this is bbc news. the headlines at 8... tributes to sir roger bannister who stunned the world by running the first sub—four minute mile. he was one of the cleverest people i think i've ever met and he was in equal measure modest as well. as syrian government forces are reported to have seized control of a quarter of the rebel enclave of eastern ghouta, our correspondent reports from damascus. the government promises to overhaul planning rules and press ahead with two new towns in an effort to address the housing crisis. also this hour... more disruption could be on the way as communities begin the clear up after this week's freezing weather. further snow and ice is forecast, with warnings in place for scotland, northern ireland and the north of england. and coming up later tonight on the news channel... we'll have full coverage of italy's general election, with results and analysis live from rome. good evening and

welcome to bbc news. sir roger bannister — the first man to run a mile in underfour minutes — has died at the age of 88. he made athletics history on a track in oxford in 1954 — when he was an amateur athlete. it was a moment that came to symbolise sporting achievement. after retiring from athletics, he became a distinguished doctor and neurologist. today fellow athletes paid tribute to a man who made "the impossible possible. " joe wilson looks back at a remarkable life. newsreel: 25-year-old roger bannister, third from the left. there are some moments of sporting history which become part of the world's history. he's decided this is the right moment. what roger bannister achieved in 1954 was like a lunar landing for 20th century sport. bannister‘s old friend and rival chris chataway is in third place,

waiting to take over as pacer. to run a mile and stop the clock before it reached four minutes. in 1954, this was a magical number, a barrier of human achievement. a feat that would redefine what was humanly possible. and it would fall to a young medical student to achieve it. after two—and—a—half laps, brasher gives way to chataway. bannister, a superb tactician, has suffered some criticism in the past for adopting his own rather unorthodox training methods. but they are paying dividends now. at this point it becomes quite painful. i overtake chris chataway and begin the finish. and here he comes. bannister goes streaking forward with about 250 yards to the tapes. every stride counted. the tape broke at three minutes 59.4 seconds. and bannister has done it. though he is out on his feet, his coach and team manager tell him he has achieved his ambition.

it might have felt like the world stopped when that clock stopped. four minute mile was a sporting catch phrase everyone recognised. all i can say i'm absolutely overwhelmed and delighted. it was a great surprise to me to be able to do it today. and i think i was very lucky. there was certainly a feeling of it being a national event, and something of a landmark for the country. sir roger bannister was a hugely influential figure in sport. especially for those whose athletics careers came after. roger was a great athlete. he would tease seb and i in later years about had he been around in our day and had better tracks and better shoes and better training methods he would have beaten us. he was one of the cleverest people i think i've ever met, and he was, in equal measure, modest as well. he never really got what he did and it wasn't a front. laura muir is the most recent athlete to continue great britain's middle distance tradition, giving everything to win a silver

medal at the world indoor championships this weekend. she studied medicine to become a vet, and recognises her link to bannister. i think he was very influential and very sort of inspirational to a lot of people, and to me, that you can combine, you know, academics and running. sir roger bannister was knighted in 1975. athletics was only a small part of his life. he regarded his work as a neurologist as more significant. when he was diagnosed with parkinson's disease he described the gentle irony that a neurologist should find himself with a neurological condition. training for roger bannister in athletics had been half an hour a day on a cinder track. the world's first for minute miler was also perhaps sport's last great amateur. sir roger bannister, who has died at the age of 88.

