hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. the transition has officially begun, and the next president's introduced his top appointees, in foreign affairs. it's a team that reflects the fact that america is back. ready to lead the world, not retreat from it. we have to proceed with equal measure of humility and confidence. humility because as a president—elect said, we can't solve all the worlds problems alone. the another blow for outgoing president donald trump — pennsylvania has formally certified joe biden as the winner. european countries start outlining their plans on how to manage covid—19 restrictions for christmas.

in the uk — ministers from england, scotland, wales and northen ireland agree on rules to allow families to cross national borders. lee in italy it reported its highest death toll since march as the prime minister warns against going skiing for their holidays. jokina said america will confront its adversaries and not reject its allies. mr biden said his administration would confront america's adversaries and not reject its allies. here he is speaking a few minutes ago. it's a team that reflects the fact that america is back. ready to leave the world, not retreat from it. once again sit at the head of the table. ready to confront our adversaries and not reject our allies.

ready to stand up for our values. in fact, in calls from world leaders that i've had over 18 or 20 am not sure the exact number, the week since we won the election, i was struck by how much they are looking forward to the united states reasserting its historic role as a global leader. both in the pacific as well is the atlantic, all across the world. and here's his nominee for secretary of state, antony blinken. now we have to proceed with equal measures of humility and confidence. humility because as a president—elect said, we can't solve all the worlds problems alone. we need to be working with other countries, we need their cooperation. we need their partnership. but also confidence. because america at its best still has a greater ability than any other country on earth to bring others together to meet the challenges of oui’

together to meet the challenges of ourtime. together to meet the challenges of our time. we heard julia, what did you make of what you heard? our time. we heard julia, what did you make of what you heard7|j our time. we heard julia, what did you make of what you heard? i think we obviously knew that these nominations were coming. but i heard a lot of people in washington sources and strategists essentially say that this is a return to normalcy. something that we are typically in washington before the trump administration. remember, a number of these appointed officials who still have to go through their nominations to officially serve, a lot of them have served in the obama administration. they are very familiar creatures of washington, if you will. very different from president trump‘s appointees. maybe not many who came from outside the washington area, outside the beltway as we like to call it. definitely a bit of a return to normalcy. may be a return to the obama era days in a way. a total or for worse this fight, depending on your political persuasion. in practical terms,

which foreign policy strands is to impact immediately? we are going to see the us climate plan. us climate is going to want to be acted on quickly. joe biden has said that us will rejoin the paris accord as soon as he takes office. we've seen that john kerry, the secretary of state for the obama administration which helped negotiate those climate accords is very much itching to get that started back again. i would say that started back again. i would say that climate in particular is going to bea that climate in particular is going to be a major key issue to look at. i would also say in general, you're going to see more of a global partnership between the us and other nations. president trump very much touted this america first agenda. almost a bit of an isolationist. very much wanting to focus on what's happening inside america. but you're going to seejoe biden really kick off where former president obama left off. joining accords like the

paris climate accords was on and really looking to strengthen a lot of us partnerships such as us involvement in organisations. don't go anywhere. plenty of other things to discuss. joe biden said transition team can get to work much more efficiently now because of a tweet from president trump's last night. he said he head of the department that fascilitates the transition, emily murphy, was being threatened, and so for the sake of her wellbeing, he said, i am recommending that emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, i have told my team to do the same. not clear exactly what that means but according to senior democrat chuck schumer it's as close to a concession of defeat as we are likely to get. there may though already be consequences of donald trump's refusal to concede and his delaying of the transition. this is one member of the obama transition team in 2008. it's not something that can't be ove i’co m e it's not something that can't be ove rco m e by it's not something that can't be overcome by the professionalism and the expertise of the members of the

vitus, harris transition team for top it significant i remember in 2008, 2009 when i was part of the transition team, literally we were starting to go into the departments and agencies to better understand what had happened during the george w. bush administration. within days of the election. to lose three weeks when you only have a. of between 70 and 80 days is obviously quite important. nowjoe biden‘s has made it clear that his number one priority is the pandemic. and the statistics are stark. this shows the last four weeks of new cases — sometimes it's close to 200,000 cases a day. and one of the president—elect‘s covid advisors has told the bbc that the spread is currently ‘uncontrollable spread' and will take weeks to reverse. and he warned we may see 2000 deaths a day. we know this is a priority forjoe biden. but in practical terms, what's he going to do that donald trump hasn't? i think you're going

