police confront students in south africa as protesters force concessions over fees from the country's president. ♪ it's good have your company here on al jazeera. also coming up in the next 30 minutes. >> there's not many left of us here, so this -- getting out of here. >> escaping the biggest storm in the western hemisphere.

tens of thousands of palestinians allowed in to pray as israel eases restrictions on access to the al-aqsa mosque. dozens dead after a bus and a lori collide in france. most who died were pensioners on a day out. ♪ hello, south africa's president, jacob zuma has said he will freeze a fee increase proposed for university students next year. you can see the crowds beyond the police, a massive demonstration in the capitol city by thousands of university students who opposed any increase. they tried to storm the seat of government. they were held back by riot police, who fired stun grenades and used water cannon. al jazeera's correspondent was in the middle of the protest and

sent us this. >> reporter: these protests where we are now have been going on for over eight days. they have spread across the country, and that would explain why students are becoming increasingly impairment. they are due to begin exams next week. they say they can't do that if they don't have an answer as to what will happen to the fee increases. they are demanding fees not be increased at all, wanting the government to admit to free education in the country. we are seeing students increasingly tense, and wanting government to come out to respond to them, and at the same time, leadership we have spoken to say they aren't overly optimistic. >> announcing that the fees won't go up for the time being at least, the presidential peeled for calm.

>> government understands the difficult faced by students from poorer households and edges are effected to allow the process to unfold to find long-term solutions in order to ensure access to education by our students. >> reporter: within the last hour, our reporter sent another update from the scene of those protests. >> reporter: many of the students have dispersed from the grounds of the union, and police are continuing to fire stun grenades, trying to make them leave the grounds after the announcement that there would be a zero percent fee increase. many students are angry after the tear gas being fired, but they are trying to leave the grounds as quickly as they can. a small group running away from the union buildings as well as

police try to disperse them. ♪ the united nations world meet lolg call organization, says that hurricane patricia is now comfortable in strength to typhoon haiyan a storm that killed more than 6,000 in the philippines two years ago. it is heading towards mexico with wind speeds up to 295 kilometers an hour. >> reporter: taking no chances, mexicans living along the pacific coast prepare their homes and businesses for what forecasters warn could be a catastrophic storm. >> translator: it's better to prevent than to regret. because i have windows, i put in wood panels. the truth is, i don't know how the hurricane will hit. >> reporter: hurricane patricia is sweeping across the pacific, quickly grown overnight into the highest category 5 storm. the hurricane is expected to

make landfall on friday afternoon mexico time. >> translator: given the situation and the reports presented by the national emergency commission, the secretary of the interior has instructed the extraordinary emergency declaration in three states of the country. >> reporter: the bustling port city is in the direct path of patricia, but not everyone is worried. >> translator: as a preventative measure, bedecided to buy some basic goods in case some roads are closed, we'll have the essentials at home. >> translator: we really didn't buy that much, because they regularly say that a hurricane will come, but sometimes they don't hit. that's why the majority don't participate that much. >> reporter: orders have been issued to close schools and ports. government leaders say they are bracing for what is threatening to become the most intense hurricane to hit mexico's

pacific coast. gerald tan, al jazeera. visitors to the region have been transported out of their hotels, it is opened, to safety. i spoke to one woman as she was able to border a bus before hurricane patricia's arrival. >> i'm aware of how terrible hurricanes can be, but we have a window of time where we can at least get to safety. >> and they are going to put you on a bus. how many people have been taken out of your hotel? >> there's not many left of us here. so -- last bus getting out of here. >> and do you see old people? young people? mixture of people? >> yeah, everybody, old people, young people, children -- the staff is trying to, you know, get the hotel prepared as the same time as they are worried about getting to their families as well. >> i can see you are actually

