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World Service I'm James Copnall Syrian government troops pushed rebels out of parts of Eastern Huta forcing thousands of people to flee in a modern hostiles an air raid rainy and Russian bombs cluster bombs you see women and children are being killed on the street polls close in tightly contested elections in Italy will get the latest live from Milan finally and get a Merkel can celebrate his protracted negotiations to form a coalition to run Germany and in success athletics legend Roger Bannister the 1st man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes has died 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 from We'll hear from our correspondent at the red carpet at the Oscars plus the women only trade union in Ivory Coast you're listening to the b.b.c. World Service. Hello I'm Julie Candler with the b.b.c. News the Syrian president Bashar al Assad has said the offensive in eastern Guta must continue as his government forces advanced into the rebel held enclave he said the humanitarian situation that the West was talking about was a lie is Sebastian Usher these are the 1st public comments by President Assad since his forces launched a major operation to bludgeon Eastern Ghouta into submission at the cost of moving 600 civilians killed so far true to form he dismissed Western concerns over the humanitarian situation as a lie and he made his strategy explicit saying there was no contradiction between continuing the fighting while a stand simply observing a 5 hour daily truce that poor is in fighting has achieved nothing so far but the u.n. Says it will again try to get an aid convoy in on Monday in a strong condemnation the u.s. Said innocent civilians are being killed in the assault which it said was being backed by Russia and Iran under the false auspices of counterterrorism operations a monitoring group said government forces have now taken about a quarter of the enclave voting is coming to a close in the attendant talian general election 3 groups attempt to win the bulk of the vote the center left coalition led by the governing Democratic Party the n.t. Astonishment 5 Star Movement and a right wing alliance poll suggests the 5 Star Movement may gather the most votes but it has vowed not to enter any coalition which makes the right the favorites to take power however the former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi will not be able to return to office even if his fortes Italia party does the best he's been disqualified from office for tax fraud. South African stores have began a mass recall of meat products after they were identified as the source of a listeria outbreak which has killed $180.00 people is our Africa editor Mary Harper with the details nearly a 1000 people have been struck down this listeria in South Africa in the past year the United Nations says this outbreak believed to be the largest ever world wide the disease causes high temperatures vomiting and diarrhea and can be fatal stores are now rushing to withdraw process meat from their shelves especially the sausage known locally as plenty to which the outbreak has been traced in order to avoid cross contamination people have been warned not to eat other forms of processed meat that does not require cooking the German president Frank Valter Steinmeyer has hailed the imminent formation of a new coalition government saying it was good to end a period of insecurity he prays Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative grouping and the Social Democrats are being ready as he put it to take on the responsibility of governing. Earlier 2 thirds of social democratic party members indorse the deal it clears the way for parliament to select Mrs Merkel for a 4th term later this month the French president Emmanuel Micro also welcome to the development Well news from the b.b.c. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia has arrived in Egypt on his 1st foreign trip since he became heir to the throne and de facto ruler of the kingdom Saudi Arabia and Egypt are close allies and the Saudis have provided billions of dollars in aid Egyptian state media said the 2 leaders would discuss a range of issues including Iran's regional influence and the Saudi dispute with Qatar. The Slovakian president under a Kiska has called for a radical reconstruction of the government on new elections as a way of rebuilding trust in the state thousands of Slovaks attended demonstrations across the country on Friday to protest against the killing of Yan could see I can't his partner president said the people would justified in their lack of faith in the state the nes. Today the mistrusting people in the state is enormous many do not trust institutions that are active in criminal procedures and this mistrust is legitimate borders have been crossed and there is no way back. That's terrible evidence of the condition of our republic after 25 years of existence something evil is below the surface something evil is in the roots of our state the Ugandan president Yoweri Miss 70 has sacked his police chief. And the country's minister for security Henry to work on day Gen k. Or her a veteran of the war that brought Mr to power in 1906 was once regarded as the most powerful military officer in Uganda but he's come under pressure for failing to curb growing insecurity in crime. We're getting details the 1st projections from the Italian government general election local media reporting they'll be no overall majority in the new parliament the populist 5 Star Movement is predicted to be the largest single party in the new parliament Italian media saying it's won 29 percent of the vote b.b.c. News. You're listening to the news room from the b.b.c. World Service with me James Copnall we start in Syria where an offensive by government troops against rebels in East include is making ground talking for the 1st time since the operation began President Bashar al Assad has dismissed any suggestion it would stop and said Western characterizations of a disastrous humanitarian situation were lies human rights observers say the offensive has killed at least $600.00 people including many civilians pro-government forces are now said to be in control of a quarter of the area part of which is a Damascus suburb and rebel fighters admit they've been forced to retreat thousands of civilians are fleeing as akhara Spondon yella now reports from neighboring