this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. one of iran's top nuclear scientists, mohsen fakhrizadeh, has been assassinated after gunmen opened fire on his car. tehran points the finger of blame at israel, saying it's trying to provoke a war. three police officers are held over the beating up of a black music producer, president macron describes the images as "shame" for france. the uk and eu will resume face to face brexit trade talks in london this weekend — with fishing stocks likely to be a majorflashpoint. and what can a japanese ninja teach us about to staying safe during the pandemic?

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. we begin with news that one of iran's top nuclear scientists has been assassinated. mohsen fakhrizadeh died of his wounds after gunmen fired on his car. israel and western intelligence agencies accused him of being one of the founders of the country's covert nuclear weapons programme. iran's foreign ministerjavad zarif was quick to point the finger at israel. he tweeted. .. dr trita parsi is an iran expert and executive vice—president of the non—partisan think—tank the quincy institute

for responsible statescraft. it's good to have you with us. what do you make of these developments within the past few hours? well, i think if there is no clear evidence at this point but israel is the most likely culprit here because the combination of political... and capacity reduces the list only the us and israel. and bibi netanyahu has been wanting to try this war for more than a decade. if they do not still, it will really damage the prospects for renewed diplomacy under biden. but it is also unlikely to point at that if israel is behind it that it would do so some form of at least a tacit green light from the trump administration. why would israel be targeting him in

particular if that is indeed the case? remember in 2018 when the israelis had done a raid in iran and confiscated a large number of documents related to the iranian nuclear programme, netanyahu specifically mentioned mohsen fakhrizadeh, he said remember his name, he is a key person in the iranian nuclear programme. he was a target in the past, no successful attempt on his life until today and he has been extremely heavily guarded which means this is also quite an impression for the iranian government that deep inside iranian territory some country, most likely israel, could conduct such an assassination. we should say there has been no comment from either israel or from has been no comment from either israel orfrom the us has been no comment from either israel or from the us defence department, the pentagon. this is according to the news agencies. what do you think the next step would be ina do you think the next step would be in a deponent of offence following this? i think the ball is in iran's court. but it also is in the court

of europe and the biden team. if the europeans condemn this, if biden condemns this, then there is a likelihood that the iranians will show restraint for such a former senior us officialjust tweeted about an hour ago the importance of iran showing restraint but he went further and call this a criminal act and suggested it would be a state—sponsored action which is quite critical because the list of countries they could have done this that are states is released more, the us or israel. it seems i can indirect way for him to call out israel. in terms of the wider context of this, just earlier this month, concerns were raised about the amount of enriched uranium that iran has built up. house and if you can do think the targeting of mohsen fakhrizadeh is in that context? —— how significant do you think?” think it is particularly important because at the end of the day even

pass assassinations which israel did conduct, it did not have an effect on the trajectory of the iranian nuclear programme. it certainly had an impact on the programme but not a decisive one. and when the obama administration condemned these acts they did so precisely because they knew that ultimately the target was not the nuclear programme because these assassinations would not have that type of an impact was at the target back then and likely today as well was actually renewed diplomacy between the united states and iran. doctor trita parsi, between the united states and iran. doctor trita pa rsi, thank between the united states and iran. doctor trita parsi, thank you for coming on for your analysis. to coronavirus now and the uk like other european countries has been battling a second wave of infections. on friday, a rare piece of good news. the r number for covid—i9, which measures the disease's ability to spread, has fallen below one for the first time since august. but it is a varied picture depending on where you live. our health editor hugh pym reports on the different approaches to fighting the spread. empty streets in belfast today,

with northern ireland beginning a two—week circuit breaker lockdown to try to stem the spread of covid—i9. non—essential shops are closed apart from click and collect services, and pubs, restaurants and cafes can only do take away and deliveries. we are asking people, for two weeks, to please abide by the public health advice so that we can then come together in and around that window at christmas. as northern ireland enters a new lockdown, england prepares to leave one next week. and already, there's intense debate about the introduction of tiered restrictions. the government has set out how it decides which areas should go into which tiers. first of all, looking at case rates across all age groups, then rates amongst the over—60s, how rapidly r rates are going up or coming down, and how many tests done come through positive. finally, how much pressure is there on the nhs.

