>> only on al jazeera america. syria's main opposition body says there will be no end to the war unless al-nusra is included in any agreement welcome. you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters here in doha. also on this program. a stand-off continues between students and police at a university in india. two of the students say they will give themselves up if their safety is guaranteed.

desperate scenes on the greece macedonia border as afghan try to get into europe. >> reporter: this is called mbira. a traditional instrument. i can't play this an neither can i. children are now being taught this strum al-nusra front must be included in any syrian ceasefire agreement according to the spokesman for the main syrian opposition. they say the al-qaeda linked group must be part of any deal if russia and the syrian government are serious. a ceasefire has been agreed by the u.s. and russia for syria to come into effect on saturday but the fighting is ongoing in several areas especially around the city of aleppo. this is pictures of rebels fighting kurdish forces. james bays has more.

>> reporter: for almost five years the death toll has mounted. every day there has been bloodshed and atrocities. now the latest attempt to end all that. this document released jointly by the u.s. and russia. the two countries have been working on plans on a lull in the violence since a meeting in munich earlier this month. russian foreign minister had wanted a ceasefire from march 1. u.s. secretary of state john kerry argued that will allow russia more time for bombing to change the situation on the ground, but ever since that meeting there has been delay and so in the end russia has got its way. >> russia will work with damascus. the legitimate government the syria. we expect the u.s. will do the same with its allies and groups supported by them. >> reporter: the deem done by the u.s. and russia calls on all the warring syrian parties with the exception of i.s.i.l. and the al-nusra front which are

both on the u.n. security council terrorism list to commit to a cessation of hostilities by this friday at midday damascus time. 12 hours later that cessation is supposed to start on saturday. deputy p diplomats tell me if it holds there's the possibility that police talks which collapsed in geneva last month could resume within seven days. the spokesman for the u.n. secretary general welcomed the news of the announcement of the cessation of hostilities, but everyone is well aware how hard it will be to make it actually happen >> the secretary general strongly urges the parties to abide by the terms of this agreement. much work now lies ahead to ensure the implementation of the international community. the international support group and the syrian parties must remain steadfast in their resolve. >> reporter: an added complication came from damascus, a statement announcing president bashar al-assad wanted elections

for his rubber-stamp parliament in april. given everything that has happened in syria, it is not a great deal of optimism about the proposed cessation of hostilities, particularly many fear there will be anill be an violence with the warring sides trying to make gains in the days before it is due to start. james bays live to our correspondent. this is about talking to al-nusra or dealing with al-nusra your reading of these comments from the hnc? >> reporter: i think they are quite significant and if you remember a few days ago, they held a meeting in saudi arabia discussing the prospects of an agreement. this is when secretary of state john kerry said that there is a provincial agreement between the u.s. and russia and that there will be some sort of cessation of hostility or a truce.

any truce should included al-nusra front and that should be spared from any bombardment or air strikesikes it was said. al-nusra is one of the rebel groups with links to al-qaeda. it has some allies that are called by the russians as terrorists. remember something that harra sham or jaesh. those groups are designated by russia and the russians are pushing to include them as terrorists. that's where they are coming from. the opposition is not very optimistic about this cessation of hostility any ways. >> translation: our main concern in opposition is that both russia and the are not serious about their commitment to cessation of hostilities. including i.s.i.l. and al-nusra can be deplord by their regime and allies to keep slaughtering

our civilians and trying to finish off the real syrian opposition. excluding al-nusra in this agreement can be an excuse to continue the destructions of our cities. we need real guarantees by the international community. so all parties will be truly committed to the ceasefire. we don't want this to be a trap where the real opposition will fall into and risk all that we have accomplished for the sake of the syrian people clearly the hnc want peace as much as anyone else involved in what is going on in syria. how much control do they have over al-nusra and what al-nusra does and what it wants to achieve. >> reporter: they have no control whatsoever peter. in fact, in the previous months and, perhaps, even we can say weeks and months where there was any prospect of peace and talks, al-nusra made it clear that it will not abide to any deal

