:00:00. > :00:10.Tonight at ten: Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are again on the
:00:11. > :00:13.rise. In eastern Ukraine, the funerals take place of three men
:00:14. > :00:18.killed in an attack on a pro-Russian checkpoint. The Russian influence in
:00:19. > :00:25.this part of Ukraine is again under strong attack from the Americans.
:00:26. > :00:36.We call on Russia to stop supporting men hiding behind masks, in unmarked
:00:37. > :00:39.uniforms, sewing unrest in eastern Ukraine. We'll be asking if the
:00:40. > :00:42.elements of a peace deal announced last week are still in place.
:00:43. > :00:44.Also tonight: Manchester United have sacked their manager David Moyes
:00:45. > :00:49.just ten months after he succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson.
:00:50. > :00:53.Nigel Farage launches UKIP's campaign for the European elections
:00:54. > :00:58.with a range of controversial posters.
:00:59. > :01:07.China advertises the strength of its navy. We have a special report as
:01:08. > :01:14.President Obama visits Asia. President Obama is visiting allies
:01:15. > :01:19.in Asia. Not on his list, but on everyone's mind, China and its
:01:20. > :01:22.growing might at sea. And Chelsea try to gain the advantage in Madrid
:01:23. > :01:25.in their Champions' League semifinal. And coming up in
:01:26. > :01:28.Sportsday on BBC News, as well as more from Old Trafford and the
:01:29. > :01:33.Champions League, we'll have the latest from day four of the World
:01:34. > :01:56.Snooker at the Crucible. Good evening. Tensions between
:01:57. > :01:59.Ukraine and Russia are escalating once again. Ukraine's acting
:02:00. > :02:01.President has called for renewed military operations against
:02:02. > :02:06.pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine. He spoke on the day the US
:02:07. > :02:10.vice-president, Joe Biden, was visiting Kiev. Mr Biden warned
:02:11. > :02:13.Russia that further "provocative behaviour" in Ukraine would lead to
:02:14. > :02:18.greater isolation, but the Russians say they're ready for any further
:02:19. > :02:24.sanctions. Our correspondent Daniel Sandford reports from Donetsk.
:02:25. > :02:27.The headquarters of the eastern Ukrainian uprising in Donetsk
:02:28. > :02:33.tonight, as the shaky Easter truce came to an end. Just a few minutes
:02:34. > :02:35.earlier, acting President Oleksandr Turchynov announced he was resuming
:02:36. > :02:43.what he had called the anti-terrorist operation in the
:02:44. > :02:46.rebellious East. The President said he was relaunching the operation
:02:47. > :02:50.after the bodies of two people were found. They had apparently been
:02:51. > :02:55.tortured. One of them was a local politician. Filmed here in the black
:02:56. > :02:58.jacket a few days ago, Vladimir Rybak, who supports the government
:02:59. > :03:05.in Kiev, disappeared soon afterwards and has now turned up dead. He was
:03:06. > :03:09.from the same party as acting President Turchynov. Today he was
:03:10. > :03:12.getting support from the visiting American Vice President Joe Biden,
:03:13. > :03:19.who firmly blamed Russia for the problems in eastern Ukraine.
:03:20. > :03:28.No nation should stoke instability in its neighbour's country. We call
:03:29. > :03:31.on Russia to stop supporting men, hiding behind masks, in unmarked
:03:32. > :03:41.uniforms, sowing unrest in eastern Ukraine.
:03:42. > :03:47.In the east's, most militant town, Sloviansk, the uncontrolled sorrow
:03:48. > :03:50.of a wife mourning today. Her husband, Sergei Rudenko, was one of
:03:51. > :03:59.three men shot by unknown gunmen while manning a rebel checkpoint.