outside. >> yeah. >> how bad is it? >> not too bad. this is what they would call the calm before the storm, i would say. there's a bit of rain and a bit of wind, but nothing too serious just yet. >> and how big is the sea? >> we have got some pretty high waves, but like i said nothing too -- nothing too crazy. i can run down there, if you want to see closer. >> i'll talk to you while you are doing that. yeah, if you can. we'll see if we can each a signal. are the authorities doing a good job in terms of warning people. >> yeah, everybody here has been amazing. there is not a crazy amount of rain just yet. >> and what about the wind? >> no. the wind is -- is calm. knowing hurricanes this is exactly what they call the calm before the storm. there is not an issue of heavy

winds or anything. you can't even here it on the microphone. >> are you at all worried that -- well, you are going on a bus up to guadalajara, but it might be difficult if the hurricane to make journeys either by bus or -- well, in the air that sounds impossible. >> no, the airport is closed already. and they are shutting off power to the city at 12:00. we're getting out of the resort here. i'm not worried about getting out. they are taking very good care of us. some way, somehow. i'm worried about the locals. >> yeah, what is going to happen to them? >> yeah, everybody is just trying to fine the safest spot for them -- you know, for them to be, which right now i'm not sure where that is going to be. i know they were hopeful because of the mountains here that it wouldn't hit as hard, but it is

looks to shape up to be a really big storm. >> and what are the buildings like that they would call home? are they relatively safe? >> i have to go david. >> okay. thank you. thank you. at that point, rosie had to run for the bus, which was taking her to safety. we hope to reestablish contact with her a little bit later on. we have some breaking news, at least 14 people we understand have been killed after a suicide bomb attack in the southern pakistani city. at least another 30 people have been injured. let diabetes -- let's get more on this from our correspondent. >> reporter: the latest report indicate that at least 16 people have been killed, 40 wounds, some in critical condition. the attack took place about 530

kilometers north of the border, and the attacker is said to have been a suicide bomber who attacked a rally -- a procession of shia mourners who were commemorating the 9th and 10th of [ inaudible ]. and despite 10,000 security personnel have been attacked, this is indeed a deadly attack and the death toll is likely to go up. >> thank you very much indeed. reporting on a suicide bomb attack in pakistan. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry has been meeting the russian foreign minister in vienna, talking about syria and russian's involvement in the war

there. foreign ministers of saudi arabia and turkey are also there for those talks. barnaby phillips is live for us now in vienna. they have come out making noises rather than saying anything substantial, would you say, barna barnaby? >> reporter: yes, i would, david. and the noise is from the american secretary of state john kerry were positive. he said the talks were constructive and productive. the saudi foreign minister, less positive, said that the four countries, all four of which, of course, have a military stake in syria to varying degrees. the russian side very much on president assad's side. the other thing on various opposition sides. he -- the saudi foreign minister said that the four could not reach a common position on the future of president assad. and of course this was always going to be a crucial sticking

point as indeed it has been for the last four years, of conflict in syria. >> sergei lavrov says he is interested in bringing in other countries to these conversations, specifically, iran and egypt. >> reporter: yes, he did. i'm not sure that that's necessarily new. specifically on the side of iran, along with russia, of course, they are the key external backers of the syrian government, and russia has argued for a long time that they ought to be round the table. in the past, that has proven unpalatable to the saudis in particularly. russia has acted boldly and decidedly in syria in recent weeks, and put itself very much at the center of negotiations, so i think it has achieved its objective to that extent.

regardless to who is involved, i think we'll return to the problem of what happens to president asaad, does he step down immediately? or could he stay there during some sort of transition? the russians deny they are intervening in syria specifically to prop him up, but they do say that he has to be part of the solution. so there's still quite a gulf between russia and the other powers involved in syria. >> thank you. stay with us if you can here on al jazeera. we have this coming up, what tanzania is doing to protect his albino population. and we'll check out what is on the menu at the world's first food-related museum. ♪ the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

recapping the global headlines. south african's go has been forced to back down on a university fee increase after days of unrest involving students. mexico is bracing for what has been described as a potential catastrophic set of conditions as one of the strongest hurricanes on record bares down on its coastline. and u.s. secretary of state john kerry has been meeting the russian foreign minister in vienna, to discuss the conflict in syria, and russia's involvement in that war. more refugees have arrived in greece this week than any other week this year.

