this is bbc news. i'm aaron safir. our top stories: joe biden promises 100 million vaccinations against covid in his first 100 days as us president. i'm absolutely convinced that in the first 100 days we can change the course of the disease and change our life in america for the better. a 90 year—old british woman becomes the first person in the world to be given the pfizer covid vaccine outside of clinical trials. well, because it is free and the best thing that has ever happened. at the moment, so do, please go for it, that is what i say. in yet another final attempt to unlock post—brexit trade talks, borisjohnson

heads to brussels later to meet the european commission president. a champions league match in paris is abandoned, with teams walking off the pitch following an alleged racist slur. ahead of tonight's mobo music awards, we look at the pressures faced this year by those in the industry. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. in the us, the us president—elect, joe biden has outlined his plans to combat a deepening coronavirus health emergency which has left record numbers of americans in hospital and a death toll of more than 280,000. he promised that in his first 100 days, 100 million americans

would be vaccinated and that he would push to re—open schools. in some states, children haven't sat in a classroom for 10 months. the president—elect also again appealed for everyone to wear a mask during his first 100 days. masking, vaccinations, opening schools, these are the three key goals for my first 100 days. it will start with my signing in order to require a mask where i can under the law. like federal buildings, interstate travel on planes, trains and buses, 100 million covered vaccine shots into the arms of american people in the first 100 days. while the president—elect was talking, the current president donald trump was holding an event to outline america's vaccine rollout. however, both of the companies behind the top two vaccine candidates declined to attend. moderna is one of them. a meeting on emergency approval

for us its vaccine is scheduled for next week. pfizer is the other company. its vaccine, developed with biontech, is expected to be given emergency approval by us regulators on thursday and president trump says his administration is on their case. we are just days away from authorisation from the fda and we are pushing them hard, at which point we will immediately begin mass distribution. well, earlier, ispoke to drjeremy foust, who's an instructor at harvard medical school and emergency medicine physician at the brigham and women's hospital in boston. i asked him what should be said to americans who are wondering why people in the uk are receiving the pfizer vaccine before them. first of all, a joyous occasion thing to watch people being vaccinated across the pond less then a year after this began,

this is the pinnacle of scientific achievement, and we should all be proud of that, regardless of nationality. in the united states, there has been a gap with this education for a long time. the need for a longer safety tail was important that we could look patients in the eye and say it works and it is safe so we have a delayed timeframe, really owing to the fact that we wanted to see enough safety data so we can have that conversation. the us does not have a centralised health system in the way that the uk does. it is quite fragmented, different providers and different states, how is that going to affect a mass vaccination programme? i think it will be chaotic and the numbers will climb, whether it's in an organised fashion remains to be seen. it will be a little bit unpredictable and there will be ebbs and flows and this is a disadvantage of the system but if we can have 100 million

vaccines in the first 100 days as the us president—elect is promising, it would be wonderful news if that can occur. that's a big ‘if‘. is that a realistic ambition? i'm not familiar with the productions line per se, but i think that the us president—elect has surrounded himself with some of the greatest experts on this in the country and in the world. i don't think they would let him get too far ahead, it may be aspirational but we should see hundreds of millions of doses in the world in coming months so it should be possible and am cautiously optimistic about that. so we have approval and the challenge of distribution and i suppose another big challenge now is convincing people to take the vaccine or any other that gets approved down the line. what is the best way to reach out to people who may range from being slightly sceptical to being completely opposed for quite fanciful reasons? yeah, we're familiar with this,

yes, if science came up with a pill that is a cure for cancer and some dingbats will come up with some theory that it would cause infertility or something like that. people can say that this is the pinnacle of scientific achievement and people want to participate in that and they want to see them and their neighbours are protected and we need to have an honest conversation about risk and benefits and the risks are small but we have to be frank and say we expect it to cause side—effects, i expect it but if it does not, it is still working but you should expect headache, fatigue and body aches, and a number people may have these symptoms but it has been safe in the trial so far and that is a conversation i anticipate.