because simply they do not trust on the one hand the syrian regime and on the other the international community mainly the u.s. thirdly, from the international community's perspective, they cannot achieve peace with a group that they label as terrorists with links al-qaeda. so it is very interesting what is happening. the opposition, within the opposition itself you will find people are divided about the issue. not all the syrian opposition are backing, of course, the al-nusra front. what they are talking about is the more moderate or conservative rebel groups that are fighting inside syria. they are not terrorists. however, the russians are pushing the americans to include them and label them as terrorist organizations thank you very much. the israeli army has demolished the homes of two palestinians in the occupied west bank. they've killed five people in

attacks last year. more than 160 palestinians and 28 israelis have been killed in a wave of violence that began in october. to india where two students accused of sedition say they're ready to give themselves up to a court if their safety is guaranteed. the two are among a group of five students facing charges who holidayed themselves up inside the university in new delhi. the police have not been allowed in to arrest them. the about the of the students union is already in police custody. the government alleged they chanted anti india slogans at the event on campus. demonstrators say the government want to silence dissent. our correspondent is live for us. what are the chances that they will get the guarantees they're looking for here? >> reporter: it's still uncertain. the students showed up actually on campus out of the blue late on sunday, just before midnight. the police came on monday to arrest them, but that's when, as you said, they were denied entry

by the university administration. i was there yesterday. all the other - many of the other students therets there ar supporting them. in speaking to one of the students, one charged with sedition, he told us that they're scared to go outside. they're saying people are saying, if you come out we will shoot you with a bullet. in the campus they feel safe. they say they will only go out if those conditions are met that they will be safe, that nothing will happen to them. what the police decide we're still notsure. the university is also trying to get the whole matter dismissed from their criminal charges and treat this as an internal incident. that will be up to the police and the government whether they will go along with that when it comes to how the authorities are handling this crisis, it seems to be a concentration going on. on the one hand they are, obviously, adopting a gently

gently approach, yet if they may come to cross the line as to how they would literally handle the students or someone who might be aligning themselves with the student protesters. >> reporter: that's very true. when i was there yesterday the full national media was there as well and people were saying that's one reason why the police tried to enter. now, the students were actually trying to get a warrant against them, maybe make the arrest more official. this kind of issue of violence is something that many people are worried about here. just last week when the president of the students union was arrested, he was attacked by a mob of lawyers, as were several members of the media. since then the supreme court has asked for more security to be provided to him as well. there's still a culture of fear inside the campus, but outside that the government when they're

in front of the media, when they're in the spotlight, they will handle things gently, but when there is no camera around they will come at you with full force thank you. staying in india, a deal has been reached to end days of protests by the jat farming caste seeking some benefits. the government has referred to some preferences. they want to benefit from an affirmative action policies. they cut water and supplies to the city. at least 19 people have died. thousands of migrants and refugees facie victims from a camp near the city. officials have given them until tuesday to leave their makeshift homes. they could be forced to move into nearby shipping containers. many don't want to move and they're hoping for court intervention. hundreds of refugees are

stranded at the greece-macedonia border over new laws restricting after gangs to enter but syrians are allowed to enter. a sit-in on the greek side of the border is underway. >> reporter: they first staged a peaceful protest racing their national flag and calling for the border to stay open. frustration was high amongst afghan officials. many had been here for several days pleading to get them to macedonia. only syrian and iraqis are allowed to continue their journey. some took desperate measures only to be sent back into greece. gavens have become the latest-- after gangs-- tougher border control. the move comes after austria announced they are restricting

the daily number of refugees going through the border. those waiting here say they've been forced to take drastic action. the afghans first blocked the refugee crossing point here and for through the fence and decided to hold a sit-in here on the rail tracks, hoping this will put enough pressure for the borders on open again. these men have set up their tent and plan to stay here for as long as it takes. >> our aim is not just to open this gate. our aim is to open all borders that we are facing. >> reporter: greek official $say they're using diplomatic channels to urge macedonia to reconsider its decision. in the meantime no-one is going through. so resillant as every to the twists and turns of the refugee,

