think that the executive orders are an abrogation of power that the president doesn't have the power to legislate. he is not clarifying a vagueness of the law; he is adding specifics where already the law provides specifics. if he wanted to advocate change in the law, that would actually be beneficial. he could work with us to get rid of gun-free zones because all of our mass murders in public have occurred since 1950, all but

two, in these gun-free zones. >> reporter: an armed anti-government group has been occupying several federal buildings outside the small town of burns in oregon for five days. they p want the government to hand over land used for ranching. members in the area are concerned how the protest will end. >> reporter: the first rays of morning light bring another day of stunning beauty on the plains of eastern oregon, but also another day of anti-government protesters standing guard at the main entrance of federal wildlife refuge complex that they have taken over and occupied since saturday. the protesters numbers in the dozens at most, the majority of who are not from the area. they say they're here to help the local ranchers get what they insist is the land back from the federal government >> we do have a plan. as we have stated from the beginning, and we are going to work. we are implementing this plan.

we have been in communication closely with many, many community members that are assisting us in that. we see a time coming very soon where the community will begin to participate more in that. >> reporter: this is cattle ranching country where cattle outnumber people 14 to one, but were nearly 70% of grazing lands is owned by managed by the federal government. steve turner sympathises with the ranchers. he said the government intrudes in their way of life >> i think the federal government is overreaching and doing things they're not supposed to do. >> reporter: in found at thelets cattle supply store, most view the government with suspicion, but they're divided on whether the protesters are helping or hurting their efforts. >> i support what they are

trying to get done. not how they're doing it >> i think they're causing my chaos than what needs to be brought into this town right now. i don't believe it's necessary. >> reporter: some people, like this man, are too scared to show their face or give their name. >> i don't agree with what they're doing. >> reporter: you think it's bringing bad attention to the community? >> i think most of the community is scared and don't think it's a good thing >> reporter: why are they scared? >> they don't know what's going to happen >> reporter: here in town schools and some businesses remain closed due to safety concerns because of the government buildings that are now occupied by the armed group. that's why on wednesday the local sheriff will be having a town hall meeting to try to address those concerns. meanwhile, this is a community where residents are growing increasingly anxious trying to figure out how this will all end plenty more to come here

including the war of words continues between saudi arabia and iran two days after diplomatic ties were cut between them. more on that. stay with us. stay with us.

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welcome back. a quick reminder of the top stories. the u.n. security council is to meet on wednesday to discuss north korea's latest nuclear test. a hydrogen body was tested. if confirmed, the test is a violation of the comprehensive

lands treaty. an emotional u.s. president has unveiled plans to curb gun violence across the u.s. president obama esays he gets mad every time he thinks of the 20 children gunned down in 2012. his executive order will require more gun background checks, address mental illness and focus on gun safety. an armed anti-government group is continuing to occupy several federal buildings outside the small town of burns in oregon now for five days. the group wants the government top hand over land used for ranching. at least 36 refugees have died after two boats capsized off turkey's aegean coast. the area is a launching point for many trying to enter the ewe peen union by heading towards the greek island of lesbos. 12 people were rescued and the u.s. coast guard is looking for mr survivors. >> reporter: it is the first week of a new year. the warm summer long gone and

the refugees' journey is getting harder. off the turkish coast a rubber dinghy has capsized. more than 20 would never arrive, their bodies washing back ashore onto the beaches of turkey. >> translation: we came an hour ago. we heard a boat sank and hit the rocks. i think these people died when they were trying to swim from the rocks. we came here to help. >> reporter: but there wasn't much to be done. the turkish coast guard dispatched help. one man emerged from the freezing waters on his own. it is estimated a million refugees and migrants entered greece through its outlying islands in 2015 travelling on to

central and northern europe as part of the biggest humanitarian crisis on the continent in two decades. >> refugees continue to enter at the rate of 2500 a day from turkey, which is close to the average through december. we see the migrant flows are continuing through the winter and, obviously, the fatals are continues-- fatalities are continuing as well. >> reporter: most are heading to lesbos, gateway to the european union some 10 kilometers off the turkish coast. despite efforts to improve conditions here, international volunteers say the refugees' welcome can be a harsh one. >> women, young children, they are not safe at night, as are the men that come with the women and children because they're stealing, there is raping, there is death, there is - there are knives here, there are guns

here. those things happen here. >> reporter: so the fate of even those who survived the sea crossing is uncertain. many will eventually find safe harbour in european countries like germany, but here on the greek shore their ordeal has just begun returning to our top story now, on north korea's announcement that it carried out a hydrogen bomb test. we have an expert via skype. if this is a hoo hydrogen bomb in the north, how advanced would this be for north korea? >> i think it would be a significant advance. i think most thought north korea didn't have this capability in this point in time. we know they had an atomic weapon which was about 12 to 20 kilatons. the first hydrogen

bomb detonated by the u.s. was something around the range of about 100 kilatons. this is a significant jump. there is some speculation that this is not a full-pledged hydrogen weapon, if indeed we can confirm something like this at this point. there is a sort of midway point at which you take an atomic weapon, a device, and you boost it with fusion material, which causes a larger explosion. so whether that's technically a hydrogen weapon or not, it's not clear. we know when china was developing its nuclear weapons program, that was sort of a mid-step they took before they got to a full-fledged hydrogen weapon. right now everything is speculation. we're going to have to filling out based on the data and what we can determine for more intelligence what the true nature of the explosion is speculation or not, how significant do you think, though, the timing of this test

