suarez. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. hello, welcome to the al jazeera newshour. i'm martine dennis in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes - struggling to find food, water and fuel. yemen's vice president voices the plight of his people and calls for dialogue and an end to fighting questions unanswered as south korea marks a year since the sinking of the sewol ferry.

and a phone in with vladimir putin. russians given a rare chance to question their president and another sign china's economic might is slipping we start this new hour in yemen, where the country's vice president just called for an armed force to support the legitimate government in exile. let's listen to a little more of what he had to say. >> translation: the international community and the region have to intervene urgently to pave the way for the citizens to live in a suitable manner and put an end to the crisis so it doesn't become a catastrophe. we need to stress that the utmost priority of the government is to deal with the urgent humanitarian situation in

yemen. that's why we decided the first step is to form a higher committee the vice president voiced the humanitarian plight of his people and called for an end to fighting. we are joined from jizan in saudi arabia. we have been introduced officially to the man on whom so much rests on the future of his country. >> yes, men people in yemen look at this man as being the saviour of yemen during this difficult time in the history of this country. he has just been pointed again prime minister and vice president. and is heading a mini cabinet in saudi arabia. this statement today is like had been announcement of his government programme. it's a war of this time government program mainly focused on calls for unity - both among the people and

loyalty to the nation, to the yemeni army asking them to stay away from bloodshed of their own citizens, and from loyalty to individuals or groups, and also calling on the international community to increase humanitarian relief to the people, to lessen the plight in which they are living under war conditions. he is reiterating that dialogue is the objective, but everything happening now - everywhere should come back to dialogue but set a condition, saying any dialogue can happen only after the end of this war, and by the end of the war he means houthis and loyalties should withdraw. he didn't mention sanaa but it is the political capital of sanaa. they have to leave aden before any dialogue can take place.

>> are we therefore to understand that effectively this is a man who is going to lead the government of yemen in terms of the dialogue process. is it the end of president hardy. this man seems to command a great deal more respect than president abd-rabbu mansour hadi. >> yes, we can only speculate on this because abd-rabbu mansour hadi is legitimately the president of yemen. until there's an official announcement by president abd-rabbu mansour hadi appointing his replacement. we can't be sure about that. we know that abd-rabbu mansour hadi is an old man in his 80s. his health is frail, and not everyone in yemen is happy with his performance during the last knew years when he was president and when he was vice president of the former president. i can only say that, you know if he takes the powers and

becomes the president of yemen, maybe he'll have more consensus not only in the south, among the sunnis, but the houthis, according to the reports are not really against the principal. in fact when jamal benomar tendered his resignation in protest against what they did putting abd-rabbu mansour hadi under house arrest and staging a coup they tried to keep him in sanaa, because to them he's the figure, he's more of a figure of legitimacy than abd-rabbu mansour hadi himself in their eyes so they tried to convince the vice president by any means but he refused to work upped the conditions in sanaa, which the houthis created at that time. he has a lot of credibility and momentum as well as a man - a techno accurate as a man -- technocrat a man who is young, vigorous and ready to serve the

country. in his discourse and his speech, he did not try to put a lot of blame on anyone, and has tried to give a kind of leeway to the houthis, saying that you have now to withdraw from aden. as i said, aden and not sanaa. he's giving messages there that there might be a compromise a temporary period in which the government can return to aden and there'll be negotiation with the houthis in sanaa, and they may accept withdrawal to the strong holds in the north. >> mohammed talking to us just inside saudi arabia. thank you. we heard the deputy president talking about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in his country. it's something the u.n. echoed. and they made a statement about the worsening situation, and another development is that the u.n.'s envoy to the country,

jamal benomar, he has resigned. he had been overseeing the efforts to reach a political deal between the rival factions. all that fell apart when the houthis staged a takeover. as the fighting escalates, the number of dead and injured keeps rising. more than 730 people have been killed in the attacks, and nearly 2,760 have been injured. more from jamal el-shay ou. >> on the offensive and pushing forward. fighters continue to make gains. they managed to capture a tank destroyed another and killed 10 fighters on wednesday. the anyones made by popular resistance committees in aden led to the deflection and vender

of 50 soldiers loyal to houthis and ali abdullah saleh. opponents to the houthis suffered losses, three killed in a battle for the airport, forcing their enemies to retreat. video emerged of residential areas targeted by houthi selling. homes in aden were destroyed. the saudi-led coalition pounds the houthis and allies from the air. among the targets a metal factory used as a base reduced to rubble. the coalition limited its attacks to air strikes, al jazeera is told a ground offensive is being considered. >> it is part of the campaign plan. when we find a necessity to go to the next step.