but questions have been raised in some areas about the decisions. newcastle's in tier 3, for example. in northumberland, a local conservative mp's had to respond to complaints from people about being lumped in with newcastle. in sussex, which is in tier 2, officials say that with cases, the trend is increasing in several areas. and with local hospitals, things are fairly stable. in neighbouring kent, in tier 3, they say there have been big case increases and those in people aged over 60 are a particular concern and hospital admissions are increasing. for cumbria in tier 2, cases in some areas are said to be increasing, but some of this is likely due to a large school outbreak. in neighbouring lancashire, which is in tier 3, officials say case rates in over—60s are very high, and there is still pressure on the nhs. at present, the levels of covid within the community is still very high. and that will drive admissions coming into hospital.

if people are mixing in the community, that means after christmas, if people don't follow the rules, we may see a further surge. in newcastle, a specialist intensive care unit has been created for covid patients, though the latest r number for the northeast of england, showing how much the virus is spreading, is, like the northwest, below the overall uk figure. london and the southeast are higher. hugh pym, bbc news. french president emmanuel macron has said the images of a black music producer being beaten up by police are a "shame" for france. four french police officers have been detained for questioning after a video showed the incident. it's sparked outrage in the country. i'm joined now by lisa louis who is a journalist based in paris. lisa give us a sense of the reaction to this then. there is really a lot of outrage here in france especially

after another incident on monday when police officers effectuated a camp of migrants in the middle of paris beating up people and showing forests a nd paris beating up people and showing forests and taking people out of their tents and there is a lot of outrage about this here. people are increasing the pressure on the government. this comes as the government. this comes as the government is trying to push through a new security law which would make ita criminal a new security law which would make it a criminal offence if you put pictures of police officers online with the intention to harm them. that's a very vague term and many people here are criticising that that new wall might actually go against the presumption of innocence which is also very important here in france. and how did this particular video of the incident come too late? this music predict used —— this music producer to talk to a website and that published a while ago that video. it all happened last weekend. and police officers obviously

thought that they weren't filmed at all but there was a security camera inside the music studio. the police officers are saying, "he tried to beat us," but the footage and pictures are showing that actually was not the case and not these police officers have been suspended in an investigation has been open. and you mentioned that bill, the proposed walk, can make it an offence to photograph our film police officers. how much bearing does this have on ever making it into law? the pressure is mounting, and as emmanuel macron the president has said today on facebook, he is now looking into how to change that law so as to reestablish the link of trust with that the population here. but there are demonstrations going on. there is another one planned for tomorrow. it's not only the press thatis tomorrow. it's not only the press that is saying that could actually curtail press freedom but also other people who fear that if they are being targeted or beaten up like

that man by police, that there might be no protection for them whatsoever anymore because in the pass up until now you had these pictures and you could show what happened. when it comes to police treatment of different racial and ethnic minorities, some people will draw parallels with the situation in the united states. do you think that is fairor is united states. do you think that is fair or is that excessive?” united states. do you think that is fair or is that excessive? i think there is an element to that, absolutely. for years and years, or have been reports of police violence where police have targeted people especially people in poorer areas of france. black people or people of ethnic minorities. these people have been complaining that their complaints have not been heard enough. so this discussion is really justified i think. there have been many such cases here in france as well. although to a different extent because in the us, you will have more people who died because they know the police always bear arms and

