aljazeera.com/technicalknow. check check >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz in new york. >> i believe strongly that iran needs to be a part of the solution to the syrian crisis. >> less than two hours after the u.n. unvit iran to peace talks syria's main opposition group threatens to back out. >> united states pushes for peace in ukraine, bloody battles. tens of thousands defying a government ban on protests >> growing security concerns at the sochi winter olympics. video threats appear on the internet. >> and trying to convince people in west virginia the water is safe, but there are lingering

concerns. >> a major development tonight in the upcoming syria talks in switzerland. united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon announced the edition of iran to join the conference. it sparked reactions from the syrian opposition who said they will not attend unless iran's invitation is retracted. they say that it is essential for iran to bring an end to the violence. >> i believe strongly that iran needs to be a part of the solution to the syrian crisis. >> iran is an important ally to syrian president bashar al-assad. now, a group called the islamic front, an alliance of forces

rejected the talks. if a breakthrough is reached, it will be harder to implement on a battlefield. violence in the war-rattled nation continues. we have more. >> government forces continue to hit targets in different parts of aleppo. the weapon of joys is barrels filled with explosives. the distribution is vast and people continue to die. act visits and residents are keen to find survivors. the army backs coalition going to the talks, provided they end the syrian regime. we support a solution guaranteeing a political traction of authority, fulfilling the syrian people's demands. we ask the government going to geneva to halt the goals. bashar al-assad, and his group

must leave power, he must have no role in syria's future. a transitional government will be formed. prisoners should be released. especially women and children. humanitarian corridors must be open. meanwhile there has been fighting between rebel forces and members from the al qaeda linked state in iraq. >> other parts of syria have had their share of the violence as well. government jets hit targets in homes. >> a lot of developments on the syrian peace talks. more later in the show in the segment called "the week ahead." >> it's almost day one of iran's historical agreement. in hours u.n. inspectors will review the country's uranium production. most iran jaians are thrilled a

getting the sanctioned money. >> jan 20 marks the day when the uranium agreement comes into force. how much, if at all will it affect daily life is the key question. many iranians don't thing much will change. >> translation: they put us under such pressure that even by a little thing such as this it will be hopeful. we are hopeful for the future. some are political. it's about giving and taking concessions. for the beginning, it's good, but it's not enough. >> iran and the six world powers will implement the agreement in the next six months. it means a stop to enriching uranium to levels of 20% purity. iran will continue to enrich, but at a lower level of 5%. tehran will convert half its current stock into fuel, and

diluting the other half. >> if the agreement is not implemented by both sides, it will be suspended. if the other side does not fulfil commitments and release money, iran is ready to resume enriching uranium to 20%. >> as well as releasing 4 million over the next six months, the world powers will superintendent e.u. powers much the u.s. will suspend sanctions on iran's auto industry. and help with the supply of airplane parts and medicines. and the white house has said it doesn't want to the impose new sanctions much the biggest issue remains, one that affects all irania iranians. sanctions on the bank. >> sanctions have been imposed on the banking system - transport, insurance, and oil sales.

transportation companies have been beened from coming to the ports. what is supposed to happen from january 20th has no effective impact on sanctions. it's psychological. >> the psychological boost would be welcome for many, with so many households feeling the pinch. in the past two years prices increased across iran. a good example is this popular brand of cheese. the price is now six times what it used to be. although it has not got any bigger. now, some producers claim sanctions for the price rises. the best economists say that is not true. it's profit earring in a time of economic misery. the government warns iranians there is a long way to go either abroad or at home. >> taliban leaders say they

would be willing to enter peace talks with pakistan, after a bombing killed 20 soldiers. fighters will sit with the government only when pakistan proves sincerity and authority. this morning's attack was in retaliation of a death of a taliban leader. >> riots erupted in kiev. dozens were hurt as thousand confronted police. it came as new laws were passed, limiting protests. tonight there were calls for the violence to end. jennifer glass has the latest. >> it's the worse violence in kiev in two months. thousands of protesters clashed with police, blocking the road to parliament. protesters set buses on fire, the police fired pepper gas. demonstrators kidnapped a policemen. opposition leader and former professional boxer tried to calm

