this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. ready to lead the world, joe biden unveils the team that will shape us foreign policy under his presidency. it's a team that reflects the fact that america is back, ready to lead the world, not retreat from it — once again, sit again at the head of the table. christmas gets the go—ahead across the uk — families can celebrate together after all four nations agree on a plan. we cannot afford to throw caution to the wind. the virus doesn't know it's christmas, and we must all be careful. un concerns about possible war crimes as ethiopia's army threatens an assault on the capital of northern tigreye.

and the soldier's best friend — the hero dog — awarded the canine version of the victoria cross — for saving british service men and women's lives in afghanistan. hello, welcome to the programme. "america is back, ready to lead the world" — the words of president—electjoe biden on tuesday as he introduced the men and women he'd like to steer us foreign policy. one by one they took to the microphone to set— out a global worldview that differs shaply from president trump's america—first approach. he still hasn't conceded the election, but the transition is gathering pace. mr biden has now been given access to the white house intelligence briefing. here's our north america editor, jon sopel.

two turkeys, corn and cob, and there can only be one winner. one could end up on the white house dinner table this thanksgiving, the other will be pardoned to roam free. corn, i hereby grant you a full pardon. so corn lives to fight another day. if only all head to head battles connected to the white house were that easy to resolve. the president today sounding defensive... we send our love to every member of the armed forces and the law enforcement heroes risking their lives to keep america safe, to keep america great — and as i say, america first — it shouldn't go away from that, america first. but as more and more key states are certifying their results — last night, michigan, today, pennsylvania and nevada — republican leaders have been urging donald trump to accept the inevitable. something he's reluctant to do, though legal routes have all but disappeared. just as president richard nixon

and watergate gave us the "non—denial denial", so donald trump has given us the "non—concession concession". he is vowing to fight on, but he's running out of road, and all the time, joe biden is taking the steps that will ensure he becomes the president on january the 20th. and joe biden is forging ahead. today, formally unveiling to people who'll play the key foreign policy and national security roles in his administration. it's a team that reflects the fact that america is back — ready to lead 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. there has been one unexpected flurry of activity today. with no notice, the president announced he'd be giving a briefing. would this be the formal concession? the offer of congratulations to joe biden? no, mr trump came to take credit for the stock market reaching a record high and then walked out

afterjust one minute. jon sopel, bbc news at the white house. let's speak now tojonathan katz, senior fellow with the german marshall fund of the united states and director of their democracy initiative. he was a former senior official at the us state department during the obama administration. welcome to the programme. some people are saying this is actually a third obama term, looking at the people who've been appointed. yeah, while it is really a great day to see president—elect biden be able to present these really incredibly talented new us foreign policy leaders, yes, several of them were pa rt leaders, yes, several of them were part of the previous administration, but this is really a biden

administration, biden and harris administration, biden and harris administration, and i think that the vice president has put his stamp on where he wants to see foreign policy go for the united states over the next four years with these pics, and i think that he sent a strong signal today about america being back, leading from the front, taking on difficult challenges. you saw with former secretary carrie coming on board to address climate change, how important this particular topic is for the president—elect and this administration and by picking allies and partners that he feels co mforta ble and partners that he feels comfortable with, both in terms of intelligence, security and homeland security, i think that they will be able to go to work immediately, january 20 to carry out the sort of issues and policies that this president—elect cares deeply about. —— kerry. and so do the american people. in terms of policies of the

minutes, just on characteristics and personalities you know, diversity, women, avril haynes, she's the director of national intelligence, first time a woman has held that role. janet is welcome of the first female treasury secretary. yes, i mean, this president—elect biden and obviously buys president—elect kamala harris are committed to bringing in the right people for these jobs. janet is well respected, avril haynes as well, but you are going to see diversity, and you are also going to see, not only diversity, but also those that are qualified, write for the job, diversity, but also those that are qualified, write for thejob, ready to do it on day one and i think that's what the american people, over 80 million, who supported vice president harris and president—elect biden two just in terms of foreign policy initiatives on the iran deal, china, what is going to happen

there? this new group is going to come in, they are obviously gearing up come in, they are obviously gearing up to take a look at what the previous administration has done. china is at the top of the list. they will certainly be taking a look at what has taken place after mr trump has pulled the united states out of the iran deal. it certainly, the us is committed to addressing the us is committed to addressing the challenges we've heard from president—elect biden today that the us is ready to deal with adversaries globally, but also to work closely with partners and friends and i expect that that's when to take place from day one. jonathan, i'm sorry to cut you short. we are out of time. inc. you very much indeed for joining of time. inc. you very much indeed forjoining us on the programme. with just a month to go before christmas, western governments are weighing up just how far to relax coronavirus restrictions to allow families to get together. here in the uk, ministers from england, scotland, wales and northern ireland have agreed on broad nationwide rules. they said they needed to find a balance between allowing people to meet loved ones, and the risks involved. vicky young reports.

