i would put my money on 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 milestone for a lady director. ——

the director of lady bird, being female, is a milestone. it's going to take a while before we see significant change in weather type, but the week ahead promises milder conditions, it will be u nsettled milder conditions, it will be unsettled and is snow in the forecast but mainly the hills. overnight we will see further showery bursts of rain affecting areas around about the irish sea, something a bit more continuous turning to snow cross the high ground, temperatures in positive greater part of the week that is why we we re greater part of the week that is why we were suggesting the weather will be unsettled at times. rather murky start to the new day, missed and fork old weather front dragging its

way across the northern part of scotla nd way across the northern part of scotland will provide a rain around the coast, sleet and snow, temperatures just beginning to check upa bit. temperatures just beginning to check up a bit. take care. goodbye. tributes have been paid to sir roger bannister, the first athlete to run a mile in underfour minutes, who has died at the age of 88. the syrian president has said government forces will continue their assault on the bombarded enclave of eastern ghouta. residents are attempting to flee as fighting continues. the government has promised rewrite planning rules and build new towns in the south—east of england to tackle the housing shortage. severe weather is set to continue into a second week, bringing more disruption with it — warnings are in place in scotland, northern ireland and in the south—west and north of england. later tonight on the news channel— we'll have full coverage

of italy's general election, with results and analysis live from rome. now on bbc news, a special edition of the travel show, as christa larwood takes a musical journey though norway. this week on the travel show, i'm in norway, because i've heard of what must be one of the world's most unique music festivals, where the stage and the instruments are made of ice. so, i am taking the chance to head off from oslo to bergen on a musical journey on one of the world's most spectacular railways. i'm going to look deep into norway's roots, trying to get a sense of how this country's landscapes, culture and society are brought to life by its music. but first, i start my trip

in norway's capital of oslo. and on the oslo waterfront, a transformation has been taking place. a big part of that was this spectacular building, the oslo opera house. it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and is a symbol of the city's commitment to the arts. so it is a perfect place to hear some traditional norwegian goat horn. playing horn. that is so good! thank you!

it is amazing that such a variety of sounds come out of such a simple instrument. yes, it is quite simple, as you see. it is a bone, and it is a goat's horn, ooh, at the wrong way — this way. actually, it was not made for making music. the shepherds had it to keep the wolves and bears away. so this was a warning. this is not pretty music! yes, not many melodies are written down, as we know, but some. would you say there is something unique running through norwegian music and where does that come from? nature gives me a lot of power and a lot of inspiration to make music. we are quite isolated. still, there are people who do this, try to make their own voice. so i am about to head off through the country to bergen, listening to music along the way.

it is there something i should be listening out for? is there something i should be paying attention to? try to find some folk music, some singers and also go to small jazz clubs. look for the small spots. there are people working all over the place. so now i have my mission, there is a train to catch. joining me for the first part of my trip isjan, a train fanatic and a man who wrote a book on the bergensbanen railway line. why did you write this big long book all about this railway? the bergensbanen is iconic in norway and in europe, i think. many people know the name and know what they will see when the come here. along its 308 miles,

the train navigates challenging but stunning terrain. at its peak of over 1200 metres, it is one europe's highest railways, before it descends steeply into norway's second city of bergen. its elemental landscape posed a huge challenge, and an engineering triumph for those working on the railway during its construction, between 1894 and 1909, with about 20 people thought to have died in the process. at a time when norway's independence was always on the horizon, the construction of the bergensbanen was more than an added convenience for travellers. this line connected the east and the western part of norway. before that, people had to go around and take boats by the sea, or small horse roads through the mountains. so the trains were opening up norway. the construction work was started in 1898, and at that time, we were administrated by sweden, and they did not like this at all, because they thought it could be used for military purpose.