i think it could be an option. >> reporter: it appears that the houthis and ali abdullah saleh's forces are on the back foot. the ousted president sent an envoy to gulf countries with a proposal guaranteeing him a safe exit. the saudis and their allies say that ali abdullah saleh cannot be part of the political solution. >> ali abdullah saleh and the militias are not part of the plan. the plan is yemen. now we are facing the same thing, we are in the same vote the same end. >> reporter: even if a military victory appears imminent for the saudi-led coalition, the political conflict within yemen's society remains. finding a solution will require a consensus by all sides, not

victory by one a professor of moderate and contemporary history at qatar university joins us in doha. it's an interesting moment. we have heard from the newly appointed deputy president. what do you think this moment signifies in terms of the conflict? >> we witnessed three main important developments in the last three days. one is the security council resolution 2216, which means that this resolution supporting the military operation makes any country want to - houthis, puts the houthis that they have to respect the resolution and come to the negotiation table. that is the first development. the second is the appointment of the president, and the third

appointment, the third step or important thing which is the resignation happening. that is the main development shaping the near future of the yemeni crisis as i see it. >> nonetheless, whilst we have the political players changing. we will see a continuation of the military action taken by the saudi arabia-led coalition. >> you know the decision to me, to stop the military operation is not the yemeni decision it's a decision of the coalition, and they have a strong belief of the - of that operation is making an amazing progress, especially in the light of the international community support. i think they would not stop the operation, unless they realise that houthi's militia is weaked enough, and they want to come to the negotiating table. >> the other development is the intervention. forker president ali abdullah saleh, who asked for safe

passage from yemen. apparently that has been denied. nonetheless, he seems to be distancing himself from the houthis. >> yes, that is another interesting development which i think on the level of g.c.c. international community, none of them want the players to be in the scene again. by this request he is putting himself between houthis and enemy of the houthis. he will not enjoy a good presence in yemen now. he'll be in a hard situation to find a place where he can save and secure himself. i think the history of ali abdullah saleh in the last four years proves that he is not an innocent leader to the yemenis, and puts them in the situation they are now. >> interesting. thank you now, let's go iraq. i.s.i.l. gained ground in the western province of anbar,

capturing several villages close to the capital of ramadi. the group holds large parts of the province, the government announces an offensive in the region. we have this report from the capital. baghdad. >> reporter: on the outskirts, the iraqi army says it's making gains, clearing territory and preparing to advance further. more reinforcements have been sent. soldiers are ready to fight. but i.s.i.l. is holding tight. the town's center is in their grip. behind these lines is the real battle front. jets from the coalition carried out many air strikes, flattening homes. the commander in charge of the men says the plan is on track. >> translation: our troops are here now.

we finished the first phase, we advanced 4km from north to south. now we are preparing to storm the city center. >> reporter: more than 75% of anbar province is understand i.s.i.l. control. its fighters are entrenched. roads are littered with bombs, and houses are booby trapped with explosives. i.s.i.l. is also expanding control in ramadi sweeping through more areas in the north-east of the provincial capital. most of ramadi is now under i.s.i.l. control. the head of the provincial council says the iraqi army needs help. >> translation: the battle is very big. the arrival of the reinforcement is not enough. there's huge pressure on i.s.i.l. in anbar, and they want a victory to show that they are here. we will stop them. >> reporter: the iraqi government wants to build on the momentum after clearing tikrit.

anbar and mosul are different. the battle is tough. st military commanders said iraqi soldiers need more training. the u.s. is concerned about the role of the popular mobilization force, which the iraqi government rems -- relies on in the fight against i.s.i.l. it is accused of carrying out some execution, lynchings and widespread lootings in some provinces - something the u.s. says shouldn't be replicated in anbar and mosul to prevent further sectarian tensions. >> the plans to we take anbar and mosul may be delayed. the government says forces need more. iraq asked u.s. for apache helicopters, drones and fighter jets. that demand is unlikely to be