there is more of that —— not more of that here. but there are people who have died here in france of police violence. lisa thank you for putting that all into context there. lisa louis there, journalists and france, thank you. let's get some of the day's other news. the ethiopian prime minister has met african union envoys who are visiting the country to try to bring an end to the conflict in tigray. abiy ahmed thanked the au for its concern, but he rejected international offers of mediation. the un has flown aid into neighbouring sudan for those displaced by the fighting. the long—time leader of belarus, alexander lu kashenko, has said he will not be president once a new constitution is in place. mr lukashenko gave no timescale for his proposed constitutional process. belarus's opposition wants mr lukashenko president trump has suffered yet another setback in his attempt to overturn the election result. his legal challenge has been rejected by a federal court in pennsylvania. judges deemed the case was without merit as the trump team did not make a specific allegation

or provide proof. "we are not far from the take it or leave it moment." that's the view of europe's chief negotiator, as face to face brexit talks resume this weekend. michel barnier is due to arrive in london shortly. but his opposite number david frost has warned that for a deal to be possible, it must fully respect uk sovereignty. one of the main sticking points is fishing and the level of future access that eu boats will have to british waters. the uk leaves europe's trade and customs area in just five weeks' time. jon kay reports from newlyn in cornwall on problems that need resolving, fast. while we sleep, they work at the far southwest tip of britain. we are catching hake mainly, and we have a bit of haddock and cod. going straight back out anyway, so hopefully we can catch a bit more. by the time they return, there could be news on brexit.

british negotiators will spend the weekend trying to land a deal. now is the time for them to deliver what they say they can deliver. make no mistake, it is make or break time for the cornish fishing industry. it is fish that the uk and eu are now scrapping over in these final talks. most of what comes into newlyn is sold and eaten in europe. so any deal, or no deal, will have a real impact here. we're in a bit of a no—man's land, really. four years after the promises of the referendum, they will soon know what brexit really means. the prize is clearfor us. it is about control of our waters, it is about exclusive rights to the 12 mile for our fishermen and fairer share of quotas. and on the risk side, if you like, we have access to traditional markets. how confident are you that you will get a deal that you're happy with? i think we're cautiously optimistic. the two sides don'tjust have to agree on fishing,

but on how our ports will operate. some fear long delays and more paperwork from the new year. we feel that we are in a dark room or a cliff where we are putting our foot out and hoping for the best, but all i can say is the people that have prepared have done all we can do so far. they have been fishing out of here for centuries, long before quotas. once a huge industry, some think it can be again. but times have certainly changed. these days, there are only about 12,000 fishermen and women around the uk. the sector contributes about £450 million a year to the economy, but, to put that into context, it is only 0.02%. some question whether that is big enough to put an entire brexit deal at risk. but in newlyn, it is not just about numbers. it is about traditions, culture.

these men are going out, risking their lives, and they're feeding their communities. and in the bigger picture, actually, they are providing fish for the entire of the uk and beyond. it is something to be proud of. and that is why it has to be saved and preserved. both onshore and at sea, crucial days lie ahead. the forecast still unsettled around our island nation. jon kay, bbc news, cornwall. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... an alternative way to fight the coronavirus pandemic. living life as a ninja. 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. the latest headlines. one of iran's top nuclear

scientists, mohsen fakhrizadeh has been assassinated after gunmen opened fire on his car. tehran points the finger of blame at israel, saying it's trying to provoke a war. in india police in the capital delhi have decided to allow thousands of farmers to enter the city to protest against new farm laws. the farmers say the reforms favour big companies, and all week they've have been converging on the city from neighbouring states of haryana and punjab. officers used water cannon and tear gas to try and hold them back but have now decided to escort them to a protest site. farmers unions say they are well prepared to hold the sit—in for weeks or even months. and delhi is already reeling from the pandemic. our correspondent in delhi, nitin srivastava, is at one of the protests on the outskirts the capital. almost all roads leading into india's capital delhi are heavily barricaded. there is massive police presence because protesting farmers are sitting here

