an i.s.i.l. bombing kills dozens at a football match in iraq as the fight is stepped up you're watching al jazeera coming to you live from doha. the other top stories. >> can we still say that we are muslim? shouldn't we be secret about it? the worry of being a belgium muslim as the police arrest and question several people. china releases a journalist linked to an online petition

demanding the president's resignation the rolling stones rock cuba in their first ever concert there i.s.i.l. says it was behind an attack on a football stadium south of baghdad. at least 30 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up. it happened as trophies were being presented after a turnam ent. as mm-hmm as 100 people injured. live to-- as many as 100 people injured. we understand the bomber 16 to 17 years old. >> reporter: battleground has taken back back in west and north of iraq, including ramadi

and places around mosul, and further north, i.s.i.l. seems to be stepping up its suicide attacks in places that are very vulnerable to such attacks. this was an area which is a shia area and on a friday, a place packed with people watching a football match. the dead are said to be also the mayor of the town. it is the latest in a series of high profile attacks that they are engaging in to make up on its losses on the wider battle field one remembers not long ago, 10 years ago, this was known as the triangle of death because of the sectarian violence. what we're seeing now is utterly different. >> reporter: there's some links there because it is clearly what i.s.i.l. is trying to restart. it is what al-qaeda specialized in before i.s.i.l. came along and it is what i.s.i.l. hopes to

do by bombing these mainly shia targets, particularly civilian targets. it aims to encourage a back lack in which there would be sunni groups and shia groups fighting each other, which was similar a few years ago. so far it hasn't happened yet, it but there are fears it could start again. it's what understandpins these attacks, an attempt to destabilize the government and show these things. one of the things to note in this is that this football match was organized by one of a former shia militias now under the command of the iraqi government security forces who were extremely controversial and certainly a target of i.s.i.l. if i.s.i.l. is behind the issues in the area, is it too early to say that the caliphate is beginning to shrink?

>> reporter: not too early. if you look at the land mass, huge areas of territory that i.s.i.l. rolled in and controlled with armoured vehicles and complex attacks, if you look at those, that has shrunk by up to on 40%. there are clearly losing territory, including major citi citi cities. what they have not lost is the ability to adapt and the ability to launch attacks that destabilized the iraqi security forces. right now the prime minister is fighting a political challenge. he is to head off a political crisis by presenting a new cabinet. at the gates of the green zone, there are foreign emback ees, there's huge protest camps set

up by followers, so there are a battles being fought here. they're not all military, some are political and economic, but it is a multi-pronged battle with the government that is struggling to maintain control the u.s. s is stepping up its presence in iraq. it is aimed at boosting the operation to retake the second biggest city mosul. these are the latest pictures of the army's advance. the retaking of mosul from i.s.i.l. would be a significant advance for u.s. and peshmerga forces. the pentagon said a senior i.s.i.l. figure had been killed, this man, who apparently managed the group's finances and is said to have died during a u.s. raid in syria. i.s.i.l. is coming under pressure in syria. state tv reporting that the govern forces are closing in on

palmyra. these pictures show the army clearing an i.s.i.l.-held building. there are reports of clashes close to the city in the old part of the city. it is a strategic city because of the linking road. it fell to i.s.i.l. in may of last year. to yemen where at least 25 people have been killed when three suicide bombers attacked the southern city of aden. one car bomb went off near a military check point. the other two explosions hit check points on a road leading to a base leading to the saudi-led coalition. fighters linked to i.s.i.l. have claimed responsibility. the bombings come on the first anniversary of the saudi-led campaign in yemen. several people have been questioned in belgium today following the arrests yesterday. they came after tuesday's attacks in brussels. that has given rise to fears among belgian muslims.

jacky rowland has met some members of their community. >> reporter: a solemn moment of commemoration. students at this islamic school in brussels have just learned that their gym teacher was along those killed in the metro bottoming. the school governors are still digesting the news. they're shocked and they're also angry. >> translation: we can't be anything but angry and reject the beliefs of these people who claim to be muslims. there is no religion in the world that advocates killing human beings. >> reporter: she was a young mother with three sons. at school she was popular with students and teachers alike. several people we spoke to said she was like a sister. >> reporter: her students have been encouraged to express themselves in drawings, postmortems and messages.

the other teachers hope this will help the children come to terms with their loss. >> reporter: in mosques around brussels the attacks have dominated friday prayers. muslims have been thinking about their place in belgian society and they're worried about the future. >> translation: it's natural that we are afraid of what's happening. we are part of this society. >> translation: my son asked me, these things that are happening, does islam permit that? i said no, religion forbids that. >> reporter: this muslim member of the brussels parliament says the actions of a few radicalized young men have over shadowed her whole community >> i hear that of my own children, it's, like, can we still say that we are muslim? shouldn't we be secret about it or can we stay muslim phrases?