:04:00. > :04:03.The deaths have only further increased the strong feelings and
:04:04. > :04:06.tensions in a region which has already brutally exposed rifts that
:04:07. > :04:08.are opening up in Ukraine, rifts that will get harder to bridge each
:04:09. > :04:19.time blood is shed. It was the area around this town
:04:20. > :04:23.that the Kiev government targeted in its unsuccessful military operation
:04:24. > :04:28.last week. If anything, attitudes have hardened since then. This was
:04:29. > :04:31.the self appointed mayor of Sloviansk today, on the subject of
:04:32. > :04:37.the far right activists of western Ukraine. TRANSLATION: With the Nazis
:04:38. > :04:43.and fascists, will have only one kind of dialogue. We'll destroy
:04:44. > :04:46.them. As the deaths mount on both sides and the rhetoric gets
:04:47. > :04:52.stronger, the time to resolve this crisis is running out.
:04:53. > :05:00.Live to Donetsk tonight, Daniel is there for us. The peace deal we were
:05:01. > :05:05.talking about last week in Geneva, how likely is that looking following
:05:06. > :05:09.the events of the past ten to four hours there? Well, as we have been
:05:10. > :05:12.saying for several days, the Geneva agreement looks pretty much dead
:05:13. > :05:14.here. One of the things that was supposed to happen was that
:05:15. > :05:18.pro-Russian protesters were supposed to give up government buildings and
:05:19. > :05:21.police stations they were holding here and that simply hasn't
:05:22. > :05:25.happened. In fact, everything seems the same as it was just before the
:05:26. > :05:31.Geneva agreement was signed, except for one thing, that President
:05:32. > :05:35.Alexander Tettey of says he has restarted his military operation.
:05:36. > :05:39.What that means isn't clear. Does that mean the whole region is
:05:40. > :05:44.teetering on the brink? I'm not sure about that. Donetsk feels pretty
:05:45. > :05:48.normal most of the time. The blood going about their life. The only
:05:49. > :05:52.thing which is unusual is the few buildings being held. This doesn't
:05:53. > :05:56.feel like a city on the brink of civil war. But when you go to
:05:57. > :05:59.Sloviansk, the headquarters of the uprising, there you feel that almost
:06:00. > :06:01.anything can happen. Thanks very much.
:06:02. > :06:05.The most successful club in Premier League history, Manchester United,
:06:06. > :06:08.have sacked their manager David Moyes just ten months after he
:06:09. > :06:11.succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson. Last season's title winners have slipped
:06:12. > :06:14.to seventh place in the league and they've failed to qualify for the
:06:15. > :06:17.Champions' League for the first time in two decades. David Moyes, who was
:06:18. > :06:20.chosen by Sir Alex, spent just 295 days in charge, despite having
:06:21. > :06:26.signed a six-year contract last year. Ryan Giggs has taken over
:06:27. > :06:32.until a permanent appointment is made. It's a goal! What a blow for
:06:33. > :06:37.Manchester United and David Moyes. It's been almost painful to watch.
:06:38. > :06:41.4-0! And as results have gone from bad to worse for David Moyes, it was
:06:42. > :06:46.only a matter of time before Manchester United brought his misery
:06:47. > :06:51.to an end. That could be the nail in the in the coffin for Manchester
:06:52. > :06:54.United tonight. This was Moyes today, avoiding the cameras as he
:06:55. > :07:00.arrived back at his house after being fired just ten months into the
:07:01. > :07:07.job. The final straw, this defeat by Moyes's old team Everton on Sunday.
:07:08. > :07:10.Everton 2, Manchester United 0. Within 24 hours, news of his
:07:11. > :07:13.imminent sacking started to leak and early this morning he was summoned
:07:14. > :07:18.to a meeting at the club's Carrington training ground. By 8:30
:07:19. > :07:23.he was gone. The whole process moving so quickly, he hadn't even
:07:24. > :07:27.agreed his payoff. There's no question Manchester United are a
:07:28. > :07:30.club in crisis. They've not qualified for the Champions League,
:07:31. > :07:35.they've lost a manager just before the transfer window starts. They are
:07:36. > :07:41.in a worse situation than they were 12 months ago. So, what went wrong?