demanding their rights. we are outside delhi and all these farmers have been here since yesterday. they spent the night out here in the cold and say they will move only when their demands are met. india's farmers, especially in north india, are very upset with the government's new farm laws which intend to open up the farming sector in india. while the government claims that the new law is actually going to help farmers in selling their produce to an open market, the protesting farmers in north india especially are suspicious and they say that it's actually going to lead private players into their domain, into their markets, which will lead to a lot of price competition. meanwhile, capital delhi has now been kind of fortified. at least 25—30,000 farmers are believed to have reached the outskirts. there have been at least a dozen clashes since yesterday. police have used force, tear gas,

shells to disperse them, and ensure that they do not enter the capital delhi because they want to protest outside the parliament. looking at the situation which is getting tense by every passing hour, the government seems to have warmed up to the demands and say that it is open to negotiations. the protesting farmers meanwhile say negotiations will only be possible if the government decides and assures scrapping of the new law. meanwhile, life in the capital has come to a standstill. train services are disrupted. there are huge trafficjams throughout the city. commuters are having a harrowing time. protesting farmers, meanwhile, are really adamant and to say that they are willing to spend weeks and months protesting outside the capital unless the demands are met. nitin srivastava, bbc news, hapur. diagnosing cancer early is crucial. now a blood test designed to detect more than 50 types of cancer at an early stage is to be trialled by the health service in england.

165,000 patients will be offered the tests from next year and it's hoped it could save many lives. jim reed reports. this time last year, this person was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. as with too many, the warning signs were missed. the first doctor said go and buy some prunejuice, you could be constipated. that wasn't working and i insisted and went back to another gp in the same surgery and another one said by gaviscon, which i got, still not working. if i knew and i could ask for it and the doctor would suggest do this test that would have helped. the nhs is planning to try out a new test in england developed by a californian firm designed to detect molecular changes in the blood caused by 50 types of cancer. 165,000 participants aged between 50 and 79 will be asked to pilot the test over the next three years.

the idea is to diagnose at a much earlier stage. just 40% of ovarian cancers are found at stage one and two when this trimmer is smallest. —— when the tumour is smallest. 60% are found at stage three and four. options are more limited then. this is a hugely important moment in the fight to be able to detect cancers early when treatment can make the most difference. we want to be one of the first health services in the world to see whether the simple blood test can detect those cancers when treatment will make the biggest difference. some scientists are sceptical and see the technology is unproven and direct questions about the accuracy of blood tests for cancer. if the pilot is successful the nhs says it will be extended to another1 million people by the end this decade. jim reed, bbc news. now, they're notorious for being silent assassins and skilled at espionage and deception. but many ninjas were actually

japanese farmers who lived in rural areas and learned to be self sufficient. so could learning the life of a ninja help us stay safe during the pandemic? here are the thoughts of genichi mitsuhashi who has a masters degree in ninja studies.

some food for thought there for all of us indeed. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. i'm @benmbland. i will have the headlines for you in just a few moments.

hello there. it's been a cold day today where that fog lingered through parts of bedfordshire and oxfordshire, for example, but where the fog did lift, it left us with some great sunsets, this one taken in lincolnshire. another weather watcher picture, this one in tingley in leeds. now, there's still some patchy fog around, but it is tending to lift because there's cloud moving up from the south and it's thick enough to give a little rain and drizzle here and there. that's moving its way northwards, but clearing skies will develop in northern ireland, parts of northern england, southern and eastern scotland. so, here, we're more likely to have a frost, whereas further south, it's going to be much milder by the end of the night. this weekend looks like it's going to be quite a dull one. there will be a lot of cloud around, but it's not going to be as cold as it has been of late, and that's because the colder air is getting pushed northwards up towards scotland with