the people with no success. tensions heightened when a court declared demonstrations in the center of kiev illegal. and the president signed into law sweeping measures to limit free speech and assembly. >> tens of thousands gathered on independence square to defy the regulations. >> i appeal to law enforcement bodies, to servicemen. join the people, protect the people because you gave an oath to the ukrainian people first of all, and you have to protect them. the government says they are public order laws. the people here disagree. >> this is not just a new law, it's a coup. each time the coup happens, especially when there's a social explosion in the country, it's an unpredictable matter. >> we are trying to show the people, show the parliament and the government that i'm not agree with them.

i'm against the choices or the rules. >> as night fell more than a dozen police had been injured. they used flash grenades to disperse protesters. explosions can be heard across the city. >> demonstrators threw firebombs and destroyed vehicles. not all advocate aggression as a way to get what they want from the government after two months of demonstrations. >> more security concerns as russia prepares to host the winter olympics in 18 days. video emerged of two mep cla me- men claiming to be the suicide bombers. they warn people coming to the games to be careful. the threat is credible. >> given the volatility of the caucuses and the dies to the

middle eastern groups, it's credible that they intend to launch an attack against the olympics. the big question is can they succeed in doing so. is the security with which of the russians blanketed sochi and the surrounding area for several months now sufficient to thwart that. >> russian president insists visitors will be kept safe. vladimir putin spoke out on another matter. he defended it calling gays pedophiles. he promises gay athletes and fans are welcome. >> wij west virginia's water company is trying to assure people that the tap water is safe. many say the water still smells. robert ray with the latest. >> on the banks of the elk river river, perhaps you can see the facilities, freedom industries containers over there, where the

spill occurred days ago. we reached out to the water company that is treating everything and eliminate the liquorice odour. here is what they said to us. they said: >> now, they also went on to answer another question we had, as to why the liquorice smell continues to be in the air in people's homes, saying:

>> in the meantime many in the state are continuing to drink bottled water as they do not trust the water system out there. we have seen roadside drop-offs around different counties all day long. businesses not quite ready to serve up the water out of the tap. they are flushing systems, and people are drinking mostly bottled water at places like that. a lot of questions in the story as it continues to develop. and we are certain that legislators and others will talk about it all week, trying to figure out a fix to the fact that there was a leak on the elk river river and 300,000 people were not able to drink or bathe in water. >> let's get a check of the weather. you are telling me a big change is coming to the north-east. >> yes, we have cold air, colder

than today. we got a chill in the air today. now we'll get more to come. now we are seeing the cool air bringing snow showers around the great lakes, and upstate new york, from sarah cues to maine. there'll be a couple of inches before it tapers off and the next round comes in. still dry in the west >> temperatures 36 in minneapolis. it's 36 in new york now. that air starts seeping down as we get through the day tomorrow. it will move to the northern plains. temperatures will be diving as the wind gusts will be picking up 40 to 50 miles per hour. it will be colder to the north, but not as warm to the midwest and mid-atlantic. we are expecting a high of

three, but kansas city, you'll drop to 22 and a little snow will come in with that. 2001 to two inches with a blast of cold air. your low temperatures to start of day - it will be cold, but the high temperatures getting to 44 and below zero in so many places near the canadian boarder. >> still to come - it's been nine years since lebanon's prime minister was assassinated. next - more on the controversial trial under way. a decades after hurricane katrina, a positive step towards recovery in new orleans.

>> a high profile trial is underway for a political assassination. the special tribunal opened up to investigate a 2005 assassination of hariri. four men tied to the shia armed

group hezbollah are being tried. >> almost nine years after the killing of lebanese prime minister hariri in down-town beirut the special tribunal for lebanon was open at the hague. the bomb killed hariri and 21 others, blowing out a crater 35 feet wide and six feet deep. >> the prosecutor says a bomb was manually exploded. four are being tried in absentia. shielded by hezbollah. but now, hezbollah's leader says the men are innocent and warns any hand that touches them will be cut off. hezbollah and its syria and allies denounced the trial as a western-backed conspiracy. it's the first time an international court tried defendants since the neerim berg trials. it has backing in the united

states, and was created by a vote of the united nations security council. the attackers used high-agreed explosives, far more than required to kill the main target. >> the chief prosecutorism. >> it was to ensure the target was killed and send a message and cause panic among beirut and lebanon. preparations in security cost $325 million. the verdict can be precedent setting for international law and terrorism cases. it comes against a backdrop of bombings in lebanon, stoking sectarian tensions as the violence spills across the border. a former lebanese prime minister attended the opening of the trial. >> this is what you want. justice not vengeance.

