this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds. our top stories: clashes between police and protesters in paris during demonstrations against a proposed security law. turkey condemns the assassination of iran's top nuclear scientist and calls for his killers to be held accountable. the head of ethiopia's military says the army has entered the regional capital of tigray. and jumping for joy with a young woman who's become the first professional transgender footballer in argentina's top division. hello and welcome to bbc news.

french riot police have clashed with protesters in paris after a day of demonstrations across the country. tens of thousands of people joined marches to protest against a new law, restricting the right to publish images of police. it comes after a video emerged of three officers beating a black music producer in his studio. our correspondent lucy williamson reports from paris. police are always a target at protests like this. today, they were the reason for them. the edges of a peaceful march through paris frayed by clashes between hardline groups and the police. water cannon and tear gas following the path of the unrest. among the buildings set on fire, one belonging to the bank of france, an anarchist sign scrawled on the wall outside. tensions have risen quickly here, thanks to a small group of agitators. most of this march has been peaceful, but this new law banning the malicious dissemination of police identities has touched

a raw nerve in france. translation: they have created a bill that would forbid us from filming, while we are filming unbelievable things. so, here i am in the street for my freedom, as you can see written on my mask. translation: obviously, the ban on recording audio and video of the police and not to be able to film what happens, that's obviously an attack on press freedom, simply put. a video of music producer michel zecler being beaten in his studio by police has sparked a furious reaction in france. recorded by a security camera and published on social media this week, many are asking whether it would ever have come to light under the new law. four police officers are now being investigated. last night on social media, president macron said the attack on michel zecler was unacceptable. "these images make us ashamed," he said.

mobile phone cameras trained on police lines today reflected the placards calling on people to film them as part of the protest. the last time so many people gathered for a protest here, it was to defend the right to publish blasphemous cartoons. after months of lockdown and curfew because of coronavirus, france has shown this year that it will tolerate restrictions on many things, just not on freedom of speech. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. hospitalisations due to coronavirus have hit a new record high in the united states. according to the covid tracking project, there are now more than 91,000 people in hospital beds, and that number has been rising almost every day since late october. the current surge is showing no sign of slowing down and on friday the number of people infected with the virus surpassed 13 million. 0ur north america correspondent david willisjoins me now from los angeles.

david, those numbers are astonishing. can america cope? james, to give you some idea of the state of the coronavirus situation here, let me give you one number 2752. bear in mind if you can, that is the figure in april on a single day in april this year, the number of people who died here in the united states because of the coronavirus and for six months, that figure, 2752, has been the all—time high, the benchmark, the grim benchmark for deaths here in the us. now, we are seeing death tolls that are remarkably similar, 2300, for example, on wednesday of this week, just three days ago. i was telling you before that we are now looking at an average of 50 americans dying of the coronavirus every single hour. at the moment here. no wonder the hospitalisation rate is worrying health officials here because they are fearing that

the rate we are going, the system here just won't be able to cope, james. when you put it like that, 50 dying an hour, it is much easier to understand. you are in la. talk is about the situation —— talk to us about the situation there. it is grim and streets are deserted because we have a california — wide curfew from ten o'clock at night until five am in the morning, in place for the next three weeks at least. and on top of that, outdoor dining at restaurants has come to an end and fairly soon, gatherings, private or public, of anything other than family members will also be prohibited. that new prohibition comes into effect on monday. sol prohibition comes into effect on monday. so i have to say this was a thanksgiving unlike any other with streets eerily quiet and any other with streets eerily quietand a any other with streets eerily quiet and a lot of people actually choosing to celebrate what is traditionally the biggest holiday of the year here either on their own or in

very small groups. one president is leaving and another coming in in january. who at the moment is running covid policy in america? well, you get the impression that donald trump, he regards as his chief concern. he has been over the past few days more on the golf course or on the computer, tweeting away. basically he's been criticising his opponent for his victory. in the election and basically making the point that he was robbed, if you like, and that the system was rigged. joe biden has made clear he is going to ta ke has made clear he is going to take it very seriously from day one and he has assembled a coronavirus task force and they are considering various things, including a nationwide mask wearing mandate for, example. but a big challenge forjoe biden is going to be distribution of because of the vaccine, when that becomes available, and officials are meeting on the 14th of december to approve one of at least one