the international organization for migration says 48,000 refugees reached greek territory. which brings the total number to arrive in europe by the mediterranean to 681,000 since the beginning of 2015. more and more people are also dying making the journey. 18 refugees have lost their lives since monday in the eastern med -- mediterranean. the interior ministers have met and agreed on a new direct train line from the bordersy of sid to the croatian city. they say it will ease backlogs at the borders of the two countries. about 1500 refugees have broken out of a camp on the slovenia border.

they broke out to make the journey on foot. about 30,000 muslims have prayed at the compound housing the al-aqsa mosque in occupied east jerusalem. for the first time in weeks restricted have been lifted. the compound lies at the heart of recent violence between israel and the occupied palestinians areas. >> reporter: young and old, male and female arrive. there was no age or gender restriction for worshippers, and to police check points to navigate. those who had been closely checks identity on past fridays are now simply relaxing and relaxing. activist groups in areas have

declared what they call a day of rage, and there was sporadic fighting in a number of areas. the wider israeli occupation remains in place a critical context for the easing of restrictions at the al-aqsa mosque. >> this is the only country in the whole world has been occupied and treating people miserable. it's enough. palestinian need to be free. >> reporter: but this tenuous calm on this day in this place, a chink of hope for those diplomats who have been seeking a reduction in the level of conflict. we asked the israeli prime minister's office whether there's any connection between the lifting of these restrictions and meeting benjamin netenyahu had with the u.s. secretary of state. we are told it's the situation on the ground that determines the level of security that is in force, but the question many ask in the light of the calm, why were the restrictions imposed in

the first place? mike hanna, al jazeera, in occupied east jerusalem. about 200 palestinians have been protesting in the occupied west bank. israeli police using tear gas, firing rubber-coated steal bullets at the demonstrators who had been throwing stones at security forces. stephanie decker is at that protest. this is what she told us. >> reporter: we're just outside the settlement. we have seen protests, tuesday, friday, and today, let me show you what is happening. we're having about 100, 150 youth protesting further down this road. you can probably hear tear gas being fired. the message from the youth is -- is as much against the occupation also against what we have seen happening at the al-aqsa mosque compound known to

jew as the temple mount. there is also anger here at the palestinian authority. people here believe that their leaders aren't doing enough, and perhaps don't have the power to do anything. so whereas we're not seeing huge numbers. the message is the same, one of resistance. a message that this youth is fed up. it's the post oslo generation. those who were promised peace, and they have seen a possible palestinian state getting further and further away from reality. roadside bombs went off in egypt in the sigh any peninsula, killing a police officer and injuring three others. it was after a police armored vehicle hit the bomb. nobody has said they planted it. two guards were also wounded outside of the meridian hotel near the giza pyramids. more than 40 pensioners have been killed in a road crash in france.

they were going by day trip on a bus when the bus hit a truck. emma hayward has the story. >> reporter: in dense woodland the charred shell of a bus and truck. the coach was carrying a group of elderly people who just left a village a few kilometers away. they were going on a day trip. the crash happened on a bend in the road, which local people say is tricky to navigate. the truck and bus caught fire when they collided, leaving some passengers trapped. >> translator: the driver of an empty timber truck lost control f his vehicle. the vehicle blocked the road and the bus arrived at that moment. the bus driver saw that the accident was going to happen, did everything to avoid it, but did not manage it. but he did manage to activate the opening of the emergency doors to allow a few people to get out. >> the emergency services

arrived by road and air, but more than 40 people are now known to have perished in the fire. the french president called the accident an immense tragedy. the prime minister has travelled to the scene. >> translator: it's a terrible shock for this area. it's a terrible shock for france. today france and the french people are in mourning. >> reporter: this is france's worse road accident for more than 30 years, an investigation into what caused it is now underway. emma haywood, al jazeera. police in sweden say they believe the attack on a school which left a teacher and pupil dead was racially motivated. most of the students at the school are from immigrant families. and local reports say the suspect's social media account show he had extreme right-wing prejudices.

