this is al jazeera america. live from new york. i'm erica pitzi. here are today's stop stories - a section of the pakistan taliban claiming responsibility for an attack targetting christians. 65 at least are dead, hundreds wounded. most are women and children. [ sirens ] in brussels anti-immigrant protesters angry about last week's attacks - clashing with

police christians around the world celebrating easter sunday. though at the vatican the fear of terrorism keeping many of the faithful away and three is a charm for bant, what it beans -- bernie sanders, what it means for the presidential bid after winning caucuses in washington, alaska and hawaii the aftermath of a bombing attack in the pakistani city of lahore. a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a park crowded with christian families celebrating easter. at least 65 died in the explosion. more than 250 were wounded. a pakistani faction of the taliban claimed responsibility. a spokesman for the militant group says the christian community was deliberately

started. we have this report. >> reporter: an explosion >> reporter: an explosion at a children's park in the heart of lahore. this was the pakistan 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 kinds of attacks are not new to the people 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 the syrian army officially recaptured the ancient city of palmyra from isil. it's a major victory for the troops fighting the rebel group. they were backed by constant russian air strikes. isil seized control of palmyra in may of last year. mohammed jamjoom reports. >> 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 independent confirmation, the syrian observatory for human

rights said by sunday morning 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 the eastern countryside of 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. known as the bride of the desert, palmyra used to attract tens of thousands of tourists before the conflict began. but the city isn't known for its beautiful ruins. a prison complex is always there. 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 an important symbol of 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. in brussels police used water canons to subdue more than 400 protesters, earlier they disrupted the calm at the memorial to victims of the attack. the group chanted and waved banners with anti-islamic state

slogans, before being removed by the police. also belgium prosecutors say police questioned nine people during more than a dozen raids. paul brennan has more from brussels. >> reporter: sunday's memorial rally was postponed. security was tight around a gathering place where so many came to pay reports on tuesday. while soldiers watched the mourners, elsewhere dozens of raids were carried out, arresting suspect. and a vacuum was created. which others were keen to fill. out of the railway station came a large crowd. of around belgium nationalist football supporters. they marched to the memorial square. marching to the steps. which had become the focal point for the movement. >> just a statement to say we love belgium. belgium is our country.

and just leave europe alone. >> reporter: then the mood turned ugly. the sounds of sorrow and grief since the tuesday bomb attack has given way to a small minority. giving way to violence and anger. with water canons and pepper stray, police pushed the group back to a railway station where they dispersed. not before they unfurled their ban esh. belgium prosecutors charged a man called faycal c with terrorist murder and attempted murder. but will not confirm his full name is faycal cheflou. this refugee arrived last year, living in a park in central brussels.

this man clearly remembers cheffou coming to the park, agitating and using a megaphone to invite violence against infidels. >> he was stopped for two days by the police, and came back with microphones and was yelling and talking. and some people told me it was like gathering to make force. violence and stuff. everyone was like please stop it. people were mad. specially the moroccan, because they understand what was being said. he was calling anybody, not muslim infidel. and sunni or shia muslims, whatever, do not called others infidels, and trying to make this problem. nazim has doubts whether he is the third bomber. the man in white on the airport

c c.t.v. >> reporter: the picture in the c c.t.v. from the airport. >> it's not clear. he's a skinny guy. when they said it's him, i thought it's not possible, 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 now, to the race for the white house, and senator bernie sanders is hopeful that his wins in alaska, hawaii and washington will boost his bid for the nomination. while it did score him a bunch of delegates, he lags behind his rival clinton. rob reynolds has more from washington d.c. >> reporter: bernie sanders exulted after victories in 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 democratic electorates 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 u the average person, or everybody, is bernie sanders. 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 the lead with 1,243 pledged delegates, sanders

has 956 and will have to win 55% in all the remaining contests to have a chance in july. >> clearly 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. next week there's wisconsin, and both see it as an important contest. then there is voting in new york, which hillary clinton represented for 8 years in the u.s. senate. then pennsylvania, where clinton achieved a victory in 2008. in her nomination battle with president obama and let's bring in al jazeera's political correspondent michael shure, who

