this is bbc news, the headlines: joe biden has unveiled the team that will shape us foreign policy under his presidency, a very warm welcome to bbc news. my names' mike embley. claiming "america is back, our top stories: ready to lead the world". the biden team's global ready to lead the world — worldview differs shaply joe biden unveils the team that will shape us foreign policy from president trump's under his presidency. america—first approach. mr trump still hasn't conceded the election, but the transition is gathering pace. it's a team that reflects the fact that america is back, us airports are filling up ready to lead the world, for the thanksgiving holiday, not retreat from it, as travellers ignore public and once again sit health warning to stay home to stop the spread of covid—19. at the head of the table. since the start of the pandemic us airports fill up in march, holidays have for the thanksgiving holiday, triggered outbreaks of the virus including as travellers ignore public after the 4th ofjuly. health warning to stay home to stop the spread of covid—19. christmas has been given the go—ahead across the uk, with families being told ending period poverty — they can celebrate together. scotland becomes the first ministers from all four nations country in the world have agreed on broad rules, to make period products free. which strike a balance between allowing people to meet loved ones and and the soldier's best friend — the risks involved. the hero dog awarded the canine version of the victoria cross for saving british service men and women's lives in afghanistan.

"america is back, ready to lead the world" — the words of president—elect joe 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 timejoe 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.

well, joe biden has been expanding on his vision for his first term, speaking in an exclusive interview with nbc news. he didn't rule out nominating a republican to his adminstration. we still have a lot more appointments to make. i want this country to be united. the purpose of our administration is once again reuniting. we can't keep this political dialogue going, it has to end. should we expect an announcement? no. not ever, or not soon? not soon. mr biden was also asked about this plans for the mass roll out of the covid—i9 vaccine. i've been talking, as you may know, i have talked to, i have had a zoom with the leading governors of our country — five republicans and five democrats. we've talked extensively about the need to co—operate and get the vaccine into places where you can actually get vaccinated, and their ideas of who they think should go first, i think we should be focusing on obviously the doctors, the nurses, those people

who are the first responders, i think we should also be focusing on being able to open schools as rapidly as we can. i think it can be done safely. some of the appointments will have to approved possibly by the republican majority senate. well earlier i spoke to dr frances z brown, who is a senior fellow with carnegie‘s democracy, conflict, and governance program, and previousy worked at the white house national security council under avril haines. i asked her what we can expect from the new director of intelligence. i think ms haines‘ appointment is really a historic moment, this is the first time this role has been held by a woman, it was created during the george w bush administration so this is historic in that way but i also would says she is historically well—qualified, so i think we can expect someone who is ready

to hit the ground running. she has served at the highest levels of the national security policy making apparatus, she was the deputy national security adviser during the end of the obama administration but then she has also served at the highest levels of the intelligence community, she was the deputy of the cia, so what this means is she understands very well both sides of this coin and how accurate intelligence should, in the best case, drive good policy—making. we've had some instances in the us where, instead, u nfortu nately we have had politics drive intelligence, most noticeably in the run—up to the iraq war but also frankly during the trump administration, where there has been a series of very politically—oriented directors of national intelligence, so i think with ms haines we will not see this at all. we will see someone who absolutely wants to speak truth to power. i would also say that she is very close with the president—elect, she has worked with him for a long time, she was a staffer of his when he was still in the senate so this also bodes well, they have got a long—standing

relationship. and then just on a personal note, from my observations, she's always the hardest—working person in the room, she is often the smartest but never the loudest. she is a good manager, she is a capable manager, she is a kind person which i think is important and she's deeply thoughtful and analytic, so i think if anyone‘s ready to hit the ground running it is ms haines, and i think that is good because the challenges are very grave, to what the team will be facing. and just briefly if you can, dr brown, what are the main challenges? so this is something that i think the team will be learning more now that they are able to get the president's daily brief. number one, the team has made it clear that the coronavirus is a national security risk. i think the team will also be seized by the activities of adversaries, thinking about what else might be in that intelligence briefing that they will be getting, i think, no doubt there's intelligence updates on the north korean weapons programme, the chinese military, so i think there is a wide range of challenges that probably they will be facing and now

