al jazeera america. 65 killed by a bomb in a park in lahore, many of the dead are children with us here on al jazeera, i'm david foster, coming up in the programme - tensions flare in brussels, riot police use water canon on right wing protesters. iraqi leader muqtada begins a sit in on the verge of the green zone the seat of iraq's government

and we head to jerusalem, where violence casts a shadow over easter celebrations starting in pakistan, principally in new york, a splinter group of the the pakistan taliban says it carried out a bomb attack on a park popular with families. and christians, it says, were the targets. at least 65 were killed, most women and children. in pakistan's capital, istanbul, the army was called out to beat back protesters, protesting on cadd rip. he killed a regional governor, opposed to the blasphemy laws. more of that. first a report on the bombing in

lahore. >> reporter: an explosion at a children's park in the heart of lahore. this was the lastest taliban attack, to claim lives in taliban. a food cart vendor described the moment of the blast. . >> i was flipping a burger, i can't understand what was happening. >> i was speaking about it. i heard an explosion so big. i couldn't understand what was happening. >> it was the weekend. the park was full of families, as a result. most of the dead and injured were women and children. witnesses reported bodies strewn everywhere with emergency services stretched and casualties high. people used taxis and rickshaws to move the injured. the lahore hospitals on high alert. these attacks are not knew to the team of taliban. in the past the punjab province has been spared the worst of the violence, the taliban carrying out this attack in the ruling government's political backyard.

with this attack in lahore, it a period of relative calm in the country may now be at an end snoop there was tension in the capital, islamabad, where armed police were on the streets because of a case that aroused strong feelings among an activist. a policeman assigned to guard the governor, but in 2003 he shot dead the man he was supposed to protect. we /* our correspondent followed the developments and sent us this. >> after thousands of support of kadri marched on parliament, the pakistani military was called to restore order and secure government buildings, including parliament, the foreign ministry, the pakistan television and the enclave. we are told that the city administration has been able to convince the large crowd not to go near parliament or cause damage to government property,

and they have been told that the crowd will stay in front of parliament. however, they will not fight. a situation evolving here in islamabad is critical. because the crowd said that they have asked supporters from across the country to come and join them police in the netherlands say they have arrested a french national on suspicion of planning an attack. in belgium, there was a dozen police raids in connections with the bombings there, a rally in brussels against the attacks was cancelled at the request of police. not everywhere complied as paul brennan reports from brussels. >> sunday's intended memorial was postponed. security was tight around a gathering place where many came to pay their respects since last

tuesday. while soldiers watched the mourners, special police units launched a dozen new raids and arrested suspects. a postponement created a vacuum which others were key to fill. out of the railway station was a large crowd of belgiums. they marched to memorial square and muscled their way to the steps, which is a focal point of the movement. >> just a statement to say we love belgium. itself our country. europe, stick to your own. >> reporter: then the mood turned ugly. the sense of sorrow and greece, which is overwhelming since the tuesday bomb attack gave way to violence and anger. >> reporter: with water canon

and pepper spray the group was pushed back, but not before unfurling their banner one last time. belgium prosecutors charged a man called faycalc with attempted murder and murder, but will not confirm that his full name is faycal cheffou. this refugee, who asked to remain anonymous lived for weeks in this park in central brussels. he remembers cheffou coming to the park. >> he was stopped by the police. he was yelling and talking. and they were gathering to make violence and everyone was like

please stop it. people were mad. the they understood what he was saying. he was calling anybody, not muslim infidel. and that is very preserved they don't call them infidels. trying to make this problem, other muslims. nazim has doubts whether he is the third bomber. the man in white on the c c.t.v. the picture in the airport vision. >> it's not clear. it's not clear, i couldn't - and he's a skinny guy. when they said it's him, i thought it's not possible, or maybe it's been six months and he's eaten a lot of burgers. >> investigators have a long way to go before getting the full picture of who was involved

the influential cleric muqtada al-sadr entered the heavily fortified green zone. to put pressure on the government to implement reforms. his supporters began a sit in at the gates to the system, frustrated that prime minister haider al-abadi has not carried out government reforms to change the cabinet. he promised to carry out a reshuffle of the cabinet this week. this is what muqtada had to say. >> translation: we are here calling for reforms. those in the green zone claim there's no poverty or corruption in iraq. we are at the walls of the green zone. tomorrow we'll be at its heart. i'm the representative of the iraqi people. i will enter the green zone, why you hold your ground here. we are peaceful demonstrators,

and will remain as such. >> this is a seemingly simple gesture, it carries ramifications and speaks volumes. >> this is one of the revered shia clerics. formerly leading a militia rising up against american forces. now a mainstream political figure. for weeks he's rally hundreds of thousands of supporters in public squares and near the green zone is where diplomats live and work and is presented. he has said that his followers will storm the green zone. instead of that, he appeared today saying that they had showed great discipline, and they will to continue to do that and were to stay put and he would go into the green zone. this is one of the few cases

where followers have seen him up close. people were weeping as he spoke. he went into the green zone. he was kissed and greeted by senior iraqi security officials and sat on the side walk. that speaks volumes, he said he's a man of the people, speaking for all of iraq. this is a way to put pressure on the government, and intends to stay until reforms are made. the iraqi government, the prime minister wants reforms, there's a lot of political resistance to reshuffling the cabinet he has a leading political rival sitting there, basically waiting for him to do something, and frantic political negotiations going on and expected to continue to go on until he gind -- finds a solution to this.