hopefully by the end of the trial, we will find out the truth >> hundreds of prosecution witnesses are expected to be called and the trial could last months, possibly longer. >> i spoke about why the international community spent hundreds of millions on that trial. >> this is part of a big ideological battle across the middle east, in which countries like the united states is spending hundreds of millions daily sometimes in waging war in iraq and carrying out drone attacks and arming allies and opening bases and deploying aircraft carriers, so money is really the least of the concerns, i think, for the countries that have been funding this court. the u.s. is only one of them. many other countries funded them, including the lebanese government. >> how has the trial been

received within lebanon. >> like everything political, it's a divisive issue, and probably half the county supports the court and everything it's doing, and the other half is scept call and more or less ignoring it after discrediting it and delegitimizing it. >> when you look at the big picture and how divisive it is, look at how much it costs, and consider the fact that the suspects are not even going to be presented from the court, they remain at large, is it worth it. >> there are accusations made against the tribunal which cause some people to say, "no, it's not worth it. i would think that the majority of lebanese, i couldn't give you a figure, but half the lebanese probably want the court to carry on with its work and find out who did this, if possible, through a fair process, and hold them accountable. and perhaps this will be a

signal that in the future other such crimes will be minimised if they can't be stopped completely. >> thank you for your time. >> in new orleans, a landmark is opening. eights years after being flooded by hurricane katrina. we have more on why it means so much. >> for nearly a decade cyril and her mother jeanette have been on a search for fresh food. after hurricane katrina destroyed 80% of new orleans, getting groceries has been a tough task in low income areas like the 7th ward, where the nearest store was a mile away for many people. >> a lot of folks did not come back because they didn't have a grocery in the area. it's so hard because there was no places here.

all the people, older people as well. >> many stores reopened. the issue is in the urban areas, similar to other cities. the lack of fresh food. 13% of the u.s. population lives more than a mile away from a grocery store. transportation is an issue for many. making the areas food deserts. there's one store for every 14,000, but nationwide there's one grocery store for 85-00 on average. >> it's vital because of people needing fresh food, produce, meat and at a good price. >> and many of the places that return here serve fast food. fried chicken, and all-round poor options. >> i remember one day i was walking outside. it was closed, i was working in here cleaning. a lady came up. she got down to her knees and

said, "please, bring the store back because i have to travel too far on a bus to get bananas", there's a big blessing. >> it's not all about nothing but healthy food. it's about eating great quality food, and enjoying the really great spurge times as well. >> because if you offer quality in another area of the city, you should be able to do it in this area also, which is - that is a very rooted long-time community of african-americans. >> it's like a reunion. >> you come in and did everything. everybody met here. and you was able to see your aunt, great aunt, cousin. >> in a place where it's about good family friends and food, for jeanette giles, it's good to

have an option. >> encouraging news in new orleans. well, with many economies in europe struggling, concern over immigration is high on the agenda. that is true in central europe where the roma minority suffered discrimination and poverty for centuries. we look at whether they intern integrate. >> this is a pretty town in northern slovakia. plenty to see for the tourists, who don't look at the occasional roma looking for food in the bins. many locals try not to notice. >> all of them - i don't know, they are not working. >> enough slovaks had enough of what they spee as the roma scure to vote this man in. they are posing for the cameras in front of a plot of land he bought to kick the roma off it. >> the roma said people like at

them like monkeys in the zoo. "we are okay until the whites get drunk and come here", on every level these people are under attack. >> this happens over and over. roma communities are forced and accused of not wanting to integrate and people that regard themselves as being moderate politically vote for parties who look like a bunch of fascists. >> the roma populated the land it 1,000 years ago. ever since they have been treated little better than animals. the slovaks paid the nazis to get rid of them. hungary was with hitler. in the face of that history, julia and yos eff may think they are running a risk having a half roma, half slovak baby. the romas welcomed him. but julia's mother not so keen.

