>> you're watching live from paris. our top stories this hour. fears 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 and

upcoming project returning to the big screen after a five-year absence. we begin with the latest victory by islamic state fighters who have seized the ancient city of palymyra in. there's concern militants will destroy this ancient unesco site which predates islam. the city is of strategic importance to isis. it provides a gateway to iraq policy anbar province. mark thompson has the story. mark: it's long been a city known worldwide for its beauty and historical artifacts. now palmyra's strategic

importance is taking center stage. it was seized on wednesday after a week of fighting against syrian government. >> were getting stronger and stronger on both sides of the border. there was a huge amount of almost and armor. >> the jihadist fighters have also taken nearby intelligence had orders and the notorious prison, which could give the group greater firepower in the long run. >> many of the prisoners are sympathizers of their ideology and have the good reputation of liberators. >> and click -- it could clear the way for the islamic extremist to advance toward damascus as well as key cities

in the south. it's just one of a series of major vans is the group has made in both syria and iraq this week. >> they are able to launch several attacks at the same time in different strategic points. so the success they just one yesterday is a bit frightening because they show their ability to win. >> syrian state leaders say pro-government forces have been forced from the region. most of these 70,000 strong population of palmyra has also been evacuated. >> [please stand by] represents --palmyra represents another stunning group -- victory for the group. >> this is not necessarily a long-term trend. it's just too very symbolic

victories with material consequences in both cases in iraq and syria. and they do strengthen the i.s. position in syria. first with palmyra, it's almost exactly in the geographical center of the country. that can be used to launch attacks in the direction of homs to the west, and damascus to the southwest. the other places on the map daraa in the far south and aleppo in the far north, those are places where the syrian government is fighting battles. so clearly to have this kind of wedge in the center of the country where they are putting pressure on government forces who were in a sense stretched in the north and the far south that can be quite serious. but as i said, it's too early to say whether they are unstoppable

or not. what the two victories do mean of course is that they are strengthened as a cross-border group with weapons being seized in both groups in ramadi and palmyra, providing a large arsenal for future use for years ahead and also for the propaganda value with i.s. taking to social media using social media to recruit troops. >> nato has ordered search-and-rescue issues for thousands of burmese muslims still stranded at sea. it comes a day after malaysia and indonesia changed tack and agreed to temporarily how some of the people fleeing persecution in their home country. thailand still refuses to accept any of the migrants. >> like 3000 others in the past week, these migrants have made it to indonesian and malaysia in

refugee camps. some are escaping persecution. others impoverished bangladeshis. the less fortunate are still at sea. according to the u.n., at least 2000 migrants are trapped on overcrowded boats at times for more than a month, often held prisoner by smokers and with nowhere to go. thailand, malaysia and indonesia have arced international outrage after refusing to let the migrants land on their shores. but that may be changing for now. on wednesday, malaysia and indonesia said they would offer short-term shelter. >> we have accepted to take the migrants in and get them shelter. the burmese government has already said they are willing to work with us and others in the region. >> on wednesday, washington said it will maintain pressure on burma to stop the persecution of the muslim minority. while allowing more refugees to resettle in the u.s.

meanwhile the australian prime minister gave a category node to the idea of welcoming the migrants. >> our role is to do everything we humanly can to stop people smuggling and the best way to do that is to make it absolutely crystal clear that if you get on a leaky boat, you're not going to get what you want, which is a new life in a western country. next the recent influx of migrants in the region is due in part to continue persecution in burma and the crackdown in thailand. it through the smuggling circuit into chaos, stranding thousands at sea. an emergency conference on the migrants will be held may 29 in bangkok. next the british prime david cameron has promised to act as immigration figures reached a record that -- a record high this week. 318,000 people came to the u.k. last year, compared to 200-9000

the year before. david cameron and outlining his plan. >> it will be tougher, fairer, and faster. that will start next week with a new immigration bill included in the queens speech. that bill and the further measures we will pursue will focus on three big things. one, dealing with the who shouldn't be here by rooting out illegal migrants and boosting deportation. two, reforming immigration labor market rules to refute -- reduce the demand for skilled migrant labor, and crackdown on the exportation of unskilled workers, and three by renegotiating in europe. >> ireland is campaigning for a referendum on gay marriage. a yes vote would enshrine marriage in the constitution. the debate has split the nation with everyone from actors to bishops weighing in on the

issue. lucy has this report. >> these campaigners may well soon get what they are asking for. >> equal standing for all is fairer for everybody. >> opinion poll shows 60% of people would vote yes to gay marriage on friday. >> the reason we are for supporting the yes vote is just so the people have equality. we should all be able to marry who we love. >> the referendum campaign equality now is ordered by all political parties. the prime minister was on the campaign trail. >> i'm being discriminated by who i love and who i am. x but it's not discrimination, says the no campaign. >> into radical redefinition of marriage.