that was jane arraf in iraq. in syria, syrian forces say they are in control of palmyra. not only strategically important, but symbolically. forces control the desert stretching to the iraqi boarder to the south. and it opens access to the isil stronghold. mohammed jamjoom has more. >> reporter: a significant advance against isil in syria. according to state media, government forces backed by russian air power recaptured the ancient city of palmyra after days of fighting. while there has been no confirmation, the syrian observatory for human rights said the bulk of i.s.i.l.'s forces in the city had

retreated. >> translation: following a series of large-scale operations, the units operating in homs, backed by the syrian forces fulfilled their missions in the city of palmyra. they gained control over the mountains and ridges, and killed large numbers of terrorists and destroyed their bunkers and military gear. isil took over palmyra, a world heritage site last may. and began a campaign of destroying ancient sites and staging mass executions. palmyra used to attract tins of thousands of tourists before the conflict began. but the city isn't known for its beautiful ruins. for decades. it was one of syria's feared detention centers. known for housing political prisoners. thousands of opponents were tortured there. after overtaking the city.

isil blew up the gaol, which was empty at the time destroying government control. >> it is between damascus and deir az zor. the location making it important for the syrian armed forces and its allies. russia withdrew most of the forces from syria. the government of syrian president bashar al-assad had a late and made advances in rebel held territory. recapturing palmyra opens up an advance of government forces to the eastern desert. stretching to the iraqi boarder to the suth, and i.s.i.l.'s heartlands to the east. >> syrian officials say they are surprised some of them are not as bad as they might be. the drone images were shared on russian state. palmyra was known for having well preserved temples and monuments, one of the best and

some in the middle east. when isil took over. fighters destroyed many relics, but not as many as have been feared still ahead on al jazeera. chipping away at clinton's lead, the u.s. presidential hopeful bernie sanders has reason to celebrate. plus... >> i'm in qatar where the supreme court is set to hear a petition to remove islam as bangladesh's state religion. gion. gas at us. >> emmy award-winning, investigative series.

a quick run through the top

stories, at least 65 died when a bomb went off in a pakistani city of lahore. police say it was a suicide bomber who attacked a public park. and many of the dead are children. >> influential shia cleric muck tata al-sadr went into the -- muqtada al-sadr went into the heavily fort gied green gown -- fortified green zone. riot police broke up a protest by nationalist football fans. they were marching towards a village im for the victims of -- vigil for the victims of tuesday's attack. anger appears to mount among the refugees stuck in greece, particularly over the deteriorating conditions of a makeshift tent city. most sold their belongings and spent savings to get to the greek-macedonia boarder, only to

be told they can go no quurt. further. hoda abdel-hamid has their story. >> they make their way to greece's boarder to macedonia. they had been told the migrant trail reopened. the refugees left their camps and walked for kilometres. we read it on social media. we celebrated last night. >> the people were not given the correct information. this is what they found - dozens preparing to break through greek police lines, and pushing forwards. >> this is the only hope we have left. they want to take us to military camps, and the e.u. relocation programme can take months, years. i'm confident we can get through. we are many people. >> a few dozen gathered. it didn't take long. we will not be marching. they said. not unless the red cross is with

them, and there's a decision by the european union to let them in. >> the refugees and migrants know that crossing by force will not change anything. two weeks ago some managed to break through a barbed wire fence, only to be arrested by macedonian authorities, and sent back. instead, they held peaceful protests in front of the cameras, in the hope that forces -- their voice s will be heard and suffering not forgotten. >> we'll endure the cold. we will not leave here, our families are in europe already. we will stay until we can cross. >> reporter: this it where they say they'll wait while asylum requests are processed. they are waiting for activists to support them. >> what is going on is we are renouncing to our illuminous history and humanity. >> reporter: the main route through which hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees used has been closed for weeks.

there's no indication that that will change. more and more people are realising that europe's open-door policy has been shut now to the u.s. presidential race, and bernie sanders is appearing to close the gap on hillary clinton in the battle for the democratic party nomination. he had big wins on saturday. here is how it's looking. it takes 2383 to win the nomination. sanders is 268 behind his rival - more than 2000 delegates votes are still up for grabs. bernie sanders won hawaii, washington and alaska on saturday. probably the best day of the campaign so far. clinton is still the favourite not the least because of the proportional system being she picks up delegates if and when she loses a state. rob reynolds reports. >> reporter: bernie sanders exulted after resounding victories in the alaska, hawaii and washington caucuses.

