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 "a 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 can living the life of ninja help us to stay 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. 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 with the nonpartisan think—tank, the quincy institute for responsible statescraft. he told me who he believes is behind the assassination. well, i think obviously there is no clear evidence at this point but israel is the most likely

culprit here because the combination of political intent and capacity to do this really reduces the list to only two countries — the united states and israel. and bibi netanyahu has a clear interest in this. if the iranians respond, he may get the war that he's been trying to start for more than a decade. if they don't, still, it will really damage the prospects for renewed diplomacy under biden. but it's also unlikely however, i think it's important to point out that if israel is behind it that it would do so without some form of at least a tacit green light from the trump administration. ok, so why would israel be targeting him in particular if that is indeed the case? well, 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, neta nyahu specifically mentioned fakhrizadeh and said, "remember his name." he is a key person in the iranian nuclear programme.

he has been a target in the past. no successful attempt on his life, of course until today, and he has been extremely heavily guarded which also means that this is quite an embarrassment for the iranian government — that deep inside iranian territory some country, most likely israel, can conduct such an assassination. we should say that so far there has been no comment from either israel orfrom the us defence department, the pentagon. this is according to the news agencies. what do you think the next step would be in the development of events following this? i think the ball is in iran's court, of course, but to a certain extent also in the court of europe and the biden team. if the europeans condemn this, if the biden team condemn this, then there is somewhat of a likelihood that the iranians will show restraint. in fact, a very senior former us official who is associated with the biden team, john brennan, just tweeted about an hour ago the importance of the iranians showing restraint

but he also went further and he called this a criminal act. he suggested that it would be a state—sponsored act which is quite critical because, again, the list of countries that could have done this that are states is really very, very small — only united states or israel. so, that seems to be an indirect way for him to call out israel. and then 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. how significant do you think the targeting of mohsen fakhrizadeh is in that context? in that context, i think it is particularly important because at the end of the day even the past 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 it was not a decisive impact. and in fact 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. the target back then, and likely today as well, was actually renewed diplomacy between the united states and iran. dr trita parsi. french president emmanuel macron has said the images of a black music producer being beaten up by police are a "shame" for france. three french police officers have been detained for questioning after a video showed the incident. it's sparked outrage in the country. here's journalist lisa louis in paris on what happened. well, there is really a lot of outrage here in france especially after another incident on monday when police officers evacuated a camp of migrants in the middle of paris showing a lot of force, beating up people — basically, 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 is trying to push through 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. obviously, that's a very vague term and many people here are criticising that that new law might actually go against the presumption of innocence which is obviously also very important here in france. and how did this particular video of the incident come to light? this music producer, he talked to one — particularly a website — and that published, actually a short 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 pictures, footage, is showing that actually wasn't the case. so, now, these police officers have been suspended and an investigation has been opened. and you mentioned that bill, the proposed law, that would make it an offence to photograph

or film police officers. how much bearing does this have on the likelihood of that ever making it into law? well, you know, the pressure is mounting, and as emmanuel macron the president has said today on facebook, he's now looking into how to change that law so as to re—establish the link of trust with the population here. but there are demonstrations going on. there's another one planned for 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 whatsoever for them any more because in the past up until now, you had these pictures and you could show what happened. lisa louis. 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 numberfor 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 north—east 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. 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 to step down immediately. 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 has now arrived in london, saying he was "very happy to be back" and would continue "with patience and determination". earlier, his opposite number david frost 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. ronen bergman is a reporter for the new york times and author of "rise and kill first: the secret history of israel's targeted assassinations". joins us now. ijust wonder what

your take is on this because western security sources described him in the past as an instrumental figure if iran ever wanted to develop a nokia bomb, iran says it wants to avenge his death. does this death leave the world safer? it depends on who us. israel has for a very long time and this is of course without having confirmation from israel or any kind of responsible to claim for this action, israel for a very long time has believed to include assassinations of prominent figures in all sorts of hostile countries, in nonconventional and nuclear project figures. it is a strategy to disassemble these projects will submit happened in iraq, egypt. and it has in iran. the iranians are

swearing that, they just it has in iran. the iranians are swearing that, theyjust sort it has in iran. the iranians are swearing that, they just sort that they will avenge. he was the most important figure of the most important figure of the most important military and scientific project of iran. so on one hand it's just almost given that the iranians would seek revenge. on the other hand, the iranians throughout the last year at least half played very dumb, played on a very low profile their reaction to other operations that went out against them. their main military operative qasem soleimani was assassinated in january. their second lieutenant was assassinated in august. their main nuclear facility was exploded in september, and now this guy, i think that the iranian regime is playing far more pragmatic than they leave —— then people believe. and the

israeli regime is trying to pass it without getting into an all—out military confrontation with united states. —— and the iranian regime. just waiting for maybe their point of view a better policy or a different kind of exchange with united states and joe biden. different kind of exchange with united states and joe bidenm different kind of exchange with united states and joe biden. it is interesting you mention that because i wonder about the timing of this. do you think this is interesting that this happens out in the midst ofa that this happens out in the midst of a transition between one us presidency to the next? well, of course it might complicate the possible new policy of the president—elect when he is back in the white house. he was one of the main supporters of the jcpoa the white house. he was one of the main supporters of thejcpoa which was signed into thousand 15 and a very strong opponent of the president trump decision to withdraw from this agreement. —— in 2015. now

iran believes if the united states had any part in this assassination, it would be forcing iran to take a harsh wind to the united states. but in order to plan and execute such an assassination, whoever was behind that, and he was one of the most guarded persons in iran, they knew that someone was trying to kill him many times before. you need a lots of time and a lot of planning and a lot of preparation. no one could do that from one week to the other. so, ifind it very that from one week to the other. so, i find it very hard to believe that someone i find it very hard to believe that someone actually planned to do that in that transition period before the new president comes to the oval office. 0k really new president comes to the oval office. ok really interesting point there. doctor ronen bergman, thank you very much. 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 protesting outside the capital unless their demands are met. nitin srivastava, bbc news, hapur. 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.

there have been scuffles in taiwan's parliament over an easing of us pork imports. members of the main opposition party, kmt, threw pig guts and exchanged punches with politicians from the governing democratic progressive party. the confrontation was over the government's announcement in august that it would allow imports of us pork containing ractopamine. that's an additive which makes the meat tender but is banned in europe and china. the kmt party says the decision was rushed through and the pork is a threat to public health.

don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. i'm @benmbland. 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 of 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 could 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 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. the eu's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, is 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.