on the line is ray church, who was lucky enough to see roger bannister break the world record in 1954 at the iffley road track. thank you very much forjoining us. talk is through what you remember on that day? i was an apprentice at oxford university. i was about 17. the rumour went around oxford university press that roger bannister was going to attempt the four minute mile. at the end of work, because it was in the evening that the actual waste macro i'm not sure if it was an athletics meeting 01’ sure if it was an athletics meeting or whether it was roger bannister doing it on his own... at the end of my working time, i got on my bike at oxford university press, which was a mile away from the running ground. i went there and parked my bike outside. it was all free as far as i

could remember. there is a grass mound on the far end of the running track. i sat down there with other people, not loads of other people but with other people. and roger bannister attempted to do the four minute mile, which i saw... we knew what he was trying to attempt with chris chat away and chris brochure. —— chataway and brasher. chataway and brasher did various going in front to take him on. on the last lap it all went wild. we all knew he was going to do it. then he was just overta ken was going to do it. then he was just ove rta ke n by was going to do it. then he was just overtaken by loads of people. everyone went round him. i did not see him collapse. i saw that on

films later. it was a momentous occasion. i was proud to be there. after it was over i got on my bike and rode home. the event has always stayed with me. i did a cruise a few yea rs stayed with me. i did a cruise a few years ago and sat next to a chap from canada. he said, where did you come from? i said, oxford. from canada. he said, where did you come from? isaid, oxford. he from canada. he said, where did you come from? i said, oxford. he said thatis come from? i said, oxford. he said that is where roger bannister ran the four minute mile. i was proud to tell him i was there. what were the conditions like? it was quite windy, wasn't it? they waited for the wind to abate. it was a fairly windy day but they've waited for the wind to go down before they actually did the race, before they actually did the race, before they actually shot the guns to start them off. how where were you of the tactics with two

christians were using to help roger do this? i knew they were pacemakers but i don't think i understood all the into this either what was going on. i realised they were the pacemakers were trying to get him round as fast as they could. how many people realised the significance of what they watched? the crowd would have been bigger than they would have ever have expected to get for an athletics meeting here. the rumour came to me when i was at work, so i should think it got out and about that he was going to attempt it. there was quite a lot of talk at that time. there was an australian called john landy, who is also looking to do the four minute mile. there was a bit of competition between the two of them as to who was going to do it first. it was quite a big sports story in those days. you didn't need social media to get you onto the track at the right time. i wouldn't know what

social media was. the grapevine was working well. i really don't know how i knew. the rumourjust went round and i was a bit of a sports nut, so i went my bike and got there. thank you for talking us through that extraordinary day and your memories of it. thank you. there have been many tributes paid to sir roger bannister. ben ando's been looking at them. so many people have been talking about how humble he was at this achievement. he was one of the last great amateur sportsmen. this is on the cusp of sport changing massively into what we have now come on demand, almost saturation coverage. one of those paying tribute today was a great paralympian, tanni grey—thompson. she said when she was starting a cheap struggled to find a lot of information out about roger. asa

lot of information out about roger. as a teenager is much harder to find video footage of the records back then for is a bit wasn't just at the time it was also the way that he ran. the magical four minute barrier was huge. even now, you have technology and they still want to achieve the four minute barrier because there is something very special about it. we can also hear from someone with a very close family connection to this extraordinary achievement. that's right. on the day, the pacemakers that helped sir roger make the four minute mile work chataway and brasher. the son of chris brasher has been paying tribute. he feels what has been achieved cannot be achieved because of the fact the sport has become so professional. sir roger pozner legacy is a lifetime thing. it is timeless. to

be the first man to run under four minutes for the mile, be the first man to run under four minutes forthe mile, it be the first man to run under four minutes for the mile, it is is difficult for us 64 years later to maybe understand at the time how important it was. this was britain coming out of a war with rationing. he lifted the nation. he did what was seen to be physiologically impossible. people have tried for years to break this magical barrier will stop could someone run under four minutes for a mile? he did it. what he also did in his life outside running in medicine, he had lots of humility. he became head of the council which was sporting england. this is the end of an era. together with chataway and brasher, the three of them, what they achieved in sport was amazing. what they then went and achieved outside of sport, i don't