i said better i have a man who will be kind and not drink, than the white one who will drink. >> the relationship may not be sanctions by the public mood, but was by the church. here roma people are offered support which helpless them integrate in social quays. >> they may be more confidence. they show even though i'm a gypsy, i can move forward. >> if you want to see what is possible, look at this model village. it has a roma majority and work the fields with the hunk air yanls. they produced so much food that they took tonnes of it off to the poor. amazingly of all this is a village from where 50 roma were taken to the nazi death camps in world war ii. the roma had to forgive hungary for its part in that. >> our philosophy is that hungary is not black or white.

it is beautiful, because it's colourful. the most important thing in the life of the villages. >> the sadness is there are few examples of this. to say the roma and europeans cannot integrate can't be true. in the end it's about believing it's possible. >> and still ahead on al jazeera america, the complicated push for peace in syria. in our sunday night "the week ahead", we look at what to expect from the upcoming geneva ii

>> and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betts with the top story. the united states calling on ukraine to hold peace talks with protesters, coming after a day of bloody clashes between demonstrators and police in the capital. protests have been going on for

weeks, laws restricting them have the opposite effect. the water is safe say west virginia. many say the water smells and pregnant women are cautioned against using them. the upcoming syria peace talks could come to an end before they get started. the syrian opposition threatened to withdraw after the u.n. secretary-general invited iran to the conference. a spokesperson spoke to al jazeera after the announcement was made. >> we decided to withdraw participation until the invitation is withdrawn or iran accepts geneva ii. >> the state department called on the iranian invitation to be

rescinded unless support for geneva is publicly stated. a lot of developments. the syrian peace conference is known as the focus of a segment called "the week ahead." the goal is to end syria's war and set up a transitional government. first we go to bernard smith in beirut with the background. >> the syria peace conference in switzerland is the most it the serious global effort yet to end the 3-year long conflict. at the heart of it is a plan to agree a roadmap established by the u.s. and russia. and other global powers in june 2012, a roadmap for syria, that will see a transitional government leading to fresh, free elections. the syrian national coalition has been persuaded and agreed to attend the talks. a third of the members, an umbrella group and rebel forces opposed. a third of those people did not

vote on whether they'd attend. anyway, they are going to attend and will sit across a table from representatives of the syrian regime. the first time it's happened in three years. here is a problem the conference will face. it says it is attending because it wants to start to continue fighting what it calls terrorism. an invitation letter went to the syrian regime and said they were being invited because they want to be part of the discussions to set up a transitional government. opposition groups are worried, those outside syria are worried they'll lose cedibility who long-said that they want the regime gone before they we gin talks. all said, nears are the best they have been to end the conflict claiming 130,000 lives and forced millions of syrians from their home. >> the meeting has been

difficult. there's a lot of players. the un secretary-general invited iran to the talks, which supports the syrian president bashar al-assad. yesterday did syrian rebels agree to attend. they met this weekend to decide which leader should go, and now they are considering backing out. the violence makes the meetings urgent, more than 120,000 people have been killed this three years. u.n. says 7 million syrians need humanitarian aid. so joining us to talk about this is liam stack. he is the "new york times" blog editor called watching syria's war. and from washington d.c. we appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. >> we look at the big picture here of the syrian peace talks. what are the prospects. >> the prospects look mercy with the -- mishingy with -- mishing

mishingy with the announcement that iran is attending. what is going to happen, even in the next couple of hours, prior to that, i think there was, you know, a sense that this was a positive development moving forward, that a political settlement was the only way that was going to end, and that geneva ii would be the first step in that road. >> so let me ask you, do you think this is bad new, the fact that we are seeing infighting, iran's invited now that the rebels are upset. what does this mean? >> you know, i don't think it's bad news that iran is coming. i don't think there's any viable solution or discussion about the ceasefire, which is what we need in the first instance. i think if we are going be optimistic, what one can hope to achieve at geneva, in its best incarnation would be in a ceasefire initially, so that the

