03/03/2016 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at ten, a warning from the French

that Britain will face 'consequences' if it leaves the EU.

David Cameron visits Amiens where President Hollande says

TRANSLATION: There is the question of consequences if Britain

There's the single market, free trade and also

As the French clear the migrant camp in Calais -

the UK promises more money to improve security around the port.

But a warning that British border controls in France could be scrapped

if the UK leaves the EU got this response.

Look, that was agreed by an international treaty

between Britain and France a few years ago.

And all this as the president of the European Council -

warns illegal economic migrants - not come to Europe.

Sunderland defends the decision to keep selecting Adam Johnson -

while the player awaited trial on child sex charges.

After his latest success, Donald Trump finds himself under

heavy fire from some big Republican names.

, if road. This promises are as worthless as a degree from the

University. -- Donald Trump is a phoney, a fraud.

Inside Syria - a special report on the deals being negotiated

between Russian forces and local leaders.

I want everybody out there on TV to know it.

And retelling the story of the great Muhammad Ali

with a major new exhibition in London.

Coming up on BBC News, three medals for Great Britain on day two of the

Track Cycling World Championships including gold for Laura Trott.

The network of British border controls on French soil set up more

than 20 years ago could be scrapped if the UK leaves the European Union.

The warning came from France's economy minister on the day

David Cameron was in Paris holding talks with President Hollande.

Mr Cameron announced that Britain would spend ?17 million to improve

security at Calais, while President Hollande warned

of consequences if Britain left the EU.

Our political correspondent Ben Wright reports.

France and Britain standing together.

membership of the European Union close, David Cameron has a prodigal

fight on his hands and France is key to help.

David Cameron used the summit to trumpet areas he says the UK

could benefit, from security to jobs.

Campaigners for Britain to leave the EU say that

you are scaremongering on issues from...

It is hardly surprising that France is prepared to echo your views

When it comes to security and borders, we are better

Drawing on my experience, I will go on making these

arguments, not making up claims, but dealing with the reality.

And could France tear up a deal that keeps British border

guards in Calais if Britain left of the EU?

The French president did not say yes, but...

TRANSLATION: I don't want to scare you but I just

There will be consequences if the UK is to leave

There will be consequences in many areas.

A more guarded answer than this French minister gave

Emmanuel Macron was mobbed at this agricultural show after suggesting

that France could let migrants cross the Channel to Britain if it

This is Calais where around 4000 migrants

are stuck, hoping to find a way to Britain.

But for 13 years the UK and France have had a deal between themselves

that means that the status of migrants is checked by British

officials before they can leave French soil.

It is not an EU agreement and Leave campaigners

rubbished the idea that the deal will be scrapped if Britain left

That was agreed by an international treaty

between Britain and France a few years ago and it has nothing to do

There is no reason at all why that should be changed.

This is all part of a project to scare people

into wanting to stay in the EU when actually all the arguments

involve us taking back control and being big

France and Britain disagreed on a lot during David Cameron's EU

renegotiation but now Paris has effectively joined the Remain

campaign, as will the other countries that want Britain to stay

But will France's warning about consequences cause concern

The UK's long-term economic future could be brighter outside the EU,

according to John Longworth, the head of the British Chambers of

He was speaking at the organisation's annual conference,

also being attended by the German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble,

who insisted the EU would be more unstable

Our economics editor Kamal Ahmed has more details.

Anthony Gould remembers the last time Britain voted on membership

of what was then the European Economic Community.

The media entrepreneur from Kent, who exports around the world,

This time, he'll be dancing to a different tune.

EU membership in the early years definitely helped,

but recently there's so much regulation and difficulties

and that's why unfortunately I've come to the conclusion that it

would be in the interests of our business to leave the EU.

When it comes to the question of the European Union -

At today's conference of leading small firms, the tone was sceptical.

Yes, the majority still believe "in" is best, but "out"

The negotiations the Prime Minister came out with were actually

inadequate, far short of what the BCC wanted,

and actually on the balance of probabilities now,

Britain could have a bright future outside

just as it would have done had we stayed in with a truly reformed

Both sides in this EU referendum debate would love to grab

the business vote for themselves, but although there have been some

sceptical voices here today, for other businesses the tone

Carmaking in the UK employs 800,000 people.

Today, the SMMT trade body said 77% of their members backed Britain

We think that being part of a reformed Europe and playing

a role in that reformation is really, really important for not

only Europe but also the UK in Europe.

In London today, the German finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble.

He was asked for his reaction should the UK leave.

Look, it's a decision of the British people, of course.

Business leaders left tonight after a day dominated by Europe.

