15/04/2016 BBC News at Ten

The battle lines are drawn - the EU referendum campaign gets

Politicians from both sides vie to get their message across to stay

This is the launch of a campaign for freedom, and it's

a chance for us to believe in ourselves again.

Prices will go up and there will be instability in the financial

markets, and what that means for families is that mortgage rates

Already on day one there has been strong disagreement between both

sides and accusations of fear-mongering.

Five people from Birmingham are arrested on suspicion of terrorism.

They're the first UK arrests connected with the investigation

Rescuing the increasing number of migrants trying

to teach Europe from Libya - but is it making the problem worse?

There is criticism that this military operation has made

That it's become a kind of collection service

The new law in a US state which has sparked accusations of bigotry

and protests from companies and rock stars.

And the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge set off on a three-hour

trek to reach Bhutan's holiest and highest site.

Coming up in Sportsday on BBC News: Manchester City have drawn

Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals, while Liverpool

face Villarreal in the Europa League last four.

The starting gun has been fired, politicians have hit the airwaves

and the road as the first day of official campaigning in the EU

Both sides have been putting their case and there's been

vigorous disagreement from concerns that mortgages might go up

if we don't stay in the EU, to how spending on the NHS would go

Our political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, has been

following the claim and counterclaim.

A warning - her report contains flash photography.

Revving up the crowds - or small, polite audiences.

Both sides are banging on doors and they

And tonight, in Manchester, the biggest star -

well, political star - trying to persuade you

This is the launch of a campaign for freedom.

As you would expect, there were gags aplenty.

But if you want out, he says this is the

Because if we fail to make the change now,

then we will continue to be like passengers

minicab, with a wonky sat-nav, driven by a driver who doesn't have

perfect command of English and going in a direction we, frankly, don't

Their first big claim, that ?350 million we send to the EU

can just instead be spent on the NHS, isn't quite that

Much of that cash actually comes back to be spent in

the UK anyway come on agriculture and research.

You know very well some of the ?350 million, much of

Do you really want to start this campaign not being completely

Come on. is very clear. The

Come on. relates to the gross figure that

goes every week to Brussels. Obviously, about ?10 billion of that

comes back spent in the UK by EU officials in Brussels, deciding what

our priorities should be, which seems to me to be absurd, we would

be much better spending our own seems to me to be absurd, we would

money ourselves in the UK on the Northern Powerhouse, on science, on

the NHS. There is a further ?10 billion a year that we never see

again in any form. For this crowd at least, the start of all of this is

the start of something big. It is going to be very exciting,

especially if we get guys like us in it! This is a massive decision. We

are not very far away from it. It seems a bit late. I have been

looking forward to it for a long time. I wanted to see Boris! Today

the Catholic Church joined the chorus of established voices urging

you to stay. We should seek the unities that bind our common

humanity, we do that between churches and we should do it between

nations. The former Chancellor, Alistair Darling, gave a sombre

warning, claiming the dream of the Leave camp that we could prosper

outside of the EU is a nightmare. They are offering a fantasy future

where we keep all the benefits of Europe without being part of the

single market. It is Project Fantasy. All political campaigns

need energy and this side has got bags of that. They are lining up

against some of the most senior figures in the British Government

and some of the biggest names and most influential organisations from

all round the world. One Cabinet Minister who wants to leave told

all round the world. One Cabinet they are definitely in with a shout.

For those arguing to leave the EU, the next couple of months aren't

going to be easy. It is not quite David versus Goliath, but those

pushing to leave are relative outsiders. Yes, even him. With the

announcement by chance outsiders. Yes, even him. With the

here in ten weeks' time, it is in this city our future as a country

will be revealed. Laura Kuenssberg, BBC News, Manchester.

The Chancellor has warned that mortgage rates could go up if the UK

Speaking in Washington at a meeting of the International Monetary Fund,

George Osborne said the view from international finance ministers

there was that a vote to leave would be a major shock to the world

economy, leading to instability and rising interest rates.