is live for us in los angeles. good evening to you. >> how are you? you know my virginia cavaliers are playing as we speak, so you know how much i care about politics to sit and talk to you about it. >> all right. we'll get you out quickly. >> it's fine. >> let's talk about bernie sanders. he cleaned up yesterday. does it matter. he is so far behind clinton. >> well, it does matter, because he's trying to win the presidency, and he has to win states to win the presidency. what also matters is the fact that these are coming in caucuses. all the victories - not every one is a caucus. of the three that were primaries, he won vermont, which is the home state. you have to look at what the caucus make-up is. these states are 10% african-american or less. that is a problem for bernie sanders. he did what he had to do. there's no way to come out of

yesterday than not say it was a great day. the days ahead are difficult. you look at wisconsin. you look further than that and we are getting into states like new york, peninsula, delaware. marylands. there are two left, and one of those is in wi om of course, and one in north dakota. it's a tough road ahead for bernie sanders. . >> you mentioned new york. we have been hearing bernie sanders pushing hard to debate client before the primary on april 19th. why do you think he's pushing hard? >> there's a lull coming. what he wants to do is talk about the viability of his campaign. he is from brooklyn, he'll have an office open, where clinton has her office. he wants to show he's a new yorker. between now and april 19th, there's a lot of time for things to happen. and bernie sanders wants one more crack. he wants to do it on his turf.

>> let's switch to trump and his 90 minute "new york times" interview. experts are focussing on his foreign policy answers, putting an end to importing oil and saying things like this - i'm not isolationist, but i am america first. but don't these comments make him sound like he is exactly that, an isolationist. >> you are 100% right. this is an isolationist approach, especially when you go to a newspaper like the "new york times" to talk about it. coming on the heals of putting together the foreign policy team. it was made up to people who are unknown. there was a military general. people that had to leave the pentagon. mr schmitt had to leave the pentagon.

this is his foreign policy about pulling back, and isolationism is never a good thing when you are a political neophyte. it worked for people on capitol hill, and have a way of looking at the world that has been developed. it's not necessarily successful for a neophyte politician to engage. he will get there. he will be dealing with a lot of people that put the treaties together. and he doesn't have the global grasp to do that. it will be a difficult climb for him to get that through to the congress. to the "new york times", he made his point. a lot of republicans will look carefully at it. >> a "new york times" poll shows that among those likely to turn out, donald trump and ted cruz are virtually tied, 39% a piece. it speaks to how valuable turn

out is, particularly in a late and important primary, right? >> it does, it should be taken with a tiny grain of salt. it's uni-7th to the primary here -- june 7th to the primary, to look at the numbers, you have no idea what will evolve. he could do well in new york, peninsula, other states. ted cruz could come on strong. some of the controversies could come into play. it shows that donald trump has not been strong, he's leading the pack in june, when you look at that, and that is why it's important for the narrative of this campaign and the republican campaign. >> the republican convention, and we have to take about this absurd petition going around garnering 30,000 signatures of people who want to bring their guns into the quick and loans arena. meanwhile you have trump insisting if he does not get the nomination there'll be riots. what do you make of all this? >> if ever there was a convention not to bring a gun

into, i'm guessing this would be the one, in cleveland in july. also, you have republicans repulsed by it. but they are saying you should bring a firearm, a loaded firearm, a hidden firearm into a public school. republicans have a challenged argument to make over why they say no, we shouldn't bring them into a convention, but we could bring them into public places. it's not the argument we want to see happen, i imagine they want to dispense with it. it becomes in july about bringing guns into the quick and loans arena in july, in cleveland. they'll be upset about that being the conversation not to mention, i am sure, secret service would not allow that, right. >> of course. then there are the practical reasons why that could happen at all. it's not going to happen. don't worry about it. michael shure live from los angeles, thank you so much mexicans making a political statement on easter sunday as