this milder air coming in on a bit of a breeze from continental europe. that, though, is bringing all the cloud, of course. we start with some sunshine across many parts for scotland and also northern ireland, perhaps the far north of england, but it's clouding over from the south. these clouds moving northwards, bringing with it a bit of rain and drizzle. that's heading into northern ireland, eventually southern scotland. we keep the sunshine elsewhere in scotland, but it's going to be quite cold, temperatures of 5 or 6 degrees. further south where we have all the cloud, it's milder air, of course, and those temperatures will reach 12 or 13 celsius, so quite a bit milder than we've seen of late. second half of the weekend, we lose that breeze from off the continent and instead, high pressure builds back in again. the air stagnates and we're left with lots of cloud, low cloud, so some mist and some fog in the hills. a bit more breeze in northern scotland, perhaps some sunshine in the northeast of scotland, some sunshine developing in west wales and the far south of england through the channel in particular. 12 degrees here, elsewhere, temperatures typically 9 or 10 celsius. that's the weekend.

as we head into the last day of autumn, the last day of november, we're going to find the high pressure getting squeezed a bit by atlantic air coming around the top of it and these weatherfronts as well. so, the breeze will start to pick up a bit during the day on monday, initially westerly and then northwesterly. we've got thickening cloud, patchy rain for scotland, northern ireland and pushing further south into england and wales, where it's going to be cloudy. probably not quite as misty on monday, and those temperatures not bad for the time of year at around 9 or 10 celsius.

this is bbc world news. the headlines...

iran's defence ministry has confirmed that one of the country's top nuclear scientists has been assassinated. tehran is pointing the finger of blame at israel, saying it's trying to provoke a war. three french police officers have been suspended after an online video showed them beating up a black music producer in paris. the incident has sparked outrage across france. president macron described the images as "shame" for france. with the eu's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, due in london for brexit talks this weekend, there's a suggestion that eu fleets return some fish caught in british waters if a free trade deal is agreed. and the ethiopian prime minister has met three african union envoys who are seeking to bring an end to the conflict in tigray. the envoys will not be allowed to travel to the embattled area. you are watching bbc news. sir philip green's retail empire,

arcadia, which owns big name high street stores like topshop, burton and dorothy perkins, is on the brink of collapse, putting 13,000 jobs at risk. the business has more than 500 stores and has been run by sir philip green for almost 20 years. the group had been in talks with potential lenders about borrowing £30 million to help it through the christmas period. but negotiations have failed and it's understood administrators could be appointed as early as monday. in a statement today, arcadia said the coronavirus pandemic had had a "material impact on trading" across its businesses. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. they are some of the most well—known brands on high streets across the country, including topshop, the jewel in the crown. thousands ofjobs have already gone in retail this year. the collapse of arcadia would be the biggest failure yet. topshop had the best inexpensive fashion, totally kept up with the trends. philip didn't manage the business

brilliantly and new fashion businesses which are digital natives have found it much easier to adapt to the shopping climate now. the owner is sir philip green, colourful and controversial. he built one of the biggest clothing empires in the country, courting celebrities along the way. but then he sold bhs for £1 and it collapsed a year later. do you mind not looking at me like that all the time? it's really disturbing. leaving him facing the fury of mps and having to cough up millions to the pension schemes. he has gone from zero to hero and now it looks as though he is going back to zero again. philip's style worked really well for a while, but it's been working progressively less well. today's retail industry needs huge investment and it's never been his style to invest much in his businesses, as was exemplified by the dividend of about 1.2 billion that he and his family took out

of the business some years ago. this business had been in trouble long before the pandemic, but this second lockdown now looks to be the final nail in the coffin. arcadia had been hoping to raise emergency funds to tide it through christmas, but that is now thought to have fallen through. in a statement, the company said... they say the shops will reopen next week as restrictions are lifted. in a statement, the company said... they say the shops will reopen next week as restrictions are lifted. trading as normal. but tonight, this is a business on the brink. the prime minister has been defending england's new coronavirus restrictions that will begin when lockdown ends next wednesday. many conservative mps reacted