killing and the bloodshed stops, which is what everyone tells me that they want. secondary to that, after that, an end to the blockade and a possibility for a blockade of the areas and the possibility that we can deliver very needed aid to those people in that area, without food, medicine, access to health care and other services. if that is what we can get out of geneva, that's a first step. >> in the meantime, let's talk about the nitty-gritty of the talks on wednesday. i want to play sount from the u.n. -- sound from the u.n. secretary-general. what he said is few hours ago. >> as i have said repeatedly, i believe strongly that iran needs to be a part of the solution to the syrian crisis. as convener and host of the commence, i have decided to ensure -- issue an invitation to

iran to participate. >> with that invitation, good move. the united states said before iran can come, they need to be on the sidelines. now they are part of the games. >> yes, syria is a complicated complex conflict with a number of actors. whenever you start a process like that, a negotiated settlement hopefully that will be able to deliver something tangible to people, you need all the actors there. anyone who is not included in the process becomes a spoiler, a trouble maker. if they are outside the framework, they don't need to abide by any of the rules. >> if iran caomes, it has so muh influence, is this a game changer. >> if iran comes the talks been be effective >> because? >> because they have the influence, they are a big player

because of support for bashar al-assad. financially, as advisors. to the extent that they are capable, they are important it's the only way to achieve something tangible. >> a big sticking point to the talks is whether bashar al-assad is going to stay or go. he obviously wants to stay. the rebels are clear that he needs to go. how does it work out. do you think it's likely at this point, now that iran is at the table, that there might be a possibility assad will leave? >> i think a political transition and an end to the regime is the ultimate goal. i think we would be very optimistic to believe that that is what is going to happen at geneva. at the geneva talks. you know, in a best - our an outcome would be that now that iran is at the table we can separate its interest.

with the regime, it's been effective and sustaining it. the facts on the ground do not support military end to the regime. they are probably strong. the opposition doesn't have the card to play at the moment. the cards that the opposition has - that isn't been enough to push the regime out of power. >> let's talk about the fact of why this is so complicated. it's not just two sides fighting a war. there's a lot of different groups at stake. syria is a fragmented nation. up to 1,000 armed groups fighting for control, including an al qaeda affiliated group that would like to split off from its own country. on this map, the dark blue is rebel held areas. red is what they are fighting for. battles raging near some of the major cities in syria. with so many groups, rebel

groups, and not even rebel groups have agreed to attend the peace talks. if they even do reach peace with these groups that are there, what is that going to mean for the country. >> with the groups present >> yes, who are going to geneva, who are attending. there are other fighters on the ground with no interest in the talks, who promised to continue fighting? if they reach an agreement with peace in geneva, how does it change happened. if there are so many fighting. >> the rebel side is disjoint. there's no organization. the government is better positioned because of its command structure to deliver a ceasefire to a certain area to take an action that is achievable. the rebels are so divided people who are out of line at a peace conference in the world will not force people on the ground that

feel they may represent them to do anything. that's something we see now on the ground is that there's a lot of people on the ground that don't speak for them. >> you mentioned humanitarian crisis. it's a big concern for a lot of people across the world. is peace the right benchmarks for the talk. if there's no resolution of peace, is there a way an agreement can be made to end the suffering that is happening within that country? >> i mean, we have seen a little bit of this start to happen on the ground in terms of locally in effected ceasefires allowing the -- negotiated ceasefires allowing the blockade to be lifted. we saw when russia was brought to the table, therm effective in getting the assad regime to relying wish the weapons, if they are at the table and with iran at the table we may see a

pressure put upon the regime to lift the blockade in those places. they have been responsive to the sponsors, when it came to the chemical weapons, and there's a good possibility, and the best outcome, i think, to talk about like the regime ending this week in geneva, is overly optimistic. a possible outcome is the lifting of the blogates and allowing -- blockades and allowing humanitarian relief. >> hopefully there'll be a longer term agreement. thank you for your time. thank you for coming in. >> al jazeera america will bring you the latest of the geneva ii talks this week. in the coming days on monday. the country remembers martin luther king junior, the largest event taking place in denver. 30,000 people are expected to honour the civil rights leader. iran's nuclear deal will take effect. it will last for six months,

