being with us. our headlines for you at this hour -- islamic state executes civilians in the ancient syrian city of palmyra in its relentless advance in syria and iraq. and u.s. television star david letterman has entered retirement after hosting his last edition of "the lakeshow -- the late show."

>> the white house is coming under increasing pressure for its policy on iraq and syria as islamic state makes increasing inroads in both countries. >> after seizing the strategic iraqi city of ramadi, i.s. has taken palmyra in syria. >> on mideast analyst will be on set to talk about the political significance for all the warring sides. first, we have this report. >> islamic state militants posted a video of their assault on palmeiro. on twitter, the group said it is now in complete control of the city. this amateur footage is said to show the fight for the ancient city as islamic state troops took over.

palmyra is strategically located on it desert junction between homs and damascus. syrian forces are now cut off from the capital. syrian state television confirmed army forces withdrew from palmyra but only after ensuring most civilians have left. other sources claim tens of thousands of people are still trapped in the city. there are also growing tears that -- fears that i.s. could destroy the city's famous roman era ruins. many artifacts were moved before they took control, but the ruins are now under threat. unesco is urging the world community to save the world heritage site. >> we need indeed to help the security council. we need to help all political leaders.

we need also to launch an appeal on the prevention of this destruction. >> islamic state's offensive continues. the group also posted videos of what it says is its riders in control of a gas-build northeast of palmyra -- gas-filled northeast of palmyra. >> were pleased to be joined by a middle east analyst. thank you for being with us. first of all, palmyra has become a political symbol for everyone involved at this point. why has it become so important? daniel: it's a different symbol for different stakeholders. for the western world, it's culture heritage in danger at the moment. for the syrian government, it is a point of leverage. for many syrians it is the most notorious military prison, which

is somehow a symbol of the oppression and violence of the assad regime. it is a strategic base, but it's also very precious for an insurgent group or a group like i.s. to conquer it. they could liberate the prisoners and say they have done something against the acai regime. for the last couple of months, we have seen there was some kind of tactical balance with both sides of boarding direct confrontation and taking on other rebel groups. i think this is an important moment. >> does i.s. have the upper hand against the assad regime? >> i don't think so. we saw skirmishes going on, writing in this area for a long time, but i think what is important or the assad regime -- it can say to the world that they are defending the world interests, defending world cultural heritage site against evil. i understand that many people sympathize with the army of the assad regime.

>> was talked about a third of highest fighters come from europe. >> it's not the first time politicians come up with these kind of suggestions, and it would be hypocritical of me to say that i have a strategy to neutralize i.s., but i think air telling -- i think we could tell the local population what alternatives we have for them, what kind of state we want them to live in. do we just want to conquer this territory and destroy i.s. and handed over to the assad regime? we should first come up with a scenario for what we want the area to look like after the collapse of i.s. and i think i.s. is not invincible. >> you've written that it's a misconception that there is a international coalition fighting i.s. but it's shia militias. >> shia militias are fighting a much more efficient way.

if we look at the international coalition, of course we have airstrikes, but the intention of countries like saudi arabia or allstate has been very much drawn away from the crisis in syria, and they are more concentrating on yemen and have even sent airplanes that were actually designed for their fight against i.s. in yemen. the international coalition is something of a virtual term. >> so a real review is needed of the situation at this point. thank you so very much for your time. there's hope that last for some of the refugees stranded on both in the seas of southeast asia -- both -- boats in the seas of southeast asia. >> malaysia and indonesia have agreed to take on some of the refugees. thousands of them are still believed to be a drift.