:07:42. > :07:46.Having had years to plan for the succession from Sir Alex Ferguson,
:07:47. > :07:49.the club seemed underprepared. After delivering the last of his 13
:07:50. > :07:54.Premier League titles last year, Ferguson was then allowed to
:07:55. > :07:58.hand-pick his replacement. But Moyes, dubbed The Chosen One, had
:07:59. > :08:05.little time to rebuild the team last summer and struggled to escape from
:08:06. > :08:10.Sir Alex's shadow. He had a squad of players who seemed unable or even
:08:11. > :08:14.unwilling to deliver for him. Those players he was able to bring in made
:08:15. > :08:19.little impact and he was faced with constant rumours of dressing room
:08:20. > :08:23.unrest. I think it's a shame. I think he should have been given more
:08:24. > :08:26.time. I think some of the players at Man United should be ashamed of
:08:27. > :08:30.themselves. I think they really let him down. Finally, there was the
:08:31. > :08:33.question of United the business. Ever since American owners the
:08:34. > :08:35.Glazers floated United on the New York stock exchange, commercial
:08:36. > :08:40.revenues and profits have been going up. This year, United's income will
:08:41. > :08:46.be over ?400 million, more than enough to cope with this season's
:08:47. > :08:51.European disappointment. But the markets are watching. This will be a
:08:52. > :08:56.concern to those investors. They've had plenty of time in the last few
:08:57. > :08:59.months to adjust those expectations. But they will require Manchester
:09:00. > :09:05.United to get back on track as quickly as possible. For now, United
:09:06. > :09:09.legend Ryan Giggs is in charge. But he won't get the job long term. The
:09:10. > :09:12.search, then, is on for an experienced manager to fill the gap,
:09:13. > :09:17.with Dutchman Louis van Gaal the favourite tonight. Whoever takes it
:09:18. > :09:22.on will be anxious to avoid the mistakes made by Moyes. But from the
:09:23. > :09:25.start this has not been well handled. While he has ultimately
:09:26. > :09:34.paid the price, this is a mess of more than one man's making.
:09:35. > :09:41.A lot of people will be looking at this club tonight and wondering what
:09:42. > :09:46.on earth is going on. Manchester United have for so many years been a
:09:47. > :09:51.symbol of stability and success. For the last few months that has been
:09:52. > :09:55.thrown into the year. -- air. David Moyes never seem to fit the mould of
:09:56. > :09:58.Manchester United manager. I think the Glazers have realised over the
:09:59. > :10:02.last week or so that they could not really entrust him with more than
:10:03. > :10:06.?100 million to spend on new players in the summer. The focus is on the
:10:07. > :10:09.owners now. They have a huge decision to make, possibly the
:10:10. > :10:10.biggest they have had to make since they took over the club. They know
:10:11. > :10:17.they can't afford to get it wrong. Britain should limit the number of
:10:18. > :10:23.immigrants to 50,000 people a year at most, according to Nigel Farage,
:10:24. > :10:26.leader of the UK Independence Party. He was speaking at the launch of his
:10:27. > :10:33.party's campaign for next month's European and local elections. The
:10:34. > :10:36.party which wants Britain to leave the EU is putting up hundreds of
:10:37. > :10:39.posters warning that unemployed Europeans are after British jobs. Mr
:10:40. > :10:48.Farage faced questions about the decision to employ his wife, who's
:10:49. > :10:53.German, as his secretary. There is nothing Nigel Farage likes
:10:54. > :10:59.more than steering up a row, upsetting those he calls the
:11:00. > :11:02.chattering classes. Today, UKIP's leader strode into Sheffield to
:11:03. > :11:07.launch an election campaign that he says he and his party are going to
:11:08. > :11:11.win. His aim, he said, is nothing less than regaining control of our
:11:12. > :11:19.country. Starting with our borders. We want to have, after the EU, a
:11:20. > :11:22.sensible and open immigration policy which says, we welcome people, but
:11:23. > :11:27.we have to control the quantity and quality of who comes to Britain.