to see a president—elect biden, he's already pushing for example for eight national mask mandate. something that a lot of republicans are very unsure about. they see it is government overreach. you are going to see that and i think you are going to see biden, president—elect biden very much tried to get involved more from a federal level than president trump did. presidentjohn for example, has very much left coronavirus responses up very much left coronavirus responses up to individual states was out where i am in florida there aren't that many coronavirus restrictions right now. no state mask mandate. however, just a week ago when i was in dc you have to wear a mask wherever you go. they are very strict social distancing rules. and rules in terms of where you can eat, can you eat inside or outside? i think you're going to see president—elect biden play a much more active role in that. but presumably to deliver nationwide measures he's going to have to use

all of his political skills without you can't just all of his political skills without you can'tjust order states to do things, can he go two now, he cannot. this is going to have to negotiate quite a bit with congress. in the house that won't be as difficult because speaker of the houseis difficult because speaker of the house is also not obviously controlled by democrats. however, the senate will be a whole other story for top republicans right now are still in control of the senate. however he will, all this very much depends on the outcome of the two georgia senate race runners that are going to happen in earlyjanuary. depending on who is in control of the senate you are going to bury much impactjoe biden. in terms of who leads the states in terms of republican state—level resistance to joe biden, that's very possible. there are number of republican governors in south dakota, los angeles who are very concerned, very pro—trump who could beat very much

trying to resist any measures put forth by the biden administration. donald trump as we know has delayed this transition because he's been making a range of unsubstantiated claims around the election being rigged, this eight this morning for the president tweeted that 20/20 was the president tweeted that 20/20 was the most corrupt election in american history for that we are moving full speed ahead we will never can see. there was no evidence there was wide spread fraud and the fa ct there was wide spread fraud and the fact remains thatjoe biden is taking over whether donald trump concedes or not. this is the electoral college joe concedes or not. this is the electoral collegejoe biden is well past the 270 needed to enforce up he is going to become president on the 20th of january, 2021 for top obviously if donald trump attends the inauguration. despite those repeated claims of electoral fraud donald trump and his team have provided no substantive evidence to back that up. they've challenged results in michigan, georgia, wisconsin and pennsylvania for top all states thatjoe biden took from donald truong. today pennsylvania

certified the biden victory. yesterday mission and also yesterday a judge and pennsylvania dismissed the trump campaign lawsuit accusing it of making speculative accusations in an attempt to disenfranchise almost 7 million voters. julia, all of this adds up to what is almost the end of the legal road for the trump campaign. this is absolute lewdly the end of the legal road for the term can felt up there isn't much else where present trump to go with these challenges was to be already seeing these results being certified in pennsylvania, michigan, the general services administration for top that was a directive from president trump himself to begin the transition process. it seems that right now it wouldn't make much sense for president trump to continue with these legal challenges for that it will be interesting to see, this all goes back to georgia, you still have those two senate races in georgia. that's where the

republican party is very split in that scene for them you have the secretary of state in georgia saying there is no evidence of fraud and there is no evidence of fraud and the stapled up the president trump and number of other politicians in georgia saying there was fraud. there seems to be this big division within the republican party over whether to acknowledge or claim there was widespread voter fraud. 0bviously there was widespread voter fraud. obviously there is no evidence of that here. just remind us all why we are so focused on those two senate ru noffs are so focused on those two senate runoffs in georgia. ultimately determine who controls the senate majority. right now republicans control the senate majority. when joe biden comes into office if he has a democratically controlled senate and house it will be much easierfor him to implement his policies and his agenda. if he has a republican—controlled house that's going to be very difficult for him. because they will push back. especially on a number of these

nominations to keep i was like secretary of state that we have been discussing. another important the dowjones has just discussing. another important the dow jones has just moved discussing. another important the dowjones has just moved about the 30,000 mark. it's never happened before. here it is doing that. that's thought to be in part connected to joe biden that's thought to be in part connected tojoe biden his decision to appoint form of federal reserve janet yelling to be the next treasury secretary for top and apart connected to the good vaccine news we've had this week. donald trump want to talk about the doubt earlier. the stock market, dowjones average just hit 30,000. which is the highest in history for that we never broken 30000 and that is despite everything that has taken place with the pandemic. i'm very thrilled with what's happened with the vaccine front. that's been absolutely incredible. nothing like that has ever happened medically. and i think people are acknowledging that. it is having a big effect. the stock

market just broke having a big effect. the stock marketjust broke 30,000% never been broken, that number. that's a sacred number. 30,000 for top nobody thought that ever see it. 30,000 for top nobody thought that ever see it. samira hussein, washington. president is saying it's a sacred number. help us understand why it is so significant. well, we have never seen the dowjones crossed this 30,000 mark. what's interesting about the clip that you just played is that it was probably all of what he said. in his very, very short press co nfe re nce . he said. in his very, very short press conference. within a few moments he had announced he was going to do a press conference came and delivered the statement, talked about the dow jones and delivered the statement, talked about the dowjones industrial average crossing this big milestone and then promptly left the briefing room. it was really interesting but it was also just again, indicative to how us president donald trump continues to really take these kinds of milestones on the stock market as

