09/03/2014 BBC Weekend News

China Sea that could be debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines

flight. Relatives of those on board are told to prepare for the worst,

as investigators focus on two passengers travelling on stolen

passports. As thousands demonstrate their

support for Russia in Crimea, President Putin tells David Cameron

he wants to find a peaceful solution to the stand off.

Fixing a hole - the Government gives an extra ?140 million to repair

roads after the recent rain and floods.

And England beat Wales in the Six Nations at Twickenham to lift their

first triple crown in a decade. Good evening. Vietnam's civil

aviation authority says an aircraft has spotted an object suspected to

be from the Malaysian plane that disappeared over the South China

Sea. The Boeing 777 with 239 people on board vanished from radar as it

travelled towards Beijing. Interpol confirmed today that two of the

passengers were travelling on stolen passports - they are thought to have

bought their tickets together. John Sudworth reports from Beijing.

It's 48 hours since Flight MH370 went missing and for the relatives,

there's little hope left. This woman's sister-in-law was on board.

We're praying for a miracle, she tells me. 40 ships and 20 planes

from seven different countries are involved in the search. The only

possible clue so far is this oil slick lying far out in the South

China Sea. And international intelligence agencies are now

involved. The Malaysia Airlines passenger list shows two men as

being on board - and Austrian and an Italian. But in fact, neither of

them were on the plane. Both have had their passports stolen in

Thailand. This man, who lives in Thailand, held a press conference

there today, saying he reported the theft to the police last year. When

they came back to Italy I talked to the Italian police to say I'd lost

my passport. As some of the religion is prepared to spend a second bite

in this Beijing hotel, Interpol has confirmed the two passports were

entered into its lost and stolen database but that there was no

record of any immigration authority having searched for them. It is just

one line of enquiry into this missing aircraft but relevant or

not, it has revealed a worrying gap in airport security. With 154 of its

citizens missing, China is sending warships to help with the search. It

also emerged today that officials now believe the plane may have

turned back before it disappeared, so the search area has been widened.

For the families, if it did turn back, it only deepens the mystery as

to why no distress signal was sent. While they wait for answers, they've

been told by the airline to prepare for the worst.

President Putin has told David Cameron that he does want to find a

peaceful solution to the crisis in Ukraine. After a phone call between

the two men today, Downing Street said Mr Putin would consider

proposals that could lead to direct talks between Moscow and the new

government in Kiev. Across Ukraine it's been a day of demonstration and

counter demonstration, as Ben Brown reports from the Crimean city of

Sevastapol. Ukrainians celebrate the birth 200

years ago of one of their great poets, but Crimea is a volatile

place right now and there is soon menace in the air. This was a

Ukrainian rally but these Russian protesters have turned up to try and

gate-crash it and argue their case that Crimea should be part of

Russia, not Ukraine. Passions here are certainly running higher than

ever. Arguments break out between the two sides. A Russian is kicked

to the ground and then, in a car park nearby, Russians attack

Ukrainians. A driver has his windscreen smashed. Others are

beaten up in these bushes. Russians punch and kick them and lash them

with whips. We were threatened but managed to escape. At another

Ukrainian rally in the capital, Kiev, the new interim prime minister

was defiant. TRANSLATION: This is our land. Our parents and

grandparents spilled their blood for it. We will not give up a single

centimetre. Let Russia and the Russian president know this. But

Russian forces are building up their defences along the Crimean border -

all part of Moscow's ever tightening stranglehold. The Ukrainians call

this an army of occupation. Russians have been holding their own

rallies, as well, and a week today they'll have a chance to vote in a

referendum - to be part of Russia not Ukraine. These people are

confident it's a referendum they will win.

