north korea says that it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. hello, you're watching al jazeera. also ahead on the program, cold and in need of help, freezing weather makes life even tougher for syrian refugees. >> every time i think about those kids, it gets me mad tears from obama as he calls for action on gun control.

a kenyan university where al-shabab killed nearly 150 students reopens amid tight security. north korea says it has detonated a hydrogen bomb. the u.n. body which monitors nuclear testing has described it as a grave threat to peace. an emergency has been called of the u.n. security council. now, this test was announced on north korean television. >> translation: we will not give up a nuclear program as long as u.s. man obtains its stance of aggression adrian brown is in beijing and has this report >> reporter: a short time ago the foreign ministry here in beijing gave a briefing to foreign news journalists and it was quite interesting, the rebuke they issued to north korea was actually quite mild. they anticipated to north korea

to assess its provocative action and urged north korea to return to the six-party talks. now, china, of course, is about the only friend that north korea has right now. they have, in the past been idea logical allies, but there have been deep strains in that relationship during the past few years, mainly because of north korea's nuclear program. xhin ain the past has supported sanctions against north korea and, of course, it could be in that position once again if that is what the united nations decides to do there has been swift international reaction to this nuclear test. the u.s. has again called on north korea to abide by its international object gi gagss and commitments. the object-- obligations and commitments. the security council is said to hold an emergency meeting to discuss this test. britain says that if the test is confirmed, it would be a proef indication and a grave breach of

u.n. security council resolutions. north korea's neighbors has this to say. >> translation: as we all know, north korea's provocation is a complete violation of security council resolutions and a series challenge to world peace and security. the south korean ministry will find an avenue following the superior officer's directions and we will consider security measures. >> translation: north korea's nuclear test is a serious threat to our nation as security. it absolutely cannot be tolerated. we strongly denounce it. >> translation: we will take a firm response, including at the u.n. security council and cooperation with the u.s., south korea, china and russia an international affairs analyst who specialises in china-korea relations joins us now. thank you for your time. is there any sign that something

like this was coming? >> no. not at all. i mean, yes, a few weeks ago necessity mentioned that they have per effected a nuclear bomb, i think less than a week ago, but there was no notice this time - perfected - which was interesting. they had been given ten or 20 minutes notice before the previous one in 2013. this time around there appears there was no notice given. i don't think beijing was counting on this action being taken. they were hoping that the messages that they've been trying to send very clearly to the area would have gotten through why why these actions? >> it is unclear. i think there is a lot of speculation that he is struggling to hold on to power, he has been purging people left, right and center and there's an expectation that as a supreme

leader he will act strongly. obviously, detonating these boments is something that he portrays to the north korean people as something very, very - bombs - strong and shows that he is able to resist the u.s. unfortunately, the thoij he has done in this particular case is, perhaps, enraged beijing who is not going to be able to stand by. all eyes will be on china at the security council because it will not be enough to just say words what can the ramifications really be? sure, the other countries are upset, but what might they really do? what can they really do? >> there's two issues. one, the security council will be meeting, but there will be no absolute verification that this was, in fact, a hydrogen bomb or any other - obviously, it was a bomb, but they won't know the exact nature of it for a few weeks because they will have to examine the data. so pending that, i would expect

some sort of statement from china that if it is verified, then there will be some sort of strong action. china is really the only lifeline to the outside that he has. if it's found that even if they cut that by half, it's going to have drastic consequences, especially on the inter party who are used to getting a lot of their luxury supplies through china what might the ramifications than on the north korean people? -- be on the north korean people? >> the north korean people could continue to suffer if, in fact, the supply lines are cut. we're talking all but 11% of the fuel that is consumed in north korea comes from china or through china. there are also foodstuffs, various consumers goods. this would have a real effect. there is this careful balance between sending a message and trying to topple what is an

otherwise very problematic government. the chinese are very reluctant to interfere in the affairs of other countries, but this will not go down well. everyone notes that he is not visited despite out wardly warm relations with south korea. it is a clear message that beijing has been sending you made a very good point so far this has not been verified. we're simply going off the word of north korea. thank you so much for your time. the obama administration doesn't see bashar al-assad stepping down as syria's president before 2017. that's according to a new report. information obtained by the associated press news agency details how bashar al-assad is unlikely to relinquish his position as president before march 2017. the report was prepared for u.s.

financials dealing with strategy to bring about an end to the conflict in syria. saudi arabia has signalled that its breakdown in in relation with iran would not affect peace talks in syria. there were comments following the meeting with u.n. special envoy in riyadh. he will also visit syria, iran and turkey in the coming days. harsh winter weather has hit latakia's refugee camp with snow. the storm swept across western syria and forced thousands to seek shelter. there are temporary accommodations and there are appeals from aid agencies. >> translation: we are refugees here from turkman mountain. we have been here for four years. the local councils are lacking. we don't have wood, heaters. we ask those who are concerned

