never stops. ♪ ♪ [ explosion ] [ shouting ] >> students try to storm south africa's seat of government, forcing the president to standing down on an increase in their fees. ♪ >> i'm david foster. also coming up in the next 30 minutes. escaping hurricane patricia, mexico braces itself for the biggest storm ever in the western misfear. 10s of thousands pray at the

al-aqsa mosque. and the ultimate gastromonic experience at a museum. south africa's president says he will freeze a rise in fees proposed for university students next year. [ explosion ] >> a massive demonstration in the city of pretoria by thousands of university students who opposed any increase. they had tried to storm the seat of government but were held back by riot police who fired stun grenades and used water cannon. our correspondent sent this. >> reporter: these protests specifically where we are now have been going on for eight days, 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 any answer as to what will happen with these fee increases. they of course demanding that fees not be increased at all. ultimately wanting government to commit to free education, tertiary education in the country, so of course we're seeing students increasingly tense and wanting governments to come out to respondent to them. and at the same time, leadership we have spoken to here say they aren't necessarily optimistic about what government will say. >> announcing the freeze in fees president zuma appealed for calm. >> government understands the difficult faced by students from poorer households and urges all affected to allow the process to unfold, to find long-term solutions in order to ensure access to education by our

students. >> that was the south african president within the last couple of hours. our reporter has sent another update from the scene of the protests. >> reporter: many of the students have dispersed from the grounds of the yuan yoon buildings, and police are continuing to fire stun grenades trying to make them leave the grounds after the announcement that there will be a zero percent fee increase. many students are angry at the reaction after tear gas was fired at the students, but they are trying to leave as quickly as they can. a small group still close to the union buildings, running away from the union buildings as well. >> let's bring in legal researcher talks to us now from pretoria. why did the president feel it necessary to back down on this? >> well, firstly good evening. i think that this has become a very politically decisive issue,

the country is going to have a local government election next year, and i think that the president may be very worried that if he does not act decis e decisively and soon, then this upset might upset the ruling party results. >> but he said a rise in fee was essential. was he frightened? because he canceled a meeting with the students because he was said to be worried about his safety. >> as far as i'm ashare will was a meeting that happened in the union buildings. you are very right, of course to say that a rise in student fees is necessary, but it's necessary insofar as the government refuses to change the current funding formula that south african public universities receive. and i think insofar as the unwillingenings is concerned, we're going to have a serious tension arise because of

students who are unable to afford it, and government which isn't going to give universities anymore money. >> isn't there a danger from jacob zuma's point of view that far from appearing to be decisive, he now appears to be indecisive and a man who is not strong enough to carry through his political will, and that would equally be harmful to him. >> i think you are right. but i think the difficulty with making this kind of assessment is whether or not he is able to capitalize out of this. as the protests started gaining national momentum, they made deliberate attempts to capture the movement. the ruling party said that they encourage all of their members to go and march and protest outside of the union buildings, which the ruling party is in charge of. i think what we have is a movement from the ruling party. on one hand they are making the

changes in government in response to what is going on, but i also think they are going to try to spin this in their favor, and for students that's very unfortunate, because that means the change they have been able to bring about might actually be lost. >> thank you for that, indeed. >> thank you. ♪ now to mexico, a country brace bracing itself for what has been described as potential catastrophic conditions. one of the strongest hurricanes on record is bearing down on the country's western coastline. ak coring to the world immediate logical organization, hurricane patricia is the strongest storm to hit the region. a state of emergency has been declared in a number of mexican states. and the storms being likened

through typhoon haiyan, which killed more than 6,000 and displacing up to 4 million people. more than a thousand people are still missing. you can see where it is moving at the moment. predicting it will make landfall around about here at 19 gmt just a few hours from now. winds up to 235 kilometers an hour. gerald tan reports. >> 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 beetser 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. it has quickly grown 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 ex -- extrordanaire decks cla ration of emergency in three states. this bustling port city is in the direct path of patricia, but not everyone is worried? >> translator: we decided 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 a hurricane will come, but sometimes they don't hit, that's why i don't think the majority participate that much. >> reporter: many villages have been evacuated and orders 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. about 30,000 muslims have been praying at the compound housing the al-aqsa mosque in occupied east jerusalem. restrictions have been lifted on who is able to enter the site. it lies at the heart of he recent wave of violence. mike hanna has more now. >> reporter: young and old, male and female arrive for friday prayers, unlike in recent weeks there was no age or gender restriction for worshippers and no police check points to navigate. those who have been closely checking identity, now relaxing and simply watching. the scenes were not as peaceful in many parts of the occupied west bank. activist groups had declared what they called a day of rage, and there was sporadic fighting between demonstrators and the

israeli army 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 compound. >> this is the only country in the whole world has been occupied and treating people miserable. we have enough. and it is enough. palestinians 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 restriction 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 the meeting that benjamin netenyahu had with the u.s. secretary of state. we were told it's the situation on the grown that determines the level of security in force. but the question many ask, why where were the restrictions imposed in the first place?

