several deaths have been reported. security forces tried to break up a sit—in there, which has been going on for weeks. the demonstrations have also spread to other cities including the provincial capitals of lahore and karachi. the bbc‘s south asia regional editor, anbarasan ethirajan, is following the story. islamabad, pakistan's capital city, turned into a battle zone. police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the islamists, but they came prepared, and responded with stones and bricks. several police vans were on fire. many injured were taken to hospital. at one point, the police had to retreat as hundreds more demonstrators turned up unexpectedly. after failing to disperse the islamists, the government has asked the military to restore order in islamabad. the islamists have been blocking a key highway for weeks, demanding the sacking of a government minister who they accuse of blasphemy. the protesters are defiant. translation: we're protesting against the operation, the cruel action that the government is carrying out against the lawful demand being made about our holy prophet being made by our religious scholars and our leaders in islamabad. we curse the government and our demand is that the operation should be stopped with immediate effect. as the protest spreads, it presents a direct challenge to the governing pakistan muslim league. they also illustrate the government's difficulty with the in dealing with the popularity of religious extremists in some sections of the society. anbarasan ethirajan, bbc news. joining us from washington is hassan abbas, professor of international security studies and chair of the department of regional and analytical studies, at the national defence university based in washington dc. thank you forjoining us. the sit—in has been going on for several weeks. why has violence and protesting gone 7 why has violence and protesting gone up? a few reasons. the supreme court. and also, the capital of the country was fall were so many days and the government was scared because of the tactics. —— full. they finally decided it was time to go for it and push them back. has the government made a tactical error, should they have taken this seriously earlier on? yes. they should have tried to nip the trouble in the bud. they allowed it to become big. they allowed the religious group to make this political. it is the failure of the government and their delay which has allowed this to become a serious crisis. you say political, but this is an isa crisis. you say political, but this is an is a mass protest at heart. why do you describe it as political —— islamist. why do you describe it as political -- islamist. for a few reasons. it isa mixing -- islamist. for a few reasons. it is a mixing of religion and politics, which has been going on in pakistan for some time. it is a democracy. but those who speak, or claim to speak, in the name of religion, and they have seldom done well at the ballot box, but they are good at blackmailing, emotionalism, and they have made this an art. that is what they are good at. they cannot win at elections, they influence policy through scaring people and talking about religion. that is why this issue should have been dealt with in a legal law enforcement process in time. the government delayed. they would not do so otherwise. they were scared this would become emotional and they would lose the support of people. you make it sounds like this group have a big influence despite not being elected. absolutely. this is a movement that was developed around a murder, a person who murdered a few yea rs murder, a person who murdered a few years ago. the murderer was hanged because the supreme court gave him a death sentence. this was a movement that gained strength around the legacy of that person. in this case, this is further from that. they framed this as an issue of blasphemy. it is close to many people's heart. thank you so much. thank you. authorities in egypt say the gunmen who attacked a mosque during friday prayers, killing more than 300 people, were carrying the flag of the so—called islamic state. up to 30 men surrounded the building and opened fire on worshippers, including children. it happened in the town of beer al—abud in northern sinai. in response, egyptian forces have been carrying out airstrikes on some targets. it's the worst attack in the country in recent memory. 0ur middle east correspondent, 0rla guerin, reports. egyptian warplanes take to the skies to target militants in northern sinai. the army says this is a mission to avenge the martyrs. there has been no claim of responsibility, but according to officials the attackers brandished flags of the so—called islamic state. and here, one of their many victims in the general hospital in ismailia. suleiman is 13. he was shot twice in the hand and in the leg. and he is not the only victim in his family. in the same ward, his 17—year—old cousin, also shot twice, once in the back. his mother is looking to god to punish those who brought such torment. translation: i hope their hearts will be burned just like ours, the women have all become widowed. there are no men left, they are all gone. they are all gone. then she leaned in to whisper that she has been bereaved four times over. losing her husband, her oldest son, an uncle, and a cousin. she didn't want her son to know the death toll. in another ward, we found doctors consoling another man who was praying with his extended family when the attackers struck. he lost two of his brothers and two of their children. "there was shooting and people just started running," he told us, "some jumped out the window, "god saved some of us, but others lost their lives." among the visitors today, a local leader of the coptic church, christians are regular targets in their places of worship. now, muslims havejoined them. more than a0 survivors of the attack were brought to this hospital. but the death toll is continuing to climb. five of those who came here have already lost their lives. well—wishers and relatives are coming and going, trying to offer support, and across the country, egyptians are struggling to come to terms with this attack. there is a grief across the country as the dead are laid to rest. the village of bir al—abed, the scene of the attack, has lost a quarter of its men. tonight, hundreds of families are in mourning. 