11/03/2017 World News Today

broadcasting in the UK and around the world.

The headlines: The Turkish President attacks the Dutch as Nazis,

for blocking a campaign visit by the country's Foreign Minister.

The UN warns of the largest humanitarian crisis

20 million people face starvation in parts of Africa.

as his BJP party wins a landslide in key state elections.

And a record equalling 18th successive wins for England's rugby

team as they thrash Scotland to retain their Six Nations title.

An extraordinary diplomatic row between Turkey and the Netherlands

It all began when a minister in President Erdogan's government

was blocked from addressing a rally in Rotterdam.

That prompted Mr Erdogan to describe the Dutch government,

led by Mark Rutte, as "Nazi remnants".

A second Turkish minister has now been stopped

and in Ankara, the Dutch ambassador has been told he isn't welcome.

and today Recep Tayyip Erdogan doled it out.

After his Foreign Minister was blocked from landing

in the Netherlands, President Erdogan hit back

at the Dutch, his diplomacy typically undiplomatic.

TRANSLATION: They don't know anything about politics

They are Nazi remnants, they are fascists.

to rally Turkish voters in the Netherlands

before a referendum on boosting Mr Erdogan's powers.

But with the Dutch election next week,

the government there feared it could provoke tension

and feed the anti-immigrant Geert Wilders.

On the campaign trail, the Dutch Prime Minister

said he wouldn't give in Turkish blackmail.

he made clear that he threatened the Netherlands with sanctions,

and of course we cannot negotiate under such threats.

So then we decided, the Foreign Minister,

the Flemish Prime Minister and myself in a conference call,

that it was better for him not to come to the Netherlands.

His country having been occupied by the Nazis,

Mr Rutte reacted bluntly to the fascist comparison.

I understand they're angry, but this is of course way out.

Germany too was branded Nazis by Mr Erdogan

unprecedented language among Nato allies.

President Erdogan has an advantage with Europe,

Turkey the most active route for migrants,

and its role crucial to stemming the flow.

He's used it as a bargaining chip, but the EU is getting

increasingly frustrated with the Turkish strongman.

This is a classic Erdogan political tactic -

painting Turkey as the victim of Western oppression

and himself as the protector of national pride.

He thrives when he and his country are seen as the underdogs,

and this growing stand-off with Europe will rally

which he needs for a referendum victory.

So vintage Erdogan, pleasing his supporters,

horrifying his opponents, and reiterating the sense

that polarised Turkey is drifting ever further from Europe.

So why are Turkish officials taking these referendum rallies

Over 6.5 million Turks live in Europe.

Around 3.5 million of them live in Germany,

and around 500,000 live in the Netherlands.

says that in the most recent election,

over 2.8 million Turkish citizens

were eligible to vote at a Turkish Embassy abroad.

in winning President Erdogan the powers he seeks.

is President Erdogan being deliberately inflammatory?

A question I put to a Turkish academic based in Europe.

Oh, for sure, he is a master of provocation, both at home

and abroad, and this is pre-election mode in Turkey,

and also abroad as well, in a lot of the countries

where the Turkish officials are travelling to,

so it is a heightened mood of political polemic, if you will.

And Erdogan is quite expert in making sure that

these type of tensions do fit his political discourse and agenda,

You mentioned the election that present anyone

is holding next month - tell us about that election

There will be a referendum on the 16th of April

on a far-reaching constitutional change which, if accepted

by the electorate, would effectively replace Turkey's existing system

of parliamentary democracy with a strong executive

So a lot is at stake, it is a major turning point for Turkey.

Turkey has been governed with a parliamentary democracy

for many, many decades, and so this would be

So there's a lot on the line, and the government of

President Erdogan is campaigning heavily, of course aided

by the benefit of emergency laws that are in place at the moment,

and part of the opposition that is muted or being in prison.

Therefore, it is a very tense moment to go to the election.

And for more analysis on this diplomatic spat,

and what's behind it, you can go to our website.

At least 40 people are reported to have been killed

in twin bomb attacks in the heart of the Syrian capital Damascus.

The bombs targeted buses carrying Iraqi pilgrims

to the city's ancient cemetery, which houses Shia Muslim mausoleums.

Our correspondent Richard Conway is at the scene.

This is the largest attack to hit Damascus in some time.

A suicide bomber detonated his device in this commercial district

in the centre of Damascus, killing at least 40 people,

The target was Shia pilgrims visiting a nearby cemetery.

President Assad wants to present his country

is returning to normal, but as you can see

from the destruction, that's a long way off from happening.

It's the largest humanitarian crisis since the end

Now the United Nations is pleading for help to avoid catastrophe.

20 million people are facing starvation in four countries

including Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.

Our world affairs correspondent Richard Galpin has more.

For months now, it's been known that millions of people,

including this young baby in Yemen, have been starving.

She was just four months old when a BBC team met her in December.

Across Yemen, hundreds of thousands more children

And the threat of mass starvation is affecting three other countries.

This is a refugee camp in South Sudan,

which, like Yemen, has been torn apart by conflict.

Families forced to flee their homes and left with little to eat.