met any time soon now, malaysia's transport minister says the size of the search area for missing flight mh370 will be doubled if no wreckage is found by the end of may. the plane, with 239 people on board went missing last year shortly after takeoff from kuala lumpur. senior ministers from australia and china met their malaysian counterparts to discuss the search mission in the indian ocean south korea's president says steps to salvage the rockage of the sewol ferry that sank will begin soon. memorials from held that killed 340, most high school students. nine people there are missing still. angry relatives of those on the ferry blocked the prime minister

from taking part in the main memorrial. the organizers cancelled the service alleging government indifference. there was similar protests at another event. family members say demands of a thorough probe has not been fete. let's go live to harry fawcett. our correspondent who is in seoul. it seems as those grief and anger is a powerful combination for the relatives of those on board the ferry. >> very much so. it's been a day characterised by the two emotions. right now we are in the center of seoul in the main plaza, just outside the city hall. as you can see there's a major event going on here. it's sold as a vigil, a candle lit vigil. there's more than a hint of protest in the air. what is expected to happen is there's a commemoration event on the square and then there'll be

a march coming up past the city hall towards a thorough fare towards the presidential office. we are told there are 10,000 police on the streets and being held in reserve. as you say, the reason for the anger is to do with what the parents say has been obstruction to their efforts to get an independent investigation into how their parents died - the corruption and lax safety standards involved, the various problems with the government-led rescue effort after the ship began to sink. the president park geun-hye did give the strongest commitment she has to raising the ferry from the seabed. there are nine people missing. there's hope that the bodies may be on board the vessel. that will cost a huge amount of money, taking a long time. that it seems, has not been enough to mollify the parents a

year on. >> it seems as though the emotion from a vast number of people is amounting to political pressure. that agreement to start the process, salvaging the wreckage is a concession, isn't it, to the demands of the families. ? >> very much so. i think the families played this strongly in a unified way. they have been coming up against what they say is hindrance and obstruction from the government. the head of the specialist investment team accused the government of not wanting the full facts to come out. that's something that the president and others would deny. what the event has done is when the ferry started to sink and south koreans were confronted by images of a passenger ship full of children sinking and seeing the mobile phone footage from inside of children laughing obeying instructions to stay put

until it was too late, it was a huge emotional blow to the country and soul-searching followed about safety standards and the corrupt way that engrained itself into this country. the president promised that that would be reformedz root and -- reformed root and branch. a poll published showed 15% less thought it was a safer place now than a year ago. it's caused division. some say it's time to move on, others in support of the families and opposed to what the government did at the time and since. harry fawcett, live in seoul. thank you we have a lot more to come here on the al jazeera newshour we hear from migrant workers that say they are understand attack in south africa. plus a delicate peace process in columbia is under threat after f.a.r.c. rebels killed soldiers

and in sport why some players struggle to keep their cool in the playoffs. within the past 36 hours there has been an increase in syrian government air strikes over aleppo and idlib. over 120 strikes killed 40 civilians. let's go live to beirut in neighbouring lebanon, and talk to our correspondent. what can you tell us? >> well there's a new horrifying staggering number put out by the syrian observatory for human rights. the number 220,000. it's over 220,000. over 220 in syria have been killed since the beginning of the conflict. there's an uptick in the chaos, in the violence of the past

several weeks especially in idlib province if you remember the city of idlib became the second provincial capital to fall to the rebels a group, a coalition led by the al nusra front. the city fell in the last part of march. in the intervening time there has been an upswimming in the aerial bombardment by syrian forces. over 120 aerial attacks just over the course of the past 36 hours, and we are told dozens of those attacks were comprised of barrel bombs reigning down on idlib. it is getting bloodier and bloodier by the hour. in the numbers i told you about, we are told 11,000 are children. and over 65,000 civilians. it gives you an idea how bad it is in syria and how the death

toll is growing. it's so bad that human rights watch puts out a report accusing the syrian regime of abusing chemical weapons over the past few weeks in idlib thank you very much. it's all so horrifying. that live from beirut. the russian president vladimir putin is fielding questions in his annual call-in show taking questions from a live studio audience. russia's slumping economy dominated the session. vladimir putin was asked whether he thinks international sanctions would be lift the soon. >> translation: when it comes to sanctions we had discussions with entrepreneurs, and i said they shouldn't expect that sanctions will be lifted any time soon. it's a political question, a strategic issue for many partners who want to stop