0n the first day of the uk's mass covid vaccination programme, thousands of people have received jabs. 90—year—old margaret keenan became the first person to be given the pfizer vaccine outside of clinical trials. manufacturers say it is up to 95% effective, and the british government has ordered a0 million doses, with 800,000 in the first batch. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, was there. an early morning hospital appointment. at first glance, nothing out of the ordinary. but this was unlike anything before. margaret, aged 90, was the very first patient to receive the newly—approved coronavirus vaccine. applause. there was a well deserved round of applause, and intense interest amongst media and health officials at this hospital vaccination clinic in coventry. she seemed to take it all in her stride. so, margaret, first of all, tell us, how was it for you? it was fine, it was fine. i wasn't nervous at all.

it was really good, yeah. and what do you say to those who might be having second thoughts about having this vaccine? i say go for it, go for it, because it's free, and it's the best thing that's ever happened... ..at the moment. so, do please go for it. that's what i say, you know? if i can do it, well, so can you. the matron who administered the historicjab said this significance only sunk in afterwards. i do this all the time. i've done hundreds of vaccinations, but never with such interest, and people, like, wanting to know what's going on and wanting to actually witness it, so it was really surreal. it's a world—first, it represents extraordinary progress by science, but for the nhs, this is a huge achievement, turning research into reality.

around the uk, there were similar stories. in glasgow, the vaccine was delivered to the sec centre, with nhs staff among the first to receive the jabs. it's really exciting, it's lovely. you feel like you're a wee bit of history in the making. it's really lovely. in belfast, health staff queued to get theirjabs. the policy is for those doing the vaccinations to be vaccinated first. the health service in general has struggled throughout the fight with covid—19, so it feels like a momentous day. very privileged. at this vaccine centre in cardiff, one of seven in wales, more than 200 people have been booked in every day till friday. we do need people to be patient for that bit longer. let's get through to the spring. as we work through to the spring, we'll be vaccinating as many people as we can. it's a good day for the whole country. the prime minister, on a visit to a london vaccination

centre, wanted to rein in people's expectations. i urge people to contain their impatience. it's a very exciting moment but there's still a lot of work to be done and a lot of discipline to be maintained. the head of nhs england was urging people not to turn up without appointments. wait to hearfrom the nhs. we will make contact with you. the vaccine is being made available to us from the manufacturers on a phased basis, so the bulk of the vaccination is going to be injanuary, february, march and april. the priority groups now include the over 80s. harry and ranjan, who spoke to us yesterday, had their jabs together in newcastle, with badges to prove it. applause. margaret certainly won't forget her vaccination, nor will nhs staff on a dramatic and momentous day which they can only hope marks a turning point. hugh pym, bbc news, coventry. a european champions league football match in france

will have to be completed on wednesday, after both teams walked off the pitch, accusing a match official of racism. players from paris st germain and istanbul basakshir stopped playing 1a minutes into the game and refused to continue. 0ur reporter, paul hawkins, explains more. the 14th minute of the match, the referee goes over to the basakshir assistant coach, pierre webo, who is from cameroon, shows him a red card, he is objected to the decision. pierre webo then turns to the fourth match official, so you've got the referee, the two linesmen, this is the match official who stands between the two teams' managerial sides in the dugout. he turns to him and he says, "why are you referring to me by the colour of my skin?"

iam paraphrasing here. the fourth official, he is using the romanian word for black, the fourth match official is from romania, and "i am not a racist." there is then another clip that we have seen some footage, where demba ba, the striker for the turkish side says, "why, when you mention a black guy, do you have to say this black guy?" the implication being that you wouldn't describe the coach that way if he was white. presnel kimpembe, who is a paris saint—germain striker, is overheard in the footage saying, "is he serious? we are heading in, that's it." and then all of the players from both sides appear to show real solidarity, they walked down the tunnel, they don't reappear. uefa, the governing body for football in europe offered to swap that fourth match official for someone else, that offer isn't taken up and the match is to be replayed on wednesday evening with a completely different set of match officials. the referees also being changed, so instead of having an all—romanian team, there is going to be a dutch referee and the rest of them are going to be from the netherlands and poland. this is really unprecedented but from a match official, i've

never heard of that before? no, never, unprecedented, ugly scenes in paris and normally we hear about racism with the fans all the players but uefa say they will impose sanctions and finds but i don't think uefa have ever had to impose sanctions on their own match officials so we are in unprecedented territory. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we meet a group of chinese litter pickers who are taking teamwork to new heights. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil, and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik.

this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she's facing seven charges of tax evasion, estimated at £120 million. she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: us president electjoe biden pledges 100 million vaccinations across the united states in his first 100 days in office. thousands of people in the uk have been injected against covid—19 on the first day of a mass vaccination programme.