Already, a famine has been officially declared here,

with almost half the population in urgent need of help.

We stand at a critical point in our history.

Already, at the beginning of the year,

we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis

since the creation of the United Nations.

Now more than 20 million people across four countries

Without collective and coordinated global efforts,

Of the huge number of people the UN says are now in danger,

nearly 3 million in Somalia, and more than 14 million in Yemen.

The UN is predicting that, without serious help,

1.4 million people could die before the end of the year

They're calling for ?3.6 billion to tackle this crisis.

Aid agencies on the ground say at the moment they do not have

enough money to deal with the rising demand for help.

Apart from conflict, the other because of the crisis is drought.

In this hospital alone, almost 50 children have died in two months,

People have travelled almost two miles to get medical help. Most of

the cases, the death is caused by dehydration. We are doing

rehydration and giving antibiotics as well. While some basic aid is

reaching those in need, it's nowhere near enough, so it's possible famine

could be declared in all four countries - unprecedented in modern

times. Richard Galpin, BBC News. A look at some more

top stories this hour. An intruder carrying a backpack has

been arrested by US Secret Service agents as he entered the grounds

of the White House. The suspect gained entrance

on the south side, near a portico from which Presidents

often address the public. The backpack carried by the intruder

was screened and searched, Italian police and protesters

have clashed in the It's where thousands were

demonstrating against the leader of the anti-immigrant

Northern League party. Italian media says violence broke

out when a group of masked Huge rival rallies have

been taking place in The protests were for and against

the country's disgraced president. Park Geun-Hye is said

to be in a state of shock as her opponents press

for criminal charges. Despite Friday's court ruling

confirming her impeachment she remains inside the

presidential compound. A female judge here in the UK

is causing controversy, after warning women who get drunk

that they are putting themselves at risk of being

targeted by rapists. Her comments have been

described by campaigners as "outrageous" and "misguided".

Frankie McCamley reports. Jailed for six years

for what police described but, sentencing,

judge Lindsey Kushner used her final words before retiring

to issue a rape warning to women. She said girls are perfectly

entitled to drink themselves into the ground but should be aware

of potential defendants to rape gravitate towards girls

who have been drinking. If push comes to shove,

a girl who has been drunk is less likely to be believed than

one who is sober at the time. While many might see her comments

as useful advice, others believe

this is a backwards step. I'm very anxious that whatever

message she meant to send, it's very clear that what it

has sent is the message there is not much point

in reporting. Whatever amount of drink

you've had, do report - you will be treated

better than this suggests. this woman now helps

others through the ordeal. It makes all of us really

quite angry, and not just because they're arrogant,

factually incorrect comments, but it's one thing to go around

making these comments when you sit in a court room all day,

and you are engaging in one aspect of society without engaging

with the women Judge Kushner is not

the first to comment Other judges have faced

criticism in the past. Campaigners, though,

hope this will not stop other rape survivors from

coming forward in the future. Stay with us on BBC News,

still to come: Some flipping good news

from Florida, the sea turtle returning to the

ocean after an unhappy accident. The numbers of dead and wounded

defied belief, this is the worst terrorist atrocity on European soil

in modern times. In less than 24 hours, the Soviet

Union lost an elderly leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure

20 years his junior. We heard these gunshots from the gym, they came out

of a fire exit, we will all petrified. James Ellroy, aged 41,

sentenced to 99 years. He travelled from Memphis to Nashville in an

eight car convoy. What does it feel like to be married at last. It feels

fine, thank you. Is it going to change your life much? I don't know,

I've never been married before. This is BBC World News Today,

I'm Alpa Patel. The Turkish President

attacks the Dutch as Nazis for blocking a campaign visit

by the country's Foreign Minister. And the UN warns it's

the largest humanitarian crisis with urgent action needed to

counter famine in parts of Africa. The Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi and his BJP party are celebrating

after a landslide victory The state is the country's

most populated - and influential. especially after his blunder over

withdrawing high-value banknotes. And whose control over

India is now absolute. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has

just delivered a stunning victory for his party in the country's

political heartland, Uttar Pradesh, and at the BJP headquarters,

it's time to celebrate. The party now controls more than

half of India's state governments, leaving the opposition

trailing in the dust. The people of Uttar Pradesh

have put their faith TRANSLATION: His hard work

speaks for itself. He's always working for our

country's development. These might just be local elections,

but there's a reason why the BJP and its supporters

are so pleased with this victory. It means that Narendra Modi's

grip over India It means that he has

very few challengers looking ahead to the next

general elections in 2019. And most of all, it means

that he can take risky Late last year, Indians faced

massive cash shortages after Mr Modi's shock decision

to ban high-denomination banknotes. It effectively sucked out

more than 80% of the total currency in circulation,

creating hardship for many, But as these election results

have shown, it has had little impact

on the fortunes A giant green sea turtle has

been returned to the sea off the Florida Keys,

a month after becoming It's a triumph for workers

at a turtle hospital who've worked hard to get the creature -

who's at least 50 years old - Joy, as Jolly the female turtle

is released back to the wild Jolly was named after the wildlife

officers who helped rescue her from multiple crab trap

lines last month. Weighing in at 150 kilos,

she made a quick recovery from the partial amputation

of her right rear flipper. The nesting season in

Florida Keys starts in April. she can get out there in time

to date and hopefully lay some eggs. Breeding is all the more crucial

in view of the green sea turtles' listing as a threatened species

in the Atlantic Ocean. It's really important

to get a turtle this mature back out into the wild -

they are sexually mature, and sea turtles aren't reproductive

until they are 20 or 25 years old. Jolly is probably 50 plus years old,

so that's when we want to make sure she gets out so she keeps

making baby turtles. so well worth shelling out

for her treatment and care. Jolly looking in good health there!