angrily when it was revealed that almost the entire country would be placed into the two highest tiers, with many areas that have low infection rates facing tougher controls than before. they're calling for a more locally targeted approach. borisjohnson said he realised it was "frustrating," but insisted that the restrictions were necessary to curb the disease. our deputy political editor, vicki young, has spent the day in the english county of kent which is going into the toughest tier. it's not the festive reopening they had been hoping for and once again, this bar will have to adapt. customers won't be allowed to sit in and enjoy the craft beer, so owner alex is setting up as a shop. most businesses were getting prepared to get back open in some way, so too have the rug pulled from under us at the last minute is quite a shock. and it's upsetting, i guess, to be in this situation, especially when we tried so hard as an industry to be covid—secure and we put in so many measures.

in tonbridge there are few coronavirus cases, but high numbers in a couple of areas of kent have put the whole county into the toughest restrictions. it's like when you are at school and you behave the whole lesson, and then there is just one kid at the back that hasn't behaved. we were quite shocked. we were not expecting to be in tier 3. and as new mums, we are struggling being alone, stuck in the house a lot. the government has to put a line somewhere. i mean, you put a line through the middle of kent, no—one is going to know where it is, are they? the prime minister hopes that eventually, vaccines and mass testing will help control the virus. today, he toured public health england labs at porton down that the tier system will dictate what rules we must live with. i totally understand why people feel so frustrated, but the difficulty is that if you did it any other way,

first of all, you would divide the country up into loads and loads of very complicated subdivisions. there has got to be some simplicity and clarity in the way we do this. but furious conservative mps have been lobbying for a more targeted approach. of course he is right that we need simplicity and clarity, but we also needed to be appropriate. we are asking people to make very serious sacrifices, and economic sacrifices, and that is why it's important that what we asked people to do is appropriate to the situation they find themselves in. labour is not against the tighter restrictions, which mps will vote on next week, but it wants more financial support for those who have to isolate. boris johnson might have to rely on opposition mps to get his plans through. there have been howls of protest from many conservative mps, who are particularly worried about the hospitality trade. but the government is taking a tougher approach this time round after scientists said the tier system simply wasn't working. now mps in places like kent are pinning all their hopes

on a review in two weeks' time. shops, those that have survived, will reopen across the whole of england next week. but many pubs and restaurants face an uncertain future. vicki young, bbc news, tonbridge. the latest government figures show there were 16,022 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week, is now 16,725. there were 1,612 people admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last friday, and 521 deaths were reported. that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week, a67 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 57,551. the uk's r numberfor covid—19, which measures the disease's ability to spread, has fallen below1

for the first time since august. but it is a varied picture depending on where you live. our health editor hugh pym reports on the different approaches to fighting the spread. empty streets in belfast today, with northern ireland beginning a two—week circuit breaker lockdown to try to stem the spread of covid—19. non—essential shops are closed, apart from click and collect services, and pubs, restaurants and cafes can only do take away and deliveries. we are asking people, for two weeks, to please abide by the public health advice so that we can then come together in and around that window at christmas. as northern ireland enters a new lockdown, england prepares to leave one next week. and already, there's intense debate about the introduction of tiered restrictions. the government has set out how it decides which areas should go into which tiers. first of all, looking at case rates

across all age groups, then rates amongst the over—60s, how rapidly r rates are going up or coming down, and how many tests done come through positive. finally, how much pressure is there on the nhs. but questions have been raised in some areas about the decisions. newcastle's in tier 3, for example. in northumberland, a local conservative mp's had to respond to complaints from people about being lumped in with newcastle. in sussex, which is in tier 2, officials say that with cases, the trend is increasing in several areas. and with local hospitals, things are fairly stable. in neighbouring kent, in tier 3, they say there have been big case increases and those in people aged over 60 are a particular concern and hospital admissions are increasing. for cumbria in tier 2, cases in some areas are said to be increasing, but some of this is likely due to a large school outbreak. in neighbouring lancashire, which is in tier 3, officials say