really big wins for himself. what do these milestones actually represent? what do they tell us both about confidence and also the american economy? it's really, it depends on who you ask. there are some people who you ask. there are some people who will always say that perhaps some stocks are overvalued. and that's why you are seeing these cross these big milestones was and if you look at specifically why we are seeing the dowjones cross this milestone in the last two days, as you rightly pointed out, yes, the appointment of janet yellen to the treasury secretary post is one thing. vaccine use is another thing. but remember, you us financial markets crave certainty. there has been a lot of uncertainty in the last few weeks. because it wasn't clear there was going to be a smooth transition of power. but when we heard that now us president donald trump has authorised the gsa to

allow the biden, harris team to come in and try to make that smooth transition, that really gave markets the boost that they were looking for. let's update you on plans to ease coronavirus restrictions for the festive season. first the uk, england, scotland, wales and northen ireland have agreed on broad uk wide rules that will allow families to gather. here's what the new christmas rules will look like. up to three households will be able to mix inside each other‘s homes — but not in pubs or restaurants. families will be able to cross national borders. and these new rules will be limited to a fews days either side of christmas. here's the minister for the cabinet office, michael gove. balance has to be struck here. i think that most people will want to have the additional flexibilities that are there. not everyone will wa nt to that are there. not everyone will want to exercise them. some people

will be particularly some people will cautious this christmas. and we heard this from scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon. the virus is not going to be taking christmas. although we want to get a little bit of flexibility for christmas we are still urging people to be very cautious. and to use this flexibility responsibly and only if you think it's necessary. i'm afraid lots of people will not be prepared to do that. it's not a choice between relaxation or no relaxation. it's having a form of relaxation where there are rules and people will recognise both up and then northern islands minister. we recognise that christmas is a time for people coming together and for the community. vicky young is in westminster. the governments of the foreign nations think they've come up with

something that is proportionate that will relax the rules. i have to say this is only a bit for top this is not going to be a normal christmas. the message is still to be very cautious. as we know, it is five days of the christmas period from the 23rd to the 27th. for northern ireland there will be a day extra either side. that's particular because of travel. and it will be three households that can mix. in england that means that if you are already in a social bubble with somebody that counts as one household. and you canjoin somebody that counts as one household. and you can join with two others. that rule will have differences across the four nations. that bubble must be fixed for the whole time for some you can change the bubble from one day to another. and again, crucially you can gather in private homes. you can gather in outdoor public spaces and places of worship. within that christmas bubble. but you cannot go to gather to hospitality venues. this is not going to be a normal christmas. the

message very much is to really use your ownjudgment. to message very much is to really use your own judgment. to be message very much is to really use your ownjudgment. to be careful particularly of course around the vulnerable. also important to say, there are some exemptions. everything about students emily might have three or four children, they will all allow to come back over this period. of course children whose parents are divorced. they will be able to be into distinct separate christmas bubbles. emmanuel macron is expected to speak shortly to announce a loosening of coronavirus restrictions after a drop in new infections. an easing of restrictions could mean shops can reopen, he's explaining on live television around loosening these restrictions. there has been a drop in new infections in france. france shops will be authorised to open from saturday and is also expected to out loud france's strategy to curb troll coronavirus was up he is saying the end of december or early january the ist and most fragile people to use his phrase, will be vaccinated. the

context here is that the dental in france has just passed 50,000. more than 1000 of those deaths were recorded in the last 2a hours. italians are also attempting to plan for christmas with italian prime minister giuseppe conte considering letting shops reopen for 10 days in low—infection areas before christmas but family gatherings will be limited in size. earlier this month, italy became the third european nation to surpass 1 million coronavirus cases and over the past 2a hours it's just recorded 853 new coronavirus related deaths. irene dominioni is an italian journalist based in milan. thank you forjoining us. how do you assess the decisions that the prime minister is taking? thank you for having me. the communication from the government over the past weeks and days, we could say has been quite contradictory. initially being

that the government was intending to really loosen up restrictions in a substantive way. but then scientists have been calling for maintenance of these restrictions. because we still have a very high death toll. and the contagion is still going up fast. the tone from the government has changed. 0ver the tone from the government has changed. over the past few days. it does look like it's going to be a more quiet christmas compared to what we are used to in italy. we enjoyed large gatherings with families and so on. it really does look like it's going to be a very different one. this communication coming from the government is problematic because it confuses citizens. so we are still waiting for a new decree to come from the government and tell us how many people exactly what we are going to