>> but some of those who have managed to come ashore have talked about what they had to endure. >> after months at sea, these migrants are vitally safe. -- finally safe. indonesia has agreed to take them in. many are malnourished,'s it, and dehydrated after there are deal -- malnourished, sick, and dehydrated after their ordeal. this man tells us there were 400 people on his boat. he says there were some helicopters flying overhead, and they delivered rice. then, the thai navy came to help. as of thursday, malaysian authorities are actively searching for migrants stranded at sea. indonesia has also agreed to provide temporary shelter to migrants who land on the country's shores, but several thousand people are still believed to be at sea. many are rohingya muslims

fleeing persecution in myanmar. kyle and recently led a crack down on people smuggling. at first indonesia and malaysia were reluctant to let the migrants short. thailand is set to host a regional conference on the crisis next week. myanmar has agreed to attend, but neither thailand nor malaysia nor indonesia is willing to permanently resettle the asylum-seekers. the countries are not notorious to the united nations refugee convention, which means little security for these people who have come a long way toward a better life. >> europe is grappling with its own refugee crisis. the international organization for migration estimates around 1000 800 refugees have died or disappeared while trying to get to europe this year. >> most of those fleeing north africa are believed to be victims of organized traffickers. the european union is now planning military intervention against people smugglers in libya. >> just how easy would it be,

given how many desperate people are willing to do anything to catch a boat across the mediterranean? we have this report from libya. >> these people are hoping to make it to europe. it all goes to plan, they will pay around $1400 each in order to take a boat crammed with hundreds of others across the mediterranean. they do whatever work they can to raise the money. many are fleeing hardships in danger. it's not an easy life. >> i'm not doing well at all. i have no money. i rarely get any work. it's incredibly difficult to survive here. most of us are desperate and the libyans hate us. >> this human drama does not play out in the capital. it on olds along the coast. we traveled with a military commander and his unit. not much bothers these men anymore. they've seen it all.

for them, trying to stop the flow of migrants is a losing battle. last night, they arrested 10 women from nigeria on their way to the sea. most people slip through the net. the coast is covered in shrubbery, plenty of places to hide from the patrols. migrant boats usually set off at dawn with visibility is low. >> this is where we usually encounter them. sometimes there will be an exchange of fire. some managed to escape. some we managed to catch. >> according to some estimates there are between 500000 and one million people waiting to make the voyage to europe by sea. some die along the way and their families have no way of knowing what happened but those who get to revenues at inspire others to make the journey -- those who

get to lampedusa inspire others to the journey. this is migration on a massive scale. >> the beaches have a great reputation as a launching point. boarding boats here is child's play. >> those who do get caught end up in detention cap's like this one. 470 people are incarcerated here. there's no doctor, and diseases like malaria, aids, and tuberculosis are common. these people across the continent to make it here, but ending up in a crowded prison was not part of the plan. >> i don't give up, yes. i will try my best. i will try again because i don't want to go back to my country. >> i'm 19 years old. i lost my mom, and my dad is dead.

that's why i came here, to get a better life, and i want to get my dreams. >> in prison but still alive. many of those who managed to get onto a boat die soon after taking off. there are rumors some people smugglers try to lighten the load after setting off by simply throwing people overboard. of course, entire ships have gone under. one day last october 190 bodies washed ashore here. they were buried in the sand -- a bitter end to a trip full of hope and despair. >> there's been more violence at protest in burundi. the red cross says at least to the people were killed by security forces. >> a serious secure the crisis has gripped country since late

april to protesters oppose the president's attempt at securing a third term in office. they say it's unconstitutional. the president also faces international pressure not to run. former colonial power belgium has threatened to cut off aid to burundi if the president contest the election. >> human rights organization and its international has awarded its highest honor. singer joan baez and artist ai w ei wei share the honor. >> among those attending the ceremony are the wife of a jailed saudi arabia and blogger and activist. she demanded the release of her husband at a demonstration today. almost a year ago, he was convicted of insulting islam and sentenced to prison and 1000 lashes. he will be receiving deutsche

welle' mug speech award. you can find out more about his case. >> and more about freedom around the world at dw's fighting for press page. >> a cleanup is on the way after anoil spill in california. the code is estimated at 400,000 liters have leaked into the ocean, much more than initially thought. >> and oil slick measuring roughly 23 square kilometers has formed to the coast. visitors are blocked from accessing some beaches close to santa barbara, and the governor of california has declared a state of emergency to mobilize resources for the cleanup. >> eight men charged with a spectacular diamond heist in london have made their first appearance in court. >> a police convoy brought the suspect to the westminster courthouse. they've been charged with conspiracy to burgle. the rate happened over the easter weekend in london's time and district.