think will ever be seen again because sport now is a full—time profession. you brasher, son of chris brasher who took part that day. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. the first review is a little bit later because we have a special programme about the italian elections. our guests joining me tonight are tony grew and caroline frost. i would put money on there being some rather remarkable photographs of sir roger bannister on the front pages. hundreds of people have been fleeing eastern ghouta, just outside the syrian capital damascus, as government forces continue their assault. they are now said to hold a quarter of the province, which has been in the hands of rebel groups. our middle east editorjeremy bowen reports from damascus. these people said their village was moving because the syrian army had arrived. one man cursed the russians and iranians, key allies of the regime. air strikes he said including band

cluster bombs had not stopped. translation: it has been four days, no fuel, no bread, no food, no water. where is the world? where are human rights? we are humans, not animals. 400,000 people live in eastern ghouta, an area of fields and small towns about the size of manchester. most of them are civilians who have not been able to escape the war. translation: when the planes shelled, i could not see anything in front of me. i did not wait for the ambulance, i started running. the air strikes have been followed by ground troops who are making rapid advances. the strategy seems to be to cut

eastern ghouta in half. negotiations between the rebel groups and the russians have been going on for quite some time. it is not clear if the objective is a ceasefire or the effective surrender of the rebels. the biggest rebel group says it is regrouping after a retreat. the fighting is still going on, for the regime the prize is the end of the last major rebel enclave around damascus. for the rebels, these are desperate moments. jeremy bowen, bbc news, damascus. the headlines on bbc news: tributes to sir roger bannister, the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes, who has died at the age of 88. the offensive against rebel fighters in eastern kuto will continue according to the syrian president.

—— ghouta. they'll be changing planning rules to boost house—building. sport now. and a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. first tonight another golden moment for great britain at the world athletics championships with andrew pozzi winning the men's 60 metre hurdles in birmingham. pozzi had qualified as fastest for the final but he looked to have been pipped on the line by the american jarrett eaton. there was a photo finish between the two athletes and just a hundredth of a second between them. after a nervous wait though victory was confirmed for pozzi in front ofa home crowd in birmingham. the 25—year—old, who's great britain's joint team captain, grew up not far away from the arena itself in straford—upon—avon. it's pozzi's first global title after taking european indoor gold last year. my heart stopped at the end there. i knew at the fifth hurdle i was behind. i wanted it so badly, i just threw my body at the line hoping to get there, and just about got there. this championships has been amazing, and to be voted

co—captain has been the biggest honour of my life. every single member of this team has just been perfect. i'm delighted i could win at the end. pozzi shares captaincy duties with shelayna oskan—clarke who took the bronze medal in the women's 800 metres final. she was in fifth place coming into the final lap but by the last bend moved into third, finishing behind defending champion francine niyonsaba and ajee wilson. manchester city have extended their lead at the top of the premier league to 18 points with victory at home to chelsea. a second half goal from bernardo silva was enough for pep guardiola's side to see off the reigning champions at the etihad stadium. chelsea, who didn't manage a single shot on target, are fifth — five points adrift of the champions league places. we go game by game. now we are

thinking of the next one against basle. then the next one for the premier league. that is the way it has to b, to not get too excited, and to keep your feet on the ground. so city cruising towards the title. but a very different outlook for arsenal and their manager arsene wenger as they slumped to a 4th straight loss in all competitions. brighton are into the top half after their 2—1 win at the amex stadium this afternoon. arsenal keeper petr cech apologised to fans after the match — he was at fault for lewis dunk‘s opener. glenn murray's header put the home side 2—1 up before pierre—emerick aubameyang pulled one back for the gunners. but many of the travelling arsenal fans made their views clear. calling for wenger to leave the club. england women's coach phil neville faces his toughest assignment so far shortly when his side take on germany in their second match of the she believes tournament in newjersey. they are under way at the red bull arena nicknamed