Vote Leave accused the Chancellor of intimidating the British public

Our economics editor, Kamal Ahmed, reports

unravelling, delays on steel, which brought criticism. The Panama

Papers, which caused the brought criticism. The Panama

Minister some discomfort. But whatever the problems at home, the

Chancellor in Washington only wants to talk about one thing - the risks

of leaving the European Union. I think the British people can see

that for all the ding dong of British politics you see a

Conservative Government working with the Labour Party, trade unions and

businesses working together, you have got all of these people setting

aside the day-to-day political fight to say to the British people, this

decision on the EU lasts for a generation or more, don't get it

wrong. Getting it wrong could even have an effect on people's

mortgages. The overwhelming view of the experts here in Washington is

that if Britain leaves the EU, prices would go up, and there would

be instability in financial markets. It is likely that mortgage rates

would go up, families would pay the price for Britain leaving the EU.

Finance ministers from around the world joined this gloomy chorus with

the 20 richest nations saying Britain leaving the EU would be a

shock. I asked the Chancellor's US equivalent what was the view from

America. The United States and the United Kingdom have a long and

special relationship and we value that and the United Kingdom is an

important part of the European Union. This is obviously a decision

for the British people to make, but we do believe that a strong Europe

with the UK as part of it is good for Europe, it is good for the UK

and it is good for the global economy. In the rather rarefied

world of the International Monetary Fund, the risks of Britain leaving

the European Union are clear. And George Osborne is telling everyone

as loudly as he can what he believes those risks are. But the thing about

economics, it is often disputed and there are plenty of economists who

simply do not agree with the cataclysmic warnings. I don't think

it is very plausible that mortgages will rise any faster if we leave the

EU than if we stay. Most economists think that if we leave the EU, that

would lead to interest rates rising later. As to the views of

international finance ministers, it is hardly surprising if they have

made plans on the basis of the UK remaining, they would prefer the UK

remain. I don't think you should take seriously the idea that what is

inconvenient for them might not be best for us. As the warnings roll in

from America, the Chancellor, the whole pro-EU campaign, has been

accused of panicking, using fear to scare the public. Mr Osborne says

all he is doing is reflecting the depth of anxiety amongst the world's

financial experts. Kamal Ahmed, BBC News, Washington.

And you can take a comprehensive look at all the arguments on both

side of the referendum debate on our website at bbc.co.uk/news.

Five people have been arrested in Birmingham and at Gatwick Airport

on suspicion of terrorism in connection with the terror

Whitehall officials have described the arrests as "significant".

Our home affairs correspondent, Daniel Sandford, is in Birmingham

Daniel, officials also saying there's no suggestion of an imminent

At one point today, a bomb disposal van was called to a house here in

Birmingham, though it turns out to be a short-term scare. Still,

tonight, five people are in custody in the West Midlands being

questioned on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism, the first arrests