police believe the burglars is 48 to 76 climbed down an elevator shaft before drilling through solid concrete walls in order to gain access to the vaults. detectives arrested the suspect on tuesday this week. >> welcome back. eu leaders have arrived for a summit aimed at improving ties with six former soviet states. >> ukrainian president petro poroshenko said it's important that the eu keep its a door open to accept more countries like ukraine in the future. >> but the german chancellor, angela merkel, stressed that the eastern partnership program is not a tool for eu enlargement. >> that meeting is taking place today and tomorrow, but heightened tensions over the crisis in ukraine and russia's role are causing some real tensions. >> the european union launched the eastern partnership in 2009. it aims to deepen cooperation

between the eu and six former soviet states. ukraine, belarus georgia armenia, moldova, and azerbaijan . but the initiative has not gone as smoothly as planned. based last eastern partnership summit was held in 2013, and it triggered a political crisis in ukraine that remains unresolved today. that's down to one key player -- russia. and its efforts to hold on to influence in the post-soviet space. moscow has responded by putting together its own trade bloc -- the eurasian economic union. two members of the eastern partnership have joined so far -- belarus and armenia. ukraine has indicated its ambitions lie in the other direction along with georgia and moldova. all three states have signed association agreements with the eu and say their goal is to

become full members of the union , but they also all have breakaway regions that want to move closer to russia, and the eu has to decide how to balance integration with the risk of further conflict. >> can the eu reach out without angering moscow? for some insight, let's bring in max hoffman. the main focus at the summit, of course, ukraine. what is brussels prepared to offer kiev? it is, after all as we speak, on the verge of bankruptcy. >> it is on the verge of bankruptcy. but financial aid is not necessarily the main focus of the summit. we had a look at the draft for the final declaration of the summit, and it's all very vague. if it stays that way, of course. for a full membership perspective, there's nothing really and therefore ukraine and the second point that was important or ukraine is the sole liberalization, meaning that

ukrainians can travel without a visa to the european union. there is no commitment -- no time commitment in there either. the only thing we could find is that the eu commission would check on that at the end of 2015 and see if all the benchmarks were fulfilled or not. the eu is not really committing here. >> russia has warned this summit could strain relations. what is so very worrying about the conference for moscow? >> the russian strategy has already worked out in the sense that all those visions and dreams that the europeans and their eastern partners had only two years ago really came crashing down to te floor and that the europeans are not talking about all that anymore. they are trying to have hairy realistic goals trying to build institutions in countries like ukraine, trying to help the economy in those countries and also to write corruption and --

by corruption and help those countries make their own decisions. there's already a significant change in that, and it appears that this is -- well if you could call it that -- a russian success. >> briefly if you could, there's a special dinner tonight with greek debt on the agenda. what is that about? max: it has been confirmed, and a person close to the negotiations just told us to not expect anything tonight. even if there is a political breakthrough, they will still stick to the formalities meaning that any decision would have to go through the eurogroup's or the meeting of the european or finance ministers that are part of the euro. >> for now, thanks a lot. >> here in germany, the latest train strike is -- thank goodness -- overpeer the drivers union called off the strike after agreeing to arbitration talks with germany's rail operator. >> the union also agreed there

will be no further strikes during the negotiations. the deadline for the two sides to reach an agreement issued in 17. the long-running dispute is over pay, working hours, and union representation. with holiday weekend coming up the strike was expected to cause huge travel disruptions. deutsche bank has promised to make improvements after tracing there's criticism from investors that is able shareholders meeting in frankfurt. the co-ceos say they have a clear path and are convinced of their strategy. >> but that's not enough. many shareholders are calling for management to step down in the wake of skied -- scandals over currency market manipulation. critics say deutsche bank's- image has been time dished severely in addition to it having to pay hefty fines. >> adding to the bad news for the bank, german media say traders at a subsidiary in moscow have been suspended.