They are, of course, also voters, and will have their say on June

Our Europe editor Katya Adler is in Brussels tonight.

What are we to make of two big interventions in one day from France

and Germany, and not exactly an helpful for Mr Cameron? Not exactly

an helpful. But were they cynically hatched by plotting Prime Minister

determined to win a referendum? Unlikely. And not just because he

says so, because he would, but because those remarks were made by

leading international politicians, not puppets of Number Ten. But is

Downing Street letting it be known amongst global friends that David

Cameron might have made during his years in office that it would be

helpful to have their pro UK in the EU views known? Undoubtedly. We

certainly got that message loud and clear in the recent meeting of the

G20's powerful finance ministers. But the statements are also made out

of self-interest. Germany worries that the EU without the UK will be

considerably weaker. While the French President's arch rival in the

elections that follow the UK's referendum is a passionate

Eurosceptic so Brexit would play into her hands. European leaders we

are unlikely to hear from in the referendum are those here in

Brussels, the EU chiefs. If they tell Britain to stay in the EU, they

worry that will hinder rather than help the campaign to remain. One

thing they can do, they tell us, is to try to sort out the EU's refugee

and migrant crisis, filling the news with scenes of chaos. The worry and

fear here is that could send British voters running towards the doors

marked EU exit and that is something that Germany, France and the rest of

the EU really, really wants to avoid. Staying with a final point

that capture was making, the president of the European Council,

Donald Tusk, has warned would be illegal economic migrants not to

come to Europe. He said they should not

risk their lives and money Mr Tusk is visiting Greece

and Turkey to try to secure agreement on reducing the flow

of migrants heading for the west. In the past year, nearly a million

migrants have passed through Greece. Up to 12,000 people are currently

stranded at Idomeni on the Greek border waiting to

cross into Macedonia. Our correspondent Danny

Savage sent this report. Where Greece meets Macedonia,

a growing number of people They want to move on, but can't,

so today, they protested. Ever since the tear gassing

incident here on Monday, it's been fairly quiet

when it comes to protests, but today, they flared up again

with the migrants blocking the main railway track and calling

for a greater flow of people Either it breaks up peacefully,

or the police will move I don't feel like a

human being anymore. Because I sleep in

the middle of nowhere. Most here are Syrians and Iraqis,

who say they are refugees fleeing But these mainly Moroccan men I met

at a service station are described by EU leaders as economic migrants,

told today not to waste their time You've gone through

the fence seven times. This 26-year-old, who wanted

to remain anonymous, I say to people who would

like to come here, stop. Don't come, don't lose your money,

your job, your family, your time. Back at the border

the demonstration ended peacefully. The primitive living conditions

here are taking their toll. Children especially

are falling sick. This Syrian family have

a nine-year-old who is diabetic and six-month-old twins,

who they have been told shouldn't A trickle of people crossing to move

up the migrant trail is just This crush developed

when we were at the border It's terrible, but everyone

is just wanting to cross, so everyone is just pushing,

making it tough for everyone. Discouraging economic

migrants is one thing, but nearly all of these people don't

fall into that category. They are Europe's problem

and current plans to deal with them One of the most important elements

in reducing the flow of migrants into Europe would be an end

to the conflict in Syria. The UN said the current ceasefire -

now in its sixth day - was fragile, but appeared

to be holding. Our correspondent Steve Rosenberg

has been allowed to follow Russian He has been taken to the village

of Maarzaf in Hama Province, and also to the district of Al-Tall,

north of Damascus, Sometimes, even the Russian army

needs a little extra help. We've been given a local escort

for a Russian peace mission. We head into the mountains

of Syria's Hama province. The Russian military wants to show

us how it is encouraging peace Until recently, this village

was under rebel control. The middleman who negotiated this

is a local sheikh, Ahmad Mubarak. He is pro-Moscow and he has been

helping the Russians do deals The sheikh is not only

well respected here, In Syria, the difference between war

and peace isn't always clear. Thanks to the Russians,

there is a truce in Syria, Sheikh Mubarak says,

and now they're helping us Deal done - the residents of Masyaf

are given humanitarian aid and the chance for a checkup

with a Russian army doctor. How do you end a civil war which has

left more than 250,000 people dead Like this, say the Russians,

with small steps, On a Russian military plane,

we are taken to the Syrian capital As we approach central Damascus,

we see destruction, but no fighting. Today, the UN said the cessation

of hostilities in Syria Success, it said,

was not guaranteed. Syria says that Europe should be

praying for peace here. If it fails, maybe there will be

more refugees and more terrorists We are brought to the

district of Al-Tall. This town, too, has signed

a declaration of peace You cannot have reconciliation

without trust. And there are still many in Syria

who don't trust the government enough to believe this war

is about to end. A brief look at some of the day's

other news stories... A man who raped five women he met

through the dating website match.com has been sentenced

to life in prison - with a minimum term

of 12-and-a-half years. Jason Lawrance, who's 50

and from Liphook in Hampshire, was also convicted of a series

of assaults and attempted rapes. The South African athlete,

Oscar Pistorius, has been denied the right to appeal

against his conviction for the murder of his

girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. He's been on bail since December,