of the vaccines that is available at the moment, perhaps, and then of course there will be talks about how it gets distributed. david willis, great to catch up. thanks very much. the ethiopian prime minister abiy ahmed and the army chief of staff have issued statements claiming that federal government troops are now in total control of mekelle, the capital of tigray province. there's been no independent confirmation of the claim with regional communications cut off. tigrayan leader has indicated his forces would fight on. mark lobel reports. a big military wind trumpeted on ethiopian state tv. there is praise for the heroic national defence force on capturing tigray‘s capital in what is described as its people's liberation. but that simple? translation: our forces have freed more than 7000 members of

oui’ freed more than 7000 members of our northern command and taken back control of our base. we have recovered drinks for tanks, armoured vehicles and heavy work —— vehicles that we re heavy work —— vehicles that were looted and we are hunting anti— peace elements hidden in holes. but we only have one side's word for what is going on in the region as tigray‘s phone lines and internet links are down and even if the capital mekelle has been taken it is unclear how its adversaries the tplf are vetera ns adversaries the tplf are veterans of guerrilla warfare, will respond. it is possible that the degree in people's liberation movement have moved its forces into the mountains and into the rural area and this could go on for some time —— the this could go on for some time -- the tplf this could go on for some time —— the tplf have moved. depending on the support the tplf has from the tigrayan people. entered it is their support either way that before indeed it is their support they could be vital as to what happens next, after injuring three weeks of fighting around them. the capital has reportedly been shelled so many of its 500,000 people are

almost certainly living elsewhere, but tigray‘s 6 million population including one tenth of whom rely on humanitarian assistance, there are reports food, fuel, cash and medical supplies have run very low. many of them would also have been displaced, including over 40,000 people who have fled into neighbouring sedan. —— sudan. in the camp in sedan. —— sudan. in the camp in sedan with very little clear information from across the border, many have an uncomfortable weight. with our lives on hold. they are afraid of intercommunal violence, this is why i think that going forward , is why i think that going forward, it could be important forward, it could be important for the government of ethiopia to establish peace, to have a silence of the guns, but also to ensure that there are no retaliation or reprisals between communities because this is what many have mentioned to me as a primary source of fear. there is concern too at the nobel peace prize — winning if european

prime minister abiy ahmed's refusal to engage in mediators. 0ccluding envoys sent by the african union. —— including. the government has refused to even allow them to travel to the tigray region, the government has rejected any hope for international mediation and also domestic mediation and also domestic mediation but the only way i think this could be resolved is through political dialogue. analysts now believe this conflict seems more likely to remain within ethiopian‘s orders, albeit with no clear end inside. mark lobel, bbc news. —— in sight. let's get some of the day's other news. thousands of people have again demonstrated across poland in opposition to a near—total ban on abortion in the country. poland already has one of the strictest abortion laws in europe but they were made tougher last month when abortions on grounds of severe and irreversible foetal defects were ruled unconstitutional. more than 150 people have been arrested at an anti—lockdown

demonstration in london. many protesters were not wearing face masks and refused police requests to go home. protests are currently not permitted under lockdown rules in england. the uk and france have agreed to double the number of officers patrolling french beaches in a bid to stop migrants crossing to england. the british home secretary priti patel and her french counterpart gerald darmanin said they wanted to make the route across the english channel unviable. the uk government has been under pressure to close off the route after 8,000 people used it this year. simonjones reports. destination dover. despite commitments by both britain and france to stop these dangerous crossings, the attempts have continued. now, britain will give france £28 million — some to pay for extra french officers to patrol the beaches and their equipment. the home office won't say how many patrols there will be, but it is being described as a major uplift.