One of Britain's most senior judges says he has no memory of being a

founder member of a campaign to defend a paedophile group that

attempted to legalise sex with children in the 1970s. The Mail on

Sunday claims Lord Justice Fulford did work to support members of the

Paedophile Information Exchange. Our legal affairs correspondent Clive

Coleman is here. What is the judge saying about this? This is Lord

Justice Fulford, a very senior judge who was made a High Court judge in

2002. He's been in charge of some of the most high profile criminal

trials of recent years, including the trial of the four men who were

found to be guilty of the 21st of July 2005 London bomb plot. The Mail

on Sunday article says he is a founder member of this campaign to

support what was known as PIE, the Paedophile Information Exchange, at

a time when they were campaigning to have the age of consent lowered to

just four. They say, for instance, he organised demonstrations outside

a court where PIE members were on trial and had meetings to discuss

tactics with the chair of PIE. In a fairly lengthy response, Lord

Justice Fulford has said that he has no memory of the foundation or the

detailed work of this campaign. He says any work that he did do was in

relation to a criminal offence called outraging the public morals

and, at the time, he believed that offence could inappropriately

discriminate against individuals and groups and that was why he was

involved. But he says that he never supported the objectives of PIE,

which was the abuse of children, which he regards as wholly wrong.

Clive, thank you. Nick Clegg has gone on the attack

against UKIP, warning voters to be wary of the smiling man in the pub

who wants Britain to leave Europe. The reference to UKIP leader Nigel

Farage was part of a unashamedly pro-European speech at the Liberal

Democrat spring conference in York, from where Vicki Young sent this

report. They've had a taste of power but

will Nick Clegg and his aspiring MPs be rewarded or punished for their

role in government? There's a big test on the horizon with European

elections. Mr Clegg wants them to be a fight between the Lib Dems and

UKIP so guess who this was referring to. And ungenerous, backwards

looking politics has emerged in Britain. The politics of blame has

found an accent above face. It wears a big smile and looks like someone

you could have a pint with down the pub. Mr Clegg has Nigel Farage in

his sights and says the Lib Dems will fight to keep Britain in the

EU. He praised the guts and courage the party had shown in Coalition. So

don't let anyone airbrush out our role. Nick Clegg is concerned that

British politics has become too negative so this is an appeal to all

those who want a modern, open, tolerant society. An appeal, too, to

voters to give Liberal Democrats another chance in government in the

next election. But our Lib Dem activists proud of their record? It

is good to see some of our key policies being enacted but I believe

that we've been part of a government that has destroyed a lot of lives. I

think we can be overall proud. Nobody is going to be happy with

everything the Coalition's done. Nobody is always happy with

everything that any government has done. In the circumstances we

inherited, we've done the best we possibly could. Spring may be here

but there's still little sign of Lib Dem growing in the polls.

The Co-operative Group is to raise pay for its top executives just

months after its banking arm came close to collapse. The new chief

executive, Euan Sutherland, will receive ?3.6 million this year. The

Co-op's defended the deal, saying it's paying no more than the

industry average - as our business correspondent Joe Lynam reports.

The Co-op wants your opinion on how it should be run and what should be

done with the money it earns. After an awful 2013, the new group CEO,

Euan Sutherland, as admit it it lost touch with its customers and

members. But now it has emerged he is in line to earn ?3.6 million in

his first year at the company and it mightn't go down well with some

customers. I wouldn't say he's worth it. People get pay based on

performance and you would imagine if he was the head of a bank, he must

have a track record in delivering. The rich get richer and the poor get

poorer. In a statement, the Co-op's chairman said the company had faced

the biggest challenge in its 150 year history and had recruited a top

team with the skills and experience needed. She also said the

remuneration packages of its executives were in the middle of a

range of comparator companies. Last year it emerged that the company's

banking division had a financial hole and its chairman Paul Flowers

was forced to resign in disgrace. In order to survive, the group is

selling off parts of its business, including its pharmacies. In May,

the members of the Co-op will get to vote on whether and how much to pay

their top bosses. This month, the company is expected to post big

losses - may be as high as ?2 billion for the year.

Councils in England are to get a share of an extra ?140 million of

Government money to help repair roads damaged by this winter's rain

and floods. Local authorities have welcomed the money, but say it won't

cover the full cost of repairs, as Simon Clemison reports.