Now the sport with Jessica, big day in rugby. Yes, huge day over in

England, and that is where we are going to start.

England have retained their Six Nations title

with an emphatic 61-21 win over Scotland at Twickenham.

The victory secures them the Calcutta Cup

and equals New Zealands record of 18 straight test wins.

It finished 61-21, Joe Wilson reports from Twickenham.

At the start of this game, we were expecting a tight match, even the

prospect of Scotland winning here for the first time since the 1980s.

They have risen to third in the rankings, but at half-time in this

match we knew the game was up. Scotland suffered from their own

lack of discipline, one man in the sin bin in the second minute of the

game, and they struggled with injuries. But above all that, there

was Jonathan Joseph for England, exploiting any gaps with his

skilful, powerful running, and when he is in full flow, it is a site to

match any Twickenham has seen in over a century. From that point on,

Scotland is never game up, they came back with tries in the second half,

but the margin of victory made it a record in the fixture that goes back

to the 1870s. Now, England have the Six Nations, but they are not done.

Another win in Ireland in a final game of the Six Nations sets a

record for consecutive test wins, but coach Eddie Jones, never to lose

with England, says his sights towards the World Cup in 2019. We

are only just beginning, is what he said at the conclusion of this game.

The boys, today, fantastic, did it in style, clinical, ruthless

performance. We asked the team to make a decision, and as a team we

took a step forward today, but all eyes are next week now, I suppose.

Six Nations away form with a bonus-point 40-18

France will host Wales in Paris next Saturday, and they must concentrate

on finishing in the top three for the first time since 2011.

has come to an end at the quarterfinal stage.

They were the first non-league side to reach the last eight

But their brave efforts weren't enough

against Premier League Arsenal at the Emirates.

They held off their illustrious opponents until almost half-time.

and the Gunners scored four more after the break,

to secure their place in the semifinals.

Earlier, Manchester City cruised passed Middlesbrough

David Silva scored after three minutes,

and Sergio Aguero sealed the victory in the second half.

Hull City boosted their chances of Premier League survival

Substitute Oumar Niasse scored twice

to help Hull take an important three points.

Swansea got a goal back but remain in 16th place.

Everton continued their push for a top-six place

Bournemouth finally have their first league win of 2017,

thanks to a hat trick from Joshua King.

The first Masters 1000 tournament of the year is under way

these are the most prestigious events on the tour.

is up against Canadian Vasek Pospisil in the second round.

He will avoid some of the top players until the latter stages of

the competition. I would say, you know, I have an

opportunity to do well, you know, the bottom half of the draw is

unbelievably strong, you know, the bottom quarter is probably one of

the toughest that you will ever see! You know, and I am playing well, I

feel fresh, I had to take a decent break after Melbourne and, yeah,

hopefully I can play some good stuff. It is a place I have

struggled in the past, my results have been inconsistent, hopefully I

can do a bit better this year. That is all

the sport for you, back to you, Al. The novels of Jane Austen

are read all over the world. The author died young

in her 40s, but until now, little has been known

about what ended her life. Tests carried out on Austen's

eyeglasses show the medicine she'd been taking could have contained

arsenic, which may have Ben Moore has this

exclusive report. For one of history's greatest

writers, just reading her own novels would have been very difficult

without these. Jane Austen's specs have been

at the British Library for 20 years, but only now can

they bring focus to her life. there were prescriptions

similar to what we have today. So what we did was have

somebody bring in a portable lensmeter so we could very,

very carefully have it examined. The first pair are low perception,

but her eyesight deteriorated. The final pair revealed

that she would have had great This could help reveal the mystery

of why she died so young. The possibility of her being

poisoned accidentally We know now that arsenic poisoning

can cause cataracts. Arsenic was often put into

medication for other types of illness, so potentially

for rheumatism, Using modern optometry,

we are able to see just what Jane Austen's eyesight

would have been like. I can only see my hand

when it's about there. So that's what she needed,

to correct her vision. The British Library wants

optometrists to get in touch and through the eyes of one

of our best-loved authors. During feeding time

at this Chinese zoo, one little panda just

can't find its snack. After a few prods with a stick,

and some heavy coaxing, the panda finally discovers it

and has a good old munch. Good evening. We had quite a bit of

sunshine in the north-west and the South and east today, where the

sunshine, it was lovely and warm. This sunshine El Arabi temperature

to spring up to 18