people are putting their lives at risk and sadly, we have seen fatalities this year in the channel and we have to stop that. here at the home office, this new agreement is being described as significant. but there have been a number of deals over the past couple of years with britain and france pledging on each occasion to work more closely than ever before, but the number of people arriving has continued to go up. so far this month, around 700 migrants have reached the uk in small boats, which brings the total for this year to more than 8,000 people — that's more than four times the figure for last year — but officials insist a greater proportion are now being thwarted. groups supporting refugees say the uk needs to provide a safe and legal way for asylum claims to be made from abroad. we must learn that shutting the door in people's faces doesn't make this issue go away. and it's about time the home secretary took a fresh approach to this situation, which accepted that you are not going to stop people from making this crossing. and the un refugee agency says

in the context of european migration, the numbers reaching the uk are manageable. simon jones, bbc news. you are watching bbc news. our top headline: clashes between police and protesters in paris during demonstrations against a proposed security law. turkey has condemned the assassination of iran's top nuclear scientist. iran's president hasan rouhani has blamed israel for the killing of mohsen fakhrizadeh, who was shot dead when gunmen ambushed his car on friday. here's our diplomatic correspondent paul adams. angry protests once more on the streets of the iranian capital, people here in no doubt about who was behind friday's killing. the father of iran's nuclear programme is now being treated like a martyr, his assassination the subject of headlines and debate. attacks like this have happened before. ten years ago, israel carried out a campaign which killed four other nuclear scientists.

but the death of mohsen fakhrizadeh poses a dilemma for iran's leadership — retaliate or bide their time? the supreme leader ali khamenei said the perpetrators, and those who commanded them, will be pursued and punished. but iran knows the next american president wants dialogue, not confrontation — hence a more cautious response from the country's pragmatic president. translation: this savage act shows that our enemies feel that global conditions are changing, and it's important for them to make the most of the remaining few weeks that they have to create uncertain conditions in the region. but our brave nation is smarter than to fall into the trap of zionists. but pressure is mounting. iran has yet to retaliate for the death of qasem soleimani, killed by a us drone strike in january. iran's recent progress in its nuclear programme may have triggered this attack — a stark warning to iran's entire nuclear establishment.

but it's also likely to make joe biden‘s difficultjob — coaxing iran back into negotiations — that much harder. paul adams, bbc news. i'm joined now by professor matthew bunn, a us nuclear and energy policy analyst and currently a professor of practice at the harvard kennedy school professor, thank you so much for joining professor, thank you so much forjoining us we often make brief references to iran's nuclear programme and then move on assuming everyone knows about it. can you help us understand what is the state of iran's nuclear programme and what might its ambitions be? 0nce what might its ambitions be? once upon what might its ambitions be? 0nce upona what might its ambitions be? once upon a time, iran had a serious programme to design and manufacture actionable nuclear weapons and carry out a nuclear test. mohsen fakhrizadeh was the head of the programme. that nuclear weapon design programme was ended in lead 2003, but the

effo rts was ended in lead 2003, but the efforts to establish the ability to produce the material have continued, and those were what was limited primarily by the nuclear deal that donald trump pulled out of but the iranians are now in response to the us withdrawal also violating some of the terms of that agreement. the scientist was killed, did his killing also damage the prospect for a nuclear programme or is he easily replaceable? that's hard to know, we don't know all of the details of the skills and knowledge of the other nuclear scientists in iran. in general, few nuclear programmes are so fragile that one person would bring them to a grinding halt. mohsen fakhrizadeh had a substantial team but nonetheless he was an important individual who had led these effo rts individual who had led these efforts for decades. since 1979

iran or its proxies have played key roles in deciding the success or otherwise of us administrations. where on joe biden's list of priorities would run all? joe biden wants a different approach to iran from the veiled approach with the trump administration, where they pulled out of this far—reaching nuclear deal and imposed very harsh sanctions on iran would have only led to more iranians bad behaviour in the golf, and iran edging out of the nuclear deal and coming closer to the edge of a nuclear weapons capability. but the president—elect has said that he wants to get back into the deal if iran will return to compliance with the deal and then use it as a foundation for negotiating further restraints. thank you so much forjoining