russian development. i don't think it's related to the situation in ukraine. we do what we can to enforce the minsk agreement. we somehow use the opportunity with sanctions. we replace certain imports, and it will stimulate the economies and certain industries. we can talk to martin mccauley, a russian analyst. he joins us live from london. good to talk to you. and this the 13th marathon call-in that president vladimir putin is carrying out. it's highly orchestrated. the questions we know are thoroughly vetted. what do we learn from these? >> you can learn that president vladimir putin is very self confident. he performs better every year. apparently there are 2.5 million questions submitted, but only seven questions are taken up by

him. they would be the one by will allow him to present russian policy in the best possible light. it's interesting what he says about the sanctions, lifting sanctions not being related to ukraine. he said that last year and the entrepreneurs businessmen in russia are concerned about this because they cut off finance from outside. the ruble is week it's difficult to import more expensive to input from the outside world, and russia is going be in negative territory this year. one estimate is 3.8% drop in g.d.p. he has to bet the best gloss on the situation at present, which is not promising, but he would say we are going to get through it, we are hunkered down. no one will dictate to us we'll defend ourselves, we are sovereign and proud to be

russian. >> despite an economy teetering on the brink of recession, and a costly foreign policy under way - i'm thinking of crimea and the perceived support of the separatists in eastern ukraine. he retains high levels of popularity, doesn't he? >> yes, because he is seen as a patriot, or stalin. he's made russia a proud country, and russians are proud of him. you get ratings of something like 80%, which is astonishing. those could change if the economy nose dives. something like 40% of the budget of britain goes defense, 30% welfare, which doesn't leave much left. there's plenty of foreign reserve, talking about $380 billion used for companies - russian companies that have to pay their debts, to do that.

apart from that the situation at present is going along more or less slowly. but wait six months, ninths, or a year the situation will be difficult. 2016 if the situation doesn't improve, some sanctions not lifted and if the oil price doesn't rise a bit. 2016 will be a difficult year. vladimir putin at present is okay. he's ranking his - his ratings are high because he's seen as defending russia standing up to the rest of the world. that could change if the situation becomes difficult in 2016. his support base, if you like workers, pensioners people like that. intelligence educated people are in two minds about him. the support base is the workers and the pensioners and if their living standards decline, then there may be protests and he may find his ratings will drop thank you very much.

martin mccauley talking live from london all right. it's time for the weather and richard is here. it hooks as though the spell of fine weather is coming to an end in europe. >> yes, it's beginning to look that way. you'll know what it's like people will get out in the sun, or get sun burnt, rushing to the doctors. it looks like the fine weather is on its way out across france. we this spectacular weather temperatures into the mid 20s over the last 24-48 hours. but there are changes afoot now. you see that the cloud is now pushing up from the south. cloudier skies for paris, but a significant feature is the line of cloud coming down from the north. that is a cold front, living up to its name introducing fresher conditions over the next day or so across europe. looking at the forecast for thursday - 23 in paris, but you are looking at 17 in london. across the siberian peninsula,

the cloud moving up. stuck at 17 degrees. but as we move on through into friday we begin to see the frontal system becoming more significant. we see it pulling in cold air, berlin looking at temperatures of 12 degrees, and u.k. back to temperatures of 13. pushing to the start of the weekend, that's frontal system pushing to the south and back to typical weather conditions. here in the arabian peninsula, the temperature is 34, bringing dusty conditions. lots more to come on the al jazeera newshour including... ..thousands struggling to make a living in the u.s. are fighting for better wages. in sport, find out if a west indies contributing --

cricketing legend could inspire the new players against england.

hello again, you're watching al jazeera. armed forces called on to support the legitimate government in exile. the vice president said the priority for the government was to deal with the urgent humanitarian situation. in south korea grieving parents snubbed the prime minister and the president on the first anniversary of the sewol ferry disaster. they are both accused of

obstructing an investigation into the disaster which killed 304 people. russia's president vladimir putin is fielding questions from a live studio audience for his annual call in show. questions on the russian slumping economy and international sanctions dominated the start of the session. all right, let's go back to the situation in yemen and there's mounting concern that press freedom is under attack and journalists are threatened. more now from imran khan. >> reporter: media freedom is under attack in yemen. journalists are used to ben intimidated, taken to court, stories stopped and newspapers and tv channels shut down. now they are being harassed arrested kidnapped and killed. >> translation: the country is in chaos. it lives in a state of war,