some burnt effigies of candidate donald trump this weekend. the ain immigrant views and remarks about mexicans sparked outrage across the country. the burning of effigies is a tradition, the models representatives the biblical character who betrayed jesus christ. >> it's a way to get even on holy saturday and burn the people that harmed and betrayed us. in this case we have chosen donald trump, because we are tired of the nonsense, and he is truly disastrous for us, and hopefully he will not get election president. >> trump has gained a strong anti-immigration following in the campaign. mostly by saying he will build a wall along the u.s. boarder and force mexico. christians around the world are celebrating easter.

the holiday marking what is the resurrection of jesus cyst. bunnies and chocolates do make it fun for everyone pope francis blessed the thousands of people that gathered in st peter's square. there was something different about the celebration this year. empty space, the fear of terrorism hanging over europe kept some away. >> like our roommates. some are at home. they or their parents didn't feel comfortable. >> those that attended heard the message of suppose and ware. >> the lord jesus triumphed over evil and sin. may he draw closer to the victims of terrorism blinding in a brutal form of violence, continuing to shed blood in different parts of the world.

>> prayers for peace echoed in iraq and syria. >> my own wishes meet those of syrians, that this occasion would be the resurrection of our country, and an end to violence and war. >> welcome to easter sunday morning mass. >> dressed in their finest thousands packed the cathedral. they joined in the annual parade. an homage to the easter bonnet. the obama attended church, and so did the royals, their bonnets did not take home prizes. >> the parents bum rushed that area. >> it was like locusts, everyone descended and left. an easter egg hunt quickly turned into a free for all when adults ignored the rules, jumped in and snatched up thousands of

eggs leaving some kids empty-handed. >> my son left with an empty broken basket. >> this is a hunt. we are getting hard boiled eggs, different seeds, that sort of thing. >> reporter: guerillas learning the secret to peeling hard-boiled eggs. patience. >> the orthodox church celebrates its easter holiday on may 1st. still ahead - amid rising crime rates in chicago, a search to find the next police chief. >> what is behind nigeria's sky-rocketing cases of cancer refuse related death? we'll take a look. ahead - religion in american life. we discussion the impact on social issues. 8:30 eastern, 5:30 pacific. stay with us.

a search for chicago's next police chief has been going on since december. it appears to be coming to an end. who will be the next top cop? that has been the subject of. speculation. let's bring in al jazeera's correspondent for more. >> the chicago police department has been in the national spotlight for the city's rising crime rates and allegations of

misconduct and mishandling of controversial cases. this is the position that will come with an enormous amount of pressure and responsibility. and city officials are having a difficult time finding a new hire within the troubled police department. chicago mayor rahm emanuel's office confirmed that the mayor would rejected the nominees for a new chief and handpick his own. last november the police bored was asked with finding a replacement. he was fired by emanuel. about two weeks ago the board announced it had selected three candidates from 39 applicants. the plants came from within and south the stay of chicago, and diverse in experience, agenda and racial background. >> the finalists were an noib instruct oar and former chief.

a public safety director, and eugene williams, head of the chicago police department's bureau of support services. black and latino alderman pressed and only you jean williams fit the criteria. sunday, another was in mind. patrol chief eddy johnson, a 27 year veteran. a spokesman for the mayor confirmed the reports saying while each finalist had strong qualifications, the mayor did not feel any from the complete package and none were offered the position. it's unclear whether the mayor is looking to give the job to johnson or if the mood was to force the police board to come up with a second round of candidates. the mayor is required to select a chief nominated by the board. rejecting the candidates resets the process. >> the board has not had formal

communication with the major's office how rare is it for the mayor to bypass the board. >> it's not often. it happens. the police chief was elected in this way. to give you a sense of how much pressure comes with the post. nine out of 9 last 14 have been forced out. the. >> we may know tomorrow if the supreme court will take up the case of the governor. he had five out of 18 corruption convictions thrown out. he wants the high court to throw out the rest. the 59-year-old former government who attempted to sell president obama's vacant senate

seat is serving a 14 year prison assistance. >> still ahead - free speech on college campuses. what happens when the students complain the curriculum is sexually explicit, and how it impacts professors to do their job and controversial plans to give free injections to heroin addicts. we explain, coming up.