be allowed to meet. and where we are going to be allowed to go and where not. but overall, the confusion is still running high. while you wait for that extra detail, is there political agreement among italy's main political parties that these restrictions do need to remain in some form? the most problematic level is not so much between parties at the government level but between regions and regional governors and the central government. because regional governors have a certain degree of decision—making power. with regards to the epidemic as well. there has been a lot of criticism coming from regional governors these days towards the central government. we hope that it's going to be figured out. the highest authorities in the country

are calling for cohesion and dialogue. but then again, it is part of the confusion and is adding to the confusion that we are living through. i mentioned in france the number of daily infections has begun to fall. is there evidence in italy that the measures that have been used in the last month have had an impact? the contagion curb has started slowing down. experts tell us started slowing down. experts tell us that after the peak, after the first wave, the first new increase in cases now that despite the fact that they are still going up, they are kind of slowing down. mortality rate on the other hand is increasing and it's very problematic. the measures are having an effect, the

restrictions are having an effect. definitely if they are loosened up too soon we might be heading again for a bad situation. thank you very much indeed for speaking to us. that's an update from italy france in the uk. let's turn to the us. thanksgiving is on thursday and despite warnings from health officials about reducing travel. three million people travelled through us airports last weekend. that's roughly half the usual figure for thanksgiving travel. but as you can see in these pictures from ronald reagan national airport in virginia, it's still very, very busy. and remember the us has the highest number of cases in the world. let's bring you some live pictures now from the white house, where donald trump is pardoning a turkey, saving it from being eaten at thanksgiving on thursday. the bizarre presidential ritual ahead of thursday's national holiday, when more than 45 million

turkeys are eaten nationwide, dates back decades. taking center stage with the president will be two large white turkeys named corn and cob. the white house has been running a poll on twitter to see which should get the presidential pardon, even if in reality both let's go to sweden next. it had avoided imposing a coronavirus national lockdown but has been forced to introduce stricter measures after a surge in cases and deaths. there's now a ban on public events of more than eight people. maddy savage is in stockholm. there is definitely a tougher tone here. there's been a lot of criticism as you reflect on sweet and keeping more of society open. the most european countries despite having high numbers and of cases in proportion to its population size was was at the start of the

pandemic. 0ver was was at the start of the pandemic. over the summer here, august time actually cases dropped a lot. we were seeing a couple of hundred today. there was a lot of praise for a sweden strategy for that now we are seeing several thousand cases a day. and that's really led the government to seek tougher action for them there is a rule of eight. for public so things like gigs, concerts, theatre performances demonstrations, that's come in very recently in the last few hours. from friday there was an alcohol ban after ten o'clock the top definitely more legal restrictions in contrast to the focus on voluntary guidelines which is basically been the focus for the government and the swedish public health agency at the start of the crisis. every day on the programme we bring you the biggest global story stay with me in the next half hour we will have reports from finland, afghanistan we will also be covering other stories from russia and ethiopia. as we continue to bring you the biggest stories remember you

can get all of them on the thieves the news apps. hello there. let's start was good news for western scotland and northern ireland. after a thoroughly wet start to the week something drier through the rest of the way. there will be other changes taking place without today across the uk we saw temperatures widely either side of 12 degrees. at the end of the week a few of you will be lucky to get to around five celsius will up to much colder, lots in the way of overnight frost in fog. colder air is now pushing in from the north and west. eventually shoving a way that weather front which brought reliant list rain. dividing line between the colder air arriving and the miles air still colder air arriving and the miles airstill in colder air arriving and the miles air still in place. fair bit of cloud for england and wales overnight. breaks towards the easement across northern and eastern wells rain develops is that weather front porch is its way and for scotland, northern island cleric

conditions developing. a few showers around but it will be colder, could bea around but it will be colder, could be a touch of frost in one or two spots. a bit of ice as we start wednesday this is a chart, the weather front still on the move. the progress slows down. not much of the way of when to push it along compared to today. this weather front is buckling to the south of us. that wave also holds its progress was that while we start with cloud and rain across northern and western england and wales and things brighten up. that weather front is going to linger through parts of the midlands towards east anglia and the channel islands bringing rain and drizzle through the day. sunny conditions will develop away from that. but it will feel colder. a few showers in scotla nd feel colder. a few showers in scotland and northern ireland. temperatures started to sink new figures with up just about holding onto single figures with the cloud and rain in that southeast corner. after a colder day, much colder night with clear skies around. temperatures widely down enough but widespread spread frost. dense patches of fog to begin thursday morning for that one or two sheltered valleys could hold on

throughout the day temperatures around three to 5 degrees. for most it's going to be a lovely, crisp, sunny day. it will feel colder but you will have the sunshine to compensate for the top of the cloud still lingering around the english channel. a bit more cloud laterfor most it will be dry. what will follow will be another cold night. friday morning dawns with widespread frost. more in the way of mist and fog and that fog could linger around for some of you on friday. again temperatures struggling to get to around for a temperatures struggling to get to around fora 5 temperatures struggling to get to around for a 5 degrees with the same chilean for the weekend a little bit of sunshine, often quite a bit of cloud but at least especially where it has been wet today, i want dryer.