in the UK from an investigation arising out of the Paris and

Brussels attacks. At this house, in the Small Heath

area of Birmingham, a bomb disposal van was briefly deployed today

when a suspicious It was part of an operation that

began late last night when West Midlands Counter-Terrorism

detectives arrested four people in the city, three men aged 26,

40 and 59, and a woman aged 29. Though neighbours at the Small Heath

house thought it unlikely the man living there

was involved in terrorism. There is no way at all that I can

believe he's an organiser of any terrorist group,

or any extremist group at all. A few hours after the Birmingham

arrests, in the early hours of this morning, at Gatwick Airport,

a fifth arrest, of another 26-year-old man as he stepped off

a flight from North Africa. Police say the arrests,

described by security sources as "significant", follow a joint

investigation with French and Belgian security services

following the recent It's three-and-a-half weeks

since the bombs in Brussels at the airport and on the Metro,

in which 32 people died. And five months since the attacks

in Paris, which killed 130. Both attacks have been linked

to a Belgian man called Mohamed Abrini, who is known

to have visited Birmingham. Mohamed Abrini is thought

to be the man in the hat, seen at Brussels airport just

before the attack. He was arrested after

four weeks on the run. He's also thought to have been

caught by a CCTV camera at a French petrol station with the leader

of the Paris attacks, just two days before

they were carried out, potentially connecting him to both

Brussels and Paris. The BBC has been told that he Abrini

visited Birmingham last summer Pictures of a football stadium

were later found on his phone. It is quite worrying if people,

who have been implicated in two major incidents

in Paris and Brussels, are able to come and go

as they please in our city. All five people arrested last night

are still being questioned They are being held on suspicion

of terrorism, but nobody Was there any suggestion that an

attack was being planned here? No, in fact exactly the opposite. While

security sources were describing these arrests as potentially

significant and while the police talked about an extensive

investigation involving the police here, the counter--terrorism unit,

MI5 and French and Belgian authorities, police were very keen

to stress that there was no suggestion that an attack was being

planned here in the UK. Thank you. A second powerful earthquake has

struck Southern Japan. The 7.3 magnitude quake hit the city

of Kumamoto a few hours ago, bringing buildings down,

causing fires and sending thousands Just yesterday the city was hit

by another earthquake From Tokyo our correspondent,

Ruper Wingfield-Hayes, reports. This is the moment when Japan's

national broadcaster broke in to announce that another big

earthquake had hit close to the southern

Japanese city of Kumamoto. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake has

struck off the coast In the darkness, this camera

overlooking the city began to sway In a town near the coast,

a whole neighbourhood is ablaze At least one person

is reported to have died here. The bottom floor of this apartment

building in Kumamoto There are numerous reports of people

trapped inside buildings, including 60 elderly people trapped

in an old people's home. It is now clear that this second

earthquake was much bigger It was around 30 times larger

in terms of energy released. That meant that many more people

were exposed to very strong shaking, maybe over 500,000 people,

probably, have been exposed So that means there is a significant

chance of casualties. Many of those people have again fled

onto the streets and into parks, where thousands are huddled under

blankets, looking dazed and afraid. Making things worse,

every few minutes after-shocks have These are the biggest quakes to have

hit Kumamoto in nearly 100 years. It's clear the people

here are very traumatised. It is now daylight in Japan, so the

extent of the damage is becoming clearer. There are ongoing rescue is

happening as we speak. The government in Tokyo has recently

released the latest figures. They say the death toll is still at one,

which is good news, but there are 23 cases of people trapped under

rubble. How many people are involved in each of those cases, we don't

know. It is clear the death toll could rise quite a lot further.

A brief look at some of the day's other news stories: Two teenage

girls have appeared at a youth court accused of kidnapping

a two-year-old girl from a Primark store in Newcastle.

The district judge was told that they are alleged to have had

a sexual motive for the abduction, and remanded them into care

A mother who admitted murdering her baby son has

Lesley Dunford, who's 37, was already in prison

for the manslaughter of her three-year-old daughter,

Politicians in Brazil have begun debating whether to impeach

President Dilma Rousseff, ahead of a vote on

If two-thirds of deputies vote in favour, it will trigger a formal

The president faces charges that she illegally manipulated

government accounts to conceal a growing deficit.

New figures show a sharp rise in the numbers of migrants setting

sail from Libya to Europe being picked up by the

Today, the head of EU foreign affairs and security went to see

So far this year, the EU naval operation in the Mediterranean has

led to 68 alleged people smugglers being arrested, more than a hundred

boats being destroyed and around 13,000 migrants being rescued -

But since Monday, the Italian coastguard says 4,000 people have

Our special correspondent Richard Bilton joined the naval

It is the flagship of an operation to save lives.

The Cavour is Italy's pride and joy, but this fighting ship is now

It is part of the EU's response to so much death in

Operation Sophia targets the people smugglers, but most of its work has

The seas are watched from above, military personnel

Last year, migrant boats drifted for days.

We are detecting them and we are able to send assets

There is criticism that this military operation is making

the rescue process too efficient, that it has effectively become

a pick-up service - and, in doing so, making these seas safer,

it is attracting more migrants to try and make the crossing.

This is one of the 26 rescues since Monday.

Young children in a flimsy dinghy, the desperate who set off

The number of those risking everything for a new life is up

So, what does the woman in charge of this operation think?