welcome back to al jazeera america here is a look at the

top stories. an accused bomber killed 65 in a crowded park in pakistan. 250 more were wounded - mostly christians celebrating easter. a pakistani factor of the taliban claimed responsibility, saying the christian community was deliberately targeted in brussels, a sombre calm at the memorial to the victims was overshadowed by 400 protesters. police used water canons to subdue them. the group waved banners, belgium police carried out more than a dozen raids as part of the investigation. >> pope francis delivered a traditional easter speech and blessing from the st. peters basilica at the vatican today. easter is the most holy day for christians, marking the resurrection of jesus. in his whom illy pope francis denounce the bombing attacks in

europe and africa pope francis addressed the european refugee crisis. thousands of people are blocked at boarder crossings, from continuing their journey to central europe. >> these brothers and sisters encounter death too often on their path or rejection from those that could offer shelter and help one of the points where the refugees are prevented from crossing is the creek macedonian boarder. thousands of refugees waited for weeks for a chance to move on. hoda abdel-hamid reports. >> reporter: yet again they make their wa >> 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, or 2 to 3 years. i'm confident we can get through. we are many people. >> a few dozen gathered. it didn't take long. before they changed their minds. 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

world's cameras, in the hope that their voices 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 a tragedy for us who 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 easter sunday in jerusalem saw a drop in tourists because of security concerns. the last six months saw an escalation of violence, keeping christians from making an annual pilgrimage.

stephanie dekker has more. >> reporter: the latin patriarch makes his way to give easter 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 have risen from the dead. but within the walls of the church, the difference in numbers is papable. mass is under way. what is striking is the amount of empty space.

this area normally would be packed with tourists and will pilgrims. everyone we speak to says they notice it is half empty, a palestinian man tells us that it's a different atmosphere and is sad. another tells us things will be different next year. those that live and work in the city tell us that these are uncertain times, what makes them worse than the times before, no one knows when the latest wave of the violence will end. in nigeria, a lack of medical infrastructure is crippling the country's fight against cancer. there are 7 hospitals nationwide for treatment. as reported, the economic power house is vowing to combat a growing numbers of cancer deaths. 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 cancer treatment 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 double that number. in the next few years through partnerships with the private sector. the heath minister says 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 of cancer survivors. out of 100,000 diagnosed with cancer each year 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. a group of college professors are fighting to keep freedom of speech in the classroom. they say it's stif ed by efforts to combat sexual harassment on campuses. the american association of

university professors says teachers have been investigated and threatened with forced early retirement for including classroom material that references sex and gender. to talk about this. let's bring in lisa, a law professor at cornell university and general council with the association of university professors, and an author of the recently released report. and she joins us frommivica new york. >> as someone that works on the report, what were you surprised to find? >> an area that we were concerned about had to do with reports that we knew about directly or learnt about, with regard to a pattern of title 9, which is designed to eliminate sex discrimination and higher educational institutions, as

well as other educational institutions. we were seeing in universities and colleges a pattern of title nine applied in a broad way. >> instead of making a clear distinction between conduct like sexual assault and speech, like classroom speech, we saw an overly broad definition of sexual harassment reaching into the classrook, moiking the faculty vulnerable. >> where do you draw the line, when does a discussion of gender and sex in the classroom become harassment? >> the report that we wrote is

quite clear that the a.a. up long recognised that sexual assault, sexual harassment, hostile environment, which certainly can depend on unprotected speech - that all of that should be prohibited and we should address the issues. we are clear that there's a wide range of protected speech, whether it's in the classroom, if you are teaching a subject to do with sexuality and rape law. that these will be courses that present material that may be disturbing to people. that may be offensive to some people. that may provoke certain emotional responses. that that is part of teaching, and so in the classroom we have to be careful to have a broad scope of academic freedom so that faculty and students have