let's bring you some live pictures now from the white house, where donald trump is pardoning a turkey, saving it from being eaten we will be able to revisit them and learn about poultry science and that navy medicine and the normal american tradition of farming. we love ourfarmers. and american tradition of farming. we love our farmers. and the help and we know that's going to happen. that corn and cobb have a very long, happy and memorable life. this year our nation commemorates the 400th anniversary of the pilgrims landing on plymouth rock after arriving in the new world, the brave men and women of the mayflower and during a bitter and dangerous winter, very dangerous and many were sick and most were starving and all were

praying for a miracle. thankfully god heard their prayers. from our earliest days america has always been the story of perseverance and triumph, determination and strength, loyalty a nd triumph, determination and strength, loyalty and faith, this week anytime thatis loyalty and faith, this week anytime that is very unusual but in so many ways very, very good. what we have endured and been able to endure with their vaccines now coming out one after another. it's an incredible thing that happened. the greatest medical achievements this planet has ever seen. but it is time to remember that we live in a great, great country. the greatest of them all. and there's nothing even close as far as all. and there's nothing even close as faras i'm all. and there's nothing even close as far as i'm concerned. every american can be united in thanksgiving to god for the incredible gifts he has bestowed upon us to stop the blessings of family, community, and this exceptional, beautiful, and great country. greater than ever before.

during this thanksgiving we extend our eternal gratitude to the doctors, nurses, health care workers, and scientists who have waged a battle against the china virus and we give thanks for the vaccines and therapies that will soon answer to pandemic. it isjust such a tremendous feeling to know that they are coming and he will be coming for the be starting next week or shortly thereafter. we send our love to every member of the armed forces and the line enforcement heroes risking their lives to keep america safe. to keep america great and asi america safe. to keep america great and as i say, america first. we should not go away from that. america first. we give thanks to their priceless freedoms to be an inherited and we ask god to watch over and protect our nation and its people during this incredible holiday and in all of the years to come. we ask that of god. 0nce

holiday and in all of the years to come. we ask that of god. once again met and come. we ask that of god. once again metandi come. we ask that of god. once again met and i wish to thank everybody for a year incredible courtesies and also wish you a happy thanksgiving and my it is time for the moment of our guests of honour. he had been waiting and in this case he has been waiting and in this case he has been waiting for this and let's bring them out. look at that beautiful bird. so lucky, that is a lucky bird. corn, i hereby grant you a full pardon. applause

hgppy happy thanksgiving everybody. thank you very much. happy thanksgiving eve ryo ne you very much. happy thanksgiving everyone says president trump while saying a few words and he has just pardoned corn, the turkey and if you are the reference to corn and cobb, two turkeys pa rt are the reference to corn and cobb, two turkeys part of this ritual, some good news, we will not be heading until... before the get to the turkeys there are some interesting comments from president trump he celebrated the good news this week he called america a great country. he said greater than ever before. i'm sure in reference to what he sees his efforts in four

yea rs what he sees his efforts in four years as president and he was talking about and thanking everyone involved in taking on the pandemic in america and then referred to covid—19 as they china virus. request the virus was first noted in china but it was not in any way created by the chinese which is sometimes what that trump supporters edge towards. and the president talked about america first. that being one of his big policy statements, remember his inauguration ready talk about america first so he said that is very much still frumpy —— something he believed in. if your comments from the president but he did not directly talk about their election or whether he may concede defeat to joe biden. lets turn to the conflict in ethiopia. the country's top human rights body has released a harrowing report of a massacre in tigray this month. 600 civilians were killed

in the attack in mai kadra town. and the ethiopian human rights commission says it found evidence that victims were bludgeoned, stabbed and burned to death. here's more from the commission. 0n the 9th of november the local informal tickly and with in collaboration or aided by the local police and the militia is actually pa rt police and the militia is actually part of the government security apparatus took horrible actions starting from 3pm on the 9th of november all through the night and into the morning on the 10th of november way they went house to house in areas which the ethnic groups are known to live and carried out the atrocities. we know that amnesty international highlighted reports of a massacre in the days that followed — but it was unable to say who was behind it, or exactly how many died.

