27/02/2016 BBC Weekend News

Finance ministers from the world's leading industrialised nations warn

of a threat to the global economy if Britain leaves

George Osborne says the G20 nations are right to warn of a worldwide

'economic shock' if there's a British exit, but tonight,

a former Tory Chancellor says the idea is "absurd".

A temporary ceasefire in Syria seems to be holding.

The sacked DJ Tony Blackburn claims he was offered the chance to resign

from the BBC, but refused, because he had "nothing to hide".

And in the Six Nations, it's victory for Eddie Jones'

While Scotland end a nine-match losing run with a win over

Finance ministers from the world's leading economies have warned

of a "shock" to the global economy if Britain leaves

It came in a statement at the end of a G20 summit

in Shanghai, attended by the Chancellor, George Osborne.

But tonight, one of his predecessors - Lord Lawson -

George Osborne put a commitment to an EU referendum

he said they agreed with him, the idea of Britain leaving the EU

The financial leaders of the world's biggest countries have

given their unanimous verdict and they say that a British exit

from the EU would be a shock to the world economy.

And if it's a shock to the world economy, imagine what it

And he said - don't just take his word for it,

in charge of the world's biggest economy believe.

Our view is that it's in the national security

and economic security of the United Kingdom, of Europe,

and of the United States for the United Kingdom to stay

The Chancellor will undoubtedly think that his trip to the Far East

Because whilst he has been arguing that leaving the EU

is an unnecessary risk, two former Conservative leaders

and a couple of previous occupants of Number 11 Downing Street say

So getting the backing of those who currently hold the purse strings

weapon in the forthcoming referendum campaign.

But one of those former Conservative Chancellors,

will not be told what to do by those who run the global economy.

This is mates helping each other out.

Big banks, big business, big government, all scratching

I think voters are realistic and we understand that the world

is changing fast and that Europe is declining.

And 'perfect' is probably the Chancellor's verdict on this

But time will tell whether global summits will prove more profitable

The United States and Russia have hailed a temporary truce in Syria,

The ceasefire, agreed by 97 military groups,

The UN says it's the best hope of peace

There have been reports of only sporadic violence

Our correspondent, Mark Lowen, sent this report close

This is what five years of hell has done to Syria.

Homs, once a historical jewel, now a ghost town.

But as the ceasefire came into effect, a rare moment

to breathe and play and it is largely holding, for now.

There have been some incidents today, this a car bomb near Hama,

blamed on the Islamic State group, killed two.

Other clashes were sporadic, so on the streets, hope,

TRANSLATION: We don't believe the Assad regime

We've had so many disappointments from them in the past.

We all wish for the best and that national unity returns.

Everybody was waiting for the ceasefire.

Today, the streets are busy and people are relieved.

The truce doesn't apply to the Al-Qaeda linked Nusra front

These pictures showing another recent strike by coalition jets.

But if the other sides ceasefire, aid deliveries will start

and new peace talks should begin on the 7th March.

Now, we're not under any illusions, there are plenty of reasons

for scepticism and, even under the best of circumstances,

the violence will not end right away.

But everyone knows what needs to happen.

All parties must end attacks, including aerial bombardment.

Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach areas under siege.

Near the Turkish border, IS continued its advance today

A reminder that this war has so many factions and so many fronts.

Well, five years of war have crushed that, but at least there is relief

from the daily barrage of bombing and hope that this might provide

a window of opportunity for all the players to come together

But even if the ceasefire holds, there are still no long-term plans

of how to end this war and how a broken country can

BBC News, near the Turkey-Syria border.

The DJ Tony Blackburn, who was sacked by the BBC this week,

claims he was offered the chance to resign

He says he turned down the offer because he had nothing to hide.

According to the BBC, it sacked Mr Blackburn

because the evidence he gave to an inquiry into sex abuse

at the corporation fell short of the standards required.

Tony Blackburn strenuously denies any wrong-doing.

48 hours after his sacking by the BBC, Tony Blackburn has

given his first broadcast interview, setting

Both at Dame Janet Smith's enquiry and at the time

of allegations against him in 1971.

Welcome along to the Tony Blackburn Show...

Dame Janet's report concluded that Mr Blackburn had been questioned

by the BBC about a complaint made against him by a teenage girl.

Mr Blackburn has consistently denied the allegations,

He insists there was no meeting at that time with BBC executives.

I can only say that I told the truth.

Now, it's, I suppose, my word against a judge.

You go in there, in front of lawyers and things like that.

But the BBC's Director General Lord Hall said Mr Blackburn's evidence

to Dame Janet's enquiry fell short of the standards required.

When we are having an enquiry, which you want to be open and lead

to proper conclusions that people can learn

from and the organisation can learn from,

it is really important that everybody behaves in the proper way

In the interview to be broadcast tomorrow,

Mr Blackburn claims he was only sacked after he refused to leave

They gave me the chance to resign, saying that

you do not cut off all ties with the BBC.