with their team in place, they can begin to make their plans. christmas has been given the go—ahead across the uk, with families being told they can celebrate together. ministers from england, scotland, wales and northern ireland have agreed on broad nationwide rules, which struck a balance between allowing people to meet loved ones and the risks involved. up to three households will be able to meet for five days over the festive period and rules on travel will be eased. thanksgiving weekend is looming in the united states but with over a million coronavirus cases in the past week, public health officials are strongly recommending people to stay at home. not everyone is heeding the warnings — for three straight days over the weekend around a million people passed through american airports. that's around half the people

who made journeys last year laura rosella is professor of epidemiology at the dalla lana school of public health, at the university of toronto. she told me about her analysis of how thanksgiving in canada last month affected coronavirus infection rates there. our experience is that they were indeed knock—off effects from gatherings that happened over thanksgiving weekend in canada, and so cases were rising and certainly before thanksgiving, it is not the only factor that contributed, but we did see an increase in infections following thanksgiving in the weeks following and we are currently on lockdown in many regions of canada at the moment. what would your advice be about thanksgiving coming up? we know that indoor gatherings are high risk settings and we know that mixing different households is also high risk, and this is especially true when community transmission

is already high, as it is in the us, and as they were to a certain extent when thanksgiving in canada was happening. so the need to stick with your household is even more important, and we have had public health confirmation of contact tracing the transmission did occur. effects from transmission that happens the other thing that is really important, the knock—off effects from transmission that happens in a household can extend well beyond your family circle, or who is in a house, and we have had good evidence that this can transmit to communities and settings with lots of high—risk individuals, so the effects can be quite detrimental. and i guess even if you think you are being careful, you don't know if the people you are meeting have been. here in the uk, the governments of england, scotland, wales and northern ireland have agreed on broad nationwide rule so that families can get together for christmas. do you think we shouldn't be? i think it is risky, especially when there is high community transmission. of course, there are circumstances, for example, maybe you have an elderly parent who is living alone, and you have another household

where everybody is at home and you know that you have had no other contact, those risks can be managed. it is a difficult communication message, though, so i hope there is lots of it to make sure that if those rules are broken, in terms of mixing households, but it is very clear to do that are sick simply as possible. scotland has become the first country in the world to make female sanitary products free. there is now a legal duty on authorities to ensure items such as tampons and sanitary pads are available without charge to anyone who needs them. the period products bill was introduced by a member of the scottish parliament monica lennon — she's been campaigning to end period poverty since 2016. the bill was passed on tuesday. the result of the vote is yes, 121. no votes against, no abstentions. the motion is

agreed and passed. applause with me is our news reporter, tanya dendrinos. the fact this is a world first is amazing and awful. it really is. it is a fantastic step forward for scotland. they have been campaigning for a long time and so they should. basically anyone who needs access to sanitary products will now have a legal right to obtain them. this is affecting most women, something that we have to sadly go through but a lot of women do experience this concept of period property which is where they do not have available funds to access products such as pads and tampons. this is from women

experiencing homelessness right down to students experiencing poverty. women who perhaps were 0k and able to access these products before for financial reasons 110w products before for financial reasons now are not available to but also the thought of businesses shutting down, we have seen shops open for essential items but sanitary products have been blocked off and there has been a push on world leaders to say they are essential and not luxury items. what is a possibility or outlook on global change in period poverty? in less developed countries are young girls just developed countries are young girlsjust dropping out developed countries are young girls just dropping out of school once they start the period because it is too difficult and embarrassing. period because it is too difficult and embarrassingm isa difficult and embarrassingm is a really sad reality for many women not just is a really sad reality for many women notjust in developing countries, it is happening in our own backyard. in the first lockdown, a report revealed three in ten women in