here's the commission again on where it got the evidence. myself and three other human rights experts travelled to the town of my drop as low as the surrounding cities or towns including we worked directly with the security apparatus in the region which facilitated our access and i doubt that honesty was allowed to enter the region. people who are now in an internment camp are actually visited by families or members of the community who bring them food and water and they are secured and there is the local administration which is providing security to the people but then more support is required for the people in the camp and generally for the

city and the inhabitants of the city as well. it is quite dire and when we visited people did not have enough to eat and the sanitation issue was also a concern because the city had a very strong sense from bodies which still remain. the tplf — the powerful force which controls tigray — denies being responsible for the killings. and it's refusing to surrender to the ethiopian government. and so the conflict is intensifying. the government says its tanks are preparing to attack the regional capital mekelle — which the tplf controls. and it's given local leaders until wednesday to drop their weapons — before moving in. half a million people live there — so there are grave concerns. this is the un. now with the kind of rhetoric we are extremely concerned about the latest news. on both sides we have seen an ethiopian kernel come out and say they will be no mercy on the other

side and we have a ppf leadership come out and say they were prepared to die. this is the kind of rhetoric thatis to die. this is the kind of rhetoric that is extremely worrying and will lead to serious violations of international humanitarian law. humanitarian law. ethiopia's prime minister has stepped up his rhetoric — and warned tigrayan leaders they are at a point of no return. these are latest pictures from the region. these are government troops firing artillery guns inside tigray. and this is a government spokesman. the beginning of the and is within reach and i were defence forces have no effectiveness and now it is easy to target any military installations which are heading in many places. aid workers are warning that emergency relief supplies in tigray are running out — and that they've been blocked from sending staff and supplies into the region. a spokesperson for the un spoke to the bbc earlier — and issued this plea.

we are calling on all parts to this conflicts to allow safe and free movement of people so people that are seeking safety can leave and also ask our to allow free passage for the area and to access the situation and show support to people who need assistance there. it's almost impossible to verify any information coming from tigray. communications are blocked and access is tightly controlled. afpjournalists did get inside the region on monday. this is the town of humera — which came under government attack earlier this month. it's usually home to 30—000 people — but as you can see many have now left. some homes have been destroyed. 5—million people live in tigray. 110—000 have crossed into neighbouring sudan. this is the hamdayet crossing into sudan. aid workers say they are registering thousands of new arrivals — every day. the un security council

is holding its first meeting over the conflict — behind closed doors. we're told it was originally cancelled after several african nations pulled out — because their envoys hadn't yet travelled to ethiopia. according to a european diplomat speaking to afp — the meeting is back on after pressure from european countries including france, britain, germany and estonia. jonathan rosenthal is the africa editorfor the economist magazine here in london. what can we expect from the unsc, where is the intl community in this?—has there been any regional coordination or pressure from au on abiy‘s government? slipping into civil war — what impact could this have i think it is really significant at this meeting is going ahead despite the manoeuvring and the attempts to delay it. but at the same time it is coming rather late. it is hours before the conclusion of this deadline that that prime minister gave for surrender and they gave the attack and i think we also have to

say that community is really divided on this. we have countries pushing for a negotiator and dialogue but we have by the african union which should be taken to the and its headquarters is in addis ababa and should be taking the lead on this and get abby seems to be running rings around and we are talking about the former president of african states but he said he will not meet them as a single delegation he'll meet them one one and he will not allow them to mediate so he really does seem to be running rings around them and i think that's because in his mind at least he has diminished advantage. do you think it's also partly perhaps there is no appetite from the more senior members of the african union to try and exert more pressure? there is a

long—standing issue within the african union but really not coming out fairly on issues that are seen as internal to countries so we see the african union very often turning a blind eye to rig elections and once again meant to be the african union year of peace and silencing the guns as their theme for this year and we the guns as their theme for this yearand we are the guns as their theme for this year and we are not seeing them coming out with really strong statement saying there will be sanctions and that ethiopia will face some sort of reprisal from the broader community if he continues with what appears to be threats to commit war crimes. clearly what is happening in ethiopia is in and of itself a great concern but is there a possibility that this could have military consequences beyond ethiopia? i think that is certainly a real worry. from one element of

thatis a real worry. from one element of that is the involvement of eritrea and that's to remind you that they fought a very brave you are but was only brought to a piece about two yea rs of only brought to a piece about two years of the and there are certain indications now that eritrea has not been directly involved in our unconfirmed reports of acts it's difficult to know but it seems the case that eritrea is at the very least allowing ethiopia to enlist —— use its territory to attack tigre said there is a worry it will be joining to this conflict in ethiopia i was also a exploiter of security from the region in recent years and it was a big contributor to the neesham in samaria and also had its own troops in that mission as well as its own mission trying to battle elsa bob in somalia and those troops are now being called out and the bigger issue of course is ethiopia

itself is run by those intentions and violence down in the south and the other main ethnic groups of ethiopia so it's notjust that to breanna crisis and there is a real worry that what one has is people standing on cans of petrol and throwing x—rays and the worry is that it could ignite an action more dangerous and bloodier set of ethnic conflicts across ethiopia which will spill over the borders into the sedan and kenya and the south and destabilise the region as a whole. 0ne destabilise the region as a whole. one of which explains why the un aids having this discussion. thank you for talking to us. stay with us on 0utside source — still to come. we'll have a special report from afghanistan — once home to the heroin trade and now a leading global producer of crystal meth.