0 rla 0rla guerin, bbc news. there has been a red warning for a volcano in bali. a significant amount of ash will be pushed into the air. some flights have been cancelled, but the airport is still working. let's ta ke let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. reports from north—east nigeria say suspected islamist militants belonging to boko haram have taken control of an isolated town north—west of the regional capital, maiduguri. the reuters news agency say that people from the town of magumeri told them by telephone they had fled into a nearby forest. thousands of women have been taking to the streets around the world to mark the international day to end violence against women. the theme of the un campaign this year is "leave no—one behind." in france, president macron announced a number of measures to try and combat the problem. he called for the minimum age of consent for sex to be 15. there is currently no such law in france. police in belgium have made around 50 arrests in the capital, brussels, after a street protest turned violent. some demonstrators in masks attacked police officers and damaged shops near the city centre. reports say those arrested were between 15 and 18 years old, and had broken away from a protest against slavery in libya. it's the third such outbreak of violence in brussels in recent weeks. stay with us here on bbc news. still to come: a march in support of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, the british—iranian woman jailed in iran. at least 31 migrants drowned off the coast of libya when their boat capsized on saturday morning. they were part of a group of over 200 people, trying to make the illegal and perilous journey to southern europe. the vessel sank off the shores of garaboulli, a coastal town, east of the libyan capital. the bbc‘s north africa correspondent, rana jawad, reports. for these survivors of the latest lot capsized off the libyan coast, the bodies they walked past could have been them. despite this, economic migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers continue to risk their lives in the mediterranean in the hope of a better one in europe. there were two rubber dinghies packed with over 200 migrants that set off from libya's shores on saturday, and one of them sank. the dead included several children. translation: the coastguard went out to sea after hearing distress signals. and when they got there, they found a group of people hanging on the remainder of the dinghy. but the rest had died. they had spread out while the dinghy was sinking. about 60 people were rescued from this dinghy that had sunk, and the bodies of 31 others were picked up. these survivors are back in a lawless state with grim prospects. some could be involuntarily repatriated to countries they don't see a future in. but most end up being locked up in libya's overcrowded detention centres, overseen by unruly militias, and exposed to a range of abuse. others could even be passed on to human traffickers to attempt thejourney again. rana jawad, bbc news. police have arrested two men in their 20s in connection with the stabbing of three people in belfast on saturday morning. a woman arrested earlier has been released on bail. the victims, all men in their 20s, were found within half a mile of each other in the north of the city. they're in a stable condition in hospital. the leader of the democratic unionist party has warned sinn fein that it needs to "get serious" if the devolution is to be restored in northern ireland. the power—sharing executive at stormont collapsed injanuary, and now the dup's arlene foster has told her party conference, that unless a deal is agreed soon, westminster would have to take over the running of the government. here's our ireland correspondent, chris buckler. the democratic unionists are making the most of the influence they have a downing street. without a government at stormont, arlene foster is now no longer northern ireland's first minister, but her ten mps make a formidable team, because the conservatives need their crucial votes in westminster. it is this party that stands in the heart of government, not in northern ireland, but across the united kingdom. but the dup desperately wants to be in power at stormont. and that's not possible because of the ongoing divisions between unionists and irish republicans. this was the party conference a year ago. arlene foster was riding high, but the last 12 months have been difficult. a scandal over a botched green energy scheme, and deep differences with sinn fein over culture, identity, and brexit, have left stormont in months of limbo. they complain about brexit. all the while refusing to form an executive or take their seats in parliament. and they go to conference and glory in the murder of the ira. yet, when you listen to sinn fein, they blame everyone else. now it's time sinn fein got serious. despite the flags, cheers, and shouts, this has felt a more muted party conference. and perhaps that reflects a deal with sinn fein is looking unlikely, and that the entire future of devolution in northern ireland is uncertain. chris buckler, bbc news, belfast. 