us. the archbishop of washington dc has been made the first african—american cardinal in the catholic church. wilton gregory was confirmed by the pope at a ceremony in the vatican. the archbishop is known for being outspoken on many issues, including sex abuse scandals. christopher white, national correspondent for the national catholic reporter, explained why wilton gregory's appointment is significant. well, wilton gregory was tapped in 2019 to come to washington, dc, at a time when it was really ground zero for the sex abuse crisis, you know, here there had just been two archbishops of washington that had been implicated in a cover—up and the abuse itself, and he came in with a mandate for healing, he has been a long—time leader for catholic bishops, he was president of the bishops conference in 2002, during the first wave of the abuse crisis. and in the final act of his life he's once more tasked with cleaning up house. let's look at this latest set

of cardinals more generally. the pope once said to the clergy that he wanted shepherds who smelled of sheep. do these cardinals pass the smell test? cardinals come from all over the world, pope francis has made it clear that just because you come from a traditional location where there has been a cardinal, that does not mean you are entitled to a cardinal‘s red hat. in today's ceremony he named cardinals from brunei and rwanda, places that have never had cardinals before. i think for pope francis, putting the spotlight of the global church in places where they typically haven't had significance or a voice is a key priority of this papacy. i did some of the numbers. pope francis has now appointed 57% of the cardinal electors. it's his college now. how will that affect the future direction of the church? well, they will eventually select his replacement, when pope francis either steps down or dies, they will be the ones that go into the sistine chapel and vote

for the next pope. and by selecting this majority of the current batch of cardinals, he gets to make a lasting impact on the church by reflecting his past priorities in who he has selected to receive red hats. internationally, we hear less of francis than we did in the first year or two of his papacy. is that because he settled down and is doing what he wants to do, is that because he got stuck, why is that? no, i think this pope, certainly he shook things up when he arrived on the scene, caused a splash. he has continued with that agenda, an agenda that has been close to the poor and the vulnerable and those in need, one that elevates those on the margins. but to a certain extent i think we've got used to it, because that's what the world has come to expect of pope francis. now, he's had a quiet year in some respects because of the covid lockdown. this is a pope who became a bit of a jet—setter, and he's been stuck in rome, like so many of us, at home.

but i think as soon as lockdown restrictions are lifted we will see him back on the road again. christopher white they're talking about the pope and his cardinals, aldermen manoeuvring in the light. speaking of, boxing, and two of the legends of the ring, mike tyson and roy jones junior, will take part in an exhibition bout shortly in los angeles. it's over 15 years since iron mike last fought competitively. the former world heavyweight champion is now 54—years—old. indeed he and his opponent have a combined age of over a century. royjones, is a former four weight world champion and was once the best pound for pound fighter in the world. gareth a davies is a boxing writer for the daily telegraph. as you rightly say, mike tyson was the undisputed heavyweight champion between 1987 and 1990. royjones junior was the best pound for pound fighter in the world 20 years ago. they are two old men.

it is an exhibition round, and this bizarre ruling from the california state athletic commission is that there are to be no knockouts in the bout. quite how mike tyson does not go for the knockout, i don't know. it is the circus, in many ways. but there are so many rubber—neckers, and the audience for this, i watching it because it is my duty, if you like. i think we will see two old men in the ring after two rounds, and i think both hands will be raised afterwards and i think it will be a bit of fun. i think it's generated interest during the covid lockdown online, because mike tyson was getting in shape, and i think it is a nostalgia fight more than anything else. you talked about that plan for neither man going in for the kill, even if they could. i remember mike tyson's most famous printable quote, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the head. what happens when that happens? well, if either man lands early on in this bout, the other guy is going to be in trouble.

i don't know, maybe they will hold each other up because they want to get to the end of eight rounds. boxing is a is serious business, they have 12 ounce gloves, as i say. neither man must get heard tonight, because it would be a travesty if they do. that's the danger in this, because they have a combined age of 105 years old, both over 50. we have to see it as a bit of fun, fingers crossed nobody gets hurt. this is the modern age that we are in, they are frea kshow fights and that is what we are watching tonight. and your prediction is that both hands are raised at the end. would you go for a win on points, and accidental knockout, no context, a boutonniere? what is the result? anything could happen. we always say to expect the unexpected and boxing. i suspect mike tyson will bow out after two rounds, and they will actually give us a kind of tickling exhibition, when fighters do not truly fight.

