a suicide bombing at a mosque in saudi arabia during friday prayers kills at least 20 people. ♪ hello, i'm sami zeidan. you are watching al jazeera. also on the show. they fled violence in burundi and now they risk cholera. island votes in europe's first referendum on same-sex marriage. and the once pristine sands

of this california beach have now been soaked with oil after a massive spill. ♪ a suicide bomber has hit a shia mosque in eastern saudi arabia during friday prayers. it is home the shia minority. joining us live from riyadh is hashem ahelbarra. any clue about who was behind this attack hashem? >> reporter: sami no clue whatsoever, no claim of responsibility now, but the saudi ministry of information says it is investigating the case. however, there's been similar attack in the past in the eastern part of the country. it was not a suicide bombing, but armed men opened fire on

worshippers killing some worshippers. there were also attack in the same area targeting foreigners and security forces. and then the saudis accused them of targeting the east to exacerbate the tensions. >> it is a sensitive time with everything that is going on across the border and further in the region. >> it is sami. they are targeting forces loyal to former president saleh and the houthis. you have the houthis retaliating, and pounding villages on the border area. and a saudi was killed yesterday and three injured when the village was targeted by houthi

shells. and this is exactly why the general sentiments here is that they would like to see a -- a swift political affiliation to the crisis because the biggest concern in saudi arabia is that if violence continues in yem men the poetal for that violence to spread across the border is very high. >> all right. thanks for that. security forces in yemen say a bomb exploded at a mosque there. and 13 people were injured. isil are claiming responsibility for the attack. five houthi gunmen and forces loyal to former president have been killed. heavy explosions were heard in the areas where the fighting was taking place. an iranian cargo ship loaded with aid bound for yemen has

arrived. the foreign ministry says once the ship has fully docked it will unload and be taken to the ports under houthi control. in iraq now where fighters from the islamic state of iraq and the levant is trying to advance towards a military base east of ramadi. thousands of shia militia have been gathering at the base since isil took over control of the city on sunday. isil are said to be about 15 kilometers away. isil has already taken control of the last remaining government-held border post between syria and iraq. the recent gains in both countries have prompted calls in the u.s. for washington to the rethink its strategy. >> reporter: some of these men will be sent deep into the sunni

hart -- heartland to fight isil. for the shia militiamen this battle is not just about recapturing territory. they are protecting routes from anbar towards southern iraq to prevent an isil attempt to advance on shia holy sites. >> translator: i volunteered to join this battle to protect our holy shrines. we don't want isil to advance further and threaten the sites. >> reporter: it was a controversial decision to use shia militiamen but the government had no choice because the regular forces are weak. this area also lies on a junction with roads south to saudi arabia north to an anbar's provincial cap tol, and

to neighboring jordan and syria. isil has captured the last border crossing between syria and iraq and it's fighters move freely between the two countries. the u.s. has down played the gains. president barack obama has said that the loss of territory were tactical setbacks and he insists that the war is not being lost but many disagree isil has taken over two cities in a week ramadi in iraq and palmyra in syria ramadi is near baghdad, and palmyra is on a major cross road that is strategic for the government survival. the government did invest power and resources over the years to reclaim homs from the

opposition, if it loses there, damascus and the coastal region would be under threat. but for now isil controls the land. the fight between the armed group is being lead by shia militias. sunni politicians who wanted the tribes to be armed a long time ago are calling for a few strategy. >> translator: today anbar has fallen, and that as a special significant, because it's a third of the iraqi area and it's the province that expelled al-qaeda years ago. therefore, letting isil expand in anbar is unacceptable and there should be a new strategic plan for iraq and the coalition to terminate isil in iraq. >> reporter: in syria, the government doesn't have any partner on the ground. isil may have been on the

defensive in recent months, but that is now changed. zana hoda baghdad. the u.s.-lead coalition against isil says it is probably responsible for killing civilians in syria, a strike on a village six months ago likely lead to the deaths of two children. at least four hezbollah fighters have been killed in a region on the syrian lebanon border. they have been fighting rebels in the mountainous region since the beginning of may and have lost more than 30 troops. tranz nia is struggling to cope with the growing humanitarian crisis. tens of thousands of people who fled violence in burundi are crammed in transit centers and refugee camps. aid agencies say there isn't enough space and conditions are appalling. at least 33 people have died of

cholera. kim vinnell reports. >> reporter: they have fled their homes, but their journey has just begun. the refugees are moved south of the border to a stadium turned transit center which is their next stop. >> translator: it was two days traveling, and we had to walk long distances. when we crossed the border to tanzania, it was difficult. >> reporter: weeks of cramped conditions and poor sanitation is reeking havoc. the sickest are brought to makeshift treatment centers and pumped with say listen. >> all acute diarrhea cases at the moment are being treated as cholera. you have to take stool samples and send them to a lab, so it's a time consuming process.

