22/05/2016 BBC Weekend News

Referendum battle lines are drawn over Turkey's chances

With five weeks to go - David Cameron clashes with one

of his ministers over an incorrect claim that Britain has no power

I do not think the EU is going to keep Turkey out.

Britain and every other country in the European Union has a veto on any

other country joining. That is a fact.

There are also arguments about how the NHS would fare

Also tonight - the far right politician who could be

on the verge of becoming Austria's next president.

The Afghan Taliban leader - Mullah Mansour - is confirmed

to have died, after being targeted in a US drone strike.

And how China will look far and deep into the universe -

as it builds the world's biggest radio telescope.

With less than five weeks to go till the referendum on Britain's

membership of the EU - it was another country's potential

future membership that brought angry exchanges today.

David Cameron accused leave campaigners of being misleading

after one of his own ministers - Penny Mourdant - incorrectly said

Britain would not be able to stop Turkey joining the EU.

Here's our political correspondent Alex Forsyth.

Sitting on Europe's south-east flank, Turkey's now at the centre of

In return for its help with the migrant

crisis, there is renewed talk of it joining the EU allowing those who

want the UK to leave to raise concerns about more migration and

Like this minister who wrongly claimed today that the UK

We are not going to be able to rule it out.

I thought accession was

something that each country could veto.

I do not think that the EU is going to keep

Her boss said such incorrect assertions damaged the

If you consider this is the whole argument about why we should leave,

that really calls into question their judgment because we have a

veto, every country has a veto and let's be clear, as Boris himself

said, Turkey joining the EU is not remotely on the cards.

Rewind six years and David Cameron was in

I will remain your strongest possible

Now he's keen to stress it's decades away, if

Some Leave campaigners weren't always so concerned about

What are we saying if we perpetually keep Turkey

out of the European Union just because it's Muslim?

This issue is contentious in a campaign

where immigration is key and both sides are now choosing their message

So how likely is it that Turkey will join the EU?

It first applied for full membership in 1987.

Talks have stalled but now because the EU

needs Turkey's help in

tackling the migrant crisis leaders say accession talks will be

re-energised. It's still a complex situation.

Turkey has to meet a whole series of criteria

and address concerns about

press freedom, human rights and tensions with Cyprus and even

then any country can veto membership which also needs approval from their

Turkey is a candidate for EU membership but that

doesn't mean that it's anywhere near becoming an EU member.

It's got to pass through a whole host of hurdles

It has to go through 30 odd so-called

chapters of negotiations, each of which can take a very long time.

Only one of which is finished to date.

So if Turkey's to join, it

Not least in the UK where to voters migration matters.

Immigration is one of the key battle grounds. So too is the economy.

Tomorrow we can expect further analysis with the Treasury warding

of M -- and year-long recession. Both campaigns are focusing on

issues that they think matter most to people. The worry is that claim

and counterclaim could leave people cold.

The health service was also part of today's EU referendum arguments

with the head of NHS England expressing concerns about how

its funding might be affected if a vote to leave the EU led

Our Political Correspondent, Ellie Price, reports.

It's a central issue in this EU referendum debate.

Will our health service be better, safer if we

remain in the European Union or if we vote to leave it.

Now, the man in charge of the NHS in England has

given his assessment of what they vote to leave might entail.

When the British economy sneezes, the NHS

This would be a terrible moment for that to happen

at precisely the time the NHS is going to need

His intervention comes less than a fortnight after the Bank

of England Governor, Mark Carney said

Leaving the EU could lead Britain into recession.

And vote to leave the European Union could have

That led to calls for his resignation from

some key Leave campaigners who accused him of overstepping the

Simon Stevens insisted that he took part Carney's forecasts very

He also said 130,000 European doctors and nurses could

quit the health service if Britain voted to leave amid uncertainty over

As Chief Executive of the NHS in England, Simon Stevens

is in charge of Britain's biggest employer.

There's no doubt that his intervention today is highly

For some, like Mark Carney before him, it's highly

He's an individual, he has a view on the European Union,

But he is basically looking after the NHS which at the

moment he is currently making a very considerable mess of.

The vote to leave campaign released this

video today to illustrate how it believes the NHS would be better off

It claimed a vote to leave would ease

pressure migration puts on services as well as free up billions in

That is a figure Remain campaign point out is inaccurate

Both sides insist the health of the NHS

the health depends on the outcome of the referendum but

prescribed very different visions of how to achieve it.

And the BBC's Reality Check team has been looking into claims

about migration putting pressure on the NHS - and Turkey's

chances of joining the EU - as well as other issues

in referendum debate. You can find their analysis

Votes are being counted in Austria after a presidential election that

could see the far-right politician Norbert Hofer become

So far, he's failed to gain a decisive lead over his rival

Alexander van der Bellen - who is from the opposite end

Let's join our correspondent Jenny Hill in Vienna.

