arrests in brussels. six people are arrested in connection with the airport and metro attacks last tuesday. hello. welcome to al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead, french authorities say they've thwarted a plan to carry out a major attack. journalists are to go to trial. the rolling stones are in cuba

to give a free concert where once their music was silenced six people have been arrested in a series of police raids across brussels as an investigation into tuesday's attacks continues. the brussels suburb was on lock down on friday. boxes of evidence were seized as part of the probe into the i.s.i.l. suicide bombings that killed 31 people and wounded hundreds. >> translation: i was coming back to school and i found the entire area locked, so i couldn't get home. i asked and they said the police had to do with some work here. i don't know what is going on exactly. i live very close to here, next to no.2 where they searched the house for more on this we're joined by jacky rowland who is live for us in brussels. what more can you tell us about these arrests, these raids over

night? >> reporter: the raids took place late on thursday. three people were apparently arrested here in the center of brussels. two in the northern district of scarbeck and one in the west. we understand that boxes of evidence were taken away. whether that was electronic evidence, forensic evidence or whether there was any weapons or explosives we haven't got that sort of detail yet. belgian media are reporting that apparently according to them one of the suspects arrested was in contact with the metro bomber before that explosion. just to remind you that two suspects are still actively being sought, one from the airport, that very familiar cctv image of a man in a light jacket and a hat, and also a second bomber, a second alleged bomber is being soughted for the metro

attack, although it is not clear whether he might have been killed in the attack or he might have escaped what's the mood in brussels now as these two suspects connected to the attacks and the raids continue? >> reporter: there is still a certain feeling of insecurity here when it comes to public transport, in particular. police and army are outside key railway stations and metro stations. trains don't stop at all the stations. they only stop at the main stations and there are controls in the way in where bags and coats are searched and the way out people can leave freely without being checked. there have been criticisms, growing criticisms about perceived intelligence failings. every now and again unconfirmed reports pop up in the media about one lapse or another, one

clue that could have been acted on that could have led to the early apprehension of the suspects. already an atmosphere of fear and certain amount of anger and criticism of the authorities in the way that they did their best in the run-up to the bombings to try to secure the population thank you very much for t t that. meanwhile a man has been arrested in france suspected of being involved in planning another major attack. the french national was taken into custody on thursday in one of paris' northern suburbs. the interior minister says preparation for the next attack were in the final stages. >> translation: this raid followed important information issued by the interior security general which allowed us to conduct an advanced mission. this individual is a french national. he is suspected of being an accomplice in his terrorist plan. we believe the arrest has no

link to the previous attacks in paris and brussels. we will close in on the organization i.s.i.l. fighters are losing ground in two countries, iraq and syria. the iraqi army says it has begun an offensive against it in mosul. mosul fell to i.s.i.l. forces in 2014. syrian government forces backed by russian air strikes are battling to retake palmyra. i.s.i.l. took over that city last may. its recapture would be a significant victory for bashar al-assad forces. >> reporter: these pictures broadcast on syrian state television are said to show a significant advance. syrian government forces fighting to recapture the historic city of palmyra from i.s.i.l. state media showed helicopters

ahead as soldiers were on the ground. many citizens fled palmyra. i.s.i.l. is resisting claims that it is losing control of the area. some analysts blooeflt syrian government advance will be a moral booster >> given all the bad news coming out of europe around the focus on i.s.i.s. as a terrorist organization, this focuses on i.s.i.s. as a military negotiation and a failed state, given that the u.s. and russia are working closely together in terms of air strikes and also the diplomatic channels of gen aef a. it is a significant setback for i.s.i.s. it is not the end but it seems to be to be the beginning of the end. >> reporter: it clues a world heritage site. a campaign of mass execution and destroying ancient sights has

occurred. it is located between the government held capital of damascus and the i.s.i.l. stronghold of der azzor. a ceasefire between government forces have significantly reduced violence. the agreement excludes al-nusra front and i.s.i.l. considered terrorist groups by the syrian government. russia recently withdrew most of its forces from syria after launching air strikes for six months. this is evidence that the government of syrian president bashar al-assad is still making advances meanwhile the u.n. special envoy to syria has wrapped up the latest round of talks between the syrian government and the opposition in geneva. staffan de mistura says there will be further talks focusing on the political process. our diplomatic editor james bays reports >> reporter: u.n. special envoy, staffan de mistura briefing the