remnants of an al qaeda regime, one that destroys everything peace and security freedom, and freedoms of expression. people killed. violations are massive and equal to all those. >> this information ministery building is controlled by the houthis. the day before the saudi arabia-led air strikes, the ministry threatens the media saying these measure may amount to the media outlet working to stir up arrest. these prevent media playing the role of raging sectarianism incitement aiming to tear the social and national unity. groups like the freedom foundation, a yemeni media rights group condemning the decision. not everyone in this bitterly divided society disappears with the restrictions. >> we need the media to take its

responsibility professionally and ethically. we need the media to bear in mind the interests of the nation and people. we don't need the outlets and newspapers only interested in marking their news regardless of results and consequences. >> with no one in charge of the country, like everyone else in yemen, it's unlikely that journalist will get protection. all right, now we can speak to mohammed salem, the u.n. food and agricultural organization deputy representative in yemen, joining us via skype from sanaa. it's a sad fact, isn't it really that people's human rights and living conditions deteriorate drastically in a situation of war. and we have a war in yemen. how bad is it for the people, particularly in sanaa, where you are? >> thank you very much martine, for being concerned about the situation in yemen.

especially the humanitarian situation, which is of much concern. first of all, i would like to emphasise that it has had a significant impact on the civilians in yemen, as up to now more than 750 have been killed and more than 2,700 was injured. >> the other effect is on the displacement of many people. there are more than 120,000 displaced people from the different rate. they are fleeing to different places and are sheltered, the schools, and there are many that need humanitarian assistance.

displaced people the most affected are the poor people the elderly, the children, the dability you know -- disabled you know, people who are the worst affected in this conflict you have maintained a very very grim picture of the situation facing civilians in yemen. what is the response to this situation? >> you know, as there is a lot of what you call effect from the inside as there are people cannot move because of the rise of the fuel shortages, people cannot transport food. people are losing also, everything. they are trying to, you though - the most important thing

everyone can do is to mobilize and transport food transport. food distribution activities to support the farmers in the season upcoming and to recover what is lost in terms of crops, in terms of, you know livestock, fisheries and you know - and also to follow up the market - you know the market forces and stressors, and also you know, develop policies that can be important to enhance the resilience of what takes place in yemen thank you very much. >> thank you now, to south africa where

the ruling a.n.c. party condemned what it calls xenophobic attacks against immigrant shopkeepers, six have been killed and thousands forced out of their homes. attackers told them to get out of the country. our correspondent has been speaking to some victims in durban. >> reporter: these migrant workers in south africa say they'll do anything to protect themselves and families. >> we are sick and tired of this xenophobia. they kill us lots. we didn't kill maybe one person. >> there has been a wave of fighting twine immigrants and locals. here in durban four people have been killed. thousands fled their homes. gloria is from mozambique. she came to south africa 20 years ago, but the men that

chased her and her nine-year-old out of her home insisted that she doesn't belong here. >> translation: they say we know you are not from south africa, can you get out. you must go, because when we are done here, we are coming for you. i ran away. >> here in a sports field foreigners feel there is safety in numbers. they have food from agencies. they don't now how long they'll be here. >> there's thought to be more than 1,000 families. they say they are confused and can't understand why they are not welcome. >> some locals accused immigrants from other countries of taking their jobs. the unemployment rate is at around 25%, but others say the anger is misguided. this is a protest against south africans who have been screaming and shouting to the government, for their voices to be heard, and the government ignored them. now, people are starting to protest. >> it will get dark and cold. most families would rather be in their home. they can't leave yet, not until

they are sure some of their neighbours won't attack them again the columbian president santos ordered the military to resume air strikes against f.a.r.c. rebels following the killing of 11 soldiers in western columbia it's a set back for peace talks held in cuba. both sides say it will continue. >> reporter: a brazen attack on columbia's armed forces threatens a peace process. 11 soldiers died, and after shocks are felled. the president juan santos could barely hide his frustration as he announced rebels.

>> this is a reprehensible act that will not go about punishment, and requires decisive action. we'll pursue those responsible for the act. i ordered the armed forces to lift the suspension of the bombings on four camps until further notice. >> it's a difficult time for santos. spending two years talking to the rebels, with little to show for it in return. >> the president invested a lot of political capital in this. many think he's more interested in this as part of his legacy, instead of delivering a good deal for the columbian people. >> reporter: f.a.r.c., or the revolutionary people's army of columbia been fighting the government since 1964. an estimated 200,000 died in the conflict. peace talks began in 2012, both sides meting in cuba. f.a.r.c. negotiators committed to a unilateral ceasefire in december last year, and the government agreed to halt military operations the momentum for peace is under threat.