wednesday global leaders will meet in switzerland. a struggle to contain the sectarian violence in the central african republic. card r -- according to the international groups we report that a christian mob killed and burned two muslims, as the counterry waits to -- country waits to elect an interim president. we have to warn you that the video is graphic. some may find if disturbing. >> they are beying for blood. the crowd of christians want to get their hands on a muslim hiding in the house. they say he was involved in the killing of a christian and they want revenge. he's pulled from the house. it's too distressing to show you what happened next. but after the man was hacked to pieces, he was set on fire.

a second muslim was murdered nearby. apparently he had been hiding in a church. he, too, was set on fire. and as the corpses are ritually abused, the crowd celebrates. >> translation: we will continue to do this for as long as muslims go on. it's hard to imagine what impact the scenes will have on all those that watch. french peacekeepers arrived but it was too late. african soldiers from cameroon also appeared. they ex-ly moved into the crowd. >> it's a lawless situation here, yet we are right in the middle of the capital bangui. under these circumstances the african and the french peacekeepers are struggling to keep a lid on the sectarian hatred which is bubbling up.

this time the crimes were caught on camera. similar killings are happening on a daily basis, and not just here in bangui, but across the country. >> a hard story to tell and watch. he kept it secret for almost two decades. best selling author did not want the public to know an american novelist was suffering from parkinson's disease. this week the secret is out on "talk to al jazeera". >> so tell me about what is in your head now, and how it's working. how is it functioning as we speak? >> it's like a pacemaker here, with wires going up to my head and through the skull. deep into the brain. into part of it which is producing dopamine. and it sends a regular signal.

here is where my weak spot is. i always was bad at maths. i was bad at science. >> and here you are depending on both. >> here i am, you know, talking about something that - an operation that is - it's kind of mysterious. maybe i'm making - putting myself down too hard here. i love that. because in a way that's really not very well-known exactly why this works as well as it does. >> and you were going to say -- >> i don't think that the nerves produce dopamine, i think they

regulate the nervesous reaction, the nerves, so the shaking will stop. >> this is what happens when you write. now you know. >> best selling authority martin crews smith talks about parkinson's, you can see the interview here an al jazeera america. it airs again at 10:00 pm eastern, 7:00 pm pacific. >> stay with al jazeera america. sports is next. . >> the denver broncos on a rocky mountain high, heading to super bowl 48. all the sights and sounds from a happy denver locker room in just a bit.

>> the probe into the new jersey governor may expand. a democrat leading the investigation into the bridge-gate scandal will look into allegations of political pay back, holding back money from hurricane sandy victims, because mayor dawn zimmer would not support a real estate development. >> we have to give the allegation thought. it's a pattern heard throughout new jersey. she's one. first mayors to come forward and say this specific thing happened. i think the committee needs to look at the facts, hear her story, look at the emails and consider where we go next. >> millions of dollars was given and calls the allegation partisan pol sticks. the mayor agreed. >> mayor zimmer, before making the revelation said she didn't

believe a hold-up in the funds had anything to do with retribution for not endorsing the governor. she said that she liked working with governor christy. you have to look at her current statement in light of her former statement. before it became an orchestrated pilon. >> chris christie's office denies zimmer's claims. four people close to chris christie lost their jobs after a top aide gave the go ahead to close lanes on the george washington bridge as an apparent political payback. >> a fire that destroyed five homes near los angeles and burned hundreds of acres is nearly under control. firefighters said it should be under control by wednesday. the blaze started thursday with a campfire, and since then burned three square miles. >> time for sport. half of the super bowl 48 as peyton manning versus tom brady took place. what happened. >> peyton manning showed why