:11:28. > :11:31.Open and sensible are not among the words his opponents are using to
:11:32. > :11:34.describe posters like this which suggest millions of potential
:11:35. > :11:38.immigrants from the EU after your job. Unemployment here in Sheffield
:11:39. > :11:45.and elsewhere is falling, just months after UKIP's last warning
:11:46. > :11:49.that millions of Romanians and Bulgarians were on their way,
:11:50. > :11:53.looking for work. Your post is saying many millions of
:11:54. > :11:57.people are threatening people's jobs. I'm putting it to you that,
:11:58. > :12:02.since the borders were opened, using your language, unemployment is going
:12:03. > :12:05.down and the number of jobs in the economy are going up. It is going
:12:06. > :12:08.down and the number of jobs in the economy are going up. It's a the
:12:09. > :12:11.borders opened in 2004, and it is irony linked to increasing
:12:12. > :12:17.unemployment in this country. What happened to the Romanians and
:12:18. > :12:22.Bulgarians taking jobs? We don't know. There are no official figures.
:12:23. > :12:27.UKIP say they would not stop immigration, they would instead
:12:28. > :12:32.allow 30,000 two 50,000 skilled immigrants in each year. Another
:12:33. > :12:36.UKIP poster claims you are funding a celebrity lifestyle for European
:12:37. > :12:40.bureaucrats. I suggested to Nigel Farage that it could include him, as
:12:41. > :12:44.he and his wife have received several million pounds in EU funds
:12:45. > :12:49.since he became a member of the European Parliament. Your wife is
:12:50. > :12:54.German, she is your secretary, paid for by the British taxpayer? She
:12:55. > :13:01.came here as a highly skilled person, paying a large amount of
:13:02. > :13:05.tax. Issue not taking somebody else's job? No, I don't think
:13:06. > :13:09.anybody would want to be in my house at midnight, going through e-mails
:13:10. > :13:15.and getting briefed for the next day. How is she not taking a British
:13:16. > :13:19.prison's job? Nobody else could do that. Unless I married them. You
:13:20. > :13:24.don't think anybody else could do that? Marrying me? Doing the job of
:13:25. > :13:31.your secretary? I don't think anybody else would do those hours.
:13:32. > :13:35.Watching and heckling, the BNP, who caused an upset in European
:13:36. > :13:37.elections five years ago. But UKIP's appeal is much broader and
:13:38. > :13:46.they are now targeting ex-Labour voters. It was Tony Blair and
:13:47. > :13:52.labour. Before UKIP? This was many years ago. What changed your mind?
:13:53. > :13:57.Immigration. A hot topic. Controls are important, for that, I agree
:13:58. > :14:02.with him and I think the majority would. But you might not vote for
:14:03. > :14:09.him? When it comes to voting for him, it would take a lot from it to
:14:10. > :14:14.do that. I think basically he is bordering on fascism at times.
:14:15. > :14:20.Really? That's a very strong word. Yes, I do. It wasn't very long since
:14:21. > :14:24.David Cameron was dismissing UKIP as fruitcakes, loonies and closet
:14:25. > :14:29.racist 's. Today, Nigel Farage says he believes he can win the European
:14:30. > :14:31.elections. In Westminster, there are a lot of people that think he may
:14:32. > :14:39.well be right. The Business Secretary Vince Cable
:14:40. > :14:42.has sent a letter to Britain's 100 biggest companies calling on them to
:14:43. > :14:44.show restraint on executive pay levels. He's told the BBC that
:14:45. > :14:47.government reforms give businesses an opportunity to improve their
:14:48. > :14:49.reputation with the public by linking pay in the sector to
:14:50. > :15:00.performance for the first time. This is anp opportunity for these
:15:01. > :15:06.companies to make peace with the public. It is particularly true of
:15:07. > :15:09.the banking sector why pay reached ridiculous levels and with Barclays
:15:10. > :15:13.in particular coming up on Thursday, we will see how far they have
:15:14. > :15:16.listened to pressure from people who own the banks. The shareholders and
:15:17. > :15:22.exercise responsibility and long-term thinking.