press after two weeks of talks. talks that got bogged down because the syrian government delegation wanted to discuss overall principles rather than the specifics of a new transitional government. to solve the problem, mr staffan de mistura has published his own document of principles and he says when the talks start again from april 9, the government side must move on. >> the next round of talks will be not focusing on principles again. we have had enough of that there are very many valid points there, but to start focusing on the political process. to us political process based on the security council adopted by everyone is good. >> reporter: the main opposition block, the high negotiations committee, have produced detailed proposals for the future of syria which they've submitted to mr staffan de mistura with a cessation of

hostilities still broadly holding, they say this chance to bring peace to the country must not be lost >> this is a unique moment, a precious moment, and we hope russia will seize this moment and will use its leverage >> reporter: russian pressure may be the only way to force the syrian delegation to discuss political transition, but then they will get to the most difficult issue and the government's chief negotiator has already made it clear his boss's position is not up for discussion. >> president bashar al-assad has nothing to do with the syrian-syrian indirect talks. the references of our talks do not indicate anything, do not give any indication whatsoever with regard of the issue of the president of the syrian arab republic. so this is something that is

already excluded from the scene. >> reporter: it's clear these talks have so far made very little progress on the key issue of political transition, but these negotiations are part of a process that is making a difference on the ground in syria. the cessation of hostilities has been in effect now for almost a month. the u.n. estimates as many as 3,000 lives have been saved that reduction in violence that james mentions in his report has been felt in aleppo. on that our correspondent reports on life to residents there about what they think of the talks in geneva. >> reporter: it is almost a month since the start of the truce which appears to be holding. leaving this city of aleppo busy with people and scenes of relative ease. talks in geneva for a political

solution have adjourned without a major break through. this man ask not convinced it will work at all >> translation: we hope god brings peace, but if we wait for geneva and europeans, it will take us long. >> reporter: others think the negotiations should have one outcome. >> translation: if there's some humanitarian left in that's diabetesing --ing humanity left in the leaders, they should do something. it won't happen bashar al-assad and his gang leaves >> reporter: in neighboring turkey there are over 2.5 million syrian refugees and if you have plans to return any time soon. this restaurant and café is where many syrians gather. they have differing political views, but they all share deep mistrust to the western community. >> translation: if the international community hadn't left the bashar al-assad regime killing syrians until today, there would have been no i.s.i.l. or other fanatic

factions. >> reporter: if you ask any young syrian man in the street, is an american able to remove bashar al-assad they will say yes, in one phone call. it's in their hands to stop the blad bath. -- blood bath >> reporter: the truce has reduced the number of bombardments and violence. >> translation: the revolution's anniversary came at a time where the civil activity of the revolution was restarred after we lost it. the truce gave it a lifeline. i fear it won't last long. >> reporter: the war, the truce and the talks are likely to drag on. most syrians are resigned to watching through the haze they know their future will ultimately be decided by politicians in a distant planned to turkey now where two

journalists go on troo trial in istanbul today in what campaigners are talking as a test case for the freedom of the country. they published a story alleging that turkey was arming forces. >> reporter: it was a shipment of arms destined for syria's civil war but it has fuelled a battle at home in turkey. published by the last year this video purports to show turkish intelligence officers trying to transport weapons and ammunition to what the paper called jihadi fighters in syria. the government said the cargo was bounds for ethnicing turkmans and called the publication of the story an act of espeople onage-- espionagee. >> my responsibility is not to the government, but to the

publ public. if an intelligence service is trafficking illegally arms to a neighboring country who is in civil war, so this is a crime. >> reporter: last month he and his bureau chief were released from pretrial detention. the constitutional court ruled that their rights to personal liberty and freedom of expression had been violated. now comes their criminal trial. less than a week ago on this busy street a suicide bomber believed to have been an i.s.i.l. member killed four people. days earlier 38 people died in a suicide attack in ankara claimed by kurdish separatists. the government sees itself as battling a twin threat t one that justifies increased curbs on freedoms. they say they are also battling a shadowy parallel state, one that affects many. >> translation: turkey considers the parallel state a

