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 bbcs south asia regional editor, anbarasan ethirajan, is following the story. Islamabad, pakistans 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 were 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 governments 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 peoples 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. Its 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 didnt 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. Lets ta ke lets 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. Its 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 bbcs 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 libyas 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 dont see a future in. But most end up being locked up in libyas 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. Theyre 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 Dups 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. Heres 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 Irelands 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 thats 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 its 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 pakistans government calls on the army to step in following violent clashes between islamist protesters and police. As egypt buries victims of fridays 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 theyll have to live initially in temporary camps. Its 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. Its 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 theyd 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 islands 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 hasnt 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 theyve 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 werent 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 werent referred to police sooner. But todays 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 theres 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 womans 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, whos beenjailed in iran, accused of trying to overthrow the state. Those taking part have signed a letter urging irans Supreme Leader to release her. Alice hutton reports. If youre happy and you know it clap your hands Nazanin Zaghari ratcliffes 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 mums 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. Im not supposed to be out at all, but i said to my doctor, well, i cant 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 nazanins 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 dont think i deserve him, to be honest.