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 hed 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 trumps America First approach. He still hasnt conceded the election, but the transition is gathering pace. Mr biden has now been given access to the white house intelligence briefing. Heres 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 shouldnt 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 hes 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 hes 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 wholl play the key Foreign Policy and National Security roles in his administration. Its 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 hed 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. Jonathan katz, is a former senior official at the Us State Department during the obama administration, i asked for his thoughts on the suggestion this was shaping up to resemble a third obama term. Its 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 part of the Previous Administration, but this is really a biden administration, a biden and harris administration, and i think 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 macros to coming on board to address Climate Change kerry board to address Climate Change kerry how board to address Climate Change kerry how important this particular topic is for the president elect and this administration, and by picking allies 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 issues and policies that this president elect cares deeply about and so do the american people. In terms of policies, the characters, the personalities you know, diversity, women, avril haynes, she is the director of national intelligence, the first time a woman has held the role, janet as well, the first female treasured treasury secretary. Yes, president elect biden and obviously Vice President elect terrace 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, rate for the job, ready to do it on day one and i think thats what the american public, over 80 million that supported Vice President elect biden come up president elect biden come up president elect biden and Vice President elect kamala harris. Can adjust interrupt, just in terms of Foreign Policy initiatives the iran deal, china, what is going to happen there . Look, this new group is going to come in. They are obviously going up to take are obviously going up to take a look up at 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 mrtrump has 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 challenges. You 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 thats green to take place from day one. That was john speaking with me earlier. 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 wont 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 cant afford to throw caution to the wind. The virus doesnt know its christmas and we must all be careful. Many will welcome the move. But what about places like loughborough where theres been a spike in coronavirus cases in recent days . Well, i think id rather it didnt happen because i think we need, if we keep safe now, hopefully in the new year we can move forward. I think its 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 the Jewish Community havent been able to celebrate either, so ijust dont think its very fair. I think it will create more covid cases. The hospitals are already under pressure. I dont 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, its 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 wont 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 theres the question of enforcement. At times the police have been accused of being heavy handed. But theyre playing down the chances of penalty fines while the crackers are being pulled. I will not be tasking my officers to be knocking on peoples doors on Christmas Day and interrupting the turkey because people may or may not have breached it. Im sure that is not what is behind the governments 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. Millions of americans are already travelling home to celebrate thanksgiving despite warnings from Health Officials abour rising coronavirus cases and deaths. For three Straight Days over the weekend around a Million People passed through american airports thats around 50 of the people who travelled last year. But, itss still the highest amount weve seen since the start of the pandemic in mid march. Sunday is projected to be the busiest travel day of the holiday period. The us surgeon general, jerome adams, pleaded with americans to grasp the severity of the situation. Im asking americans, im begging you, hold onjust a little bit longer, keep thanksgiving and the celebration small and smart this year. Many epidemiologists are warning about the consequences gatherings might have in the coming weeks and how they could become a potential threat to christmas celebrations. Dr syra madad is the senior director of pathogen preparedness and response in new york city. I do think we will see an icu christmas. And what i mean is, if we arent going to have a zoom thanksgiving, well see an icu christmas and see many people get infected. We are seeing millions of people already on the move, you know, to gather for the Holiday Season that is absolutely going to see more outbreaks. You know, just around the dining table, these may be super spreader events. So if youre going to get together with your loved ones, make sure that you do it outdoors, masks on as much as possible, you know, keeping your distance, and certainly getting a test. So a test is not a green pass to go ahead and freely mingle without a mask on, itll tell you if you have covid 19 which means you should not be getting together at all and you need to isolate. But if it is negative, youll want to continue to wear a mask. So its really important to add on these preventative measures if youre going to mingle which we certainly do not recommend, but millions of people will do it. 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 Regions capital. Fighting between ethiopias Central Government and forces in tigray has been going on for almost three weeks. Ethiopias 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 Ethiopias Tigray province. Government forces have advanced deep into the region. The leader of the Tigray Peoples 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. Tigrays 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 ethiopias 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 sudan. The un is calling on all sides to give clear and unambiguous orders to theirforces to spare civilians. David campanale, bbc news. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come how a military dog who charged through enemy gunfire to save british soldiers in afghanistan is being rewarded for his bravery. 