security threat. turkey is fighting against it to the framework of democracy and the rule of law. most of the cases are ongoing. the courts will decide. >> reporter: at the beginning of march the government struck a blow against the ghulan movement by taking over the main newspaper. >> translation: there is no difference between the terrorists who have guns and bottoms and the ones who use their position to help the terrorists achieve their goal. >> reporter: journalists and campaigners say all of this is simply intimidation designed to quash dissent. >> they can't solve the terror problem, impending terror threats. they want to stifle and muzzle the press and silence the critical voices. >> reporter: the for turkey's people there are two avp to choose, the government or critics saying democracy is

being eroded under authoritarian rule harry is joining us live. what are we expecting to happen in court today? >> reporter: just in the last couple of minutes we've seen the two journalists arrive at the court behind us. one giving an address to his supporters. in terms of the court process today, what we're expecting to see is a number of, in fact, he is coming up right now behind me now. he is bringing with him supporters and cameramen. what he has been telling us is that they're concerned about a couple of things, whether they will be folded into a wider court action involving dozens of people accused of supporting what the government called a parallel state operated by the movt run by a high profile islamic cleric in the u.s. and whether he and his colleague may

well end up back in prison tonight. he says their defense will be based on the same that they used to argue to be released from their pretrial detention, but the two prosecutor been changed at the last minute. the government has a good deal of control over every spear of life in this country, the judiciary included, and they're worried that they may well see themselves back in prison after this first day of criminal trial proper of course, this trial coming at a time when the issue of press freedom is becoming so contentious in turkey. >> reporter: turkey has never exactly be a paragon of press freedom in the past and, indeed, we were speaking to one press campaigner last evening saying at the beginning of the rule of

the a.k. party there was a period of much freer press for decades previously. they say that what is happening now is unprecedented, that the government is really dispensing with any kind of a show of freedom of press. they are simply taking over media organizations, they are intimidating members of the press and bringing them up on cases such as this. of course, a narrative from the government is very different. they say they are battling twin terror threats from kurdish separatist aligned groups, also from i.s.i.l. members and i.s.i.l. aligned groups and as well as that they're battling what they call this ghulanesque parallel state which is sponsoring things in the media as well as other things here. right now we're very close to one of the journalists who is addressing the ranks of the media.

he is hoping he will be able to continue to do so as the days go ahead, but there is chains that he may find himself back behind bars after this first day of his criminal trial thank you very much for that. still to come, an israeli soldier pilled a palestinian man injured on the ground in the occupied west bank. we will tell you why this good friday is an opportunity for million feen owes to pray for progress. -- filipinos to pray for progress.

hey how's it going, hotcakes? hotcakes. this place has hotcakes. so why aren't they selling like hotcakes? with comcast business internet and wifi pro, they could be. just add a customized message to your wifi pro splash page and you'll reach your customers where their eyes are already - on their devices. order up. it's more than just wifi, it can help grow your business. you don't see that every day. introducing wifi pro, wifi that helps grow your business. comcast business. built for business. when it comes to the fithings you love,. you want more. love romance? get lost in every embrace.

into sports? follow every pitch, every play and every win. change the way you experience tv with x1 from xfinity.

good to have you with us on al jazeera. these are our top stories. belgian police have arrested six people in raids in response to tuesday's attacks. two are still on the run after the bombings that killed 31 people and injured hundreds more. meanwhile a man has been arrested in suspicion of having another attack. the french national was taken into custody on thursday. the interior minister says preparations for the next attack were in the final stages. two turkish journalists are set to go on trial in istanbul charged with revealing state secrets. th the former bosnian serb leader radovan karadzic says he will appeal against his 40-year prison sentence. the international criminal tribunal for the former yugoslavia found him guilty of