to look into the refugees' rights because our situation is very, very bad. >> translation: ifs displaced from the occurred mountain. it took us a couple of days until we secured ourselves in this cold. it is minus 10 degrees here. we barely managed to get a tent. we don't have anything at all. we have an old person. it is too cold. we are unable to get firewood or relief kenya's university has reopened nine months after al-shabab gunmen stormed the campus and killed 148 people. security was tight with police carrying automatic weapons and patrolling the grounds. the university says most of the staff have now returned to work and classes will begin next week. malcolm webb is there and he joins us live. what is the scene there? what is the setting like? >> reporter: there has been a steady trickle of enough students arriving and register

at the desk by the gate. it was through this very gate nine months ago that five gunmen entered the university and over the siege many were killed. the atmosphere is very different. the students that we have spoken to say they're not concerned and they do feel safe here. the university management say they've finally got the security that they've been asking for, for months, even for months before the attack happened. they said they had written to the government many times saying it was a vulnerable university. it was identified as a target. they finally got that security. they say the university now will be safe the people that you're talking it to now that are coming today, they say that they're not in any way fearful? >> reporter: the people that we have spoken to say they're not, but then the students who were

here at the time and that are you aware vooifd the attack-- survived the attack have all been transferred to other universities in other parts of the country. none of them are expected to return. we understand that's because they've already been registered at other universities, but the ones that we've tone to, we kept in touch with them, they say they don't want to come back. it's new students that are arriving here and registering. so far it's mostly peeft from this area-- people from this area, but they say they don't fear but they think the security as improved and the university is okay thank you. still to come on al jazeera, mall asia sees red on mining because of its impact on the environment. plus. >> reporter: i'm in spain where a new generation of eco hot air balloons are taking flight.

of the top stories. north korea says it successfully exploded a nuclear bomb. it is a grave threat to peace and an emergency of the u.n. security council has been called. harsh winter weather has hit latakia's refugee camp. thousands of people have had to

seek shelter. they're asking for help. kenya's university has reopened nine months after al-shabab stormed that campus and killed 148 people. the university says most of the staff have now returned to work and classes will begin next week. obama has issued an executive order making it harder for americans no get a gun >> 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 are purchased. if anyone wants to buy a gun on line or at a show, they have to get a background check. >> the gun lobby may be holding the government hostage now but they cannot hold america hostage. >> reporter: ted cruz are promising to throw it out >> >> we don't beat the glad guys by taking away the guns. we beat the bad guys by using our guns. >> reporter: it is likely that his moves will be challenged in the courts and congress. he is asking for more money for health care and agents to speed up those background checks and to do more investigations. he is going to face a fierce fight if he is going to try and get that one >> reporter: there were more than three million guns sold in the u.s. just last month. still green says he is optimistic there can be a

solution. >> it takes time, momentum, constant dedication to the cause and i feel like there are so many - my family included - who are dedicated to seeing if youer gun deaths in america. we won't stop. >> reporter: neither will though opposed to any changes, meaning in is a fight that is far, far from over vw has apologised for the cheating scandal that has led to the german company being sued by the u.s. justice department. speaking at the consumer electronics so nf l.a. the chief executive said he was truly sorry. on tuesday the u.s. announced it would seek civil damages from the company following the admission last september. we're joined by a correspondent for ewe toe maytive-- automotive news. just how serious might the consequences be of the legal action that the justice department is taking against vw?

how big might be fallout be for this company? >> well, for a start it is likely to be extraordinarily costly. analyst believe the sum will run into the billions of dollars which vw can afford, but it's still a huge sum sum. it also illustrates the fact that the u.s. justice department and epa in the u.s. is still extraordinarily angry with vw. that will be seen in the size the fine that they're going to hand to them what do you make of the way that vw has handled things since these revelations have come out? >> well, in europe i think they've had a very easy ride of it. the regulators in germany have agreed there is a simple fix and consumers aren't too worried because necessity didn't want a

complicated fix that might hit fuel economy of their cars. in the states it's a different matter. they are still struggling to convince the u.s. government that they're on top of a fix there. they believe they're getting closer, burr as this lawsuit shows, they're still extraordinarily angry over there as an american i'm just chu chuckling about the anger. what do you make about the car rolling out. is this a pr move? >> yes and no. yes in that it's now become traditional in the states if you want to appease the government there to roll out an electric car to go more in that direction, it certainly says, look, hey, we're clean, we're green, there's nothing coming out of this tail pipe here, and also it's sort of harking back

to the hippie van which americans still hold an enormous affection. it's saying, you know, we're friendly, we're peaceful, we're a company that you can still love and this time they have produced micro buff concepts before, two of them, but this time they say they're going to build this one. so it might be a pretty good pr move all told do you think that this is something that will affect vw in a while in the states or do you think people have short memories when it comes to things like this? >> people do tend to have short memories. it depends now on what the fix is for the cars that are already there and how vw can show that they've moved on from this. i think it's going to harm their chances of selling diesel cars there. i think that's pretty much there. if they could get a good head

start with electric cars, then they've got a hope of moving on. electric cars are still a very small market, less than 1% for pure electric cars in the states. so this isn't going to reclaim all the lost sales, but it might stand them in good srngs t-- stead in the future hundreds of people have protested in germany. police believe a thousand men were involved in robberies and assaults on women on new year's eve. men were seen around the area where attacks happened. police have warned against blaming any refugees or migrants before the facts are actually known. mall asia has suspended bauxite mining because of its impact on the environment. the company is the biggest exporter of bauxite which is the world's main source of