:15:23. > :15:25.That was Vince Cable. Our business editor, Kamal Ahmed is with me.
:15:26. > :15:29.Let's talk about the timing of the letter and second, what it is meant
:15:30. > :15:34.to achieve? Well, this is an actual general meeting season. Now that's
:15:35. > :15:37.not quite up there with Christmas in most people's calendar but it is
:15:38. > :15:44.important for the business world. It is a time when shareholders can vote
:15:45. > :15:47.on the executive's pay. Mr Cable has clearly written this letter do show
:15:48. > :15:51.he is still on the side of the public. The public think this is a
:15:52. > :15:54.very, very important issue. It has been a toxic issue ever since the
:15:55. > :15:58.financial crisis. The letter has come to try and achieve three
:15:59. > :16:01.things: He wants to say - I've listened to the public, I have acted
:16:02. > :16:05.and I have given powers to shareholders to act. Now, it is the
:16:06. > :16:11.third of those where there might be the problem. Has there been action?
:16:12. > :16:15.Now, a letter, even with insinnedry language that he uses, he talks
:16:16. > :16:18.about excessive and disproportionate pay in the corporate sector damaging
:16:19. > :16:23.popular trust. Will it make a difference? Not on its own.
:16:24. > :16:27.Businesses are global. They need to compete for talenter around the
:16:28. > :16:32.world. The issue Mr Cable will be trying to get across is - I've go
:16:33. > :16:35.the my eye on this. It is time for the shareholders to act and to
:16:36. > :16:41.listen to what the members of the public are worried about. The former
:16:42. > :16:44.Prime Minister, Labour's Gordon Brown, has urged voters in Scotland
:16:45. > :16:47.to see the benefits of staying within the United Kingdom in the
:16:48. > :16:51.referendum on Scottish independence later this year. Mr Brown said
:16:52. > :16:54.Scottish pensions would be more secure and cheaper to administer if
:16:55. > :16:57.Scotland remained a part of the UK. It was his first speech for the
:16:58. > :17:01.cross-party Better Together campaign. Our special correspondent,
:17:02. > :17:13.Allan Little, was there. His report contains some flash photography. He
:17:14. > :17:16.stayed away from Better Together until now, reluctant, it seemed, to
:17:17. > :17:19.share a platform with Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Today he put
:17:20. > :17:21.those old divisions aside to speak directly to Scotland's pensioners,
:17:22. > :17:24."Your security lies in the United Kingdom", he said, "where financial
:17:25. > :17:30.risk is shared with England, Wales and Northern Ireland." We pool and
:17:31. > :17:32.share our resources across the United Kingdom, to secure our
:17:33. > :17:35.pensions, health care, freedom from unemployment, the right to work and
:17:36. > :17:38.a whole range of benefits that flow from the cooperation that happens
:17:39. > :17:40.between four nations. His intervention is timely, for the
:17:41. > :17:50."yes" campaign is making in-roads into Labour territory. In Gordon
:17:51. > :17:55.Brown, Better Together have fired the biggest gun in their artillery.