>> reporter: for here it's another three miles inland. cholera has been confirmed in each of the three stops, and hundreds of refugees with potentially life-threatening dehydration are coming forward daily. more refugees are arriving by think day. this small fishing village where they first arrived is overwhelmed. 25,000 refugees have been moved on from here but 35,000 remain. aid agencies are so keen to move tweem that they have cut a trail through the mountains, and are leading the strongest on a six-hour hike to reach the official camp. they are given refugee status on arrive, where to live and how to make a living will come next. for now the focus is on safety and survival. kim vinnell, al jazeera. renewed violence in south sudan is worsening the humanitarian crisis in the

country. fighting between government troops and rebel fighters have forced thousands to leave, including some aid agencies. paul is doctors without borders head in south sudan. >> the increase in violence in the three states that you mentioned is causing a horrible humanitarian situation. we have had to evacuate medical teams, close projects my national staff in -- the town of lehrer left lehrer on saturday. saturday lunchtime, because they were scared. they ran into the bush. three of my staff has telephones and were contacting us. we weren't calling them. they were calling us. one has stopped calling. his friend who is still in contact with us tried to call

his telephone and told us the phone is ringing, but nobody is answer. we don't know if he is arrive or dead. the same staff man who was in contact with us was hiding on an island when armed men came on to the island and starting shooting women and children there. he started running, he hid in the water for nine hours before he was comfortable enough felt safe enough to go back to dry land. on his way he collected the bodies of two small children that had been caught. myanmar's navy has detained more than 200 people after rescuing them at sea. the people are bengalis the word they used to describe rohingya. rob mcbride reports.

>> reporter: a number of aid organizations and ngo's seem to be lining up behind the government's efforts now in what seems to be a communal effort to get the kind of aid that the migrants are likely to need. we have been following around one such group, buying up the essentials, most important, water that the migrant boats are likely to need as they come in from maybe months at sea. other substantial aid will come later on. the idea is that all of this food is then held by the maritime services here and then go out to meet migrant boats as they coin. and in the past when this migrant boat crisis first began, these groups may have gotten into trouble with the authorities. you cannot go out and start giving them aid, and asking them to come ashore. now of course they are being

encouraged to come up with essentials and food aid like this to help these people as they come ashore. >> we were told to stand by with the provisions because it could be at anytime. so we're glad they have opened up the doors for ngo's such as us, and the people who want to contribute for this aid. >> reporter: both malaysia, and indonesia have committed themselves to providing assistance for up to 7,000 more newcomers. the most immediate concerns right now are providing the provisions and help for people who are thought to be out in the sea. still ahead, guatemala's president cracks down on corruption. plus -- i'm andy gallagher in miami, where we'll be looking at how the change in u.s. cuba relations is affecting the art scene.

♪ welcome back. let's recap our headlines now. a suicide bomber has hit a shia mosque in eastern saudi arabia during friday prayers. at least 20 were killed and 28 injured. tanzania is struggling to cope with the growing humanitarian crisis. refugees are crammed in camps. a cholera outbreak has killed at least 33 people. myanmar's government says

the people they recued at sea were bengalis and that's the word they used to describe rohingya muslims. 2,500 barrels of crude oil leaked from a pipeline on tuesday in santa barbara, california. >> reporter: a sticky smelly mess has befouled the formally pristine sands. workers are busy cleaning the oil off of rocks, slowly mopping up thousands of barrels of crude. the cleanup is being overseen by the u.s. coast guard and the federal environmental protection agency. >> operations will continue throughout the evening, in the excavation area up toward the pipeline and it will continue every day until that area is

excavated. >> it could be weeks and months. however, we're going to take it day by day. >> reporter: the ruptured pipeline belongs to a texas company, which has a troubling safety record. a study by "the los angeles times" newspaper says the company has had 175 maintenance infractions since 2006. the company says it doesn't know exactly what caused the pipeline breach. >> since we are one of the largest operator of pipelines across the industry in the united states, the number of reporting incidents by percentage is well within industry norms. >> reporter: no people have needed medical attention, but it is taking a toll on wildlife. experts took an oil-soaked see lion away for treatment.

>> we have teaming looking for animals, and aerial surveys looking for marine mammals offshore. >> reporter: residents are distressed. >> i think it's terrible. sounds like clear negligence to me. >> the part that bugs me was this was productable, and you could have had some type of preventable issue just in the events that occurred. >> imagine losing someone close to you, because just losing our pristine water. >> reporter: the people in this city are angry and upset, they want answers and assurances that something like this cannot happen again. rob reynolds al jazeera, santa barbara, california. >> reporter: a grand jury in baltimore have confirmed charges of six police officers over the death of freddy grey.