more than one in five secondary school students in england was out of school last week because of coronavirus. 0ur education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports from knowsley on merseyside, one of the worst affected areas this term. even break time is carefully managed, a school hit hard by coronavirus. teachers and pupils having to isolate. in the air to have closure and in year 11 we had a partial bubble closure and this is a significant number of days that has been lost as part of that. across year 11 just since september more than 700 days the classroom lost. even now we are stilljust catching up even now we are stilljust catching up with work we missed during lockdown so there is still a lot of content to be made to catch up on before learning the content we should be right now.|j before learning the content we should be right now. i don't think

it is fair because at the end of the day we are in the same exam and so we have had more time in school than others and it could affect people differently. as someone who self isolated already i think it is really stressful to even think about the fact that we have possibly got to do exams in a few months‘ time. you want to be learning all the contents of that will be on your exams so if you have not only affect your gcses about college. in this pa rt your gcses about college. in this part of merseyside as many as four out of ten teenagers have been out of secondary school at any one time. look infection rates have improved very slightly. there are still based in the classroom those teenagers wa nt in the classroom those teenagers want get back. and schools are worried that if there is more disruption after christmas they simply will not be able to cover all of the content of their gcses. plans for exams promised soon and one suggestion grades could be more generous than usual across england.

it is exactly the same as releasing the content for everybody. what we needis the content for everybody. what we need is a more localised approach. taking into account the exact nature of the disruption that we face. this is 0utside source live from the bbc newsroom. 0ur lead story is the us president—elect, joe biden, has introduced his senior members of his new cabinet — saying it would be a team to re—unite america, and lead the world, not retreat from it. we‘ve been talking a lot about vaccines over the past few weeks — with positive results from pfizer, moderna and 0xford—astrazeneca. well, russia says its vaccine — named sputnik v — is 95% effective after taking two doses. the team says those two doses will cost less than 20 dollars. but there has been some international skepticism about russia‘s vaccine because moscow rushed to claim a ‘world first‘ back in august even before its vaccine had entered

mass safety trials. those trials have no happened and are expected next month. indeed, russia says it‘s discussing possible production of the vaccine in germany. here‘s more from sarah rainsford in moscow. fa ct fact is that they test positive means to emerge from russia about the vaccine. fairly strong claims being made for the phase three trial. a scientist and the developers are saying it can be up to 95% effective. that is some three weeks after a second dose of a two dose vaccine. they are also saying they are going to be able to produce this vaccine in a dry farm. it is important for distribution and for being able to move this vaccine around around russia itself and of course potentially around the world. the previous liquid form has to be kept at —18 degrees. sorry for myself and jane french is when i was

watching people being vaccinated a couple of weeks ago. that would complicate logistics now. it seems they could be easier although i do understand there are problems with scaling up production of this vaccine. so far on 100,000 or so doses have been produced. and obviously that needs to increase very rapidly if indeed this vaccine is as effective as the scientists are saying it is. another point today to emerge was the price it‘s coming in pretty cheap. it‘s around $20 for two doses. the developer is icing that is the cheapest vaccine which is this effective, having a bit of a bid at the vaccine which of course showed around 70% efficacy in the trials. there has been a degree of skepticism about being vaccine and acting particularly because it‘s been so heavily politicized and of course because russia rushed in august to declare itself the world

leader in producing the first ever vaccine and that was before the trials had actually begun. i have to say that russia does need an effective vaccine. this country is seeing record rates of coronavirus and death rates from covid—19 and also the hospitals here in the region are now really struggling to cope. meanwhile, the european union has reached a deal with us biotech firm moderna for the supply of up to 160 million doses of its vaccine candidate. the deal will be formally approved by the eu executive on wednesday. here‘s the president of the european commission ursula von der leyen. this is the sixth we‘ve had with the pharmaceutical company for our covid—19 vaccine portfolio and we are working on yet another one. by this we are setting up one of the most comprehensive covid—19 vaccine portfolios in the world. and french president macron has just addressed the nation — announcing he will start a vaccination campaign at the end