Visiting the carrier today, Federica Mogherini, the EU's

Last year we were feeling the shame of a European Union that was not

Today, we have to be proud of the fact that we

Do you think that the rescue operation is so efficient

now that it has become a kind of collection point?

The action is effective on the smugglers' network.

They are paying a price, an economic price, and life

is becoming more difficult for their business.

But this military might is not slowing the flow of people.

This dangerous crossing is busier than ever.

Richard Bilton, BBC News, on the Cavour,

In America, there's been a fierce debate over a new law affecting gay,

lesbian and transgender people in the state of North Carolina.

It means transgender people can only use public toilets in accordance

with the sex on their birth certificate - and it restricts

the protection of some of gay and transgender

Rock stars including Bruce Springsteen have

cancelled their shows in North Carolina in protest,

as our North America correspondent Aleem Maqbool reports

He never identified as a girl and is now going through the medical

But Luke's state has just passed a law that says he and others

who are transgender have to use public bathrooms for the sex

they were born with, not what they identify as.

Dressed like this, I don't want to go to the girls bathroom,

because I'll just be shunned by my peers then.

They'll be, like, "What are you doing?"

But then if I go to the guy's bathroom, and somebody, say,

who knows that I'm transgender and doesn't like me,

they could out me very easily and I could get

suspension from school temporarily, for having

There have been demonstrations against the new measures,

Bruce Springstein and Ringo Starr are among those who have

cancelled performances in North Carolina in protest.

PayPal and Deutsche Bank have said they're pulling

investments out of the state unless the law is overturned.

A lot of the focus has been on the issue of what bathroom can be

used by members of the transgender community, but, actually,

For people across North Carolina, this law takes away protection

against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation that had been

That affects the many employees here from LGBT communities,

as we heard very frankly from one of the politicians who pushed

I think an employer has the right to choose

who the employer wants to work, unless it's a matter of race,

colour, national origin, biological sex or religion.

You think it is OK for an employer to say,

"I don't want to hire a gay employee?"

There is no national law in America that explicitly forbids that.

But to hear a senior elected official so openly say that

discrimination is OK is something members of the gay community told us

It surprises me that people still feel like that.

I mean, being gay has nothing to do with your job.

Things have been progressing for decades now,

This just goes and shows us how much more work has to be done.

The courts, the Supreme Court said we can get married.

It seems that this is all retaliation to that.

Pressure's building to repeal the law, with its rules on bathrooms

But the politicians here remain defiant,

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have trekked

to Bhutan's holiest site - the ancient Tiger's Nest monastery.

It's perched on a cliff more than 10,000 feet above sea level

To reach it, the royal couple had to walk for three hours -

a journey Prince William initially described as easy, though

Our royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell

Hand in hand, they looked like a couple setting out

for a quiet stroll - except this was hardly that.

Ahead of them, a climb getting on for 3,000 feet,

about three quarters of the height of Britain's tallest

Their destination - the Tiger's Nest, a 17th century

Buddhist monastery built on an almost sheer cliff face.

It's a steep climb, quite a scramble in some places

and here they are at approximately halfway point, still

strolling and barely breaking sweat.

How are you finding the climb?

He's probably saying that to embarrass the press corps,

who struggled up with the aid of pack horses.

Well, just to carry the equipment, you understand.

At the halfway point there were prayer wheels to examine.

And a rather hurried photocall with William and Katherine posing

with the Tiger's Nest in the distance behind them.

All very picturesque - except William and Katherine

are in Bhutan, briefly, at the request of the Foreign

There's a tricky balance on a day such as this.

We shouldn't forget this is an official visit,

paid for by the taxpayer and also an opportunity for some

And the couple's wish, perhaps understandably, is to do

A further steep climb ahead, which brought them to a position

Another photocall and then a private visit

Nearly 20 years ago William's father Prince Charles came to Bhutan.

He too climbed to the Tiger's Nest, reportedly with ten pack horses,

which brought, among other things his easel and paints,

Today, his elder son and his wife left with only their memories

I feel very lucky and fortunate to see such beautiful scenery.

That's something I will remind him about when I see him.

More business than pleasure, certainly.

That's all from us, now on BBC One, it's time