preparations are under way across all four nations of the united kingdom for a christmas that won't be like any other. coronavirus means that for months we have all had to live with regulations telling us who we can see and where. for a few days, the rules will be relaxed. this year christmas will be different. many of us are longing to spend time with family and friends, irrespective of our faith or background, and yet we can't afford to throw caution to the wind. the virus doesn't know it's christmas and we must all be careful. many will welcome the move. but what about places like loughborough where there's been a spike in coronavirus cases in recent days? well, i think i'd rather it didn't happen because i think we need, if we keep safe now, hopefully in the new year we can move forward. i think it's inevitable because people would do it regardless of whether they were allowed to or not. so yeah, it is the only choice they could make. diwali has just happened, they have

not been able to celebrate, muslims have not been able to celebrate eid and thejewish community haven't been able to celebrate either, so i just don't think it's very fair. i think it will create more covid cases. the hospitals are already under pressure. i don't see why they should be put under any more, just by letting us have that week of christmas. detailed guidance for scotland and wales will be issued on thursday but the broad message is take care. we are asking people to keep well within these limits because there is a risk to households coming together, and therefore if you feel you can get through this christmas without seeing other people and if you can see people for one day and not across five days, then try to limit your interaction. this is not an instruction to travel, it's not an instruction to meet with other people. people should still use a sense of responsibility, should still ask themselves whether what they are doing is keeping themselves and other people safe. northern ireland has been given a slightly longer window, from 22nd until 28th december, to allow time to travel

between the nations. we recognise that for a lot of people this is an oasis, if you like, that is coming up and they are looking forward to it. and of course it is good to get together for many people who have suffered from mental health issues over the year, they feel isolated during this time. the plans mean people can get together in a bigger group for a few days. but there will still be limits. you can gather in a private home or a place of worship. but most people still won't be able to go to the pub or to a restaurant together. there is, though, flexibility in other areas. children whose parents are separated will be able to see both of them over the festive period. and then there's the question of enforcement. at times the police have been accused of being heavy—handed. but they're playing down the chances of penalty fines while the crackers are being pulled. i will not be tasking my officers to be knocking on people's doors on christmas day and interrupting the turkey because people may or may

not have breached it. i'm sure that is not what is behind the government's thinking. so we will see what the rules and regulations are that come out but we will continue to police it in a very pragmatic way, christmas day or not. many will seize the opportunity to celebrate christmas with others. but political leaders across the uk are urging caution. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. a quick look at a couple more coronavirus headlines this hour. the french president, emmanuel macron, has announced a slight easing of the country's second coronavirus lockdown, which will see shops re—open from saturday. mr macron said the country had passed the peak of the second wave. more restrictions will be eased from the fifteenth of december for the festive period. italy reported 853 covid—related deaths on tuesday, up from 630 the day before. it's the highest daily toll since march 28. the northern region of lombardy, centred on italy's financial capital milan, remains the hardest hit area.

the united nations has expressed concern about possible war crimes ahead of a threat by the ethiopian army to start an assault on the northern tigray region's capital. fighting between ethiopia's central government and forces in tigray has been going on for almost three weeks. ethiopia's human rights commission has accused a youth group from the tigray region of being behind a massacre earlier this month in mai kadra, in which it says more than 600 civilians were killed. david campa nale reports. a day of reckoning for ethiopia's tigray province. government forces have advanced deep into the region. the leader of the tigray people's liberation front has admitted that towns have been captured. federal forces say their artillery and tanks are closing in on the regional capital, mekelle, and are just 60 km away. on sunday, the ethiopian army said there will be no

mercy for its residents when their soldiers encircle the city of half a million people. tigray‘s leaders reject claims their forces are close to defeat, and say they will not surrender. the united nations is increasingly alarmed. the highly aggressive rhetoric on both sides regarding the fight for mekelle is dangerously provocative, and it risks placing already vulnerable and frightened civilians in grave danger. evidence of the price civilians are paying. these are the graves of some 600 people that ethiopia's state—appointed human rights commission said were massacred earlier this month. it accuses a tigrayan youth group of stabbing, bludgeoning, and burning to death non—tigrayan residents in the town of mai kadr, with the collusion of local forces. more than 40,000 people have now

fled across the border into sue don. the un is calling on all sides to give clear and unambiguous orders to their forces to spare civilians. david campanale, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: are india's tough new laws against rape having any effect? president kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately. the murder ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. he caught the imagination of the world — the first of a new generation of leaders. margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime minister. before leaving number ten to see the queen, she told her cabinet, "it's a funny old world." angela merkel is germany's first woman chancellor — easily securing the majority