the giant floating silver souffle due to it's unusual design. these are live pictures. i can tell you that germany 1—0 up. england had a pep talk before the match from david beckham. this a more difficult assignment against the world number two side than the comfortable 4—1 victory over france in their opening match of the tournament in midweek. germany 1—0 up germany1—0 up in germany 1—0 up in newjersey. live pictures are in the match continues on the bbc red button, as england have equalised. 18 minutes into the game and they are all square. 1—1 in newjersey. average game and they are all square. 1—1 in new jersey. average continues game and they are all square. 1—1 in newjersey. average continues on the bbc sport website and on the red button. —— coverage continues. in the aviva premiership, exeter chiefs have extended

their lead at the top after beating second placed saracens at sandy park. exeter took an early lead against the european champions with a second minute penalty before ben earl went on to score the first try of the game. the chiefs ran out 24—12 winners. there were also wins for harlequins, wasps and leicester. ican i can tell you it is 6—6 in the snooker. the welsh open continues. coverage a cross snooker. the welsh open continues. coverage across the bbc. that's all the sport for now. we'll have more for you on bbc news throughout the evening. the irish foreign minister has suggested that britain's proposals for the irish border after brexit may be rejected by the eu because it will need to protect how the single market works. simon coveney said there was little new detail on how to avoid a hard border in the prime minister's speech on friday. theresa may insisted there would be no return to barriers and border checks. here's our political correspondent eleanor garnier. it is more than 300 miles long. tens of thousands of people cross it everyday. and more than £1 billion is done in trade between northern ireland

and the republic every week. but after brexit, these roads will be the new frontier between the uk and eu. the challenge, how to keep this border invisible, when britain is outside the single market and the customs union. we are committed, the irish government is committed, all the parties in northern ireland, to making sure there is no hard border. the prime minister's plans would mean 80% of companies would face no new customs checks and with new technology, she believes a hard border can be avoided. but the irish government has its doubts. i am not sure that the european union will be able to support a situation whereby 80% of companies that trade north and south and south north will actually protect the integrity of the eu single market. to sort out this most trickiest of brexit conundrums, multiple sides need to be won over and the prime minister has already made clear, she will not accept the fallback position in brussels.

one that would see northern ireland stick to the rules and regulations of the eu. mrs may believes her latest thinking is a step forward. it sets out some ways, particularly on the issue of customs across—the—board, in which we can resolve that and i am pleased to say that the taoiseach, when i met him recently, has agreed that the uk and irish governments and the commission can sit down and look in more detail at the proposals that we have put forward. but others elsewhere in the uk have their doubts. i think one of the most shameful features of the whole brexit process has been the way, the negligent way in which the interests of ireland have just been cast aside. so, when i hear hertalk about technological solutions, i guess there is nobody who would disagree with the objectives she is setting, but she is talking at the moment about technological solutions that perhaps do not even exist. the irish border is a key sticking point in the talks, but other problems need solving, too.

there has been progress, but the brexit negotiations still have a long way to go. this week we will get a better idea of how convinced brussels is when the eu publishes its guidelines for the eu publishes its guidelines for the next round of talks about our future shape of the relationship with the european union. ill give an idea of whether what the prime minister is asking for is achievable. -- it will give. police are becoming concerned about a 17—year—old girl who has gone missing in cannock share. she was last seen on friday afternoon at tesco. the teenager is believed to be with a 45—year—old man who is wa nted be with a 45—year—old man who is wanted in connection with her disappearance. the detective

inspector from stafford police says there is no suggestion thatjessica was forcibly taken. the housing secretary sajid javid has warned that councils in england could be stripped of planning powers if not enough homes are being built in their areas. mrjavid told the sunday times he would be "breathing down" the necks of local authorities to ensure building targets are met. the government is preparing to announce an overhaul of planning rules in england tomorrow. the housing minister dominic rabb told the bbc‘s pienaar‘s politics that under the plans, pressure would be put on councils. lots of people have children or grandchildren trying to get onto the housing ladder. a lot of people know how difficult it is. there is a sense in which this has become a challenge that we cannot ignore anymore. we want to give the local authorities support the same roads are not congested and there are school places. we want to carry that with us. but we cannot do with duck that challenge. there will be less room for wriggling out of what is