everything that has become contaminated with religion >> reporter: events of the last weeks show muslims are just as likely to be victims of attack as other members of society. they also know the perpetrators have highjacked their religion to justify these acts of violence large numbers of refugees on the greek mf macedonian border are refusing offers from the greek government to move to better accommodation. at least 12,000 refugees have been living in a makeshift camp. they have been stuck there for weeks now. >> reporter: this time the government in greece has been able to convince migrants and refugees to move from here. some people are convinced that the border with macedonia will not open. police and u.n.h.c.r. workers explain to them that the evacuation is voluntary and the conditions in government-run camps are better, but the majority of people are still refusing to go. they prefer to stay here where

they have been for weeks. for now they are blocking the railway tracks leading across the border. they're hoping their blockade will help persuade the macedonian authorities on the other side to let them in. >> translation: people came here to cross and not stay in camps. some people have been separated from their families. i have two children in germany. what if the relocation program sends me somewhere else? what do i do? >> reporter: the refugees are losing patients and they fear the program to relocate them across the continent will take months. we are human beings, they say, as they make an appeal to the world to end their suffering. it may take some time. >> translation: there are some challenges in this relocation program. they are due to logistical issues. the capacity of precisely, of course, is limited. so even the government is now scaling up. we know, for instance, that they are recruiting more people and so we know for sure that in the

next days the capacity will increase. >> reporter: greece is now home to 50,000 migrants and refugees who say they feel trapped. >> reporter: people are confused here. there's a lot of uncertainty and the conditions are only getting worse. according to the united nations among a population of more than 12,000 people, 4,000 are children, and the tents have done little to protect them from the rain and the cold. >> reporter: this man and his family are so desperate that they say they want to go back to syria, even if it means to returning to raqqa which is controlled by i.s.i.l. they have no money left. he sold all he owned to reach here. now they find themselves sharing a tent with dozens of others. >> translation: going back to syria is better than staying here, even though our house has been destroyed and we sold everything to pay for our journey. we escaped death there, but here we are dying. send us back >> reporter: it is the latest flash point in the latest refugee crisis.

it is not their intended final designation, but for now it has become that, with nor and more losing hope a chinese writer who was part of are an online petition calling on the president xi jinping to resign has been released. >> reporter: a lawyer for the chinese journalist who had been missing since march 15 has confirmed that his client was released on friday night. he had been taken by police at beijing airport on march 15 just as he was about to board a flight to hong kong. it is widely thought that chinese security officials thought he had something to do with a letter that was published earlier this month on a news website. that called for the president to resign. it also accused the chinese president of concentrating power at his hands and of encouraging

a cult of personality centered around himself. the authors of the letter, who remain anonymous, signing off only as loyal communist parties, had urged the chinese president to resign for the future of china and its people. while he may have been released, the investigation into who might be behind this letter has only intensified. a chinese dissident living in the u.s. says police took his parents and a younger brother away on tuesday night. his family members live in china and he hasn't been table contact them since. a news agency is also reporting that at least four employees at the website have also been missing and out of contact for a week now. this clearly shows that authorities are intensifying their investigation, they're deepening the crackdown and

these developments have got human rights activists in china concerns because this shows that there's not only growing intolerance of criticism but there is a disturbing pattern of going after critics south korean protesters have released balloons carrying aenlt pon messages. tensions have been high since the north conducted a nuclear test on january and a long range rocket launch in february, prompting new sanctions in the u.n. security council many more stories still to come here, including fears of more attacks on afghanistan forces as the taliban step up their offensive. plus. >> reporter: i'm in cambodia where a dying generation of traditional musicians are working desperately to preserve their art. their art.

welcome back. the top stories. i.s.i.l. says it was behind an attack at the football match in a town south of baghdad. this mobile phone footage shows the moment the bomb went off when the trophies were handed out. in the yemen port city of aden 25 people have been killed in suicide attacks. two explosions hit checkpoints on a road leading to a base used by the saudi- led coalition. >> reporter: several people have

been arrested in a series of police raids across brussels. salah abdeslam has rchd to speak when questioned about those attacks. he is now exercising his right to silence myanmar's first ever stock exchange is now open for business. ringing in the first day of trading on friday, the exchange was packed with investors, many of them never trading in shares before. afghan security services suffered a 30% increase in casualties last year. the u.s. has said those numbers are not sustainable, but with the taliban gaining ground, there are fears that the offensive will hilt government forces even harder. >> reporter: when americans were here, this sprawling base was called camp bright.

now the afghan army calls it simply brigade. the u.s. forces pulled out and took their technology with them, including vital air cover. >> translation: if they supply us and pay attention to our air force, we could show to the world that we are brave and we can defend our country independently. >> reporter: it is a different picture being shown these days. behind these hills americans suffered some of their heaviest casualties. afghan soldiers are suffering more. more than 100 killed here, many others injured. they're up against dedicated well-armed taliban units. they now control more territory than at any time in the last 14 years. the afghan army doesn't have high-tech weaponry, relying on small arms and heavy machine guns. since the u.s. scaled down its operations here, the afghan army can no longer completely rely on american air fire power.