case rates in over—60s are very high, and there is still pressure on the nhs. at present, the levels of covid within the community is still very high. and that will drive admissions coming into hospital. if people are mixing in the community, that means after christmas, if people don't follow the rules, we may see a further surge. in newcastle, a specialist intensive care unit has been created for covid patients, though the latest r number for the northeast of england, showing how much the virus is spreading, is, like the northwest, below the overall uk figure. london and the southeast are higher. hugh pym, bbc news. a former hospital porter has appeared in court and admitted to taking part in dozens of child sex offences over two decades. paul farrell was working as a porter at the specialist children's hospital at great ormond street in london when some of the offences took place.

he denies several others. helena wilkinson has been outside court. a court heard that farrell worked at the hospital for 26 years in various positions, one as a porter. today, he came here to court and stood in the dock and pleaded guilty to 33 charges of sex offences. his victims, six children, the youngest being seven years old when farrell began indecently assaulting him. the court heard at an earlier hearing, farrell already admitted to 25 charges and the court also heard today that two victims had claimed that they had been assaulted on the grounds of the hospital site. today, thejudge said the prosecution had made it clear that this is not a case where it's alleged that farrell was targeting children at the hospital, rather the children were abused in parts of the hospital in which he had access.

21 charges including rape, and he has been told he's next to appear here in court in february. and tonight, great ormond street hospital has issued a response, which says... "these charges relating to a former member of staff are awful. it's upsetting to hear in court today that some of the charges relate to the hospital site." "it is important to stress, as stated by the judge today, that gosh patients were not targeted." "we will continue to support the police as they progress the case but we know many people will have concerns and questions." "due to the ongoing legal proceedings, we are really limited in what we can say, but we can confirm again that paul farrell was dismissed from the trust and the statement don't play board games with your family at christmas and keep a window open. that's the latest guidance from sage, the government's scientific advisers. we asked our science editor

david shukman if this detailed advice shows how worried scientists are about people mixing over the festive period. i think it is, because their calculations show that over the christmas period, you could easily get a doubling in the number of infections, so in fact the scientists' first recommendation is have a good think about whether you might postpone your christmas celebrations to next year or somehow do them online or out of doors where the risks are known to be lower. but if you are going to get together indoors, they say, i have a good think about all the different ways in which the virus can spread and board games, surreally, is one example because if someone is infected and touches the pieces, other players touching those pieces could pick up the virus, which is why the scientists say quiz style games without any kind of contact might well be safer. they are also worried about people spending long hours together indoors and say that we've really got to think about opening the windows to bring in fresh air, to reduce the risk.

and they're most worried about the vulnerable, including the elderly and say if children are going to meet their grandparents, it's well worth thinking about trying to make sure that happens out—of—doors. scientists i've spoken to say they don't mind being seen as christmas killjoys, theyjust want to keep people safe. now on bbc news, it's time for newswatch. hello and welcome to newswatch with me, samira ahmed. coming up... lots of big and alarming statistics in the chancellor's spending review this week, but do viewers really understand what they all mean? and faisal islam, economics editorfor bbc news, tells us how he tries to make sense of the numbers on behalf of the audience. before we hear your comments, regular viewers will spot that today we are trying out a new backdrop. i am still in a very small studio, but through the magic of cgi,

we have replaced our normal recorded images of the newsroom with a different part of new broadcasting house. so see what you think and, in the meantime, the bbc are reshooting background footage of the newsroom to use behind some interviewees on bbc news, to replace those filmed before the epidemic, so that we reflect the current socially—distanced way of working here. and it was covid—19 again which provided the big news of the week for many of those in england, with the unveiling of which tiers of restrictions would apply where, from next week on. some areas will be in the highest level of restrictions. pubs and restaurants will be forced to provide takeaway only, and there will be no mixing of households, except up to six people in public outdoor spaces, like parks. john silcock objected to some of the language being used, writing...