he's on the way to the hall of fame. the patriots and broncos were predicted to be the combatants. a lot of people were right. seminal match-up peyton manning trying to make a third super bowl taking on tom brady, trying to make a record six. one was close to perfect, that was panic, throwing 400 regards, no interceptions, as for tom brady. he was kept out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, too little, too late. for the fifth time a peyton manning brother is going to the super-boehm. they beat the patriots 2016. >> and ross shimabuku viewed the action from the press box in denver and joins us from sports authority field or should i apeyton's place. >> exactly right. that may be appropriate if they win the super bowl. peyton give credit to john fox,

because he has been preaching to finish, finish, finish the ball game. they let the charges back and the last time they faced the patriots denver flew a 24-0 lead. in the championship game the broncos put the pedal to the metal. denver made a statement to start of the third quarter by making a 13-play 80-yard drive by a panicking touchdown pass. denver took a 20-3 lead. they had gone to 26-16 to punch the ticket to super bowl 48. >> it's an exciting feeling. i can remember both times that we won the afc championship. i'm an afc guy, i'm bias towards the conference, it's a hard one to win. you feel like you have done something to win the championship. you realise that you want to win

a game. whoever we are playing will be a tremendous opponent, whether it's san francisco or seattle. but you take a moment to realise we have done something special, and you want to win one more. >> it's a moment that i'll cherish forever. what we have been through throughout the year, how we finished last year. you know, everybody deserves to be here at this point. >> we stuck together. it's a dream come true. i'm so happy to be a bronco right now. that's it. >> as for the patriots, they have not won a super bowl title since 2005. they have, since then, lost three afc games, two to peyton manning, and two to eli manning and the giants. tom brady and company obviously disappointed. >> they have been tough at the end of the year. i had losses in the super bowl which have been tough. last year's loss in the

championship game was tough. this year was tough. losing is not easy. we have been here before, so we won afc championship games and we lost them. we'll move on. we have to. >> all right. but as for the broncos, they are on a rocky mountain high, especially peyton manning, throwing for 400 yards, two touch downs, no interceptions. now he has the chance to lead two super bowl teams to titles. >> ross shimabuku live in denver, where he witness denver broncos punch their ticket for super bowl. >> who will they play? >> well, seattle and the 49ers are locked up in a tight one. we'll know in an hour. >> thank you. still ahead - spending a semester in an american

university. it's n it's not unusual unless you are from cuba.

>> traffic in central indiana is getting better as more than 30 cars involved in a pile-up are being cleared up. train reaction crashes as a result of slippery conditions. no one was hurt. >> right now a group of cuban students are in the u.s. on a very rare academic trip. they are in miami for a semester at the college, marking the first time the school provides classes for students. it was an historic moment as the cuban students gathered to meet their new professors. >> this was a dream, now it's a reality. >> victor of miami dave college says the dream is a reality. it's the first time in 55 years a large group of cuban students came to study for a semester in

the u.s. they are here to study computers, psychology, business and flish. the 16 students ranging in ages were handpicked by the foundation of human rights in cuba in conjunction with the college. they were nervous. one was optimistic about the opportunity he was given. >> i want to see the options i can find here. i wanted to see the vision that miami offers, and see another vision of the world. >> the obama administration resumed programs allowing you as citizens to travel and study. rarely did they travel to the u.s. this group of students will receive completion. this group includes musicians, artists and attorneys, four related to dissident leaders, one a dissident himself. he was recently expelled from a

cuban university for his activism against the regime. >> this is not what the cuban government wanted to do, let's be clear. the government was obligated to release pressure as a result from pressure from the community. >> this is a dissident who fled cuba and works with cuban exsils to push for reforms on the island and is cautiously optimistic. >> translation: let's hope the regime don't close the door. they often use restrictions, go in reverse and say the students or anyone else cannot leave the island. >> the cuban activists hopes the students will pave the way for the future students and help free the island and make it the democratic cuba they hoped for. >> good for them. that's our show. have a great night.

thanks for being with us. >> you're watching al jazeera, i'm betts with the quick headlines. the upcoming syrian peace talks could come to an end before they get starred. syrian opposition threatened to withdraw. a spokesperson spoke with al jazeera after the announcement was made. >> we decided to withdraw it participation and the invitation is withdrawn or iran to withdraw its forces from syria and pledge to accept geneva. >> the state department