when judges overturned his earlier

conviction on the lesser charge Two women who attacked

a police station in Istanbul with guns and a grenade have been

shot dead by police. After fleeing the scene

of the attack in Bayrampasa, the women hid in a nearby building

before they were found. Two policemen are reported

to have been injured. Sunderland's manager Sam Allardyce

has defended the decision to keep selecting Adam Johnson

while the player was awaiting trial He was found guilty yesterday of one

charge of sexual activity The lead investigator has told

the BBC that she met the club's executives and outlined

the case against the player Sunderland have strongly denied

they knew he was going to plead Our correspondent Ed Thomas

is outside the ground tonight. Mr Johnson, you have never

apologised to this 15-year-old girl. Who knew Adam Johnson had

groomed and kissed a child? In court, the footballer

said he told the Today, it was left

to Sunderland's manager, Mr Allardyce, you played

Adam Johnson week after week, Were you aware that he had

admitted kissing a child? I was aware of his plea

for all charges to be not Just before the trial started,

to hear that he had pleaded guilty was a massive shock

to everybody at the football club, and the football club took

swift and direct action After his arrest, Adam Johnson

was suspended by Sunderland Football After he was charged

with child sex offences, . He said that he had of messages

and told police that he knew she was only 15. -- he sent her hundreds of

messages. Speaking exclusively to BBC News, the detective who led the

investigation into Adam Johnson has revealed details of a first meeting

with Sunderland football club. At that point he was under arrest

for sexual activity with a child and that was what was

disclosed to the club. They were given a little bit more

detail in terms of him having met the girl and that there had been

sexual activity that took place. At the time, broadly,

was it known that Adam Johnson had At that point in the investigation,

yes. Broadly speaking, it was known

at that time that the pair were sending messages

to one another? At the centre of this

is a 15-year-old girl who was an avid fan of Sunderland

and Adam Johnson and She will want to know why

he was allowed back onto the pitch. If Sunderland heard from Johnson

that he had behaved inappropriately, I think it gives another strong

message to say, why was he not continually suspended until such

time that the matters were concluded? Varun Aaron calls for an

investigation. Sunderland Football Club say that if they had known of

his guilt, they would have sacked him on the spot.

Delegates from every region of China are gathering in the capital,

Beijing, for the 10-day annual session of the National People's

Congress, the body which debates and approves government policy.

High on the agenda is the state of the Chinese economy.

Gross domestic product was expanding by over 14% in 2007.

But that growth rate has now halved to just under 7%.

China is now expecting to lay off 1.8 million workers

to cut overcapacity in the coal and steel industries -

Our world affairs editor, John Simpson, sent this

It's got the look of a place in trouble.

Buildings are empty, businesses going under, confidence dropping.

True, China's growth rate is still far higher than Western

But the American ratings agency Moody's has

downgraded its outlook for China from stable to negative.

Leading economists here are unmistakably worried.

The real economy is suffering big time.

If anything, I would say 2016 is the most critical year

for the Chinese economy in the past, at least, one decade or so.

If things were to go wrong here, there is always the fear

The Chinese leadership is taking steps to make sure

It's extraordinary how fast the mood here has changed.

Until quite recently, people here were optimistic

about the way things were going in China.

Now, some are getting really worried that their government

is lurching towards authoritarianism.

They are even saying it is like a return to the old days

In times of stress, Mao believed you've got to get a tighter grip

The other day, President Xi Jinping duly went the rounds

of the press and broadcasters, telling them, even from

the newsreader's chair, that they had to toe the party line.

We listen to the party's orders, the placards read.

Yet Mr Xi does seem quite thin-skinned.

In Hong Kong, five book-sellers who stocked some

life of the Chinese leaders, vanished last October.

Earlier this week, Chinese TV showed four of them confessing abjectly

Should we be worried about China's new authoritarianism?

TRANSLATION: China needs a stronger government that can take strong

measures to push reform and development effectively.