this country experience period poverty issues and were not able to access those products with more than half of them having to use toilet paper. we also know many women result to using rags or socks, sometimes even newspapers that gives you an idea of hygiene and health risk. this can hopefully spike a conversation with countries like new zealand and i think theissue like new zealand and i think the issue has to bejohn that the issue has to bejohn that the rest a female leader in charge over there. schoolchildren are allowed to have access to these sanitary products so hopefully this can now spark a conversation for the rest of the globe and we can the rest of the globe and we ca n start the rest of the globe and we can start following suit. it is not just about making can start following suit. it is notjust about making these products available but also about addressing the stigma. it is hard enough discussing your period let alone discussing that a woman does not have a fun to adequately access these

products. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we'll be looking at whether india's tough new laws against rape are 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 10 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, our main headline: joe biden has unveiled the team that will shape us foreign policy under his presidency, saying "america is back, ready to lead the world". this weekend, france will start relaxing its second lockdown, with non—essential shops re—opening from saturday. then from mid—december travel restrictions will be lifted in time for christmas. paul hawkins has more. france has been under lockdown since the start of november. nonessential shops, bars and

restau ra nts nonessential shops, bars and restaurants are shut, social gatherings, band. here, you can only leave work for —— home for work, shopping, exercise or medical help. however, from this weekend... translation: all shops will be allowed to openin all shops will be allowed to open in home services will be allowed to resume, within the framework of a strict health protocol. according to these rules they can remain open until 9pm at the latest. the relaxing of restrictions is because on monday, france reported 4452 daily infections, its lowest number since september the 28th. as for christmas... translation: on december the 15th of there are around 5000 infections per day and 2500— around 5000 infections per day and 2500- 3000 around 5000 infections per day and 2500— 3000 people in hospital then confinement can be lifted. we will be able to travel without restriction and spend christmas with our family. you will have to limit unnecessary travel but they appeal to your sense of

responsibility. it will not be a christmas holiday like the others. bars and restaurants will remain closed until the 20th of january. hospitality, like everywhere else in the world, has been badly hit by the pandemic. that's why in the south of france, more than 150 business owners demanded to be allowed to open. translation: perfectly understand there is an emergency. we perfectly understand the coronavirus. we are like the rest, meaning we, too, can fall l. we can also die, but in addition, we can go bankrupt. it is difficult. restau ra nts bankrupt. it is difficult. restaurants and bars can access government help, either 200,000 euros compensation or 20% of their turnover. france aims to start vaccinations with the elderly and vulnerable at the end of the year or start of january. at the mean time, if

infections raise their country could see a third lockdown. one 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 difficult journey. 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 for enforcing these laws for change. 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—class 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 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 onlinejust 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. let's get some of the day's other news. the united nations says houthi rebels in yemen have agreed to allow international experts to repair an abandoned oil tanker that's been anchored off the western port of hodeida since 2015. the vessel has more than a million barrels of crude on board. an international conference for afghanistan has pledged $12 billion in aid for the next four years, but the money is conditional on progress towards peace and protecting human rights. the pledges came hours

after bomb blasts killed at least 14 people in bamiyan. 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 fantasticjob, 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 medal for 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. beyonce has received the most nominations for america's top music awards, the grammys. she has nine, many of them for this track: black parade was released injune in repsonse to the killing by a white police officer of george floyd. its lyrics refer to police brutality and the black lives matter protests. her nominations increase her historic lead as the grammys' most—nominated female artist ever. and i had to look this up, she is tied with sir paul mccartney for the most, the second most

nominations ever, 79. to people who are above those two are quincy who are above those two are quinchones and who are above those two are quincy jones and beyonce's husband, jay—z. they both have 80 each. that's it for now. 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, some fine sunsets to end the day particularly for eastern areas, but it was north wales that was the real mildest 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 and 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, might see 1—2 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 as it 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—15 celsius in the very warmest spots but further north and west, it's 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 celsius in glasgow, maybe 7 in belfast.

then it looks like we will see some more mist and fog patches developing as we head into friday morning along with some 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 may 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 for this stage of november. the weekend, mostly dry, but we will continue with the cool weather conditions, with frost and some morning mist and fog. 00:28:48,902 --> 2147483051:51:09,166 fun to adequately access these 2147483051:51:09,166 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 products.