:17:56. > :17:57.Whatever his reputation elsewhere in the UK, the Better Together campaign
:17:58. > :18:00.believe Gordon Brown retains great respect in Scotland, especially in
:18:01. > :18:07.traditional heartlands like this constituency in Glasgow. They hope
:18:08. > :18:10.that his intervention will stem the flow of traditional Labour voters,
:18:11. > :18:21.who've been defecting to the independence camp. The journalist
:18:22. > :18:24.Ruth Wishard is one. She's been voting Labour most of her life but
:18:25. > :18:27.has joined the independence campaign because she believes an independent
:18:28. > :18:33.Scotland would be a fairer, more egalitarian society. A lot of people
:18:34. > :18:36.of my age and persuasion are voting as much about values and social
:18:37. > :18:39.cohesion and social justice as any sense of nationhood or nationalism.
:18:40. > :18:43.It is about what kind of country we think Scotland can be and I think a
:18:44. > :18:46.lot of us don't think that kind of country is going to emerge under the
:18:47. > :18:49.next UK Government, whatever shade it is. The Scottish Government
:18:50. > :18:54.insists that an independent Scotland would easily be able to pay its
:18:55. > :18:57.Pensions Bill. The pro-union campaign is trying hard to change
:18:58. > :19:00.its tone to be upbeat about Britain, rather than downbeat about
:19:01. > :19:03.independence. Gordon Brown's warning that a "yes" vote would jeopardise
:19:04. > :19:13.pensions does not sit easily with that rebranding.
:19:14. > :19:23.Parents of the schoolgirls abducted by Islamists in Nigeria a week ago
:19:24. > :19:28.say the figure missing is much higher than 100. It's thought they
:19:29. > :19:39.are being held by the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram in the
:19:40. > :19:43.north-eastern state of Borno. Yet another destroyed school in
:19:44. > :19:46.north-east Nigeria. This area of Borno state is so remote and
:19:47. > :19:49.dangerous, it took a whole week to get the first pictures out. Many
:19:50. > :19:52.schools have been attacked by Islamist militants but this midnight
:19:53. > :19:54.raid on this school was different. The gunmen forced all the female
:19:55. > :19:57.students out of their dormitories that were then torched. The
:19:58. > :20:00.insurgents, believed to have been from the group known as Boko Haram,
:20:01. > :20:05.then loaded more than 200 girls on to lorries and drive them away. A
:20:06. > :20:08.few managed to escape. One of the girls said she initially mistook the
:20:09. > :20:11.attackers from people who had come to protect them. We've hidden her
:20:12. > :20:14.identity for her own safety. TRANSLATION: We thought they were
:20:15. > :20:17.soldiers and they asked us to board a vehicle which headed towards
:20:18. > :20:20.Zamboa and my friends and I jumped from the vehicle and ran back home
:20:21. > :20:25.because we realised they didn't look innocent. After trying for days, I
:20:26. > :20:34.got through on the phone to the father of one kidnapped girl. We,
:20:35. > :20:40.the parents, we are pleading to the Boko Haram, please, release our
:20:41. > :20:43.daughters. I plead. Boko Haram translates in the local
:20:44. > :20:45.language as, "western education is forbidden" and the attacks on
:20:46. > :20:52.government schools have forced thousands of students home. Last
:20:53. > :20:56.week the Nigerian military was saying it was doing all it could to
:20:57. > :20:58.locate and rescue the girls but since then there has been no
:20:59. > :21:01.official statement. Now relatives and friends telling me they are
:21:02. > :21:04.increasingly desperate and feel helpless as they wait for news.
:21:05. > :21:06.Christians and Muslims from the area are all saying the same prayers -
:21:07. > :21:19.for the girls to be set free. A seven-year-old boy who suffered
:21:20. > :21:22.serious burns in Aberdeen on Friday has died in hospital. Preston Flores
:21:23. > :21:25.was found by neighbours, with his clothes on fire, after an incident
:21:26. > :21:29.which is thought to have involved petrol. Police said there was "no
:21:30. > :21:39.evidence of a deliberate act" but it's not known how it came about.