the clear and overriding need of the local communities and the country large. we are clear on that. labour says home—ownership has fallen to a 30 year low since 2010; while rough sleeping has more than doubled. the shadow secretary for communities and local government, andrew gwynne, said targeting the government should crackdown on developers who don't build the homes they've promised. we need to get robust action on getting houses built. that means giving cancels the ability to use the housing revenue account, to be able to borrow against and build the new council homes that is absolutely crucial. it also means putting pressure on developers. there are thousands of planning applications that have been granted but developers are land banking whilst those developments that are chronically needed just not being built. work is continuing to clear

snow from the roads after days of disruption. there are still some problems on the railways — with some operators warning of delays continuing tomorrow. danjohnson reports from carlisle. not exactly the polar express. the train to carlisle that has not moved for three days. they have been trying to free it from a snow drift blocking the line from newcastle. a farmer helped rescue the passengers. they were very pleased to see us. very, very pleased, because they had been there for about five hours before we found them. they were just sitting, getting colder and colder. we found them and we got it sorted. there are teams working like this across large parts of the railway network, but the problem is, they keep clearing snow from the tracks, but then high winds blow it back again, blocking the line. so that means replacement buses and increasingly weary passengers. hoping to get the train back on wednesday morning and i had just been staying there since.

it has taken you five days to get here? five days, yeah, yeah. going to weymouth and i have just been told i have got to get three trains, a tube and then a bus. it is difficult to fathom, after this period of time. i am sure they are doing their best, but i am really irritated. voting's been taking place in italy's general election after a campaign dominated by immigration. the centre—left government is facing strong opposition from a coalition of right—wing parties and the anti establishment five star movement. here's our europe editor katya adler. charming, but troubled naples, unhappily encapsulates the problems at the heart of italy's elections. falling living standards, unemployment, and mass irregular migration from africa. but uncertainty hangs in the today. italians are voting for change.

they are just not sure which political party to trust. translation: i am so worried about italy. i said a prayer before coming to vote. translation: italians are frustrated. they need to hear our voice today. some of naples is the leader of the party tipped to become italy's largest today. his 5—star movement claims to be corruption free and people friendly. but the political system here favours coalitions and meaning this familiar face could be kingmaker in stead. naples and the south of italy will swing the vote today, silvio berlusconi did some last—minute campaigning here on behalf of a right—wing coalition. so, what does this rather chaotic political picture mean for italy and europe? after all, this is the eurozone's third—largest economy.

confusion is quintessentially italian, brussels is used to it, the financial markets seem prepared for it, they believe that a coalition government will water down more extremist populist policies on offer. how does that help italians get to grips with their problems? this napolitan shop is famous for its handcrafted political figures. today, all italian voters will help paint the future landscape of the country. stay with us here on the bbc news channel tonight for full coverage of the italian elections. we'll be live in rome with a special programme from just before the polls close at 10 o'clock tonight. not long to go now before the film industry's biggest event of the year

— the oscars. this year's event takes place after allegations against harvey weinstein, and amid the #metoo and time's up movements. our arts editor will gompertz reports from hollywood. here, on a still concealed oscars red carpet just about here, on a still concealed oscars red carpetjust about everybody has an opinion about what will happen tonight. what does a genuine olly woodburn side with her ear to the ground think? does she expect there to bea ground think? does she expect there to be a post harvey weinstein reaction? in terms of voting on the oscars, i don't think there would be a real effect on who wins and who loses. i would be surprised if three billboards has the same success. the shape of water seems to be a rising contender. i would shape of water seems to be a rising contender. iwould put shape of water seems to be a rising contender. i would put my money on

get out. the frontrunner for best actor is gary oldman for darkest hour. the actor who has captured the ingenue spot is timothy. if there is any movie that has captured the m e too movement, —— me too, it is fat. —— bat. the actress in lady bird is a