It might look from outside that our top leadership has become more

aggressive, but this aggressiveness is not going to last long. But with

security tightened in Beijing at the moment, one of the dwindling group

of critics of the government here thinks that it all means president

Xi Jinping is feeling vulnerable. TRANSLATION: I think the leader has

a real feeling of crisis. He is worried that the rule of the

Communist Party will be lost in his hands and that he could be replaced

by his rivals. So he has got to hold onto power tightly. He is like a man

floundering in water and he is going to grab whatever he can. Are you

worried that you might get into trouble for saying the things you

have said here? The fact that I can talk like this is highly unusual. I

don't know how much longer I will be able to do it. Xi Jinping remains

massively popular. People are very proud of China's achievements and

yet the way that he is clamping down doesn't seem like confidence. Quite

the opposite. Donald Trump, the current

frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination,

has faced an unprecedented verbal onslaught today from some

of the party's biggest names. Mitt Romney - the Republican

candidate last time - described Mr Trump as

a 'phony' and a 'fraud' who threatened America's prospects

for a safe and a prosperous future. John McCain, another former

presidential candidate, was equally forthright

in his criticism. Let's join our North America editor

Jon Sopel in Washington. Until last June, this is what Donald

Trump was most famous for, building his hotels like this one under

construction in Pennsylvania. It is clear that the Republican high

command would like nothing more than for him to go back to concentrating

on that rather than politics because instead of building things, Donald

Trump seems to be tearing the Republican party apart. Today, an

astonishing series of attacks on him and his personality.

Four years ago, he was the Republican candidate for President.

Today, Mitt Romney was doing his best to destroy Donald Trump's bid

And, in keeping with this election cycle, there was nothing coded.

This was a full frontal, all guns blazing, no-holds-barred assault.

His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University.

He's playing the members of the American public for suckers.

He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get

Think of Donald Trump's personal qualities.

The bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny,

Back in 2012, Mitt Romney was happy to accept Donald Trump's endorsement

Mitt is tough, he's smart, he's sharp.

He's not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this

Back to today and it's hard to believe that Mr Trump

and Mr Romney will be exchanging Christmas cards.

I backed him - you can see how loyal he is -

I could have said, "Mitt, drop to your knees."

Donald Trump talks tough about China and Mexico...

These anti-Trump TV ads aren't from the Democratic Party,

they have been paid for by conservatives.

They are running extensively in Ohio and Florida.

These two states hold their primaries in 12 days' time

and are seen as the last chance to stop Donald Trump's relentless

Jon Sopel, BBC News, Washington.

Muhammad Ali is - for many around the world -

the greatest sportsman of all time, a man who rose from humble

beginnings to becoming the three times heavyweight champion

A major new exhibition at the O2 in London

is devoted to his remarkable life and achievements.

And as our arts editor Will Gompertz reports,

it tells a story that reaches way beyond the boxing record books.

He gets in my way, I'll confuse him with the shuffle!

He's up to his old tricks, floating like a butterfly,

My comeback will shake the whole earth.

The Parkinson's disease which has rendered him to poorly to travel.

But the Muhammad Ali Show goes on, in the shape

This is the robe, Muhammad had a huge affection for Elvis Presley.

Evidently, Elvis had a huge affection for Muhammad.

He presented him this robe in Las Vegas.

He gave it to him, all bejewelled, and he had it specially

There's replica belts and photos aplenty, and the famous torn glove

Muhammad is a symbol of hope and inspiration,

and not just to African-Americans, to all people.

But it was his special duty, he felt, to take his celebrity

and try to use it for the betterment of those that

could not lift themselves up, regardless of colour.

It is as much for the public stands he has taken,

as it is for his remarkable achievements in the ring,

that prompted a contemporary British heavyweight to start a campaign

for Muhammad Ali to be awarded an honorary knighthood.

Ali is the greatest in his field, as a boxer, as a man

I don't believe there is any other sportsmen who is on his level,

What he believed in, what he done inside of his sport

and outside of it, the amount of people he touched around

the world, the amount of people that he's inspired.

I always asked my mother, I said,

"Mother, how come is everything white?"

I said, "Why is Jesus white, with blonde hair and blue eyes?"

I said, "Mother, when we die, do we go to heaven?"

She said, "Naturally we go to heaven."

I said, "Well, what happened to all the black angels

What would it mean to him to be given a knighthood?

Muhammad Ali has transcended his sport to become a cultural icon,

as famous for his oratory as he was for his glove work.

He is a man who always likes to have the last word.

I'm going to eat some raw meat, going to train,

I'm going to get ready and chops some more trees!

The great Muhammad Ali, that was Will Gompertz reporting there.

Tonight, is George Osborne about to raid the tax relief on your pension

contributions? Join us now on BBC Two at 11pm. That is Newsnight on

BBC Two. Now on BBC One, it is time for the news where you are. Good

night.