that has made a difference in relation to their ability to take and rehold territory. that is no longer there to remove wounded from the zone. >> translation: an iud bomb exploded and we were ambushed. a soldier was wounded. we we had air support we could have evacuated him. we had to drag him for four kilometers. with air support he would have supplied. >> reporter: many young man opt to enlist because there are no other options. corruption is said to be common within the military, leaving the soldiers often without sufficient ammunition. it leaves many without incentive. >> translation: a soldier should have a strong faith and physical power, but in enemy is armed to the teeth and has support from our neighboring countries, including pakistan and iran. we need a powerful force with heavy artillery tank and air

force. >> reporter: the forces are suffering rates of many injury that is unsustainable >> translation: our soldiers are from this country. they're muslim and they know what they're doing is the right thing, to defend our people and home lands. we have to fight with everything we have. >> reporter: analysts say that neither of began army or the taliban is strong enough to win the war, but the afghan army believe in u.s. was here in force it would be a different story the people may be ethiopias biggest ethnic group, they're saying they're ignored and targeted by their own government. at least 200 people were killed during recent protests. >> reporter: six year old abi and her brother haven't been

attending classes. the government closed their school three months ago at the start of the crackdown on protests. we were here innian days after the children's mother had been shot through the neck during a demonstration. despite eventually receiving medical treatment, she died a couple of weeks ago. >> translation: the little girl crisis and keeps asking where her mother is. we feel her pain. the older one cried but he understands that she has gone. >> reporter: the people are ethiopia's ethnic group. ethiopia has ath ethnically based federal system that dwifs a degree of self rule to these people. the opposition, whose members have been arrested and detained, says the system has been corrupted by the ruling party. the process was sparked by the government so-called development plan, a plan that it says aims at spreading and increasing

development into the surround possessing region. the people have had longstanding issues with the government for decades now. cultural, political, economic and they say it's ease issues that are not being addressed. >> these are people. >> reporter: this man is a politician who says his community deserves equal opportunity. >> politics, high marginalised. in terms of the economy, marginalization. i don't think it is going to work. partly the problem is that the government want to rule in the old way. people are resisting to the ruled in the old way. >> reporter: protests have come at a time when ethiopia has enjoyed stability and economic growth in recent years.

analysts say that civil unrest might be exploited by al-shabab. it has accused the government of stirring the unrest. the two countries have not signed a peace agreement despite the war they fought ending 16 years ago >> there is a need for public forums for consultation, for debate on public policy issues. for expression of different views. >> reporter: the government says it is listening. >> so far as the consultations are being made and will be made, we're the people to address it, but to address the underlying problems. >> reporter: for this family, their daughter and mother was a victim of a government that has broken many promises before their cumulative age is 288

years old, but that didn't stop them performing to thousands of fans, young and old in cuba. their music used to be banned there, but not any more. a significant sign of real change. >> reporter: it was a concert many cubans had been waiting for, for almost ahalf a century. the legendary rolling stones like none ever has anyone seen here before. entire families, three generations, even four, enjoyed a free concert compliments of the british band which has been around almost as long as the cuban revolution >> translation: i love it. they're an epic band and i couldn't miss this. >> reporter: says 13-year-old. from early afternoon people began powering into havana's open air supports center. the news of this concert has spread like wild fire.

people are coming not only from all over cuba but from the americas and beyond. fans want to say that they saw history being made when they saw the rolling stones in cuba. people like this irish couple >> it is a changing time for cuba and it is the mark of that change. >> reporter: this man says it makes him feel proud. >> translation: when i was young, listening to the beetles and others was for bitten. we had to listen to them in see yet in the 60s and 70s >> reporter: the concert is a powerful cultural sign that it is change >> it follows the obama visit by a couple of days. this week is hugely constant and very exciting. >> reporter: so it was that this historic week was wrapped up by a once banned rack band that is leaving millions here with a sense that cuba is no longer off

the circuit. no longer so isolated staying with that idea of outlaid music. khmer rouge killed many during the years of dictatorship. surviving musicians are racing against time to revive their art. >> reporter: master man is a tough teacher. he has been a traditional wedding musician in cam body day for-- cam boat i can't for more than half a century. he expects nothing less than perfect of his students. >> translation: this traditional wedding music is my life. i won't stop playing it until i

die. i will continue teaching it to the younger generation. >> reporter: but his love of music almost cost him his life. musicians like him were hunted and killed by the commercial rouj-- khmer rouge regime. uncorrupted by any creative people or intellectuals. >> because the khmer rouge wanted to have no form of expression, many were killed during that period. no religion, no music, no arts, no expression. >> reporter: within just one generation, cambodia's rich heritage was decimated.

many an association is now working with musicians and dancers to teach a new generation. they are facing some new challenges. increasingly young cambodians are turning away from traditional music. most are listening to korean pop and american hop hop, but without an audience these artists say they will struggle to survive. >> translation: i think the cambodian people p love music. not understand the traditional music. >> reporter: for now it's tourists who are helping to keep traditional art forms alive. these performing artists admits it twoent be easy competing against the influx of western music. then, again, what they have is

well worth saving plenty more news, of course, whenever you want it on our website. aljazeera.com. you can talk to everyone on the teams here. teams here. this week on talk to al jazeera grammy winning cassandra wilson >> singing it from the heart, telling a story she was in a home filled with jazz, she played the piano followed by the guitar and was