is? why is it doing this now, do you think? >> well, i think the real reason is one is that there has been significant pressure on them for some time, from a military standpoint. i think in the end they want to have a significant nuclear arsenal and for them to be able to do that, they have to test. for them to go smaller, they had to test. either there was pressure internally, among other things, to them to test. they were trying to figure out when politically this was the best time to do this. i don't know what the internal calculations are, but necessity obviously decided that this was the best time political tli for them to do it no advance warning was given to china, we understand, about this test. what is this telling us about beijing's influence over its erratic neighbor? >> i think it's kind of two-fold. one is if there had been a huge

run-up tlshgs would have been a lot of pressure for china for them to stop and then they probably would have felt like compelled that they had done it. doing it by surprise they were subject to a lot of diplomatic pressure all the way around. so i guess it's quite telling in a sense that they're doing this for their own security purposes, not necessary at all for china thank you for talking to us. >> you're welcome saudi arabian diplomats have arrived home two days after the kingdom broke diplomatic ties. tension between the two powers have been killing after saudi arabia executed a dissident shia krer cleric. several of regional allies have also cut ties with iran. russia has offered to media yat while ksh - mediate while the u.s. is calling for restraint. >> reporter: the obama administration is calling saudi

arabia and iran to exercise restraint and find a diplomatic way to resolve their latest dispute over the execution of 47 prisoners in saudi arabia in recent days. the u.s. says this is because there are critical serious issues that are facing the entire middle east and they say they need both the saudi arabias and the iranians on board. this is the spokesperson at the states department, john kirby >> we believe it is important to work through that tension, work through those disagreements so that we can all work harder together on other issues, which are affecting the middle least, the fight geflt-- middle east and the fight against i.s.i.l., the continuing strife in yemen and, of course, the need to really keep moving the political process in syria forward. there's a lot on the agenda in the middle east and the secretary wants to make sure that we are all, all of us, are still but pulling on the oares to get at those objectives. >> reporter: the u.s. says it is

not seeing any evidence that the fight between the saudis and the iranians is affecting the overall campaign to defeat i.s.i.l. in the middle east. it also says that it's not seeing any signs yet that upcoming talks between the syrian government and the syrian opposition are being jeopardised because of this diplomatic dispute venezuela now has a parliament that will be controlled by the center right opposition for the first time in 16 years. some members couldn't be sworn in because of a court challenge by supporters of president maduro's socialist party. our correspondent reports on how people there have been reacting. >> reporter: songs about change and new beginnings. j jubilant supporters as they made their way to the national assembly in the capital. last december a sweeping victory gave them a two-thirds super

majority paving the way for a transformation in the way venezuela is run. >> translation: venezuela needed a change. we are fed up of shortages and violence. as a mother i want my children to grow up with freedom and without all this hatred. >> reporter: a few blocks away there is a rival really. backing president maduro. they're worried about the make up of a new national assembly. >> translation: the opposition hates this country. they offended the commander and the president. we have to tell them they must rrp our revolution and our leaders. >> reporter: street clashes between both groups have been feared, especially after three opposition deputies were presented from being sworn in by a recent supreme court ruling. but it was at the ceremony itself that the tensions were most evident. a sign of the challenges space as they prepare 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. >> translation: the asas ins, the perpetrators. they can't pardon themselves. only the victims can for give them. >> reporter: in the end, they walked out. the frustration over the changing political landscape in venezuela, too great for them to say. a series of laws were recently passed. analysts here have warned that the continuing of this dprid lock would only exacerbate the possibility of social conflict the supreme court in bangladesh has upheld the death sentence of the former chief of a country's largest islamic political party. he was convicted for commanding a militia which committed murder

and rape during bangladesh's war of independence in 1971. our correspondent reports from dakka. >> reporter: the charges against the man make for grim reading. the former chief of the largest political party was accused of setting up a military unit that collaborated with the pakistani army in large-scale murders targeting the country's hindu minority. for war crimes, the prosecutor says he is the last one in the dock >> he was the mastermind, mastermind of killing. not only that, from the very beginning he was the man who connived the army. >> reporter: not everyone is pleased with the verdict.

supporters of him have in the past taken to the streets in violent protests. the police responded in force. more than 500 people have been killed so far in clashes related to the trial. a sustained crack down on the opposition has meant that lately the reactions to the verdict have been more subdued. >> reporter: none of his family members in bangladesh are willing to speak to the media for safety concerns. it's not just relatives, but men on the trial saying they're being followed, harassed and arrested. his lawyer and the president of the supreme court bar association says the tribunal is targeting the wrong men. >> everyone knows what the pakistan army has done in 1971. they have committed the offence of murder, offence of arson,

offence of rape and mass killing. >> reporter: the pakistan government denies any war crimes were committed in 1971. in the meantime, he is already in custody and supporters of the war crimes tribunal desperate to finally get some justice for the crimes of the past are happy to set their sights closer to home members of britain's parliament will soon debate if donald trump should be barred from entering the u.k. half a million people signed a petition asking the government to keep donald trump out of the country. the request comes after his controversial comments that muslims should be kept from entering the u.s. the hearing is shelled uld for january-- shelled uld for-- scheduled for january 18. in china colorful castles and buildings from thick blocks of

ice have been created. this is one of china's coldest regions. a quick reminder, you can keep up-to-date with all our news on al jazeera.com. one woman's journey to reclaim her civil rights good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm adam may. joie chen has the night off. florida, disenfranchising nd