we believe it will undermine that institution of marriage and change it in a way that's not good for society. >> ireland is a traditionally catholic country but only 35% of people said they would look to the church for how to vote. >> the church -- the catholic church is not remotely as powerful as it was in previous times. a lot of its credibility has been lost over 30 years. >> homosexuality was only decriminalized in ireland in 1993. >> moving out to california where authorities have been trying to clean up and oils bill near the city of santa barbara -- an oil spill. an onshore oil pipeline ruptured on tuesday, spilling thousands of leaders into the pacific ocean -- thousands of liters into the pacific ocean.

>> they brought their own material to help clean up after an oil spill that left several miles of california coastline affected. >> we arrived today and there was one gentleman on the beach shoveling oil from the ocean into the bucket. we decided to join him, and the next thing you know, a lot more of us came down here early in the morning about 7:00 a.m. we have been shoveling buckets ever since every >> further way professional cleanup crews are focusing on environmentally sensitive sites that were more at risk, after an onshore oil pipeline ruptured on tuesday. >> two miles from shore we have a split that is possibly 3.7 miles long that goes along the shoreline heading east. northeast we have a slick offshore that is 5.3 miles.

so totaling about nine miles in length. >> it's california's biggest spill since an offshore rupture spilled earlier. >> markus karlsson is with us in the studio. the process -- protest goes on for higher wages. >> mcdonald's is facing a fresh portion of protest from workers seeking higher wages. houses have shown up for a second day at mcdonald's headquarters in a chicago suburb. it coincides with the company's annual shareholder meeting and feeds into a wider debate on where minimum wages are heading and where they should be heading in the united states. kate moody has more. >> calling for a supersized payday. activists marched outside the

annual shareholders meeting demanding health benefits and hourly pay of $15. throughout the year protesters have been striking for better working conditions. >> come and work in our situation and get a check after two weeks and just see how much it is. >> protest have helped spark a growing movement to boost the national minimum wage from its current $7.25 an hour. 29 of the 50 states and washington dc have minimum wages above the federal law. highest is washington's state at $9.47 per hour. >> u.s. president barack obama has been campaigning to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in years.

>> to $10.10 an hour. >> several retail outlets like walmart and the gap have already raised their minimum wage. last month mcdonald's new chief executive increase starting pay at company-owned restaurants to one dollar above local or state guidelines. protesters argue that will only impact about 90,000 workers across the u.s. and not the 666,000 employees of franchises. >> business leaders meeting here in paris have called for a global price on carbon emissions. it came at the end of the meeting that brought together the heads of some of the world's biggest companies. it led to a lead up of a climate summit in december that will bring together world leaders in the french capital. rachel kyte is vice president of the world bank and she is the

thanks special envoy on climate issues. she explains why she believes it necessary to charge for greenhouse gas emissions. >> carbon pricing is the insufficient policy you would use to reduce the amount of something that is bad in the economy. the challenge everybody has this had a week he a job or growth with less carbon intensity? we have grown up until this moment in a very carbon rich way, and we can't do that anymore. we have to use the innovation to continue to grow but with much less carbon in that growth, so what is the right carbon price? that is the discussion at the moment. >> that was rachel kight, vice president at the world bank speaking about carbon pricing. let's move on to the stock

market next. we saw european markets bouncing quite significantly this thursday. even as a gauge of the private sector aim in slightly weaker than expected for the eurozone. still that pmi gauge showed that the private sector is growing but not at the same pace as previously. u.s. markets, the indices going slightly higher. the dow jones is barely holding its head above the flatlined this hour. let's look at a few of the stories we are following for you. the gap between rich and poor is at record levels in most advanced economies. so says a study, it speaks of a