they're ready for a long wait that's the story from europe. another correspondent in kabul are saying why so many after gangs are planning to leave their country >> reporter: it doesn't matter where you live in this world. if you want to build a life, you look for two things, security and you look for an economy that gives you a chance for a better life, and in a nutshell afghans haven't had that and that's why you're seeing them continue to leave afghanistan at a time when many people were hoping that that wouldn't be the case. when you look at 2014 when most international forces started pulling out international organizations in aid groups went with them, a lot of afghans were depending on those international organizations for jobs. they were depending on international efforts to boost the economy, but that simply hasn't happened. then you look at the security situation and recent report indicates that in 2015 more

civilians died in afghanistan than in 2001 when forces force occupied afghanistan. you have growing signs in places like helmand province that the taliban are stepping up efforts in the afghan security forces are on their heels. when talking to afghan families, you can understand when they say when necessity send their kids to school, they want to feel that they're safe, they want to feel confident that they're going to have a better opportunity, a better life with dignity and when that is not the case, the afghans take desperate measures and you're seeing some of the results of that desperation in places like greece the egyptian military says the sentencing of a four year old boy in life for prison was a mistake. a 16-year-old should have been sentenced instead. the child was convicted along with 115 others in connection with protests by muslim brotherhood supporters in 2014.

boit's father spent four months in jail for refusing to hand him over still to come in the next few months, we look at whether a new tax on plastic bags will help reduce waste piling up on indonesia streets. >> reporter: i'm in l.a. a world away from west africa and yet a lot of people here are talking about an ebola at the moment. find out why shortly. find out why shortly.

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top stories from al jazeera. the syrian opposition body, the hnc says it believes the

government in damascus and russia are not series about a ceasefire. they says al-nusra front must be included in any deal if it is to stop the fighting. a ceasefire agreed between u.s. and russia is to come into effect on saturday. students are willing to give themselves up if their safety is guaranteed in india over sedition charges. the police have not been allowed into the university to arrest them. hundreds of afghan refugees are stranded on the greece-macedonia border with new laws blocking after gangs from crossing. those refused entry have been staging a sit-in on the greek side of the border. fiji has been receiving humanitarian aid as the death toll has risen to 29 after cyclones winston. nearly 8,000 people are living in shelters and aid agencies are now handing out vital supplies.

oil prices staying low, industry leaders are gathering in texas to find a solution. many analysts are sceptical that they will succeed. >> reporter: strong clouds over hue ston are a fit-- houston are a fitting backdrop here. leaders all agree on one point there is no quick fix for oil prices. a new for cast says it won't return to $780 a barrel until 2018 >> i think in 2016 we will see the oil prices being week but in 17 we are seeing a balancing starting in a markets. in 17/18 a rebound the prices >> reporter: with oil pumps working harder than ever, crude has plunged from 145 to 30 now leading to 300 thousand layoffs worldwide

>> dozens of companies are on the brink of bankruptcy-- dozens. you're looking at the venezuelan government at 180% inflation and 6% in the economy and you're looking at companies like chevron that have never posted a loss going through losses. so we're in a bad moment >> reporter: mexico a's president says low price have hit their company hard. >> there are international low oil prices that will have to be overcome by smart targets. they will have to prioritise veechts >> reporter: houston has lost 60,000 jobs since prices began to crash. the best that they can hope for now is a long-term plan to

return oil prices from the $30 a rang to something nearing $100. some forecasters are predicting prices could fall even further into the $20 range. analysts say the perfect storm that caused prices to plunge, high production, a surge of iranian oil and weak efforts to restrict production show no sign of ending soon indonesian is the world's second biggest plastic bag polluter following the chinese. they're aiming to change that with a tax on plastic bags. they say it will do much on the negative impact on tourism and the fishing industry. >> reporter: researchers have found that nearly ten million plastic bags are being handed out to indonesia shoppers every day. these plastic bags often find their ways to places like this. they clog up awaterways, the

streets, the parks, the forests. 187.2 million tons of plastic waste is being produced here every year. it makes it the second biggest polluter in the world after china. it has become a trap to marine life, tourism and also to people's health. to reduce all this plastic waste the government has started a pilot project in nine cities where people have to pay for their plastic bag. it is only equivalent to one tenth of a cent, but there is a lot of resistance here. this woman does not agree >> translation: i don't agree to this policy. i think they should give us a bag every time we go shopping >> reporter: that's why some stores are reluctant to implement the policy. the bags are far too cheap so it won't stimulate people to buy their own. while retailers are resisting a