so this is a sign of norwegian strength, that maybe was not approved of? you could say that. so in a way, this is a symbol for the founding of the norwegian nation. yes. all this makes it special. you can't find this in other lines. this is what norway is. as jan reaches his stop, i settle in. three and a half hours from oslo, i pull into this town. but it is not my destination. for the last 13 years, this town has hosted the ice music festival. but on i go upwards, almost 500 metres higher,

to the new home of the festival in finse. you really feel and see it in the air. it is cold here. and it is this cold, the icy conditions and the elevation, that drew polar explorers like shackleton to train here before going on their expeditions. word is it will reach a low of —23 celsius tonight. so i should rug up. what makes this festival extra

special is that the instruments are actually made on the day, from nearby ice. among the line—up this year is everything from ice horns to ice drums and ice didgeridoos. the concert is only hours away, and here you are making the instruments. this has to be an unusual thing for a musician. for me, it is not. for most musicians it is. good sounding ice is the most difficult part. you cannotjust go to your freezer. you cannot go to the next lake. ice is like wine — there are good years and bad years. so why ice? what inspired this festival?

it is nearly 20 years since the first time i tried ice. and i found the sound so fantastically beautiful. or what we can dais give itbacie and also, the ice reminds me that we need to treat ice so gentle not to break it — it is like how we should treat nature. why is this happening in norway, in particular, aside from all the ice? one of the reasons we can do this in norway is that we are very lucky that we have for many years had a government that wants to support music. this makes it possible for a musician like me, who works with contemporary

improvised music, to survive, to be even be able to buy a house. it allows me to experiment. what is this? this is an ice—aphone. the sound is phenomenal. do you like it? that is lovely. any chance i could have a go? very carefully. i promise you. and i promise i will demonstrate no ability. you may as well have given it to a child. this is great! but one of the biggest challenges of putting on this festival

is the construction of the venue itself — an ice concert hall. and this professor oversees the construction. he and his students have battled fierce blizzard conditions for six days to create a solid structure. but each day's work has resulted in disaster. we started with plan a and ended up with plan y. because every day, you know, it is like you're climbing a wall, slippery, and fall back down again. next day you start again. it is frustrating. but that is how it is and that is the challenge. you need to work with the forces,

because you can never beat them. when we work with them, you know, it is like having a good friend. it seems like your team is working very, very hard. good luck. we will see how it works out. we just need to finish now. we have some hours left. so as evening approaches, the finishing touches are fast being made around the site. i really like it because it is kind of the sound of nature. so it doesn't sound like anything else you have ever heard. so people are really surprised when they hear it for the first time. you don't get to practise, so the music gets made on stage in front of the audience, and that is really special. many people are like,

what, is this possible? that is pretty cool. i guess there is a lot of folk music in it. it is very nordic, with the ice and the snow and the cold winters. just in the nick of time, all is ready and we gather for an evening of ice music. that was amazing. such a bonkers soundscape and incredible to think that all the sounds were made from ice. i think it's also an interesting way to experience the landscape of norway — freezing cold with a full moon overhead. having said that, it is freezing cold. i am frozen through. it's time to head in. morning mood from grieg's peer gynt suite plays.

next morning, the festival continues without me as i return to the bergensbanen for the next part of myjourney. travelling on this stretch of the line, you start to appreciate the vast landscapes that this country has to offer. and i cannot imagine a better way of experiencing them than this. music reaches its crescendo.

well, my train‘s arrived at its destination, but my musical journey across norway is not yet finished, because i am in bergen, a cultural hotspot and a great way to experience the rich musical heritage of norway. she plays allegro molto moderato from grieg's concerto in a minor. edvard grieg, possibly norway's most well known and loved classical composer. here in bergen, set among woodland alongside a vast lake, a museum to grieg has preserved and restored the grounds

where he once lived and worked. you can see now we will enter the house and this is the main entrance. this year will be a milestone for the man, as it will be 150 years since he wrote his famous piano concerto. he really was a very much appreciated composer in his lifetime. we know that in great britain for example, he was one of the most popular living composers in his time. the second part of the 19th century was going together with all of this national movement in norway and norway was, by then, a country together with sweden with one king living in sweden, and he found very young and fresh style and i think that built upon those dance rhythms

and folk music elements in his bigger compositions. he looked upon folk songs as something universal. they survive from generation to generation and if you slip through the borders, you can find the same elements in folk music. and some of that folk music that inspired grieg can still be heard today. and one of the best ways to experience it is with dance. dance company frikar performs contemporary dance all the way around norway and beyond that's inspired by nature and traditional norwegian folk roots. they have agreed to come and show me some of the traditional elements found in norway's halling dance.