aluminium. there is this update from the capital where most of the bauxite is mined. >> reporter: the state minister sat alongside the federal minister of malaysia for the environment and natural resources to outline what this state would now do in terms of the bauxite debate. the conclusion has been that certainly for the next two months all mining will be suspended from 15 january. that will give the authorities time to clear the stock piles that are currently held at the port and then in the second month they will clear 911 locations across the state where there are stock piles. this will now give the authorities a chance to also review, amend, cancel or even continue the licences that they have given to mining companies to constitute mining and also to make sure that they are acting within all the rules and

regulations of this open-cut bauxite mining. malaysia is the world's leading exporter. australia has suspended its bauxite operation and indonesia has designed to refine its own before it exports. it gives pressure groups, who have been very concerned about mining, the opportunity to highlight the damage they feel bauxite mining is doing to a state. less than a week ago a small amount of bauxite seemed to have seeped into the fresh water supplies and that leaked into rivers. the water source you see behind he was blood red-- he was bled red deck deck. it was both short-term and long-term. it's not just in the water but it's the dust it creates. it's on everything, cars, buildings, lorries, schools and this is where people live, work and breathe. for the moment there is a respite. for how long we don't know.

we don't know what the future of bauxite mining will be and it is anyone's guess bangladesh supreme court has upheld the death sentence imposed on the former head of the largest islamic party. he was accused of leading militia of committed murder and rape in 1971. a report from our correspondent. >> reporter: the charges against this man make grim reading. the former chief of the army, the largest islamic political party, was handed the death sentence for committing war crimes in 1971. he is accused of setting up the militia, a para military unit which collaborated with the pakistani country in large scale army. he is the last key defendant left in the dock.

>> he was the main planner, he was the mastermind. mastermind of killing. not only that, from the very beginning he was the man who was with the pakistan. >> reporter: not everyone is pleased with the verdict. supporters of him have in the past taken to the streets in violent protests. more than 500 people have been killed so far in clashes related to the trial. but a sustained crack down on the opposition has meant that lately the reactions to the verdict have been more subdued. none of his family members in bangladesh are willing to speak to the media because of safety concerns. it is not just the relatives, but lawyers representing the men on trial say they've been 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 19671. they-- 1971. they have admitted the offences of murder, arson, rape and mass killing. they're left off. >> 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 sites closer to home-- sights closer to home a vatican newspaper has criticized the magazine "charlie hebro." as part of a specialed addition marking the one year attack, it has a bearded man representing

god with a gun over his shoulder. a company in spain is working on ways to make hot air balloons greener. our technology editor visited their factory near barcelona. >> reporter: its dawn in the hills near barcelona and in the still morning air a newly completed hot air balloon is inflated for the first time. the team inspects the rigging and the stitching on all the seams. it is a standard check performed before new balloons are shipped to customers. this spanish company is the world's largest maker of hot air balloons producing around 200 each year. the design, color scheme and branding of each balloon is customised and stitched together by hand with thousands of light wab fabric. >> just to check that - to double-check because in theory

our supplier already checks it that it is good, but we also check it when we receive them. >> reporter: hot air balloons useless propane gas to heat the air that lifts them. they could use up to 100 liters in one flies, enough to drive a car a thousand metres. that is why this company has developed a oon eco friendly model that is dramatically more efficient. using two layers of fabric instead of one makes the eco balloon both stronger and longer lasting. it is also better insulated which means it's cheaper to fly and uses about half as much gas. >> the main benefit is the fuel saving. you can save fuel up to 50%, so this gives you options to spend less fuel so you fly cheaper, you spend less money in a single flight or you can have more capacity for a flight so when you cannot land in the long

flight, for example, in the mountains, so you can have extra economy to go to another place to land. >> reporter: the company has also been working on technology to make hot air ballooning safer. that is developed a smart phone app to track and log flights in real time and also a monitor that alerts a pilot if a balloon comes too close to power lines. despite the technology logical advances, for some it's the simplicity of the sport that makes it attractive. >> you see it in a different way, the world. when it is up in the air it is quiet, you can relax and you feel yourself as you need to fly following the winds, you cannot control too much the dreshgs, so it gives you --ing --ing direction, so it gives you the feeling that you're aalone and you can enjoy it. >> reporter: the eco balloon is more expensive to make, but the company says because it lasts lon yeng and it is cheaper to fly, it's a cost effective alternative and one that the

developers hope that will ensure that hot air ballooning will be a sustainable sport in the future some beautiful balloons and a reminder to keep up-to-date on all of the day's news. just visit our website. we're easy to find at al jazeera.com >> this is "techknow". a show about innovations that can change lives. >> the science of fighting a wildfire. >> we're going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity, but we're doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science... >> oh! >> oh my god! >> by scientists. tonight: techknow's journey to the arctic. 13 days... subfreezing temperatures...