tipping point. economic inequality is now at a level where it halts robespierre the richest 1% of the population owns 18% of household wealth according to this report. airbus has joined a group of firms publicly speaking out against britain leaving the european union. the head of operations in the u.k. warns it country and -- reconsider its investment in britain. airbus employs around 7000 in the u.k. there is relief for beleaguered train passengers in germany. a strike that paralyzed the network has been called off. the union that represents the drivers had agreed to mediation. it centers on higher wages and

negotiating rights. the ninth strike in just 11 months started on tuesday. that is the business news for now. >> thank you very much, markus karlsson there. time now for our cannes rendezvous, and excitement is building a -- ahead of the prizes that will be handed out sunday. until then, a small town is buzzing. that is up next. ♪

>> hello from the most glamorous film festival in the world. today i'm speaking to a woman who was thrust into the limelight 12 years ago. she was propelled into indian cinema where she became the queen of bali wit. she is in -- the queen of bollywood. she was in town for the cannes film festival. let's go and meet her. ♪ >> hello. good to see you here at the cannes film festival. this is your first film in five years. why have you decided to come back to the silver screen now

and why would this film? >> i never believed i went anywhere or i left it. i got pregnant and had a baby, so it was just a natural maternity break for me. i had been working right from the third or fourth month with my brand endorsements. i had been going to the studios in doing the photo shoots and doing appearances and all that. but in terms of facing the camera, to be playing a character that has been written for me has been after a bit of a gap. i've had them meeting with me with scripts all along. it was just a matter of scheduling and i would say ok, let's go on the floor. we finally decided at the end of last year, let's roll with it this year.

so the time factor luckily has not been a problem for me. it has been super exciting. >> do you feel like you have changed since you become a mom? >> changes the only constant. growth is good. change is good in any creative medium or even on a human trajectory. you have to grow with experience. in terms of work ethic no. i believe in only going from strength to strength. you only get stronger because you respect all the responsibility that goes with recognizing this for the industry that it is. that's all a natural growth, evolution and positive growth change trajectory.

>> you are a mega-famous couple. quick she is her own person and she is allowed to go ahead and more her own choices. i would be her parent and best friend and i'm here to be her mother, and that's who i will be. >> what does she make of the cannes film festival? quick she's been coming here from the time she was and in it. >> you are a red carpet favorite. every day there is an article about what you are wearing on the red carpet. how much work has that then for you? >> my answer is a little

disappointing to you. there is a lot of drama attached to it in perception, but a large part of it has become kind of a real -- weird life for me. you play the part, whether it's the red carpet, whether it's a social call or a press conference, a movie announcement. fashion and all the aspects of hair, clothing, accessorizing, i've always regarded it as art. there is always a creative team that comes together to do that. you can have fun with it. just be comfortable with it. >> and she is a national treasure. everybody was upset when i announced it to the room. i could be at a bookstore and i had people walking up to me and saying, how is she looking?

even now, something happened this morning. we released the first image and let the first image out on twitter and social networking. it is trending worldwide, it's trending in india. people are just in shock looking at that image because they were not expecting this. she is screaming, her hair is all over the legs. it's a very powerful image from the film. -- her hair is all over the place. >> there so many things that remain unspoken between us. i was so immediately comfortable with this natural, created compatibility we established.

he showed it to me yesterday, day before, and said this is what i have chosen and this is going out. it is already a trend. he just said something which is what i was naturally feeling. he said look, i'm here telling a story. this is the movie, and you are my actor in the movie. and that's what i'm going to be showing. and i was like, that's exactly what i am here to do. yes, i was at a conference today announcing the film. this goes with the turf here. it's what we do. let's play the photo off the way we should. that's the movie and that's the character i am playing.

i think that's great, and that excites me, and that's why i chose it. >> what is the film about? >> you will find out. [laughter] >> it's a very exciting story. it dwells upon issues we feel really strongly in india social issues. i cannot talk too much about what is in it. >> thank you very much. ♪

from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> there are people from the city joining the islamic state. they let the militants into the city. without their help they would not know where to go in which street, which houses are the key places. amy: fighters from the self-described islamic state sees the ancient city of palmyra and now control more than half of syria. meanwhile, the u.s. has begun bombing ramadi in an effort to