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, its a funny old world. Angela merkel is germanys 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, its not hot air we need, its 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, saying america is back, ready to lead the world. President Electjoe Biden has given an exclusive interview to the American News network nbc his first since winning the presidency last month. He discussed wide ranging issues from transition to covid i9 and state of us economy. In the interview, mr biden hinted that he is not opposed to nominating a republican to his cabinet to ensure national unity. Here is what he had to say. Yes, and we still have a lot more appointments to make. I wa nt more appointments to make. I want this country to be united, with the purpose of our administration is once again united. We cannot keep this political dialogue going, it has to end. Should we expect an announcement . No. Not ever or not soon . No, not soon. President Electjoe Biden was also asked about this plans for the mass roll out of the covid i9 vaccine. I think, talking, ithink, talking, as i think, talking, as you may know, i have talked, how to zoom with leading governors in the country, five republicans, five democrats, we 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 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 its can be done safely. So there is a lot to work out in the next two months as to exactly how it will be distributed. Now, maybe the hope is that we can actually begin to distribute it, this administration can begin to administer it for we are swoii] begin to administer it for we are sworn take office. So its all in train right im feeling good though that we will now be able to get all the hard data we need, which has been unavailable to us until now. That was joe biden that wasjoe biden speaking on nbc. The bbcs nomia iqbal is in washington for us. Well, the change in tone to his predecessor is quite extraordinary. It is. And hes definitely got his catchphrase nailed, hasnt he . Americas back. He said that quite a few times, so that is in sharp contrast to Donald TrumpsAmerica First. The Democratic Party and joe biden have always felt that donald trump and his agenda has pulled america away from the world and really retreated from the world. And hes going to do very much the opposite. What really struck me that interview, one of the things that he was asked was, are you just trying to create a third 0bama term . And he flinched at that and said, no, we are ina very at that and said, no, we are in a very different situation. And you can see why the question was asked, because a lot of his appointees are from the obama biden administration. There are challenges thatjoe administration. There are challenges that joe biden faces. As we heard there in those clips, he has got to tackle covid 19, the pandemic, and he say that he still hasnt seen the Covid Vaccination distribution plans by the trump administration, the transition has been delayed. 0f administration, the transition has been delayed. Of course come and now its been signed off, but it is still slow starting. He is growing shes got to try to unify the country. You know, there are millions of americans that still support donald trump, and they supported his America First agenda. They liked the fa ct first agenda. They liked the fact that he wasnt trying to police the whole world or lead the whole world. So hes got a lot of work to do. And that appeal, that willingness for bipartisanship, it will be very interesting to see if he does appoint a republican and who would be in line for a role in his cabinet, do you think . Well, this is the thing with joe biden come hes always presented himself as a unifier, and for good reason, hes been oii and for good reason, hes been on the political stage for nearly half a century. Hes friends with people like mitch mcconnell. He for them with them. Hes friends with people like mitt romney. So i think trying to appoint republicans who are Trump Supporters would be assigned, definitely a pragmatic sign that hes trying to unify the country. He said hes not going to announce anyone yet. In terms of who that could be, im not sure yet of any names that could possibly be floating around. He is pretty close to quite a lot of republican governors as well. He spoke about that in the interview. But i think weve got to see how, you know, if that happens, yeah, and of course, i think the main republican that he wants to be seen with is donald trump, and he was asked in in interview earlier today just by he was asked in in interview earlier todayjust by a reporter as he was in delaware, would you meet with trump if he invited you . Would you meet with trump if he invited you . And he said yes, of course i would. He said in the interview that donald trump has not reached out to him yet. We did hear from donald trump, saw him early on, the sparing of the turkey, obviously, ahead of thanksgiving, and then that remarkable appearance in the white house for her, watch . 59 seconds, 60 seconds. Just talking about the stock market and then off. Mac yeah, its been very strange kind of appearance by donald trump, more than two weeks on since he lost the election. He really doesnt talk about the election itself in any of those briefings. Everything that you mentioned there was literally one minute in which he praised himself with the stock markets and then left without taking any questions. He seems to be leaving his outrage and anger on twitter for the moments, and outrage and anger on twitter forthe moments, and in terms of his schedule, we as reporters tend to get a schedule of what the president is up to, and usually its empty. It certainly is for the moment. 0k, empty. It certainly is for the moment. Ok, with the latest, thank you very much. The authorities in thailand have revived a controversial law against criticising the royal family to counter months of protests which have increasingly called for reform of the monarchy. A leading activist has been summoned to face charges under the lese majeste law, others are also expected to be charged. The legislation hasnt been used for three years. 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 alqaeda extremists. Hes 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 kunos 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 didnt look good. So we bandaged that up. He had whats 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 kunos 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. The old saying one mans trash is another ones treasure is especially true for this group of hikers in south korea. The group called clean hikers is dedicated to picking up trash from mountain parks and turning the collection into art. Their latest creation is a collage of a crying cat tagged with the slogan save the world. Other works include images of a fish, bird, butterfly and a boy. After the works are created and documented, the garbage is thrown away in proper rubbish bins or is taken to be recycled. The groups leader believes their art attracts more peoples attention than simply asking people not to litter. That is it for this edition of bbc news. Good to have you watching. Plenty more, of course, on oui watching. Plenty more, of course, on our website. We will be back soon. See you soon. 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 milder spot in the country, 15 celsius, mild weather across most areas, contrast that with the rain thatjust wouldnt 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, might see one or two areas with a touch of frost. 0ur 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. Theres 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 for this stage of november. The weekend, mostly dry, but we will continue with the cold weather conditions with frost and fog. This is bbc news, the headlines. Joe biden has unveiled the team that will shape us Foreign Policy under his presidency, saying, america is back, ready to lead the world. The biden teams global worldview differs shaply from Donald TrumpsAmerica First approach. Mr trump still hasnt conceded the election, but the transition is gathering pace. 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. Us airports are filling up for the thanksgiving holiday, as travellers ignore Public Health warning to stay home to stop the spread of covid i9. Since the start of the pandemic in march, holidays have triggered outbreaks of the virus, including after the fourth of july and halloween. Thats it from me and