And we could probably bring you back in a few months.

The probblem is, if it is true that he was offered a deal

and he was told that if he resigned,

in a couple of months, then that's no longer a firm line.

It makes Tony Hall's very principled, very firm stance

In a statement, the BBC said the corporation and Mr Blackburn

The BBC's position had not changed and

since the matter was now potentially subject to a legal process,

there was nothing to add at this stage.

Robert Hall, BBC News, Broadcasting House.

There's political turmoil in Ireland tonight, after what seems to be

an inconclusive result in yesterday's general election.

The votes are still being counted, but it looks as if no one party

will be able to secure a majority, and the current ruling coalition may

From Dublin, our Ireland Correspondent,

The votes are still being counted across Ireland. While it is not

clear who the winners are, and Irish Prime Ministers knows his party Fine

Gael is in danger of losing its grip on power. Really, the option of a

majority of government is gone, the option of a Fine Gael Labour

government has gone, we do not know the figures for the other parties

and groupings yet, I need to know those before I decide what is the

best thing to do given my responsibility and duty. At the

centre of his campaign was the improvement of Ireland's economy

after years of crisis but faced with tax increases and spending cuts, the

public have punished the two parties in Ireland's coalition government.

You are not happy with the government? No, no. There has been a

significant protest boat and this has been a day of success for

Independent, anti-austerity and colourful candidates. I tell you one

thing, some of them in Dublin might have been picking on me before, they

have to pick on him first before they get to meet! Sinn Fein has

become the third force in politics in the Republic. This is another

step in politics in this state and across this Ireland. The main

opposition party Fianna Fail, whose support collapsed at the last

election, has done better than expected. But with the vote divided

between old rivals and new candidates, it is not clear how this

new government can or will be formed.

The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, has accused

the Prime Minister of showing "a failure of leadership" on both

the refugee crisis and the referendum on Britain's

Mr Farron, speaking at his party's Scottish spring conference

in Edinburgh, told delegates it was what he called a "no-brainer"

Given that this is a dangerous and uncertain world,

are we safer and more secure by staying alongside our closest

friends and neighbours or turning our backs upon them?

The answers to each of those questions is a no-brainer.

If you want a Britain that is prosperous, secure,

a Britain that matters, then you're voting to keep

Thousands of people have marched in cities and towns,

across Russia, in memory of the opposition politician

Boris Nemtsov, who was killed a year ago today.

The former Deputy Prime Minister, who'd been an outspoken critic

of President Putin, was shot dead whilst walking near the Kremlin.

His family claim the murder was politically motivated.

They came out in their thousands today.

Friends, family and supporters of Boris Nemtsov, marching

He was a fierce critic of the Kremlin.

And this crowd believe he was murdered for his political views.

These were the last images of Mr Nemtsov before he was killed.

He was on the radio, calling on Russians to protest

against the policies of President Putin.

His daughter has left Russia, fearing for her own safety.

In London, she blamed President Putin for the political

Putin is an authoritarian ruler of Russia.

And it's a very important feature of such kind of regimes to oppress

people if they show their disloyalty.

In the opinion of this regime, that can pose a threat.

This is a murder that shocked Russia and it's why so many people have

turned out to remember Boris Nemtsov.

But they have also come calling for a full investigation

Because there are plenty of people here who fear that investigation

won't dig deep enough and are worried there

The suspected hit men are from Chechnya and some have ties

who ordered this killing have been refused.

And over the past year, opposition activists say

the harassment and intimidation have intensified.

The nationalists who surrounded us see critics as traitors.

The new party leader we were due to meet felt so threatened,

and to make me worried about security.

Sarah Rainsford, BBC News, Moscow. of Boris Nemtsov won't scare

In rugby, England are top of the Six Nations Championship

after a 21-10 win over Ireland at Twickenham.

There was good news too for Scotland, ending a losing streak

Our Sports Correspondent, Joe Wilson, has this report.

Grab your beer and head for the seats.

In truth, would you like to be an Irish defender facing up to

It often took several men to do that job.

James Haskell laid high and off for ten minutes.

Conor Murray got up to make his own impression on the scoreline.

If keeping your head means stretching the opposition,

By the time Mike Brown went over, the score was 21-10

Was Ireland's Josh van der Flier a try scorer here?

No, eventually, was the official response.

'A step up' was how England's coach described the win.

So with three wins from three, England's sights remain

But in Rome, there were other issues at stake.

Scotland knew enthusiasm only stretches so far.

Twice in the first half, they stretched Italy.

18 minutes left, Scotland player in the sin bin,

an Italian try, suddenly just six behind.

dream hands from Hogg Six Nations defeats,

Like a crack in a mountain, even coach Vern Cotter smiled.

Joe Wilson, BBC News, at the Six Nations.

Good evening. A quick look into the Atlantic. This weather system is

lurking and will bring wind and rain across our shores late Monday and

into Tuesday. Ahead of that, a lot of cloud across the UK to date but