she needed. attempts to fly a hot air balloon had to be abandoned after a few minutes, but nobody seemed to mind very much. as one local comic put it, "it's not hot air we need, it's hard cash." cuba has declared nine days of mourning, following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90. castro developed close ties with the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... joe biden has unveiled the team that will shape us foreign policy under his presidency. christmas gets the go—ahead across the uk. families can celebrate together after all four nations agree on a plan. 0ne country that is often

in the news for brutal attacks on women is india. since the 2012 delhi gang rape, the government has brought in a raft of tougher laws and harsher penalties — but are they having any effect? the bbc‘s divya arya has been to meet rape survivors and their families for this year's 100 women season. this tree is a symbol of india's broken justice system, where rape is rarely punished. this man found his teenage daughter and her cousin hanging from it. i met him in 2014 — he told me his girls had been raped and murdered. he wanted to see the accused hanged in public. it was the first big case after the delhi gang rape of 2012 and tougher rape laws were introduced. they were meant to make it easier for women and girls to register complaints with the police. the death penalty for rape was introduced and special fast—track courts set up, but for this family, it's been

a slow and difficultjourney. over the years, the papers have piled up. first, the investigator said they didn't have enough evidence to prove rape and murder, so the suspects were set free. the family challenged this and got the case reopened. but charges have been reduced to just molestation and kidnap. the law says cases should be heard quickly, but the courts are deaf to our pleas. i've been doing the rounds of courts, but the poor hardly ever getjustice. government figures bear this out. 95,000 rape cases were pending at the end of 2013. this had risen to 145,000 by the end of 2019. i think these are hollow populist measures — where they are trying to quell the public outrage that has happened around that particular incident, but they need the mechanisms

——around that particular incident, but the legal mechanisms for enforcing these laws have not changed. the barriers are even greater for women who are at the bottom of the hindu caste hierarchy. monisha is a activist and lawyer, she is helping rape survivors become lawyers too. a woman we are calling mya is one of them. an upper—caste man raped her, she filed a complaint but was forced to withdraw it after he married her. her family said it would save her from the social stigma of being a rape victim. he would come home drunk and abuse me for filing a police case against him. he would beat me and forced me to perform unnatural sexual acts, even when i refused. finally, mya escaped. monisha helped her get her rape case reopened. she knows it's dangerous work, but is driven by love for her people. translation: people in my community are subjected to violence and die as victims.

i want to go down fighting as a leader, not as a victim. in this violent neighbourhood, the silence is breaking. legal reforms to punish rape have had a limited impact, but women and families are now prepared to fight for justice. no matter how long it takes. divya arya, bbc news, india. and you can find much more from the bbc‘s 100 women season online. just go to bbc.com/100women. there is a wonderful variety of stories on there — and remember to keep returning to the website as more and more stories will appear in the days to come. more than a week after two typhoons hit the philippines — many families remain in evacuation centres, as coronavirus complicates relief efforts. the philippines is recovering from a month of torrential rains, and back—to—back typhoons. typhoon goni — which hit at the start of november —

was the most powerful typhoon seen in the country for seven years. less than two weeks later, typhoon vamco — the twenty—first storm to hit the region this year — made landfall. the storms caused widespread flooding — submerging entire towns and villages — and killed more than 70 people. the waters are now receding, but many villages remain inaccessible. joining me from manila is robert kaufman, head of the international federation of the red cross in the philippines who has just returned from the badly affected cagayan region. thank you forjoining us here in bbc news. i actually went to cover a typhoon seven years ago, and just understanding the devastation that you're facing now, it's difficult to imagine trying to help people in a time of social distancing and covid. how is it affecting the relief

efforts ? how is it affecting the relief efforts? well, it is certainly complicating its, and i think the people are challenged. and if you've been to the philippines before and you've covered it, you know these communities are use to storm after storm, but you know, you mentioned typhoons, but just a storm, but you know, you mentioned typhoons, butjust a week before one hits, another also had the same community as a tropical storm, so people were pretty tired and devastated from three successive typhoons and a pandemic. how are you managing to get food and shelter into the areas? are you managing to airlift a lot of the stuff in? well, thankfully, the red cross is incredibly capable and well—prepared organisation, and the federation of red cross, we anticipate a lot of these events. so pre—position to material and personnel ahead of the weather events, it's never enough,

of course, so in response, once we can see the full devastation of the storm, we use trucks, lorries, ships and nearby communities to transfer material to help meet the needs. so, in terms of what you're doing on the ground, social distancing, presumably you can't really follow the usual rules, and how bad is the epidemic, the pandemic been in those areas before this devastation by the typhoons? well, there are two elements to think about. the first is that the asian development bank estimates that 85% of the population in the philippines has either lost theirjob or have their income severely affected by the pandemic. so people were already suffering greatly. they already have limited capacity and had already sold off a number of assets to help make ends meet. on top of that, when you are