the us president—electjoe biden has chosen retired borisjohnson will boris johnson will travel to brussels on wednesday for talks with the european commission, hoping the meeting in person will lead to a breakthrough in the trade talks which are currently stalled with only weeks to go before the brexit transition period ends on the sist transition period ends on the 31st of december. trade talks have run into problem and boris johnson will have to make difficult decisions. everyone is waiting to see if there is a way through. the situation at the moment is very tricky. 0ur friends have just got to understand that the uk has left the eu in order to be able to exercise democratic control over the way we do things, and then there is also the issue of fisheries, we are a long way

apart steel, but hope springs eternal. there has been progress in another very tricky area, to avoid tax along the irish border, northern ireland will continue to follow some eu rules. but that means inspections on certain goods entering northern ireland from the rest of the uk. businesses there have been worried about extra paperwork and the impact on food and medicine supplies. how do you start to appeal the complexity that is northern ireland and not create instability, so i think if they had some sort of solution today, it will be welcomed and so today, it will be welcomed and so pleased and we really hope when the detail comes out that they really listen to our concerns. this has been a hugely complicated and controversial issue where economic considerations have had to be seen in the context ofa had to be seen in the context of a delicate peace process. positives i positives have been difficult to find in recent days when it comes to brexit

negotiations but this is most certainly a very important positive for the island of ireland as a whole, because it establishes the guarantees of the border and the single market are now settled. hopefully this is a signal that the british government is in dealmaking mood. some seeds in av dealmaking mood. some seeds in a's agreement has a positive sign for the broader trade talks, but don't forget, those arrangements in northern ireland will apply whether there is a deal or not, and eu sources say that their chief negotiator has told european ministers that we are now tilting towards no deal. and while politicians talk, the uncertainty while politicians talk, the u ncerta i nty affect while politicians talk, the uncertainty affect businesses everywhere. the manager of this sawmill in somerset says he is ready to adapt. we have to be as positive as we can about it and move forward. we employ three orfour and move forward. we employ three or four people in a couple of pa rt—timers three or four people in a couple of part—timers and for us, having to let people go is

the worst thing, so my biggest fear is having to let staff members go if there is any obvious price increases and we become insufficient. tomorrow borisjohnson heads to brussels for a dinner with the president of the european commission, a last chance to find a breakthrough and a trade deal that both sides can sign up to. the clock is ticking. the us president—electjoe biden has chosen retired army general, lloyd austin, as his defense secretary. if confirmed, general austin will be the first african—american to lead the pentagon. his nomination was received favourably by a number of prominent figures, in particular former presidential candidate and first lady hilary clinton who said:. benjamin crump, the attorney who has represented the families of george floyd and breonna taylor, also tweeted saying that:.

i spoke to christopher parker, professor of political science at the university of washington who has written extensively on race and politics. he explained what qualifies lloyd austin for the role of defense secretary. the guy was commander of central command which is arguably the most important command in american military because it has all forces, all american forces in the middle east, so they are notjust going to put anybody of commander of central command, especially during a time of conflict. so he sounds like he is well qualified, and it's interesting to see such a broad selection of voices approving of him. let's talk about race. the first black person to lead the pentagon, if he is confirmed. what would be the significance of that? technically, colin powell was the chairman of thejoint

chiefs of staff, back during the bush administration, so he was up there in the pentagon as well but it's really important because when the military has an exalted position in american society and black people serve in the military from jump street from the very beginning with the revolutionary war, revolting you guys, and so black folks have always served in the military, and oftentimes in the military, and oftentimes in the early years of the republic, there are times where we we re republic, there are times where we were not considered first—class citizens, so to have a black person in charge of the military is completely appropriate and then beyond that we already have a black person that was secretary of state colin powell, congolese arise, and in the attorney general office with miss lynch, said to have a black person finally in charge of the

pentagon, is really important for us. let's get some of the day's other news. five people have been killed in a helicopter crash in the french alps. the pilot, who was able to eject, raised the alarm shortly after the aircraft went down in the savoie region. it's not clear what brought down the helicopter, which belonged to a private search and rescue company. venice has flooded once again, after its $7 billion flood barrier system was not activated, as a result of mistaken forecasts. tides rose higher than expected, and by the time the city's 78 barriers were called upon, it was too late and water had already entered the famous lagoon. 0n on wednesday know the uk's biggest celebration of black music and culture will be live streamed online as the mob0 awards get under way. music of black 0rigin comes in a year of momentous calls for change for black lives — with the pandemic also creating fresh challenges for artists. this report, by the former mob0 award winner colleen harris, contains flashing images.