>> our campaign is the campaign of energy, of momentum, which will lead to a large voter turnout in november, and victory. >> reporter: the largely white liberal democratic electorates in those states are the kind of voters bernie sanders did well among throughout his campaign. hillary clinton had a strong following in more diverse states, including ohio, florida, and north carolina. >> the only guy that is standing up for us, the average person, or everybody, is bernie sanders. so i'm going with bernie sanders >> there's really only one candidate that will not try to make a lot of change at once. >> reporter: but after the trio of wins, sanders lags behind clinton in the all-important delegate count.

it takes 238 delegates to win the nominatoion, clinton has 1,243 pledged delegates, sanders has 975 and will have to win 55% in all the remaining contests to have a chance in july. >> we have the momentum. at the end of the day we'll end up with more pledged delegates than secretary clinton. >> i know the stakes get higher by the day. >> reporter: because the delegates are awarded proportionally clinton will pick up delegates even in states she

loses, and the next are clinton-friendly areas. >> there is new york, pennsylvania, where clinton achieved a victory in 2008. in her nomination battle with president obama in bangladesh, there has been attacks leading to safety concerns. >> reporter: today, like most days, this exudes tranquility. last october the scene was difficult in the house of worship. multiple bombs ripped through a procession during celebrations to mark a holy month, killing two, and injuring dozens more. >> it's not just shi'ites. a lot of sunnis come too. to have an attack is the possibility of everyone. a month later five members of a group were arrested for the

attacks. >> the assault on the house of worship was not an isolated one. since last year there has been attacks on atheist, hindus. raising concerns that bangladesh is less tolerance of religious diversity. >> reporter: a retired professor said this is something they were hoping to prevent when filing a petition in 1988, challenging islam's status. that was shortly after an unpopular ruler made up the fate to gain legitimacy. in the aftermath of recent violence, people believe the revival of the petition is timely. >> it is always better to correct a mistake or wrong, even if it is after many years, than to never correct it at all. the announcement of the hearing, said to take place on monday sparked controversy. sunni muslim groups said they will resist changes, and on

friday, after midday prayers, they took to the streets to void the opposition. those who are against the petition say changing the status of islam as the state religion, could lead to the deterioration of social values. a police patrol keeps a look out. as tensions rise over the outcome over a hearing. minority worshippers say they are worried about their future easter sunday in jerusalem has seen a drop in pilgrims and tourists, it's thought because of safety worries. stephanie dekker has the story from the church of the hole yes sepp you will kerr in jerusalem.

>> the battery ot makes his -- patriot makes his way to give mass. it's the hole yesterday. despite that, there's not many. >> this year it's down 30-40%. it's not academic, but around there. mainly because people are concerned, afraid that the moment things happen. people are concerned. >> it concerns you when you walk through the city, there are so many guards. and i'm not used to handling every day life with so many weapons and army stuff. >> reporter: for those that came, a special moment. for many, this is a trip of a lifetime. to attend mass in a place jesus is believed buried and believed to be dead. but even the difference is

palpable. >> mass is under way. what is striking is the amount of empty space. this area normally would be packed with tourists and will grimes. one man tells us it's a different atmosphere and is sad. another tells us things will be different next year. these are uncertain times, what makes them worse than the times before, no one knows when the latest wave of the violence will end. the world health organisation is saying that there has been a rise in cancer related deaths in nigeria. nearly 8 out of 10 of those diagnosed do eventually die. inadequate medical facilities and light diagnosis are partly to blame. two years ago this woman was diagnosed with bone cancer. she is a student. she's in pain and can't walk properly, she blames poor medical facilities for her condition.

>> in the first hospital there was no qualified doctor. the second hospital, no drugs and constant power outages. the next hospital i was transferred to did not have the right equipment. the world health organisation said inadequate equipment led to people dying. >> there were 56 deaths, now 98. >> in a country of 107 million people, there were 7 state-run hospitals and clinics specialising in treating patients. the government plans to run that -- double that number. early detection is important, and investment in the healthcare sector. >> when you present. there's nothing anyone can do. what we resolve to do is use the money well. invest well. spend less on meetings and conferences, and put money where people benefit. that could be why numbers are

low. out of 100,000 diagnosed with cancer each year rks 80,000 will die. the world health organisation is epping the government reduce that figure. >> we have seen what the government is doing. they have a national control for them. showing the commitment on the side of the government. >> back in the home, she says investment in the facilities and improvement needs to come faster. nigerians spend 200 million on cancer treatments overseas. she cannot afford to travel and fears she could die if she can't get the treatment ot home. if you have good fortune on your side, drawn to yourself, washington d.c. - a wonderful attraction, early this year, the cherry blossom. they are in peak bloom at the moment, and stay that way for 4-10 days. for those keen to catch a snap

have to do so during the limited wint. warmer weather means they could be around for a little bit longer. that's it. aljazeera.com for all the world's news. aljazeera.com. haiti, october 2010, at a hospital in a small, rural town north of the capital. these were the first victims of a horrific, unknown disease in a country still reeling from a devastating earthquake. patients were dying in the space of a few hours. children were especially vulnerable. al jazeera was the first news channel on the scene. in the following days and week