of december or beginning ofjanuary, starting with the most vulnerable and older people. he added that vaccination will not be mandatory. to india now — it has the second highest number of confirmed cases worldwide — after the us. and tens of millions of doses of the vaccine being developed by astra—zeneca and oxford university have already been manufactured in india, by the world‘s biggest vaccine—making company. yogita limaye is in delhi. the world‘s biggest vaccine maker by volume, currently manufacturing tens of millions of those is of the 0xford vaccine inside there. the announcement on monday that the vaccine has proved positive against covid—19 compared to the madera and pfizer vaccines this one is cheaper. it can be stored and transported at two regular refrigerator

temperatures which means so far the only feasible option for a country as vast and populous as india. a0 million doses have already been made and the company says it aims at making 100 million towards the end of this year and after that it is trying to make 100 million every month. the boss of the company has said that india will get a priority as far as the vaccines are concerned and that 30 million doses will be given to bangladesh and byjuly next year 100 million doses that also be distributed to other developing countries through the global vaccine alliance. it‘s nearly a year since finland voted in its 3a—year—old prime minister, sanna marin, and her government has largely been praised for its handling of the pandemic. finland is among the countries coping best with coronavirus, recording lower rates of infection and deaths than many other european countries. 0ur correspondent megha mohan spoke to the finnish prime minister as part of the bbc‘s 100 women season.

these were the images that went viral around the world in december last year. then in‘s new centreleft female led coalition government with four aviaries in their 30s. within months they faced a pandemic. like new zealand, taiwan, and germany, finland has been praised for its quick, decisive response to coronavirus. 0f quick, decisive response to coronavirus. of course there are countries led by men that have also done well so i don‘t think it is a gender—based issue. done well so i don‘t think it is a gender— based issue.|j done well so i don‘t think it is a gender-based issue. i think we should be more focused on the countries that have done well and what they have done and what they have learned and that we also have a response together to the global pandemic. the government enacted the act of last years in red war ii which allowed them to restrict movement and gave them control over people salaries which they did not react. a man‘s prime minister,

raised by a single mother was the first and her family to go to university. they ask them and i will a nswer university. they ask them and i will answer honestly. so you don‘t need preparation. with only one black female mp, critics say the government may not be as representative as it looks. it‘s something coalition leaders agree with. i think the representation with. i think the representation with white educated females is not very representative in the and. if we really look at the equality here it does not show yet. the covid—19 crisis has been very tough on many people in the most important thing that we are trying to make decisions ina way that we are trying to make decisions in a way that helps ordinary people in theirordinary in a way that helps ordinary people in their ordinary lives. in crisis and also in normal times.

in their ordinary lives. in crisis and also in normaltimes. ambitious decisions made all the more challenging by the pandemic. let‘s start with some good news for western scotland and northern ireland. after a thoroughly wet start to the week something drier through the rest of the way. there will be other changes taking place without today across the uk we saw temperatures widely either side of 12 degrees. at the end of the week a few of you will be lucky to get to around five celsius will up to much colder, lots in the way of overnight frost in fog. colder air is now pushing in from the north and west. eventually shoving a way that weather front which brought reliant list rain. dividing line between the colder air arriving and the miles air still in place. fair bit of cloud for england and wales overnight. breaks towards the easement across northern and eastern wells rain develops is that weather front

porch is its way and for scotland, northern island cleric conditions developing. a few showers around but it will be colder, could be a touch of frost in one or two spots. a bit of ice as we start wednesday this is a chart, the weather front still on the move. the progress slows down. not much of the way of when to push it along compared to today. this weather front is buckling to the south of us. that wave also holds its progress was that while we start with cloud and rain across northern and western england and wales and things brighten up. that weather front is going to linger through parts of the midlands towards east anglia and the channel islands bringing rain and drizzle through the day. sunny conditions will develop away from that. but it will feel colder. a few showers in scotland and northern ireland. temperatures started to sink new figures with up just about holding onto single figures with the cloud and rain in that southeast corner.

after a colder day, much colder night with clear skies around. temperatures widely down enough but widespread spread frost. dense patches of fog to begin thursday morning for that one or two sheltered valleys could hold on throughout the day temperatures around three to five degrees. for most it‘s going to be a lovely, crisp, sunny day. it will feel colder but you will have the sunshine to compensate for the top of the cloud still lingering around the english channel. a bit more cloud later for most it will be dry. what will follow will be another cold night. friday morning dawns with widespread frost. more in the way of mist and fog and that fog could linger around

this is bbc news. i‘m tim willcox. the headlines at 8. a christmas like no other. uk wide rules on festive bubbles — up to three households will be able to mix over five days. the virus has not gone away, and families will need to make a personaljudgement families will need to make a personal judgement about the risk families will need to make a personaljudgement about the risk of forming a bubble with or visiting elderly relatives in the vulnerable. so the decorations are not in vain — with a month to go families up and down the country can start planning. i love christmas was it time of the year that i get everybody together. so it is very important. —— it is the only time of the year that i get everybody together.