higher place from the current one tenth of a cent to one fifth of a cent, it is clear more needs to be done to clean up this mess. some local governments have made some progress, but environmentalists say a large awareness campaign is needed to change people's minds about how to treat their own waste less than a week to go until the oscars in hollywood, but away from the obvious ghanner, there's a lot of talk this year about ebola because of a documentary that might do well. >> reporter: 11,000 people were killed by ebola. the illness took hold across west africa just over two years ago. there is still no cure. guinea, sierra leone and liberia were hit by what was described as an epidemic. >> reporter: this place l.a. is a world away from that horror which we saw in 2013 and beyond.

believe it or not, there is actually a link between liberia and l.a. this year because ebola or a film about it is up for one of the world's top award ceremose ceremonies and could take an oscar. this is it, body team 12, the tale of the red cross workers who collected dead bodies as that outbreak took hold. it is up for best documentary at sunday's awards. this is the sign of the oscars without celebrities. it is real life and dead as it comes >> every day i feared that i would be next. that played on my head during this production. i got a small glimmer of what it was like for these teams day in and day out. the level of anxiety that they were working under was intense. it is really a tribute >> reporter: body team 12 tells the story of a nurse is

ostracised by her community because she went to help in place where few others were dare. there is hope here too. >> liberia as a country going through a civil war not long ago, there wasn't much to fight for. it is a shell of a nation. here these brave people were fighting for their nation, for their family and ultimately for the rest of us, the whole world. >> reporter: the film has already won one big award. best documentary short at last year's festival. it is essential that tales like these are shared. >> it is a super here ee story of bravery about people who did something when the whole world was afraid. if we hadn't captured this moment these people weren't be remembered for the brave work they did >> reporter: the epidemic is officially over. without these people, how much longer would that have taken and how many more victims could have died. >> what did we do to help

liberia school pupils in zimbabwe have a new lesson on their curriculum. this could teach children some of their ancient cultures some of which are dying. >> reporter: this girl recently started playing the mbira. it is a thumb piano with a wooden board and middle keys attached to it. each key is a different note. zimbabwe's government is making these lessons part of the school curriculum. officials say many children either don't know or don't want to understand their culture. >> i'm excited about it because they're not like the other english instruments like guitars and the other things. this is nice because it is from our country and it is a very

beautiful sound. >> reporter: some are fitted with a res an eightor for-- res naturor to-- resonater to amplify the sound. the government wants to have at least 14 of these in every school. the problem is not many teachers know how to play the instrument. that is because of colonel onnisation. during white minority rule some traditions were banned and in other cases eventually forgotten. artist and mbira manufacturer, hopes that more people will fall in love with the soothing sound. >> i emotionally identify with it. it's our instrument, but if you actually ask them realistically if they have touched one or can remember one song, they might remember, but actually i think

that the mbira is in a strange situation where everybody knows about it, but actually factually they're not exposed to it. >> reporter: that could be a challenge. some parents don't want their children playing this instrument. >> the instrument has been associated with bad feelings, that believe in our african traditions. they think when a child place the instrument, he gets possessed-- plays the instrument, he gets possessed. >> reporter: that could change if children are exposed to the instrument and its unique sound if you are into your winter sports. some snow boarders have been showing off their tricks and skills in l.a. it is in its sect year, doctor - vehicled year-- vehicled year

event. that is a front side 14140 cork. it looks impressive, at the very least. more news with whenever you want it on our website. go to aljazeera.com >> this week on talk to al jazeera--lawyer and executive director of the equal justice initiative, bryan stevenson. >> we have to stop telling the lies that we tell about who we are. we celebrate our history of slavery. we celebrate our era of terrorism. >> stevenson has spent his career fighting racism in the criminal justice system--the legacy of slavery and times of "racial terror" continue to impact the lives of african americans today. >> what we did to african americans between the end of