managing an evacuation centre or distribution of relief supplies in the middle of a pandemic, you have to ta ke the middle of a pandemic, you have to take extra precautions. the philippines red cross has really strong welds trained volunteers. they have new standard operating systems in place to make sure that we we re systems in place to make sure that we were doing our best to keep distance, and at the actual evacuation centre, we help to identify and isolate suspected cases and create child friendly spaces, because there is incredible trauma from all of this activity. and then we refer people to medical practitioners and doctors for further testing if necessary. 0k, robert, best of luck with that relief effort there. thank you very much indeed. thank you, appreciated. a military dog who charged through enemy gunfire to save the lives of british soldiers in afghanistan has been awarded the animal equivalent of the victoria cross. during a raid, the dog tackled a gunman and was hit by bullets in both back legs. after losing one of his paws

as a result, he became the first uk military dog, to get custom—made prosthetics. tim muffett reports. kuno, the pdsa dickin medal. military honours for a remarkable dog. at woolwich barracks in south—east london, four—year—old kuno was honoured today for his actions in afghanistan last year. he was supporting uk forces when they came under attack from al-qaeda extremists. he's been honoured because he performed exceptionally on the battlefield. exceptional courage, exceptional loyalty, devotion to duty, he did a fantastic job, saved lives when it mattered. the ministry of defence have asked that kuno's handler at the time remains anonymous. i moved over to him and he was hobbling around, and he was clearly in a bad way. his paw was all mangled up, it didn't look good. so we bandaged that up. he had what's called a through and through on his thigh,

so the bullet had gone straight through his thigh and out the other side. you can see kuno's prosthetic limbs here which allow him to be mobile. he was actually the first serving military dog to be fitted with them. lots of challenges, varied challenges, quite severe injuries, combination of injuries that were difficult to manage. individually they would have been very achievable but as a combination, they were challenging. he is a brilliant patient, it was quite clear he was going to take it in his stride and stood the best chance of a full recovery. the pdsa dickin medalfor animal bravery was introduced in 1943. as well as dogs, horses, pigeons and even a cat have previously been honoured. for this four—year—old belgian malinois, retirement in dorset now beckons. kuno has certainly earned it. tim muffett, bbc news.

a canine hero. that's it for me and the team. hello again. we had some big weather contrasts across the uk on tuesday, england and wales, a lot of dry weather with some sunny spells breaking through the cloud, fiens sunsets to end the day particularly for eastern areas, but it was north wales that was the real milder spot in the country, 15 celsius, mild weather across most areas, contrast that with the rain that just wouldn't stop across scotland and northern ireland thanks to this weather front, this cold front, and as this pushes east over the next couple of days, colder air will be arriving across all parts of the country. back to what we have at the moment, that weather front is still bringing some splashes of rain across wales in western england. it will very gradually move eastwards, bringing rain into parts of the midlands and central

and southern england before long. a few showers for northern ireland and scotland, otherwise with clear spells, cold, one or two areas with a touch of frost. our weather front continues to push eastwards but it gets stretched out between these two areas of low pressure, one in scandinavia and one in spain and portugal. so the front will weaken very quickly as it slowly edges its way eastwards through wednesday, the rain becoming increasingly light and patchy at the dribbles its way across the midlands into east anglia and southeast england. there's no great rainfall amounts for these areas. the mild airjust hanging on across the east. 14, maybe 15 degrees celsius in the very warmest spots but further north and west, it is much colder. temperatures down into single figures. following that, wednesday night, we will see patches of frost developing and maybe a few areas of fog to start the day on thursday. thursday looks like being a pretty decent day. yes, it will be cooler than it has been of late, but most areas will be dry and we should see fairly lengthy spells of sunshine developing. it will be cool for the time

of the year, temperatures generally into single figures, just 5 degrees in glasgow, maybe seven in belfast, then it looks like we will see some more mist and fog patches developing as we head into friday morning along with frost. so for some of us, friday promises to be quite a slow start to the day and quite murky, some of those mist and fog patches linger all day, where that happens, temperatures will be in the low single figures, but even in the brighter spots on friday it looks like being a particularly chilly day at this stage of november. the weekend, mostly dry, it will continue with the cold weather conditions with frost and fog.

this is bbc news, the headlines... us president—electjoe biden has introduced senior members of his planned cabinet, saying it would be a team to re—unite america and lead the world. mr biden said the us was strongest when it worked with its allies, not against them. earlier, donald trump made an unexpected address at the white house after the dowjones stock market index hit 30,000 for the first time. mr trump called it a "sacred number". the united nations has expressed concern about possible war crimes ahead of a threat by the ethiopian army to start an assault on the northern tigray region's capital. hundreds of people have reportedly been killed. the four uk nations have agreed to relax coronavirus restrictions for five days over christmas. but experts are warning people to think carefully about the risks they'd take by seeing their families.