Tonight Austria is divided. The election result is too close to

call. Every postal vote counts and that is why we are waiting until

tomorrow for a decisive result. That result when it comes could have

far-reaching consequences, not just for this country but for the whole

of Europe. The stage was set for victory speech

but the next Austrian president is yet to take his place. The country

is torn between two men, one from the left and one from the right.

Norbert Hofer has plans for the country. His party is populist, and

TEU and anti-migrant. TRANSLATION: All those who don't appreciate our

country, those who support Islamic State or who rape women, I tell you

this is not your homeland, you can't remain. The Austrian presidency is

largely a symbolic role but he could call another general election and he

told me today he was confident of victory. And we are 50-50. Half the

people voted for me and half the people for him. We have to connect

the people of Austria. Turnout is high and so is disillusionment with

the mainstream politicians. They were rejected many weeks ago. I

don't like right-wing politics but I don't consider them a threat to

democracy. People are worried. The old system didn't work. What's

happening in Austria is happening all over Europe. The right-wing is

gaining ground and countries like France, Germany, Hungary, Denmark

are experiencing a clash between nationalism and the federalism of

the EU. You get the sense that the eyes of the world are on Austria.

That is because the man right back there represents not just the rise

of the far right within Europe but he has also exposed once again the

conflict at the heart of the EU that threatened to tear it apart.

Tonight, support from his own but this do Hofer might not have

convinced the rest of the country. Victory hangs in the balance but he

has achieved this, to demonstrate and agitate the fault lines running

through Europe. The Scottish National Party MP

Stewart Hosie has announced he'll step down as its Deputy Leader

in the autumn. He's faced criticism

after allegations that he had The SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said