>> we sympathise with families and our countrymen, and call on columbians to reflect on this as we pursue the peace talks. it is necessary to end the war. >> the president santos says the talks will continue. that has given hope for negotiations to move forward. but more attacks may corner the government and test the president's resolve now, half a million mexicans had their drinking water supply cut off because of an oil spill. water treatment centers in the state of tabasco were shut after vandals damaged a pipeline causing oil to flow into the river. water supplies should be restored by friday. the clean-up will take two weeks. tens of thousands of workers across the united states

demanded the federal minimum wage be doubled to $15. the push for higher pay started in the fast food industry a year ago. it is expanding. >> reporter: agnes has a long come ute to her job spending $10 and four hours getting to and from work, where she makes $10 an hour. she said she hasn't had a raise in nearly a decade. >> we are really struggling. i mean struggling real bad in the city. so we need the $15 an hour, because the cost of living gone up. transportation gone up. food went up. rent went up. so we need the $15. >> the fight for $15 started with fast food workers and has expanded to include others like ag nerks hear union, service

employees is an organiser. >> we need to put a demand on the table that is real. a lot of groups coalesced around $15 as a bare minimum. especially in a place like new york. >> in response to critics, mcdonald's announced itself increasing agrees pay to under $10 for workers at corporate owned restaurants. workers say that's not nearly enough. and the wage impacts a small majority. they continue to battle. rallying across the country on wednesday, outside big named businesses who say they can't afford the increase and will either have to cut jobs or raise prices. >> $15 sounds reasonable until you realise someone has to pay for it. >> the researcher says the

economy needs entry-level jobs like thee. >> the vast majority move to higher paying positions in a few years or within a year. >> agnes, whose husband lives on a fixed income, has been doing her job for 27 years. >> that is the biggest myth. low wage workers are not teenagers, they are mother and fathers. they are family. not just teenagers. >> reporter: like agnes, they are willing to take to the streets to make their voices heard. fast food workers in brazil are protesting to show solidarity with u.s. colleagues demonstrators have been on the streets of sao paulo saying companies like mcdonald's are exploiting people and they can't live on the hourly pages paid by many of the american corporations still to come on the al jazeera newshour. we tell you who steals the last

two spots in the n.b.a. play-off - coming up in sport with andy.

japan has overtaken china as the largest foreign holder of u.s. debt. this is the first time in six years that china has been knocked off the top spot in the creditor league table. both countries own the most american government bond and recently swapped places. china has been selling off its u.s. debt. japan has been buying more.

china's slowing economy means it needs to use that money at home. a group of private offshore banks, hedge funds and pension funds - they are based in the caribbean. belgium is not far behind in fourth. you have to bear in mind these are foreign creditors. the number one spot belongs to the u.s. treasury. it is the overall largest holder of u.s. debt - meaning the u.s. is effectively loaning itself the most amount of money, to the tune of $2.5 trillion. let's drill down on some figures, and find out what they mean. a market analyst at cnc markets in london joins us live. jasper what does it mean, effectively, because china has slipped from the top slot of creditors, of u.s. debt. what does it mean. what does that tell us about the state of the chinese economy.

>> well i think what this really reflects is the difference in direction between particularly the u.s. economy and, in fact the japanese economy. just because in the u.s. things are improving over there, we are looking towards a hike in interest rates, whereas in japan, the central bank of japan has a policy of growing government bonds, like the u.s. was doing. as a result interest rates in japan are low. so jap meself sabres are moving out of japan into the u.s. to organise a bigger growth rate. >> is this another indication of the u.s. weakening? >> yes, i think this fits into that broader picture that the chinese economy is slowing. we saw some particularly weak

industrial production data this week. retail sales, implying that the manufacturing sector is showing, and consumption and demand which is where the chinese economy is directing itself. this is a worry for us all, because china is a fast-growing economy. we need them firing on cylinders for them to demand our exports, so the world economy can take along. >> it's an economy in transition it's been pointed out. what about the state of the u.s. economy. everyone is relying on the recovery to be strong and rob u. what do the figures tell us about the state of the u.s. recovery? >> yes. well it's - this is an endorsement of the u.s. recovery. it has gone through a slowdown in the first quarter. most of the economic data in the u.s. has been weak we have to look at things on a relative