fingers crossed that nobody gets seriously hurt tonight. american footballer sarah fuller has became the first woman to play in a power five conference football game — the elite level of collegiate american football. the 21—year—old kicked off for the vanderbilt commodores in a road game against the missouri tigers in columbia. she was called in for the match because many players were self—isolating. a young woman has become the first transgender footballer to be allowed to play professionally in argentina's top division. mara gomez has signed a contract with the women's team villa san carlos, and is expected to make her debut next week. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. mara gomez says football saved her life. for years, she's been playing in local leagues in buenos aires. but now she's going professional. 0n social media, she posted a picture of herself signing a contract with her new club,

the first trans player to reach this level in argentina. the role of trans women in sport is controversial, with critics accusing them of having unfair biological advantages. but the authorities say that mara's testosterone levels are low, and her coach insists other players in the team are physically stronger than she is. argentina has been a pioneer in trans rights. legislation in 2012 gave people the right to self—identify. mara hopes she will serve as an inspiration to other transgender people, and — who knows? — score a few goals while she's at it. tim allman, bbc news. more on all of our stories on

our website, and i am more on all of our stories on ourwebsite, and i am on twitter at james on bbc ourwebsite, and i am on twitter atjames on bbc news. hello there. sunday looks like being a dull and gloomy sort of day for many places. there was some sunshine on saturday. in kent and here in sussex, the temperature reached 14 degrees. with some sunshine in scotland, a lot colder here, though, only 3—4 in central areas after a frosty start. and sunday sees a frost in many parts of scotland to start the day, particularly in the north east, could be down to —5. it'll be milder to start sunday for northern ireland, england and wales because we're underneath this blanket of low cloud, so misty, murky weather for most of the day. it could brighten up a little bit across western parts of wales, perhaps into northumberland. it won't be as wet in northern england. more cloud comes into western scotland, but there'll still be some sunny spells for eastern scotland.

and temperatures in a range 7—11 degrees, with the higher temperatures more likely across western parts of the uk. some changes, though, as we head into the evening and overnight because the breeze picks up towards the north west, the cloud thickens and we start to push in some rain as well. now, that means it's going to be a much milder night across scotland, and as we head into monday morning, it should be frost—free. but we start with a lot of cloud. however, the weather will change a little bit because all that mistiness will get pushed away as these weather fronts push their way southwards with a little bit more of a breeze as well. most of the rain will be affecting scotland, northern ireland, pushing into the high ground in north—west england and wales. there won't be much rain heading its way southwards into southern england in the afternoon. and through the afternoon, we could actually get some sunshine as the rain clears from scotland. here, it'll turn a little bit cooler. 0therwise quite mild with that patchy rain, temperatures 10—11 degrees. now, that weather front pushes southwards out of the way, but willjust hang around a bit into the western side of the uk by tuesday morning. but in between those weather fronts, we've got a northerly breeze.

that's bringing in some clearer skies overnight, dropping the temperatures in eastern scotland and north—east england, so a frosty start here. and it will be a cold day for these parts as well because the cloud then starts to topple in again across scotland, and we'll see the crowd increasing in wales, western parts of england. sunshine for most of the day, though, i think, for the midlands, east anglia and the south—east. temperatures 8—9 degrees. 0ut towards the west where there's more cloud, maybe making ten in northern ireland. but it does turn chilly everywhere later on in the week. not only that, the winds will pick up and it turns much more unsettled.

this is bbc news, the headlines: french riot police have clashed with protesters in paris after a day of demonstrations across the country. protestors are angry at a new law, restricting the right to publish images of police. it comes after a video emerged of three officers apparently beating a black music producer in his studio. turkey has condemned the assassination of iran's top nuclear scientist. iranian president rouhani has blamed israel for the killing of mohsen fakhrizadeh. and he says the country's nuclear programme will continue. israel has previously accused mr fakhrizadeh of masterminding a covert nuclear weapons programme. the archbishop of washington dc has been made the first african—american cardinal in the catholic church. wilton gregory was confirmed by the pope at a ceremony in the vatican. the archbishop is known for his outspokenness on a range of issues, including sex abuse scandals.