mike hah that, al jazeera. the european union's chief of foreign affairs says all parties must call for deescalation of violence in the region. >> in order to restore confidence and hope in the viability of a negotiated two-state solution that resolves the final issues, including that of jerusalem and ends the occupation that began in 1967. the court reaffirms its strong commitment to act in coordination in an effort to stabilize the situation and to ensure support, a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the palestinian

israeli conflict. >> i believe she has come up with a plan to meet two of the people at the head of this, both in palestine and israel. >> what she said david is that she will meet president abbas in brussels on monday, and this would have followed john kerry's visit to the region over the weekend. he is due to meet abbas and the king of jordan on saturday. and she also said she had constructive talks with benjamin netenyahu who met in berlin yesterday. what does all of this mean in the pace of international diplomacy is increasing on the israelis and the palestinians to calm the situation. she said that she was encouraged that the quartet was speaking as one, not remarkable words, i suppose, but i think there is clearly a high degree of unity and cooperation between the

european union, top underofficials have been to the territory this week, and the russians and the americans, desire to de-escalate as quickly as possible. how will that translate into practical steps in the ground in well, again, she spoke about a reassurance over israel east commitment to maintain the status quo at the holy sites. and she said there had been productive talks with the jordanians, recognizing their crucial role in this as well. so soothing, calming words from the international. how much difference will it make on the ground, i suppose we'll see in coming days. 22 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in pakistan. the police saying a number of mourners were attacked as they reached the end of their procession. let's talk to our correspondent

kamal heidler in islamabad. >> reporter: yes, as you mentioned the attack taking place in the southern province of sindh. now according to eyewitnesses the attacker was a suicide bomber, who attacked that procession in a very narrow and congested part of the city where the alliway is just about 6 feet wide, and therefore there was such a high casualty rate. the death toll has been mounting. there are conflicting reports. however, the angry mourners then went on a procession. they have torched [ inaudible ] and the paramilitary forces have been called in. >> thank you for the update kamal heidler there in islamabad. coming up on this program, the united nations says yemen's government and the houthi rebels

have agreed to start talks to end the civil war. we have unrest in the republic of congo, where a referendum is being held to see if the president can stand for a third term. ♪ i just had a horrible nightmare. my company's entire network went down, and i was home in bed, unaware. but that would never happen. comcast business monitors my company's network 24 hours a day and calls and e-mails me if something, like this scary storm, takes it offline.

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and the headlines for you, south africa's government has been forced to back down on the university fee increase after days of unrest involving students. in mexico they are bracing for what has been described as potential catastrophic conditions. one of the strongest hurricanes on word is bearing down on the

country's western coastline. 22 people have died in a suicide blast in the southen pakistan city. the united nations special envoy to yemen says the yemeni government and houthi rebels have agreed to the latest round of u.n.-backed talks to end the war there. >> we finally have an agreement to start an negotiation, and we are preparing very actively for this process. we'll soon announce the location and date, but it's going to happen very soon. and we hope that parties will come with no preconditions. that the parties will come ready to negotiate in good faith and there will be representative from each delegation for these talks. >> let's talk to critical context tin sal louny who is at

the united states where that announcement was made. negotiations in good faith, kristen, but we were almost at this point about four or five months ago until the exiled president said we'll only agree of a ceasefire if you the houthis pull out of areas you have taken. and that precondition changed? >> reporter: what we're hearing from our sources on the ground that it hasn't. the houthis expect both sides to pull out. they say they will pull out, but they want the pro-government militias to pull out as well. in order for that to happen, the pro-government forces interpret this agreement as the houthis pull out. they are the aggressors. the talked are based on a security council resolution, which does put the onus for the conflict on the houthis and call on them to withdraw and remove their forces, return heavy weapons and so on, but it does

call on all sides to lay down arms, so there's some room for interpretation there, and when i asked the special envoy how he interpreted that, he said that remains to be prenegotiated. we just want to get the people together and have these talks. but he seemed pretty optimistic that they were going to happen, despite the history that you talked about. he said he was full of hope, and he was planning to announce a date very soon. >> he also said conditions couldn't get much worse for the civilians there. >> reporter: absolutely. and really that's the bad news. the humanitarian situation continues to be quite dire. 80% of the population in need of some sort of aid. some 20 million without potable water, and more than half a million children severely malnourished. very bad situation, and now we also have al-qaeda an increasing presence in the area as well. >> thank you for that update.