he died while in police custody. his death lead to mass protests against police brutality across the country. lisa stark has more from washington, d.c. >> reporter: a baltimore grand jury has returned charges against all six officers in the death of freddie gray, these charges are very similar to the ones that the state's attorney initially brought against the officers may 1st. reckless endangerment has been added. the most serious charges against the driver of the van that gray was transported in he is charged with second degree depraved heart murder essentially meaning that he took actions that he knew would cause harm but he didn't care. the attorneys for all of these officers say these charges are unwarranted, and the officers

did nothing wrong. the officers will be in court july 2nd for a formal arraignment. [ inaudible ] whether to amend the constitution to allow same-sex couples to get married. gay couples are already allowed to sign civil partnerships but it could make ireland the first country in the world to allow same-sex marriage by popular vote. >> reporter: guatemala's political crisis deepened on thursday as the country's president fired three of his top ministers in the wake of corruption scandals that are battering his administration. >> translator: this was my request. it's important that this is made clear. it is not what is asked for, but

i'm accepting this, and making the changes that i consider appropriate. of course we have made enough efforts to move forward and continue fighting to serve the people of guatemala. >> reporter: the major cabinet shuffle came a day after the bank chief was arrested in a riebry investigation. police detained more than a dozen other officials in the probe, including the head of the social security agency. tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest corruption and demand the president's resignation. in april, the country's biggest political scandal emerges after the head of the national tax authority and the vice president's personal sectarian was implicated. but the demonstrations and criticisms over the ruling party have grown. the president will be hoping

that this latest set of resignations will help pacify guatemalans, but it's likely the president's troubles are far from over. this is the first time a president's inner circle has been linked to corruption. many guatemalans appear unwilling to forgive. >> translator: we have lived through a crisis during the government's time but they haven't done anything from us. all they have done is to steal from the country. that's not right. >> translator: he has promised many things and one of those was to deal with corruption but he is the main one who is corrupt. >> reporter: with national elections just four month's away it will be hard for politicians to regain credibility. political reform have risen to the top of the people's agenda the hard work it appears is still ahead.

improving reslains between the u.s. and cuba are already having a dramatic effect on cuba's art scene. sales in the u.s. have already started to rise. >> reporter: this is what the art world likes to call an emerging talent. the 33 year old cuban painter defected six years ago initially taking odd jobs in miami and painting in his spare time. but his work is becoming highly collectible thanks in part to the changes between the u.s. and cuba. he now paints full-time and his pieces sell for thousands of dollars. >> i feel lucky, but it has been a lot of work so i think -- i don't know like the time just came. >> reporter: the historic change in relations is still at an early stage, but miami's long-established cuban art galleries are getting

significantly busier. sales have doubled as interest has grown. >> we're seeing a curve that is moving up and it's very rewarding to finally see the recognition that cuban art serves. >> reporter: art from cuba is a rare exception to the u.s. trade embargo, and collectors have been legally buying it for years. it's a process that many predict will get easier if travel restrictions are eased further. the new generation could greatly benefit from change. >> the new artists, the emerging artists, are the ones who are going to blossom if there is an -- an opening, vis-a-vis the u.s. >> reporter: whilst private collects one this are simply too expensive for each of us to consider it offers a glimpse into the world that few of us

are familiar with. the art world is constantly looking for the next big thing in -- and painters like this man fit the bill. he could now potentially receive global exposure. an 18-day art festival has begun in australia with this display on the sydney opera house. a series of images are projected on to the sails of the building using innovative technology. finally in this bulletin it's pacman's birthday. the game was lunched 35 years ago, and became one of the highest-grossing videos of all time. here is our technology editor. >> reporter: the video game's world in 1980 was dominated by games like this one. it was mainly boys who played

them. that was until this man set out to design a game to appeal to women. the inspiration, apparently he was eating a pizza, and two slices in the idea of pakman occurred to him. later when the game was launched in the u.s. the game was changed to pacman and it came an overnight hit. 350,000 arcade machines like this one were sold in the first 18 months. >> this was the first game to have real competitive artificial intelligence that hunted you down. there was great music, beautiful colors, it was just a lot of fun, and the excitement drew people in. >> reporter: pacman became the first original gaming mascot and was the first game of many to be set in a maze.

it was always the first licensing success. >> for a while there was like a pac mania in the '80s. he had a cartoon, a christmas special, he had his own can of pasta, it was the first character to really take off and become a successful property. it made billions of dollars back then, and really did pave the way for a lot of video game stuff we see today. >> reporter: the success has turned the game into a cultural icon, a symbol of a generation that grew up with video games, and it looks like it is set to move on. in july this game will come out. >> the creator of pacman. >> reporter: the real man may have retired from the industry

in 2007 but in the film he is invited back to reign in the monster he created. >> pacman still cool. if you want to get more on the game as well as the other stories we're following, head over to aljazeera.com. the senate is in session with the future of the patriot acting in the balance, their choice could change how the government secure i thsz nation. isil seizes the last remaining government border post between syria and iraq. now the calls are growing louder for the u.s. to change its strategy in the region. i think if you have your beliefs, you can then give people equality in