he'd continue to make a valuable contribution to the party -

and he's expected to remain the SNP The Afghan Taliban has

confirmed that its leader Mullah Mansour has been killed

in a US drone strike. His car was targeted

yesterday in a remote US officials believed him to be

behind much of the worsening Our Correspondent

Caroline Hawley reports. Several drones were apparently used

in the strike said to have been authorised by President Obama. In a

burnt out car close to the Pakistan border were two men, the leader of

the Taliban and add another fighter. Mansour became leader recently and

has been attempting to tighten his grip on the group. He posed a

continuous threat to members of the military, civilians and members of

the security forces. Since he took over, the Taliban stepped up their

campaign of violence. The Americans said that Mansour had been actively

planning attacks. The Afghan government said he had rebuffed

repeated calls to end the country's war. He was a barrier to peace talks

and from the date he was announced as the Taliban leader he was behind

lots of violence against the Afghan people. The ultimate authority for

the Taliban, he took over when it was announced that the group's

reclusive leader had been killed two years earlier. It's not clear who

will succeed Mansour what direction the Taliban will take. Under

Mansour's leadership the Taliban have extended their territory but

they are likely to be taken up in their battle for succession and that

could give Islamic State a chance to increase their influence. The

question for war weary Afghanistan citizens is what his death will have

two effect their security. A brief look at some of the day's

other news stories... The Iraqi army has warned people

living in Falluja that they should make plans to escape,

as it plans an offensive to recapture it from

so called Islamic State. Falluja, which is 40

miles west of Baghdad, has been in IS hands

for more than two years. Egypt's President -

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi - says the investigation

into the EgyptAir plane crash Search teams are still trying

to locate the main body of the plane The jet - carrying 66 people -

crashed into the sea while flying There's no official word

from Manchester United about the replacement of its manager

Louis van Gaal with Jose Mourinho - Today Louis van Gaal left the team's

hotel in London apparently without any formal

notification from the club - a day after victory

in the FA Cup final. Here's our sports correspondent

Katie Gournall. Five months after he was sacked

by Chelsea, Jose Mourinho is set for a sensational

return to management. It might be news to

the man he'll replace. This morning, Louis van Gaal left

Manchester United's London hotel without being told by the club

that it was time to say goodbye. Just 12 hours earlier he was

celebrating victory in the FA Cup. A trophy that will now

be a parting gift. Despite spending millions

on players, he had failed to qualify United have expectations

he just couldn't meet. While all this unfolded,

Mourinho was watching boxing It's understood an agreement with

United had already been reached. It's quite exciting,

especially with Guardiola The naughty side of me thinks it

will be spicy. Although Van Gaal has gone

out winning a trophy, I think it needed change

and with a manager at this moment in time, I think Mourinho

is the best man for the job. Sir Alex Ferguson won 38 trophies

in nearly three decades Mourinho's record doesn't suggest

that kind of longevity, but he is a proven winner

and won't be overawed by the challenge of trying to step

out of Ferguson's shadow. Mourinho made his name at Porto,

by winning the Champions League. That brought him to the attention

of Chelsea, where he won three Premier League titles in his two

spells with the club. He's also won major trophies

in Italy with Inter Milan He will make the Premier League

very, very exciting. This season, since he has gone,

press conferences have If nothing else it gives us

something to talk about. Many will view Mourinho

as a controversial appointment. He left Chelsea in December

after a spectacular slump in form and a public fallout

with medical staff. United however have decided he's

a risk worth taking. England's footballers have

got their preparations for this summer's European Championships

off to a good start, with a 2-1 Harry Kane gave them the lead

at Manchester's Etihad Stadium after just three minutes -

although replays Turkey equalised, before Jamie Vardy

scored the winner with just ten England will now play

Australia on Friday. In a remote part of Southwest China,

the world's largest radio Almost twice the size

of any previously made, it will enable astronomers to see

deeper into the universe The construction of the telescope

is part of China's bid to become a global leader

in science research - as our Science Correspondent

Rebecca Morelle reports. Hidden in the remote mountains

of China, a new giant This vast construction

is the largest radio And as it nears completion,

we've been given a chance It's only when you get up close that

you really get a sense But bigger is better

when it comes to astronomy, because the larger the dish the more

signals can be collected from space, helping us to see deeper

into the universe than ever before. In China, in astronomy we are far

behind the world but I think it's the for us to build something

in China, and it will be used by lots of Chinese users and also

welcome the international users. This radio telescope

measures 500 metres across, The Arecibo Observatory

in Puerto Rico is just over 300 metres wide,

while Jodrell Bank's telescope in the north

of England measures 76 metres. The telescope will listen for radio

waves emitted from the cosmos. It will help us to see the first

stars and galaxies and hunt It's taken the Chinese just five

years to build and at a cost of ?100 million it's part

of the country's unprecedented investment in science that's

on the verge of outstripping But in the valleys beyond

the telescope this push for progress These villagers will soon

have to live in a five kilometre radio quiet zone,

where mobile phones and wireless The government has offered them

money to move - TRANSLATION: The compensation isn't

enough, so we haven't moved yet. TRANSLATION: It might be

good for the country, The telescope is on track to be

completed by September. China hopes this super-sized

project could transform it Rebecca Morelle, BBC

News, Guizhou, China. The British director Ken Loach has

won the Palme d'Or for best film He won for "I, Daniel Blake" -

the tale of a Newcastle joiner's It's the second time the 79-year-old

director has clinched What would next month's vote

over whether to stay in or leave the EU mean

for Northern Ireland? It's the only part of the UK

to have a land border In the first of a series of reports

from around the country on the potential impact of Brexit -

our Ireland correspondent Chris Buckler has been

travelling along that border. I'm standing right at the border,

not that there is much sign of it today. It was very different during

the years of Northern Ireland's troubles when there would have been

checkpoints and lines of cars. There has been a heated debate about what

would happen if Britain were to leave the EU. Would it mean a return

to checkpoints and the end of open roads? The easiest way to know the

difference between the north and the South is to look at the speed limit

signs. In Ireland, they are kilometres per hour rather than

Miles Proudfoot warning, the report contains flashing images.

Fermanagh sits at the edge of the UK.

There is a point in this land where Northern Ireland ends

But could that invisible border soon mark the line where

What looks like a haphazard red line on that map is actually the border

and on this one road, as you're travelling down it,

you move in and out of the Republic of Ireland

In fact, coming up here we're just going back

But during the violent years of Northern Ireland's Troubles,

there was huge security where the two countries met,

and some are asking whether checkpoints would return

if the UK was to vote to leave Europe.

We have such good relations now that we will be able to build

on that, and I don't foresee watchtowers going back

in South Armagh, if that's what the question is.

Nobody means watchtowers, but we need some kind

of checkpoints that says there's a physical border there?

There are borders all across Europe and those things will be negotiated

Northern Ireland's First Minister is a supporter of the Leave campaign.

But other parties at Stormont are worried about the potential

impact of an exit on the economy here, and the government

in the Republic share some of those concerns.

Approximately ?1 billion of goods and services is traded between

Towns along this shared border have benefited from European peace money.

It's helped to build among other things this sports facility

The town's most famous son is former world boxing champion Barry

But in the fight over Europe, he's not sure which corner to be in.

The south has benefited enormously from being part of Europe.

I'm still relatively undecided about whether I now live in the UK

or whether they should be part of Europe or not,

and none of the politicians have convinced me, that's

But my gut feeling tells me that the UK should

Politically and practically, checkpoints on Irish roads

might not be an option, but if Britain was outside of the EU

and the Irish Republic within, migration controls

Currently, you don't need a passport to travel between these islands.

But with modern security concerns, some have suggested

I think you should have to show passports regardless.

You're on a ferry, it could be anybody getting on this ferry.

It could be terrorists getting on the ferry.

But other travellers, used to crossing seasoned borders,

don't like the idea of new restrictions.

Where we live borders is completely insane.

Britain and Ireland have always sat apart from the rest

of Europe geographically, but this referendum is about where

the UK sits politically, and the final decision will make