more than 40 pensioners have been killed in a road crash in france. they were on a day trip by bus when the bus hit a lori in a southwestern district. >> reporter: in dense woodland, the charred shell of a bus and truck. the coach has been entirely burnt out. it was carrying a group of elderly people. 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 bus and timber truck caught fire when they collided, leaving some passengers trapped. >> translator: the driver of an empty timber truck lost control of 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. >> reporter: 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. france's prime minister has traveled to the scene to meet survivors and rescuers. >> translator: it's a terrible shock for this area. it's a terrible shock for france. france and the french people are in mourning. >> reporter: this is france's worst road accident p-- for mor than 30 years. opposition leader in the republic of congo says the presidential guard have him now under house arrest. he says he is being detained

along with three others. and there is a heavy police presence on the streets of the capitol after a number of days of protests, ahead of sunday's vote on a referendum. haru has the latest. >> reporter: the capitol is calm but tense. some opposition leaders are under house arrest. some are saying they are too scared to come out into the public. this is an area that is an opposition strong hold. there have been protests here, and people were burning things. they put these vehicles on the streets to stop the police from coming in and arresting them in the future if that happens. some shops are open, but many are closed like these ones other year. we are told many people in the capitol have gone to the countryside where they feel it will be safer. the government says this constitution, they want to push

ahead a few one is good for the people. they are saying it will improve people's lives generally. but the opposition are concerned. they say the president is trying to hang on to power. so now things look calm, but it is tense. you can feel it in the air. the closer they get to sunday vote for the referendum, there could be a flairup of violence. at least 20 people have died in two bomb attacks in nigeria's borno state. nobody has claimed ponsablety, 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 out on the campaign trail trying to get voters on their side ahead of sunday's election. they are promising to provide

free education to combat rampant corruption to protect the rights of minority groups, but those living with the medical condition albinism are still concerned for their safety ahead of the vote. 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, through the help of a non-profit organization. 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 her arms chopped off by a man she knew. >> translator: when i see him my

heart breaks for him and other children. as a parent and a person living with albinism, it really hurts me to see what has been happening to us. >> reporter: this is particularly dangerous time for the roughly 33,000 people living with albinism, it's an election period and some politicians believe using the bodies in sorcery will give them victory at the polls. the government outlawed witchcraft in january and want politicians against using witch doctors, but it's still secretly and widely practiced in parts of the country. human rights people are worried about a trend that most attacks are happening during elections. what is worrying them more is increased attacks in neighboring countries. this woman has helped many people are 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 where -- atrocities are being committed in africa. >> reporter: in a suburb we meet mary. she fled from her village in 2009. her 14-year-old daughter living with albinism had just been killed. >> translator: i realized she was dead when i saw her neck. they tried to behead her. >> reporter: these are her other two daughters. she worries about them, but they are safe. catherine soi, al jazeera. food, i think you'll agree should be as fresh as possible.

so what is it doing in a museum? jessica baldwin is in london, and sniffed out that story. >> reporter: on the big screen, where the food you eat goes. >> the muscles in your esophagus -- >> reporter: a journey through the human body. a voice guides you along the path the food takes. a vibrating massage chair adds to the sensory experience. >> all of the museums today are so caught up in the value and expense of the things they are holding that they become very precious about it. what i love about this museum is for you to go away inspired about food, inspired by what they can create, and going away and having their own food adventure. it's much more lively. >> reporter: this lets visitors experiment with the changing taste of chocolate. you eat the same chocolate listening to four different sound scapes. notes the visitors take

documenting their chocolate experience will be tabulated and analyzed. >> it has school noises and various characters from sort of cartoons which resinated very much with my childhood, and it was totally bitter, so i don't think if that means anything. >> reporter: menus provide a snapshot of what life was like at the table. there is a christmas day menu designed by british prisoners in a nazi war camp. >> [ inaudible ] sharing our food experiences to curry favor with our friends and appear to be cool. in the past they did it in different ways. they always put on very elaborate feasts. >> 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 pollinatopollinato. butterflies the undervalued pollinate for 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, and the importance of preserving the environment for food. settle softly on the web for all of the world's news, aljazeera.com. another day of tensions between israelis and palestinians, but a moment of peace is shown at one of the holiest sites in the country. south african students protest the government raising tuition. what jacob zuma is doing to end the violence. john kerry is working on a plan to end the syrian conflict, but it is a community in michigan that is looking to help the refugees find a home. ♪