basis. things in china are weaker. still it looks like the federal reserve will raise interest rates, but the people's bank of china is likely to engage in a more aggressive easing-type policy, pushing interest rates lower in china. as it stands, interest rates in china are above 9% not quite the same in japan as for the chinese, to buy as many treasuries, that is why they are holding the money back not going aggressively after interest rates, using it for their own economy. >> jasper market analyst at cnc markets in london. thank you time for sport with andy. >> thank you so much. luis suarez put his team within sight of a semifinal place in the champion's league. two goals from luis suarez helping barca to a 3-1 first leg win. neymar struck first for the spanish spam, then luis suarez

took over. psg need to score three times in spain to have a hance at going through. >> psg will have suspended players back for the return game. it could be a difficult match. we don't know which team will qualify. we can't take information for granted. bayern munich in trouble in their tie against porto, a series of mistakes helping the portuguese team to a win. porto in site of the first semifinal since winning in 2004. that's when jose mourinho was in charge. >> we are going to play in the allianz arena against one of the best teams history. you died if we are a favourite. we are taking on one of the best coaches from all time. let's see what they can achieve. >> u.s.a. beat gup rivals mex -- world cup rivals mexico.

a win due in chance to jordan morris from stamford university storing the orp. the u.s. will cohost the gold cup in july. mexico won the title 11 out of 12 times. the world athletic championships are heading to the united states for the first time. the sports governing body named eugene as the host for the 2021 event. the i.a.a.f. ignoring the bidding protest saying taking the championship was unique. eugene bid for 2019, losing to doha michael phelps will compete in arizona. he was suspended following a drink-driving conviction. he will compete in the busttterfly

event. he looks forward to rio. >> i look forward to rejoining my team-mates next summer. leading into rio, that's something that i love as being a part of a national team and especially trailing overseas. i look forward to having that opportunity next year. >> the new orleans pelicans and the brooklyn nets secured the last two spots in the n.b.a. play-off the pelicans beating san antonio spurs 108-103 to clinch the eighth place. davis netted 31 helping new orleans reach the post seep. they'll face the golden state warriors in round 1. brooklyn beat orlando to seal the last spot in the eastern conference facing atlanta. the post season line-up is looking like this - lebron james and the cleveland cavaliers in the east. it will be an all-texas

match-up. and the l.a. clippers take on the san antonio spurs. one thing not in the play-offs is the la lakers a 122-19 defeat. the sacramento kings recorded the worst ever season. it's not what the fans have been used to since the fans moved to l axe. led by imaginic johnson, they won five. the shaquille o'neil saw them champions. bryant won two more titles in 2009 and 2010, taking the franchise tally to 16. it's been downhill since then unable to get further than the conference semifinals. they fell to the playoffs this year 21 wins from 82 game, the lowest ever winning personnel of 0.256 the n.h.l. playoffs under way with the montreal canadiens

edging ottawa in the opening game of their series. brian fin's goal giving the canadiens a 4-3 win. mark stone of the senators had trouble cooling off, thanks to a water bottle confusion, and the arrest of the players were overheating after the final buzzer. game 2 on friday. >> englands cricketers look to be in a good position to push for victory. that will resume on day four with a second innings lead of 220. jermain was the star man scoring a maiden test century. the team out for 295. that left england with a lead of 100 runs losing quick wick its. jerome tailor removing jonathan trott for four, and captain alastair cook 13. england closing with a score of 116/3. that is a lead of 220 runs.

>> we can start well and build the partnership, or another partnership soon after it then. that's when the scoring rate tends to increase and obviously gives us a chance. that will be the key. >> mani pacquiao support team says he's back to his best and can beet floyd fairweather. pacquiao opening up his training event. he has not stopped on opponent since 2009. the unbeaten mayweather is facing the best defensive fighter of all time. >> he has a chance of winning. that's the main thing, he looks great, motivated. no nonsense. i think he'll put on a performance for the ages. >> plenty more build-up for that fight in the coming days. stay with us here at al jazeera, we have another

full-news bull tin coming up right away.

struggling to find food water and fuel - yemen's vice president voices the plight of his people and calls for dool oug and dialogue and an end to the fighting. >> hello again, i'm martine dennis i'm martine dennis. we are live from doha. also to come on the program - a year since the sinking of the sewol ferry. a direct line to vladimir putin, russians giv