the dance is mostly sort of a show—off dance. 100 years ago women also did that dance. it is mostly boys or men doing the dance because we want to... we want to impress the other men 01’ women. put your right foot in front of the left. sidewards. believe me, this is harder than it looks. and if you jump a little on each step, one, two. yes. nice. and then around. but i think i am getting hang of it. one, two, one, two. and then we can move down here. no!

so what is the relationship between the dance and the music? maria plays the hardingfele, it's our national instrument. some people say the fiddle, the music came because of the dance and some say it was the other way. i think they depend on each other. for me and for many it is very important to use the music dancing and the music makes me want to do suddenly some steps and everything. it is life. nothing planned, it is just happening. nice! back in the old days they used the ceilings to kick down a coin orjust kick their heels. they kicked the ceiling? the houses were smaller back in those days. in the 1800s, the military started competitions to try and kick a hat

from a stick and it was about who could kick the highest. and then it was incorporated in the halling folk dance. so we do it as a part of the dance and, of course, it must be a good kick and the higher it is, the better it is. everyone in norway, i think if i say halling they say kicking the hat, that it is the main goal in the halling. but the dance is the main goal, kicking the hat is sort of topping it. finally, i wanted to get a sense of where all of this is leading.

a former meat factory a short walk from the city centre serves as a gig venue and melting pot for artists of all types in the city. this creative hub is home to the studios of electronic, jazz, hip—hop and many other types of musicians, including royskopp, and it is where much of norway's future music is being thrashed out. these days especially there is some new mixing of old, old traditions with very new electronic and experimental music. kjetil has a studio here and plays saxophone in tonight's gig. tonight, we are playing with a guitar player.

it is electro—acoustic folk, jazz, experimental, ambient something, you know. the bergen scene, i think it has a lot to do with the size of the city. only a few people play every kind of thing so you have to collaborate. ifeel like i have rediscovered this place through its music. it is a country constantly inspired by nature of epic proportions. it treasures its traditions but is not afraid to look forward. where artists are free to experiment and supported as a crucial part of society and where distinctive sounds can be found in the smallest of communities. if the bergensbanen showed me norway's muscle, its music has shown me its heart and soul. thank you forjoining me, let's get

up—to—date with what is now becoming an all—important up—to—date with what is now becoming an all—importa nt weather forecast. many are seen like this and some days to come will look like this for a lot of you because they snow will not disappear straightaway but there is no doubt about it, moving into something a good deal more clement than many of us have speed against and we have to thank this area of low pressure for that. we don't often but this system anchored as it is way towards the west and south west of the british isles will help to feed in a relatively mild air from the atlantic rather than something very much colder from the ha rd of something very much colder from the hard of continental europe. that does not mean to say it will be a heatwave but we are already beginning to see some of those temperatures taking up across the southern counties of england and wales through the course of the evening and overnight the temperatures will stay positive

across the southern half of britain, further north in major towns and cities yes in positive territory but in the countryside with all the lying snow it will be another cold night and there might be further snow showers simply because this area of low pressure is doing is u nsettled area of low pressure is doing is unsettled but it's helping lift the temperatures slowly but surely. close to that area of low pressure down towards the southwest expect heavy rainfall into the south—western parts of wales, further north weather front will produce rain and sleet around the coastal areas and write—up in the far north and maybe the high ground of scotla nd far north and maybe the high ground of scotland we might well find further snow showers. this is tuesday, looking at a fairly settled picture, quite a bit of dry weather, but the leaden skies it has to be said, dallas bungling of showers down towards the south west. further rain about the coast of scotland, maybe over the highest ground again a further dusting of snow and at this stage tempters in the south starting to push towards double

figures. not a great deal of change on wednesday, save for some pretty hefty showers for some spots across england and wales and again all the while there is that chance of further wintry showers across the very highest ground in scotland. those temperature is by that stage well in positive territory by day. so becoming milder, rather unsettled because of the low and if there is any snow it will mainly be on the hills. this is bbc world news today. i'm geeta guru—murthy. our top stories... civilians flee eastern ghouta, as syrian government forces advance on the rebel—held area. polls are closing in just under an hourin polls are closing in just under an hour in the italian general election. parties on all sides are hoping for at least a share of power. as hollywood prepares for the oscars, will the ceremony focus on the films or the new mood of protest? these are live pictures. harvey

weinstein has changed the scope of award season on what people ask on red carpets and what they wear full he has changed how the whole industry is behaving. hello and welcome to world news today.