Lebanon. On the move after spending days hiding in their basements people from rural East in the polls their belongings into cars and trailers to try to move to safety farmers even brought the cows one man told the b.b.c. He was afraid and the situation was hellish Yarden had an armada and I saw I was on air raids Iranian and Russian bombs cluster bombs you see women and children are being butchered on the street even animals are being killed the assault on East included by pro-government forces began with an intense and deadly aerial bombardment recent days have seen them advancing on the ground rebel front lines are said to have been broken with fighters pulling back one rebel group is reported to be negotiating terms for the surrender of the town of Misrata with Damascus if a deal is struck that would open the way for government troops to split east includes into to an estimated 400000 people is said to be trapped in the area but so far the u.n. Has been unable to send in an aid convoy Yeah now in Lebanon to Italy now where the polls have just closed in the country's general election correspondent James Reynolds joins us from Milan James voting just finished some early indications coming in direction of travel as it were what do you make of what you've heard so far. Well we've just seen what everyone else to seeing which is the exit polls which is snapped on Italian television broadly at this stage they are repeating what people saw in the opinion polls the suggestion is from these exit polls and I use that word suggestion deliberately that the 5 Star Movement will be the single largest party but would be some way short of a majority the single largest grouping potentially would be the center right grouping still short of a majority it is of course worth stressing and repeating and repeating that exit polls were wrong in the previous election 2013 so of course they could be wrong again in this election if they are correct would this lead itself to some form of coalition. I think there will have to be a coalition if no party gets a working majority as the exit poll suggests and essentially a large row if these polls are correct will be played by it least President said of the president is a largely ceremonial figure in Italy until it comes to coalition forming in which point in a few weeks the president would call in the leaders of all parties work out who maybe best place to try to form a government and invite that person to form a government and it's been a pretty bitter divisive campaign what would you say the main issues were. Immigration certainly was one and high unemployment was another the center right alliance has made a big promise of deporting illegal migrants from Italy and all parties have made promises about ending at least current state of youth unemployment the 5 Star Movement in particular has shown strength in Sydney in opinion polls in areas where young people want jobs. James Reynolds in Milan thank you very much indeed now I know America's triumph may be bittersweet she will at last serve a historic 4th term as German chancellor but only thanks to her political rivals the Social Democrats she had to rely on them after a disappointing general election result may need you to go to her open door immigration policy from Berlin Here's Jenny Hill I'm going to Merkel has finally got her government in effect is the same as the last one a centrist coalition between her conservatives and the social democrats or s.p.d. But it's come at a price the s.p.d. Has torn itself apart over the decision to renew the alliance many social democrats still oppose it and off to months of political wrangling there's limited public enthusiasm for the union I'm going to Merkel herself profoundly damaged by the whole episode will lead a coalition in which despite the official platitudes the cracks are already visible and lying in wait in the Bundestag the far right alternative a for do each land expect a barrel of boisterous resistance from what is now Germany's largest opposition party those who hope today marks Mrs Merkel's return to the European stage may yet find she's still preoccupied by events at home. Now some of you may be old enough to recall this historic commentary from the 1950 s. When I was going to go to the end of every one of them because there are 2 dollars to one there's a minute. I was a British former middle distance runner runner Roger Bannister who's died at the age of 88 achieving a feat which had widely been thought physically impossible until that spring day in 1954 he managed to run a mile or just over 1.6 kilometers in under 4 minutes Norris McWhirter the official time keeper at the race in Oxford kept the spectators waiting for confirmation that a unique world record had been broken where that time which is a new track record and which subject record the question would be a new English native British national British all comers you're a British empire and while it's record that. Freeman says that then I am fine Roberto. Bannister was described as the ultimate gentleman amateur a 25 year old medical student who worked the morning shift at a hospital and ate a bowl of porridge before the race he said that his body felt like an exploding flash bulb at the finish line and he wasn't immediately sure if he had broken the 4 minute barrier increasing tardiness wondering whether my legs would carry me over the line or whether they'd play tricks on me because I felt so tired and I would assume many had over the years just missed this target by a fraction of a 2nd what about us this record lasted just 46 days but his achievement had a great impact especially on British middle distance runners Steve Cram and Sebastian Coe subsequently held World Records for running a mile both pay tribute to Steve Cram 1st Roger was a great athlete he would tease $7.00 iron in later years about how he'd been around in our day and I bet attraction. Issues are better training methods he would have beaten us you know he was a great athlete 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 from your listening to the news room from the b.b.c. World Service Julie has some other stories from our news desk politicians and celebrities have been taking part in a March in central London ahead of International Women's Day on Thursday among those taking part was the British actor Michael Sheen who said he would take a pay cut if it meant getting the same money as an actress I want