he was shot dead at the scene by police at thursday's attack and taken to hospital. >> we have discovered a letter in his apartment, and it has some notes in it that tells us that he has planned the act and he has also -- he planned it out of hate perspective. and he has also told us by that letter that he is going to -- he considered that this will be his final act. >> at least 20 people have been killed after two bomb attack in nigeria's borno state. nobody has claimed responsibility for planting the devices, but borno state is home to the group boko haram. at least 17,000 people have been killed by boko haram and more than 2.5 million have lost their homes. presidential candidates in tanzania are complaining ahead of sunday's election, promising to provide free education,

combat corruption, and protect the rights of minority groups. but people living with albinism are still concerned for their safety ahead of the polls. catherine soi explains why. >> reporter: this boy is still getting used to his new prosthetic arm. he is just back from the u.s. where he got it. his hand was cut off earlier this year, to be used for witchcraft. >> translator: they first cut off my fingers he tells me then my forearm, which was very painful. his sister was also brought to this safe house. their friend lost his arm in 2013. and this woman helps take care of them. she suffered a similar fate six years ago. both of her arms chopped off by a man she knew. >> translator: when i see him my heart breaks for him and other

children. as parent and a person living with albinism it really hurts me to see what has been happening to us. >> reporter: this is a particularly dangerous time for these people. 33,000 living withal listenism. it's an election period, and some politicians believe using al bi -- albino body parts will help them win an election. it's secretly, but widely practiced in parts of the country. human rights campaigners are worried about a trend a they have seen since 2009 that most attacks on these people happen during an election. what is worrying them even more are reports of increased attacks in neighboring countries. this woman has helped many people with albinism, she says it's not just elections in tanzania that bring more

attacks. >> we're not talking about tanzania only. we're talking about africa in general. the united nations has documented 25 countries where atrocities have been committed in africa. >> reporter: in a suburb of the coastal city we meet mary. she fled from her village in 2009. her 14-year-old daughter living with albinism had just been killed and her legs hacked off. >> translator: i realized my daughter was dead when i saw her neck. they tried to behead her. >> reporter: these are her other two daughters. she worries about them, they are safe. many other children like them still live with people who have refused to let go of a practice that is now outlawed. catherine soi, al jazeera. now food, i'm sure we all agree should be fresh. so what it is doing in a museum?

we send jessica baldwin out and about in london to find out. >> reporter: on the big screen where the food you eat goes. a journey through the human body. a voice guides you along the, the pill camera takes from the esophagus, stomach and beyond. a vibrating massage chair adds to the experience. >> a lot of the mum seems become too caught up in the value and cost of what they are holding. we want to inspire people about food and have their own food adventures. it's much more lively. the chocolate farm lets visitors experience different kinds of chocolate. notes the visitors take documenting their chocolate experience will be tabulated and

analyzed. >> it has school noises and various characters, from cartoons which resinates over my childhood, and it was totally bitter. so i don't know if that means anything. >> reporter: menus provide a snapshot of what life was like at the table. a christmas day menu designed by nazi prisoners in a war camp. >> we use food to curry favor with our friends. in the past they did it in different ways. >> reporter: the museum is passionate about education. they want people to know and understand where our food comes from, and that includes butterflies. they are big poll laters, pollinating a lot of the fruit and vegetables we eat every day. butterflies are an interesting way to illustrate global food

security. but the museum is hoping the exhibit will plant ideas in people's minds about how we get what we eat. the worldwide web, aljazeera.com for all of your global news. another day of tensions between israelis and palestinians, but a moment of peace today shown at one of the holiest sites in the region. south african students protesting the government raising their tuition, we'll tell you what jacob zuma is doing to try to end the violence. secretary of state john kerry working on a plan to end the syrian conflict, but it's a community in michigan looking to