it's been going for nearly 25 years, celebrating some of the biggest names in music of black origin. make some noise! # re—rewind, when the crowd say bo selecta...#. unlike previous years, tomorrow's event is a virtual ceremony. thank you from the bottom of my heart again. thank you to everyone that voted for me, to all my brothers that support me. there's no live audience, but they're trialling new technology to bring an immersive experience. this is a year like no other, so we're producing a show like no other. and so, for us, it was about using the power of black culture to bring people together. its return after a two—year hiatus follows a year of highly—charged black lives matter protests, a movement that prompted the founder of the mobo founder to pen an open letter to the culture secretary. we've seen a solidarity which is so powerful and impactful, so i would say to any creative, look to see how you can connect, how you can work together, how

you can find a support system. 20 years ago, i was here in a different capacity. i was lucky enough to win one of these, so i know first—hand how much it means to an up and coming artist, but so much has changed in the music industry, especially in the last year. # this time, this time i won't hold the line...#. singer—songwriter mahalia is nominated for three awards tomorrow, including best female and best album. it is an achievement she says has come at a time when musicians are relearning what it means to be an artist. i haven't done any live performances, which is strange, because i basically spent the whole of last year on the road, and, yeah, it's been a real, real roller—coaster, emotionally and just physically. it's been strange, but i'm trying to stay hopeful about it because i'm sure i'll get back on stage next year.

until then, the mobo awards are showcasing all music of black origin in a year when it needs the support now more than ever. colleen harris, bbc news. that event will stream later on today and wednesday. a uniquely beautiful mountain in central china draws thousands of visitors each year. but with the influx of tourists comes a troubling environmental impact, so a group of litter collectors are putting their lives on the line to keep the mountain clean. tom brada reports. purged hundreds of feet up in the air, with an unforgiving vertical drop to one side, it's a litter collection route like no other. this man'sjob is to abseil down the mountain, cleaning up the waste left behind by tourists. his gravity

defying team have earned a fitting nickname from local media who refer to them as simply spider—man. media who refer to them as simply spider-man. translation: i have no fear. i was a little afraid before when ijust started but now, it's nothing. his team was set up ten years ago to deal with waste accumulating on the mountainside. an issue which is u nfortu nately mountainside. an issue which is unfortunately common our chinese beauty spots. but he has noticed that the visitor habits have begun to improve. translation: tourists are better behaved now. when i started there were so much litter that i could pick ten or even 20 bags. now, there is a lot less. it seems like he and his team perilous‘s work is paying off.

they are brave people indeed. not sure i could do that. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ aaron safir. hello there. low pressure will continue to bring more unsettled weather to our shores for the rest of this week and very slowly, those temperatures will be creeping up as we reach the end of the week and into the weekend. now for wednesday, we'll have some showers across eastern areas. some sunshine will develop, though, behind it is this ridge of high pressure that builds in and then there will be rain pushing to western areas later on all courtesy of this new frontal system. so we'll start off rather grey, misty, murky conditions with some showery bursts of rain through this morning. they should eventually clear away, it's an improving picture with some sunshine developing though showers holding on across north—eastern scotland. later in the day for northern ireland, western fringes of england, wales and practically into the south west we will see thicker cloud moving in here with outbreaks of rain. temperatures slowly climbing but again it's going to be another chilly day for most, temperatures range from to 5—7

celsius quite typically. as we head through wednesday night, we will start to see that cloud thickening up across the east as well. it looks like most of the heaviest rain will start to push across wales, the south—west england, to the channel islands. elsewhere, we will hold onto quite a bit of cloud, some light and patchy rain under clearing skies across the north, it will be quite chillier otherwise, less cold than it's been on other nights. on thursday, we are in between weather systems although we have this weather front affecting the northern half of the uk. we've got a slack airflow once again so winds will be light, rather grey skies for many with some patchy light rain or drizzle, little bit heavier across scotland. could see a touch of wintriness over the high grounds. the air is still quite cool with those highs ranging from 5—8 degrees. but slowly coming up across the south—west, 9—10 celsius there for cardiff and for plymouth. as we head on into friday, a more substantial frontal system spreads its way eastwards across the country. this one will bring a bit of a change to the weather, some heavier rain at times will make its way towards the eastern side of the country, winds stronger for a time, and then skies will brighten up

across western areas, perhaps one or two showers here. so, it's out west where will start to see temperatures lift by the end of friday, 10—11 celsius here. a little bit less cold further east, too. still on the chilly side — with temperatures in single figures. into the weekend, we hold onto a lot of cloud, some rain in northern and western areas. by sunday, we'll see another area of low pressure which will bring windier weather, some milder air, and also outbreaks of rain.

this is bbc news, the headlines: joe biden has put forward his plans to deal with a worsening coronavirus health crisis which has killed nearly 300,000 americans. the us president—elect promised that 100 million vaccinations would be carried out in his first 100 days in office. britain has become the first country to begin a mass coronavirus vaccination programme, with an authorized, fully tested jab. 70 hubs have been set up at hospitals around britain. 90—year—old margaret keenan got the first dose of the pfizer biontech jab outside of the clinical trials. a european champions league football match in france will have to be completed on wednesday, after both teams walked off the pitch, accusing a match official of racism. players from paris st germain and istanbul basakshir stopped