0ur headlines: pakistan's government calls on the army to step in following violent clashes between islamist protesters and police. as egypt buries victims of friday's mosque attack, investigators say the attackers were carrying the flag of so called islamic state. bangladesh is warning rohingya muslim refugees returning to myanmar that they'll have to live initially in temporary camps. it's because most of their villages have been burnt down. it is likely to cause concern in the un, which is already warning about the dangers of returning rohingyas to "confinement and ghettos". nicola carroll reports. hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in rakhine state. they accuse the myanmar military of carrying out mass killings, rape, and setting fire to homes. but the myanmar government denies the accusations. today, there are more than 600,000 refugees living in camps like this one. the governments of bangladesh and myanmar now i have an agreement for their return. translation: the returnees will be taken to their original land is whether they want to live. in primary stages, they will stay in camps. the two sides have agreed to com plete camps. the two sides have agreed to complete the repatriation process in a reasonable time. after a verification process, the displaced rohingya will be taken back. our priority is to ensure their safe return to their homeland with honour. we are aiming for that. the arrangement will cause concern at the un, which is warned of the danger of returning rohingya being confined to ghettos. many of the issues that forced the region to flee the first place remain are addressed and many refugees say they do not want to return unless they get citizenship in ben maher. translation: if there are people to protect us, we will go. if they send us protect us, we will go. if they send us back without this guarantee, we will be persecuted again. -- myanmar. rights group said that the idea that myanmar would allow them to return with open arms is wishful thinking. it is also not clear of the military will agree to the latest deal. now, these muslims continue to face an uncertain future. nicola carroll, bbc news. it's been revealed that a child sex offender evaded the authorities for seven years, by hiding at a monastery on an island off the coast of pembrokeshire. paul ashton used a fake name while he lived at the abbey on caldey island. last year, the abbey paid compensation to several women who alleged they'd been abused by a monk in the seventies and eighties. caldey island, a peaceful haven, separate from the world and its pressures. a sanctuary and a place to hide. in 2004, paul ashton came to caldey, calling himself robertjudd. the monks gave him a home — he lived in the clock tower of the abbey. they fed him and he worked there. a source said he put himself in an ideal position. he operated the island's phone system, the computers — he even did the accounts and worked in the post room. but in 2011, he was brought to justice after a visitor recognised him from the crime stoppers' most wanted list. his cover was blown and he was arrested by sussex police, who found more indecent images on his computer at the abbey. seven years after he fled from police, ashton, who was 59 at the time, pleaded guilty to possessing over 5,000 indecent images of children. he was jailed for 30 months. caldey abbey hasn't yet responded to our request for a comment. it emerged last week that six women had been paid compensation after being abused by father thaddeus kotik on the island. since then, a further five women have said kotik abused them. i would urge everyone, as the police have done themselves, to come forward if they've had any experiences, or if they have heard of things happening on caldey, so that we can have an understanding of whether this is confined to one or two individuals, or whether there was a pattern going on on the island at the time. dyfed—powys police weren't made aware of the allegations against kotik until 2014, 22 years after his death. the current abbot, brother daniel van santvoort, has apologised that the allegations weren't referred to police sooner. but today's revelations that a sex offender evaded justice here for seven years raised more questions about this secretive island. two men have been interviewed by detectives, about an altercation at oxford circus tube station in central london on friday, which led to mass panic. 16 people were hurt in a rush to leave the area,after reports of gunshots. investigators now say there's no evidence weapons were fired. the former television presenterjohn leslie, has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman at a nightclub in edinburgh. the 52—year—old former wheel of fortune and blue peter presenter, is alleged to have put his hand up the woman's skirt, at the atik club injune. the actress, emma thompson, has led a march in north london, to support the british—iranian woman nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, who's beenjailed in iran, accused of trying to overthrow the state. those taking part have signed a letter urging iran's supreme leader to release her. alice hutton reports. # if you're happy and you know it clap your hands# nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe's favourite song, imprisoned in iran and unable to sing it with her own young daughter, 200 members of her community in west hampstead in london came out today to form a mum's protest. they were joined by local mum and 0scar—winning actor emma thompson, who braved pneumonia to lend her voice to the protests. this is our community and one of her community has been imprisoned without trial, has been separated from her child more or less for 19 months. the situation is desperate. i'm not supposed to be out at all, but i said to my doctor, "well, i can't not come to speak, because i am free." together, they marched to the nearby islamic centre of england to deliver a letter addressed to the supreme leader of iran, calling for nazanin‘s release. they have kindly taken the letters for us. really pleased with that, thank you to our muslim friends in the islamic centre of england. one person who did hear the voices was nazanin herself. she rang from prison in iran to thank them for their support, especially her husband, richard. i