Parts of England and Wales have enjoyed their warmest day of the

year so far today but a few steps away from here and a few steps back

in time, a very different scene. People have said that we should go

and empty the potholes. But while the potholes are no longer hidden,

people say they have been left with more of them. The votes may have

been replaced by cars but they are still feeling the impact of all the

rain. It is pretty hard for anyone driving a car or bike. Because the

roads are dry you can see them but as soon is you get a bit of rain,

you don't know whether you're driving through a puddle or a

pothole. It has been an extremely wet winter but not a cold one so,

with a lack of frost, why all the potholes? That's because it's the

water that causes the majority of the damage and we've had plenty of

that. It bubbles up from below, seeps in from cracks above and

washes away the material believed the surface so when a car comes

along, the road caves in. -- beneath the surface. A lot of areas have had

very severe damage and we've made a lot of money available to those

areas. Other authorities have said they need more money for road

repairs so, as it comes to the end of the year, we've looked at the

department underspent and are allocating that now. But campaigners

say the overall investment of ?1 billion should be ten times that

amount. We've got about a ?10 billion backlog of road repairs

needed. We never keep up with that. We don't want it to grow but it has

been growing. What we need is a long-term finance. With some flood

warnings still in place, the true cost of the damage this year may be

even higher. With all the sport, here's Lizzie

Greenwood-Hughes at the BBC Sport Centre.

Thanks very much. Good evening. The line-up for the FA Cup semi-finals

is decided, and Wigan have caused another upset over Manchester City.

The holders have beaten them again - this time 2-1. They'll play arsenal

next. Also heading to Wembley are Hull City, who beat Sunderland 3-0.

They face League One's Sheffield United after their 2-0 victory over

Charlton. Tim Hague rounds-up the day's action for us.

Ten months ago, these two played in the FA Cup final and Wigan pulled

off one of the great cup upsets. In this match, Manchester city even

bigger favourites - not that the holders minded. A penalty. It

couldn't happen again. Could it? It looked that way when another massive

moment for Wigan came. 2 -1 in the end but Wigan won to stun everyone

its arsenal at Wembley next. Hull city will be there, too. They scored

three without reply from Sunderland, including this from

David Miler. Head-butted by Newcastle manager Alan Pardew last

weekend, he showed his sense of humour. Hull are in their first FA

Cup semi since 1930 - that is cause a celebration. The same can be said

for fans of their opponents, Sheffield United. They shocked at

Charlton to reach the last four. It's 13 years since aside from the

third tier has done that and he wasn't even born! England have won

the triple crown in Rugby Union's Six Nations. They beat Wales 29-18

on the penultimate weekend to keep alive their championship title

hopes. Olly Foster reports from Twickenham.

Accusations of English arrogance always surface around this fixture.

They've been careful not to blow their own trumpet, mindful perhaps

that recent results against Wales have been forged by a dragon's fire.

They haven't even scored a try against their rivals in three

defeats in a row. That changed within five minutes as Danny Care

caught them off guard. Luther Burrell has burst into this England

side in the championship and breached a red line again. Wales'

lifeline Leigh Halfpenny's boot. Five out of five penalties for him

and there were only five points in it at the break. He kicked another

one in the second-half but not as many as Owen Farrell, who was

perfect, too getting 19 points. They were inches from a third try but

Luther Burrell just straight into touch. No matter - the win was

theirs to at least keep their title hopes alive. Even a big win for

England next weekend in Rome may not be an offer them to win the

championship but their first triple Crown in 11 years is a really good

indication that they are moving in the right direction. For Wales,

there will be no hat-trick of titles for them.

Dundee United are into the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.

They put five past Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Nadir Chifte

scoring twice before the home side had two players sent off.

United will play either Rangers or Albion Rovers who had a one all draw

today. The other semi final sees St Johnstone play Aberdeen.

Great Britain have won three more medals at the World Indoor Athletics

Championships. The young heptahlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who's

often called the next Jessica Ennis-Hill, took silver in the long

jump with a personal best. There was a silver for the men's

four x 400 m relay team. That's it. We're back