10 out of 11 charges which included genocide and other war crimes during the balkans war. many gathered to protest against his sentence. far right supporters believed he was only convicted because he is an essential. they describe the court's decision as a verdict against all serb people. an israeli soldier has been questioned after he shot dead an injured palestinian in the occupied west bank. the army says the shooting followed another stabbing attack. 206 palestinians and 26 israelis have been killed during a series of chuting and stabbings since last october. >> reporter: a 21-year-old plain man has been shot and lies injured on the ground. the army says he and another man attempted to stab a soldier who was lightly injured. other soldiers stand around and then suddenly one soldier takes aim and appears to shoot the injured palestinian in the head.

it was this is a microcosm of the conflict in the occupied west bank where around a thousand israeli settlors lived around 100 thousand palestinians. palestinians complain of constant harassment by the settlors. many incidents in the last six months of unrest have taken place in reb ron. around 40 palestinians have been shot dead after allegedly trying to stab israelis. they often dispute they happen at all. this will only strengthen the belief that israeli soldiers shoot to kill no questions ask. in the statement the army says it views this incident as a grave breach of military operations. the soldier has been detained and a military investigation is underway egypt has released images of

items belonging to a murder eddie italian student. his id was found on a raid on a gang that had been posing as a police officers. his badly tortured body was found on the street after he disappeared in january. he had been in the country carrying out research on trade unions. the family of egyptian man wearing an anti torture slogan has been released from prison. he was 18 when he was arrested in january 2014. his lawyer said he was never formally charged and was tortured during his two-year detention. millions of catholics across the philippines are gathering to mark good friday, the day to come memorandum or eight the-- come memorandum more eight the death and crucifiction of jesus.

>> reporter: of the 19 million people here, the large majority are roman catholic. many are attending churches like this where family groups are gathering for confessional. also to meet friends. here they get a chance to come memorandum or eight the suffering that jesus christ went through. it gives gives the filipinos an opportunity to reflect on what jesus christ went through and many have an opportunity to reflect on a positive future for the philippines. >> translation: i'm praying for a trouble-free election fond for people to elect the right person. >> everyone b have everybody is praying and this is the time for it. i'm praying for progress and that the next president will

prioritise the needs of the poor. >> reporter: it gives the opportunity for filipinos to reflect on what builds up to the addresses that we expect to hear on easter sunday from the heads of the christian church, the anglican church. filipinos here, predominantly catholic, will listen to what the roman catholic pope has to say, pope francis. a message on sunday that we assume will be one of peace, tolerance and a prosperous future, not just for christians for the whole of the global community finally, the rolling stoins have arrived in cuba to play a free concert in a country like this where music was banned. it comes days after obama's historic visit. between the 60s and 80s bands were considered to be subver sieve and they had to listen to

music in secret. our correspondent is in havana. >> reporter: until recently this was the closest that a legendry british rock star had ever come to cuba. now the countdown has started for what promises to be the most exciting rock concert in this country's history. the rolling stones are coming and no-one wants to miss them. >> translation: when i was her age i dreamed of going to a concert like this but it was never within our reach. >> translation: it is the first we will see something like this and maybe the last. we want to travel abroad to see them >> reporter: the famous british rock band has brought in some 500 tons of equipment and will be playing before an estimated crowd of hundreds of thousands. this will be the grand finale of their latin america tour but only here are they performing for free.

[ ♪ ] >> reporter: the stones sent a message on youtube to the cuban people with seismic jagger speaking in good spanish saying this was an historic concert and he hopes the cuban people will see it that way too. no-one has seen the view though because access here to the internet is limited. still, it will be an extraordinary event so so so many ways. >> cuba is not on the circuit of major music tours, so you can imagine. also the spokens span three generations of fans. it's also worth remembering that for decades the beetles and rolling stones music was banned by the communist government which called it ideological deviation. president obama's visit here earlier this week was also historic. this concert is less institutional. cuba is being embraced by a rock band that is a living legend

which seems to indicate that culturally cuba is coming full circle. you can keep upped with the news on a website at aljazeera.com site at aljazeera.com largest oil and gas producer, in part because of what's happening here in north dakota, where advances in fracking have unlocked crude oil in the bakken shale formation in the western part of the state. north dakota is now producing more than a million barrels of oil a day. ten years ago there were fewer than 200 oil-producing wells in the bakken. now there are more than 8,000. >> they call it boomtown usa this is where all the money is. it's crazy the amount of money you can make here.