:21:40. > :21:42.Six years after the onset of the global financial crisis, new
:21:43. > :21:46.research has revealed that the UK's debt burden is finally falling. But
:21:47. > :21:48.the UK remains the second most indebted of all the world's
:21:49. > :21:51.developed nations, with debts at the end of last year totalling almost
:21:52. > :21:54.five times the country's national output. Our economics editor, Robert
:21:55. > :21:59.Peston, has been taking a closer look.
:22:00. > :22:04.For many, huge debts represent the end of freedom, living, in effect,
:22:05. > :22:07.behind bars. And what's true for individuals has also been true for
:22:08. > :22:14.the country, as UK indebtedness soared to record levels in the crazy
:22:15. > :22:16.boom years. This is the old wall of the notorious Marshalsea debtors'
:22:17. > :22:21.prison, where Charles Dickens' dad, among others, was locked up. Now,
:22:22. > :22:23.for the past few years, the British economy has felt constricted,
:22:24. > :22:34.imprisoned, unable to thrive or grow because of the burden of its record
:22:35. > :22:36.debts. From 2000 to 2012, total UK debts - that's household, company,
:22:37. > :22:39.banking and Government debts - soared from 304% of the national
:22:40. > :22:51.income or GDP to an eye-watering, all-time record of 502% and they
:22:52. > :22:59.didn't fall for ages. But recently they have been reducing, a bit, to
:23:00. > :23:01.471% of GDP. This American professor, when, at the influential
:23:02. > :23:11.Bank for International Settlements, warned that big debts can make whole
:23:12. > :23:14.economies poorer. Well, I think there is substantial evidence, first
:23:15. > :23:18.of all that is saying that initially an economy grows but then things can
:23:19. > :23:22.go too far and you can get too much debt and it becomes a drag, it
:23:23. > :23:30.becomes a drag on consumers and businesses. It becomes a drag on
:23:31. > :23:33.investors. As I found at a market in south-east London, a story of less
:23:34. > :23:36.burdensome debts in general, leaves some still struggling. Do your
:23:37. > :23:40.finances feel better or worse than a few years ago? I think I would
:23:41. > :23:45.probably say better than a few years ago. Much worse. Much worse. They
:23:46. > :23:49.are better now. Can you put a bit of flesh on that, why they are better?
:23:50. > :23:52.Is it that you paid down your debts? Yes, exactly that. Keeping your head
:23:53. > :23:56.above water isn't all that easy in Cornwall. Mike Ainsworth borrowed a
:23:57. > :24:04.huge amount to buy his dream house here. I think it probably was too
:24:05. > :24:07.easy to borrow. But, we would just happen to be very lucky that the
:24:08. > :24:14.interest rates crashed when they did. Which helped us a lot, really.
:24:15. > :24:19.Mike's been doing all he can to pay off his mortgage. So, his story, to
:24:20. > :24:22.an extent, is that of Britain - in that households increased their
:24:23. > :24:30.debts from 62% of national income in 1997 to 103% in 2009. But, these
:24:31. > :24:36.debts have since been declining to 90% of national income.
:24:37. > :24:40.There is, of course, one part of the economy where the story of declining
:24:41. > :24:44.debts isn't true. That's the public sector, the Government, where
:24:45. > :24:47.borrowing is still very substantial. But, even so, the debt shackles that
:24:48. > :24:48.have been preventing our escape to rising prosperity, may, at last, be
:24:49. > :25:01.loosening. President Obama has left Washington
:25:02. > :25:04.for a week-long tour of Asia. The White House says it's part of the
:25:05. > :25:08."eastward rebalancing" of US foreign policy. The Americans are
:25:09. > :25:16.increasingly focused on security and trade in a region where China is
:25:17. > :25:19.adopting more assertive policies. Mr Obama travels first to Japan, which
:25:20. > :25:22.is involved in a diplomatic standoff with China over islands in the East
:25:23. > :25:26.China Sea. He goes next to South Korea, where talks will focus on
:25:27. > :25:30.trade links. Finally Mr Obama will go to Malaysia and the Philippines.