free and open discussions, that deal with difficult subjects. we are also clear in the report that academic freedom covers speech outside the classroom as well. whether it's writing articles for publications or making speeches. >> why is this such an issue, does it have something to do with this generation of college students? >> well, this is certainly part of a broader context. so, again, in the report we are clear that we believe it's very important for students and faculty to be activists, to eliminate and prevent sexual misconduct and support student faculties to try to do that. at the same time it is part of a broader context in which there

seems to be an overly heightened sensitivity to protect students from speech. trigger warnings have been part of the discussion, where students called for a faculty to warn hem them in the classroom of disturbing material. academic freedom requires us to confront and debate and have lively discussions about issues in and out of the classroom. we believe it makes for good education. >> thank you for joining us frommivica, new york ifica is at the center of a controversy involving heroin. the mayor has a plan for

state-sponsored heroin centers - yes, that's what i said, heroin centers. randall pinkston explains. >> reporter: you want to sponsor a public facility. >> right. >> to supervise addicts injecting an illegal assistance. >> yes. it sounds backwards for sure. >> and it sounds like you are encouraging drug use. >> reporter: savante, new york's 2-time mayor is a constant to the spotlight. he was one of the youngest mayors in everybodying. in a second term he over came opposition to a mall. to recital ice the downtown area of new york city. if this place has a problem, it may. >> this may be the biggest

challenge. is it possible that these kinds of facilities might bring more people to addiction who won't try it, or can do it legally? >> no, here is why. if the fear of breaking the law was strong enough to stop people using drugs, we wouldn't have a drug problem. we have draconian laws. >> the inspiration for the supervised objection came from canada. since its ineption in 2003. researchers believe deaths declined by 35%. >> i'm looking for a vain. i of problems. >> kevin thompson is a heroin addict who received his drugs three times a day at providence health clinic. >> it's either that, you want me to smash your car.

that's where it end up. you bottom out. >> can this system work in ithaca. the mayor says the goal is to save lives. >> why would you save the life of someone that is overdosing. we tell you why. that person has family. and friends. and potential. and that point, more myric is personal. >> i spent the first six months of my life in a homeless shelter. >> as a child. myr. >> c spent his life facing drug extinction. >> i understood addiction when i was five years old. his own police department does not share his enthusiasm because of a fundamental conflict. >> we took an oath when we took the position, to uphold the laws.

until the law changes, we'll arrest people in possession of heroin. >> some specialists are skeptical. angela is a director of alcohol and drug. >> an injection center suggests it's okay to use drugs. >> the perception of harm related to heroin would go down. >> this woman, who requested anonymity is a reoffering addict. >> that act is a secretive act. i'm wondering if people they use are willing to out themselves. but she supports the idea of injection centers. we have a safe injection site. that it is, (a) illegal, and, (b) has the potential to provide a mixed message to the young people in the community.

>> in addition to saving lives, they hope to redirect tax paying dollars. >> we know that the funding works. programs - not successful. not only because we send people back to prison. we have not reduced drug rates at all. >> if we can arrest our way back to the problem. >> still ahead, a look at the first significant investment project by a u.s. business in cuba since the revolution and we are entering the holiday weekend on a wet note across the south, and severe storms across the ohio river valley, and are looking at the next big storm, bringing lots of snow. snow.