to make sure that I'm next to them and I want to listen I want to learn you know it's up to us as man to hear what women's experiences being I think we all have to look at our own responsibility and how we've been contributing I've been contributing to a systemic frustration of women are not hearing their voices the legislature in the American state of Indiana has approved a bill to ban the practice of eyeball tattooing it follows a report about a Canadian model who had major complications after having her eyes made purple under the Indiana proposal tattooist would be prohibited from coloring the whites of an individual's eyes free flights and baseball tickets are just some of the freebies South Korean companies are offering to anyone named Young me it's the 1st name of the lead sweeper for the we'll meet women's curling team that won an unexpected silver medal at the Winter Olympics in Pyongyang the 5 member team have become sought after models for commercials and inspired online memes and catchphrases Judy thank you very much like you go to the next time some call James wins a medal. Now for the 1st time in its history Ivory Coast has an all female trade union it already has $4000.00 members including teachers and market traders her Africa editor Mary Harper told us more this trade union was set up because basically it was felt that women not only occupied 2nd place generally in society and I free coastin in the workplace but also within the union movement itself for. Example No woman has ever led a union in Ivory Coast before so it was thought it would be a good idea to set up an exclusively female union and its motto is love solidarity and justice and it's already attracted $4000.00 members and they come from a broad range of backgrounds they're academics they're a small scale vendors all sorts of people are in it and one of the things that this union is going to look at is that many women in Ivory Coast especially those who work in farms and else by don't have access to health insurance so it's going to try to help provide them or give them ideas about how they can better protect their health the head of the Union Mariette to grave wa she said that women often get a raw deal in the workplace you're going to let them. Look at them but I'll give you an example there are many accountancy firms who do not want to employ female accountants and you know why because they say that when the women a pregnant at the end of the month they cannot adjust their salaries or prepare their bills but who makes the women pregnant in the 1st place it's the men we must sort this out together and change the mentality in companies and who has to take the children to hospital it's the women so it sounds like a pretty significant step was a reaction has there been there's been a mixed reaction for example the Minister for Women in Ivory Coast welcomed it and said it would be good to get more women involved in thinking about their own rights and aware of feminism and other issues but interestingly a very senior male trade unionist the head of a big group of unions in Ivory Coast he basically was quite dismissive even quite scornful about the union and he was saying that for example that he would never appoint a woman to a senior position just because she was a woman it had to be on merits and he also said that by forming this union it could be very divisive in terms of the union movement generally an Ivory Coast so basically he really didn't seem to approve of it or told Mary Harper in just a few hours Hollywood's biggest stars will begin to arrive on. On the red carpet for the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles this year's Oscars take place with the film industry in crisis following the string of allegations of sexual abuse made against Hollywood stars in recent months we're joined by a correspondent at a topic who's on that red carpet that to me 2 times out that be so huge issues in recent months are they going to dominate these Oscars as well. Will certainly this is the 1st Oscar since the times movement was officially unveiled and I think it's impossible to separate what's happening in the movement from what we'll see at the Oscars today now the red carpet won't be dominated by women wearing black gowns in the same way they were during the Golden Globes because the organizers have said that they don't want to become an award show protest group but we will have a moment during the ceremony that specifically marks for the movement Jimmy Kimmel The host says for example Casey Affleck who was the winner for best actor and who by tradition should have presented the best actress award while he will not be attending because he's been accused of sexual assault Now he denies that but he decided not to come to not take away from the award ceremony and certainly I think if you even look at the best pictures themselves they really are a nod to the me too movement and also the call for the Oscars not so white and kind of calling for more diversity in film you have 3 billboards outside adding Missouri which stars Frances McDormand as a strong gritty woman who really encapsulates what me to movement is about strong women taking on those you know who try to oppress them and so she's a grieving mother they're a very powerful performance again you have other for films like a ladybird which is made by women for women the director up for that great a girl wig and she is only one of 4 women who have ever been nominated in that role so as I say a lot of these issues that are surrounding and kind of a cloud over the ceremony will I think certainly be. Right up during the telecast Yeah just looking at that list of possible winners also 1st ever nomination for a female cinematographer That's Rachel Morrison from a band I mean all this is quite story in the 98th edition of these awards is not. Absolutely and I think look at the times that movement is all about by 2020 having a 5050 equality between men and women in the industry and right now the statistics are abysmal out of the 100 most grossing movies only 2 women have ever been seen to talk a 1st crush Ok quite a startling statistic there will wait keenly to see who wins that was never Tofik talking to us from rather noisy boisterous red carpet at the Oscars a reminder of our main story today President Assad has said the Syrian military has allies will continue their assault on rebel fighters in Eastern Huta That's it for this e