>> they are accused the money laundering. deutsche bank has informed german regulators that they are conducting an internal investigation into the matter. >> onto thursday's market action now. most european markets ended the day with modest gains. our correspondent sent us the summary from the frankfurt talk exchange. javier: after the u.s. federal reserve eliminated almost any chance of an interest rate hike in june, the dollar went down, which means we had a stronger euro. this is bad for many of the exporting companies in germany and in the eurozone. that's why we saw losses at the beginning of the trading session. most markets tried to slowly work their way up to the green numbers again, but it's not always easy, especially considering the latest economic data. the purchasing managers index for germany in the eurozone were well below expectations, signaling that managers have a

bad outlook for the development of their businesses and the economy. one of the reasons is the uncertainty caused by the greek crisis. we'll know more about that friday. >> while there are no surefire prescriptions for a long and healthy life, a study conducted in denmark has shown that white jogging can increase life expectancy by about four and a half years. >> what does like jogging mean? it means about three times a week for between one and two hours. -- no wonder more and more people are taking up the sport. new technology is also making it more fun by helping joggers track and share their experiences. >> many runners thrive on pushing themselves to the limit. new technologies allow users to count their steps measure their pulse, and track how many kilometers they have left to run. this german jogger uses his

smartphone to post and compare his results with others online. >> it's really practical. you can print out your results or share them with others on websites like facebook. runners can compare their numbers and learn better ways to train. it's really useful. >> but where does all that data go? none of the athletes here seem to know, and no one seems to worry about how their information is used. >> and don't think we live in a country where that kind of information could be misused. i don't reminded people know what my running pulse is. >> live blogging has become a booming industry. companies do not only sell software to household consumers but they also sell the data that consumers generate. some insurance companies have started offering better rates for people who can prove they live an active life.

>> we receive benefits in exchange for our personal data. anyone who does not deliver the data falls under suspicion. we are becoming a society where people who provide data -- the right data -- receive special treatment. and those who do not are suspect. >> every step, every heart rate saved forever in the world wide web. the discussion about what is done with that information has just begun. >> we are staying sporty with our next story -- soccer news. a barcelona legend is leaving his boyhood club at the end of this reason after 17 successful seasons with barcelona. >> he announced the move at a press conference. he is barcelona's most decorated player winning the club 23 titles. he also won the world cup and the euro championships with spain. he hopes to end his stunning career and file -- in style

hoping to pick up the spanish cup in the champions league final, which will be played here in berlin. the king of late-night u.s. tv has taken his final bow. >> after 23 years, david letterman is stepping down. >> and some big names were there to say goodbye to the beloved comedian. make no mistake -- they were all huge favorites. >> our long national nightmare is over. >> our long national nightmare is over. >> our long national nightmare is over. >> our long national nightmare is over. letterman is retiring. letterman: just kidding, right? >> from the past to the present for u.s. presidents are among the well-known faces who joined the lineup for david letterman's sendoff.

>> thank you very much, ladies and tillman. welcome to the late show. >> letterman started hosting "the late show" in 1992. his first guest was bill murray. the comedian turned hollywood star was back to say goodbye after 33 years. >> bill murray worth watching. he is always good. that's all we have time for. you can find out more about these and other stories on our website, www.dw.de. >> more news for you at the top of the hour. keep it on dw. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

' for civilian trapped inpalmyra. it is close to it world heritage site. birmingham muslims have been stranded at sea. malaysia and indonesia promise to take in some of them. film festivals to present