am so grateful for everyone. thank you so much. i am so grateful. i don't think i deserve him, to be honest. he has been amazing. thank you for all your support. thank you everyone from the bottom and top of my heart, i really feel the love. nazanin can feel the love, that is the most important thing, that's what keeps us going. with fresh charges and a new court date next month, this is a time of great anxiety for the ratcliffe family. today was all about local support and showing that nazanin might have dual british—iranian citizenship, but it is this community that she calls home. they were called the dreadnoughts of the trenches, and changed the face of modern warfare. now, 100 years after the first tanks were deployed in the battle of cambrai in the first world war, members of the royal tank regiment have returned to the french town, to commemorate those who died. robert halljoined the crowds paying their respects. 0n the terraced lawn of the cambrai memorial, today's tank crews look back to a week which cemented the bonds of a new military family. in november 1917, the early tank men clambered into over 400 lumbering machines, for the largest tank attack ever mounted. inside the metal hulls, crews were overcome by heat and exhaust fumes. many tanks broke down. 0ne battle—scarred veteran has been adopted by the french village where it fought. tank d51 — deborah to her crew — was abandoned and lost. until a local historian found her back in 1998 and began the task of preserving her. today, deborah is the centrepiece of a new museum, commemorating her part in the battle and the five crewmen she lost. it is simply a love story. it's a love story which has started when first i met a lady who let me know that she knows a place where a tank was buried. deborah's crew are buried nearby, lost on a day when tanks advanced further and faster than anyone imagined. but the bravery and the crews and the sheer power of the tanks came to naught. the allies were once again driven back. cambrai, however, did mark the start of a change in the way wars were fought. the tank had proved its worth. a machine that is still evolving, still a terrifying presence. its birth came at a high cost. these ceremonies mark the passing of the tank men who still lie under the rolling farmland they crossed. robert hall, bbc news, on the battlefield of cambrai. finally, some sport. we go to the cricket. it is the fourth day of the first ashes tass. england began the day on 33 for 2 — a lead ofjust 7 runs with 8 second innings wickets remaining. however, despite a good start, mike sturman was the first wicket to fall, alpha 27. a few moments ago, england have now taken their total to 80 1:4. england have now taken their total to 80 1m. -- england have now taken their total to 80 1m. —— british—iranian. that is the latest, 80—4. —— 80—4. now for a weather update with philip avery. high pressure down towards the south—west at the moment and on that run of north—westerly winds, there we re run of north—westerly winds, there were a few showers across northern and western parts. if you have some overnight, ice could be a problem first thing on sunday. especially untreated surfaces. still they went across the north—east of scotland. showers there. showers running out of the north channel down across the irish sea into the north and west of the midlands, through the north—west of england. we will come back to those in just a second. further east 01’ those in just a second. further east or south, dry to a fine, sunny, and chilly to start the new day. in that a little bit more in the way of cloud at this stage across parts of the south—west in the far west of wales. andy wright from the word go across northern ireland. this is all coming ahead of a weather front which make themselves known in northern ireland later in the afternoon. the wind, ahead of those fronts, becoming a bit more westerly. maybe not just fronts, becoming a bit more westerly. maybe notjust as cold as the north—westerly wind of saturday, but that supply of showers coming out of the irish sea could be a bother at burnley and huddersfield, not such an issue at southampton. they're there. your muggy, just the first signs of that clouds moving in from northern ireland, to temper the sunshine and then perhaps rob you of it altogether. this passes way down across the british isles. that is the isobars there. a0 mile an hour gusts inland. along the western facing hills, 30 or a0 millimetres of rain. but at least this is mild air. so we have a spell of relatively mild conditions for the new week. but then it is much colder and there will be a noticeable biting wind coming in from the north. monday a day of transition. it will take a while before we see the last of the overnight rain getting away from the south of england and wales. double figure temperatures here. but slowly but surely, once the front of me through, the isoba rs surely, once the front of me through, the isobars can send back into a more northerly direction, and along with that, that is the highway for the cold air to percolate its way down from the arctic across all parts of the british isles. i am showing you hear the middle part of the week. cold air absolutely dominant. that extends, probably, towards next weekend. this is bbc news. the headlines: the government in pakistan has called on the army to send troops to the capital, islamabad, after battles between police and islamist protesters. several deaths have been reported and nearly 200 people injured. egyptian officials investigating the killing of more than 300 worshippers at a mosque in sinai say the attackers were carrying the flag of so—called islamic state. it's the country's worst attack in recent memory. bangladesh says rohingya refugees who return to myanmar following an agreement between the two governments will have to live initially in temporary camps because most

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