:25:31. > :25:34.Both have concerns over China's claims in the South China Sea. The
:25:35. > :25:37.President, who visited China five years ago, is not stopping there
:25:38. > :25:40.this time but as our China editor, Carrie Gracie reports, his every
:25:41. > :25:48.word will be measured carefully in Beijing.
:25:49. > :25:55.Naval power is a Chinese obsession. The country's aircraft carrier is
:25:56. > :25:58.based in Wen Yuzhun's hometown. But he can't get close enough to see the
:25:59. > :26:02.real thing, so he made this model and hopes that, even if he doesn't,
:26:03. > :26:10.his grandson will live to see China rule the waves. TRANSLATION: One
:26:11. > :26:14.aircraft carrier is not enough. Ten is not enough. Japan is bullying
:26:15. > :26:18.China and sees China's not strong enough, and there's nothing we can
:26:19. > :26:22.do about it. A music video from the top guns of the People's Liberation
:26:23. > :26:28.Army on the eve of President Obama's Asian tour. Out on exercise to make
:26:29. > :26:32.the Chinese public proud, to teach the neighbours respect and to focus
:26:33. > :26:38.American minds on what it might cost in future to dominate these seas.
:26:39. > :26:43.TRANSLATION: It's like Napoleon said. When China wakes, it will
:26:44. > :26:50.shake the world. The Americans can't bear it. We've woken up and we are
:26:51. > :26:53.recovering our might. So, President Barack Obama is coming back to Asia.
:26:54. > :26:59.He's conspicuously not visiting China. Future diplomats in a Beijing
:27:00. > :27:03.classroom. They've grown up under a map of Asia dominated by US power.
:27:04. > :27:07.But now there's more talk of the old map, with China at the centre,
:27:08. > :27:11.circled by deferential neighbours. Chinese people may think that now we
:27:12. > :27:21.have money we should be perceived in a more respectful way and you should
:27:22. > :27:29.respect our sovereignty. This Qingdao ferry only goes across the
:27:30. > :27:32.bay. But sail east from here and soon you are in waters controlled by
:27:33. > :27:35.the US Navy. Americans often say China should be grateful to the US
:27:36. > :27:41.fleet for keeping the peace in Asia for the past 40 years. That it's
:27:42. > :27:44.allowed China the space to grow rich and grow strong. But that's not how
:27:45. > :27:58.the Chinese government sees it, nor the Chinese public. Here, they will
:27:59. > :28:01.be watching President Obama's tour across the water, alert for signs
:28:02. > :28:04.that he's encouraging the territorial claims of others and
:28:05. > :28:09.dreaming of the day when China is strong enough to enforce its own
:28:10. > :28:16.claims in these seas. Tonight's football and Chelsea have
:28:17. > :28:20.held Athletico Madrid to a goal-less draw in the first leg of the
:28:21. > :28:24.Champions' League semifinal. Madrid in the springtime. Formal
:28:25. > :28:29.Real boss, Jose Mourinho knows it well. But his return to the capital
:28:30. > :28:34.didn't start as planned. David Luis's push on Garcia ended Petr
:28:35. > :28:40.Cech's night early. His shoulder dislocated. So, on came Mark
:28:41. > :28:44.Schwarzer. At 41 their very own Chelsea pensioner. They have a much
:28:45. > :28:48.younger keeper, but he is on loan, here.
:28:49. > :28:52.He was almost called into action but Gary Cahill's header went nowhere.
:28:53. > :28:57.Chelsea were defending solidly. Some have even called that parking the
:28:58. > :29:03.bus. But a twisted ankle for John Terry saw him limp off and Atletico
:29:04. > :29:10.sniff their chance. Ultimately, though, it all came to nothing and
:29:11. > :29:15.Fernando Torres's return to his old club turned out to be a stalemate.
:29:16. > :29:16.And that's