part of president barack obama's trip to cuba focused on business initiatives. one business up and running is aimed at helping farmers increase food production. >> reporter: all revolutions start with a few individuals. >> if you look, it's simple. . >> they start with a mission, which more horace is to stel the tractor to as -- sell this tractor to as many cubans as possible. they are the first to be granted permission to build a factory in cuba. >> when we looked at the best business in cuba, we thought we need to help them increase food

productivity. >> theirs is the first on the island since the cuban resolution. >> if we achieve the goals, we'll be in the hundreds of thousands of units a year, that employ 300 or more. >> at a cost of 8-10,000 u.s. dollars. it's not clear whether many can afford the tractor. some stopped by to window shop. >> yes, there are those that can afford it. for me, i can't afford it. >> clements hopes international n.g.o.s or the community in america will be able to help farmers. >> this is the only one at the agricultural fair in the united states. it is breaking new ground. all the others represent cuba, domestic countries, few are from europe. >> this is a country of

11 million people. it's not the biggest market in the world. it is about the size, population of illinois, it's the sixth largest state in the union. there's a lot of opportunities. >> soon it will not be just tractors. other american businesses plan to enter the market. support for the embargo is eroding and business interests have called to end it. >> our entire foreign policy is focused on jesus castillo. it should be focused on 11 million cubans. that's the shift we have seen in the last 11 months. >> the impact is tough to assess. as many cubans blame the embargo for their hardships as those that blame their government. in the countryside the farmer's best options are dilapidated supports. new tractors would improve lives. >> all the machinery is old. we need to upgrade and improve

technology to advance. in order to move forward, we need to make progress. >> clemens believes a prosperous cuba will arrive soon. >> if we look at what has happened in china and vietnam, i sell everybody that cuba will move faster than either one of those for the simple reason of the cuban people. >> people may debate whether change will take a few years or decades. no one questions that cuba will look different for the next generation. >> and meteorologist joy mccorvey is here now with the weather, and we understand you have severe weather to talk about. >> that's right. classic spring weather and we are entering the holiday. we see a lot of rain for many. storms to the south, storms crossing the ohio river valley. we go to the south where we are looking at most of the day to

day have been wet across areas that have needed the rain, louisiana, and mississippi, where we see the flooding. all the rain making its way to the east. it will be a big problem as well. we are looking at severe weather pushing into indiana and ohio. we are looking at the warnings in effect now for the area. now moving into parts of ohio. cincinnati is going to see the threat just in the next couple of hours. cleveland - we are talking about 10-11 o'clock as the storms start to move through. temperature wise the area is warm. talk about temperatures there into the low '70s. tomorrow, all of that rain will make its way here to the east. anywhere from boston, all the way to florida will be a big problem there. we'll watch on tuesday, the

storm coming in from the pacific. that will bring the next round of weather. that will be snow, across parts of utah, wyoming, montana and a lot of late skiing across the region. >> not here in the north-east. >> okay. thank you. >> now we have randall pinkston here with a look at what it coming up in the next hour, and you are focussed on what happened is going on in pakistan. >> absolutely, we'll have more details on that tragedy. dozens of christians killed when a suicide bomber ignites a bomb in a popular park. >> and the topic of "the week ahead." 95 years ago a naval tug boat and its crew disappeared. the mystery of what happened finally sold. they are some of the stories ahead in the next hour. >> a little more levity here. check this out. an unexpected visitor caused a

rare traffic jam near brisbane, australia. that is a baby cola. oh, my -- baby koala, i want to hold and love him forever. watch him cross into the highway, and shows no hurry getting out of the way. people are taking pictures. take a look at this. he's walking, he's walking and then he starts hopping. everybody watch. oh, my gosh. sorry, aren't you excited by that. i'm excited by that. >> erica, frankly - no, i'm not excited. to change this county, and we will change the world. >> monumental decisions. >> mr. president, there's a one and three chance of a second great depression. >> first-hand accounts from the people who were there. >> their opinion was shocking. >> the challenges. >> he said, "i am president of the united states and i can't make anything happen." >> the realities. >> he stood up and said,

"that's it, i'm finished."

only on al jazeera america. this is al jazeera america, i'm randall pinkston in new york with a look at today's top stories. >> reporter: another attack on innocent civilians, this time in pakistan, where the taliban takes responsibility for killing more than 60 people, mostly women and children. >>