>> iran vows severe revenge after a prominent nuclear scientist is killed in an ambush and says it suspects israeli involvement. hello. this is al jazeera live from doha. ethiopia's prime minister meets with african leaders but rejects international offers to mehdi -- mediate the standoff. confrontatioin iraq between supporters of the government and

antigovernment protesters ahead of the elections. >> i am natosha butler in paris where a shocking video is fueling a debate about police violence. >> a scientist at the center of iran's nuclear program has been assassinated near the capital. mohsen fakhrizadeh later died in hospital. iranian officials suspect israel was behind the attack but haven't provided evidence. a military commander promised to strike as thunder against those responsible. >> at first, the car carrying him was shot at. 15 seconds later, a nissan pickup truck loaded with explosives inflicted wounds on him that led to his death. >> our correspondent is in the

capital tehran. he says people believe fakhriz adeh was assassinated to wreck any chance of the u.s. and iran continuing with the iran nuclear deal. >> the intelligence ministry says they are launching an investigation. this is a high-profile kidding - - killing. his movements were highly protected. it was kept a secret, and there will be questions internally about how this has happened. there has been an official response. foreign minister divides a reef has pointed his figure -- zarif has pointed his finger at israel. mohsen fakhrizadeh was also known as the father of iran's nuclear program. he was given that name by some

individuals outside of the country. that program, around 2003, some activities went on until 2009, but there were no longer nuclear weapons programs happening in iran. why would anyone want to assassinate him now? the thinking in iran is it's an attempt to prevent any talks between iran and joe biden. that nuclear deal that president donald trump pulled the united states out of and imposed sanctions on iran, president-elect joe biden said he would like to return to that deal, and iran has indicated they would be willing to return to their commitments if the united states was to rejoin. this assassination would make future talks, negotiations very complicated and increase tensions in this region. >> to tell you more, he was a university professor of physics,

a senior scientist at the iranian ministry of defense. western and israeli intelligence claim he was in charge of iran's attempt to build a nuclear bomb, but tehran denies ever trying to build a nuclear weapon. every landmark report by the iaea said he played a key role in developing nuclear technology. he is believed to have links to iran's revolutionary guards. mohsen fakhrizadeh was subject to an asset freeze because iran refused to make him available for an interview with the iaea. let's speak with mark fitzpatrick, previously a u.s. deputy assistant secretary of state. he joins us from washington. i know no one has determined if a state actor was involved, but to assassinate someone with this standing, can you walk us through the strategic calculus? mark: two different levels, the

supposed level was that fakhrizadeh was critical to the past development of iran's nuclear weapons program, a program that has largely been on hold for the last 15 years. he has been maintaining the personnel and organizational apparatus to get it going again shouldn't order,, and the purpose of the assassination, a stencil believe is -- ostensibly is to impede iran from building nuclear weapons in the future. the more logical reason for doing this now, because iran was not on the verge of building nuclear weapons, the reason to do it now is to impede the biden administration's return to the jcpoa. as your correspondent mentioned, you can explain why on the

american side and iranian side it will make it more difficult. >> you mentioned the timing. it was just over two weeks that president trump asked for options to potentially strike against iran. tehran is no doubt putting that into its calculations as it thinks about what happened. mark: sure. i think tehran will believe the united states was complicit in this, and the data points you mentioned, the fact that trump wanted to strike iran, and he asked for options to go after iran's nuclear program, then the meetings in israel with pompeo all point to the united states having given a green light to the assassination. i recall the last assassination of a nuclear scientist in iran was in 2012 when president obama was in the white house, and the u.s. government reacted very negatively that time to

israel's presumed assassination and condemned it. i don't think we are going to see trump condemning it. i wonder if the biden administration will say something in order to preserve the prospects for returning to the nuclear deal. host: coming back to the first strategic point you brought up, you have written on nonproliferation issues. how much does fakhrizadeh's death affect the nuclear program? mark: he was a very important figure. he was the robert up and hire of iran's nuclear weapons program. -- robert oppenheimer of iran's nuclear weapons program. if iran were to actually decide to produce nuclear weapons, you would want somebody like fakhrizadeh at the helm. the question is, is he replaceable? many people think maybe not, but

we don't really know. what we do know is fakhrizadeh has been on the scene for over 20 years. he presumably will have a man toward -- have mentored many associates, and presumably some can take over for him. in 2011, the head, the founder of iran's ballistic missile program was killed in what was attributed to mossad. did that stop iran's missile program? not at all. they went on to develop bigger, more accurate missiles. taking out one individual does not stop a program. it may make it harder, but if that was the reason for doing and, it wasn't worth it. host: where from here? nearly eight weeks before biden takes office in january. iran does plan to respond to this.

none of this bodes well for the jcpoa. mark: not at all. there are two factors. the impact on a biden administration decision. if iran responds kinetically, if they kill israelis, may be israeli citizens, if any americans are killed, it makes it politically much more difficult for biden to resume the role in the jcpoa without conditions. even within biden's own party, some people say he should have conditions towards resuming. if iran is seen as a bad actor, if they are belligerent, that makes it harder. in iran, this is even more important. iranian hardliners are themselves going to want to put conditions on the united states for iran to return to the deal. they are going to be empowered.

the hardliners in iran are empowered by this. host: mark fitzpatrick from the international institute of strategic studies, thanks so much. mark: happy to speak with al jazeera, think you. host: ethiopia has denied reports that the prime minister is rejecting talks with tigre and leaders. he met with african union envoys and said he would only speak to representatives operating legally in the region. his forces have been fighting troops for over three weeks. he insisted his government must enforce the rule of law in tigre. on thursday, he ordered the army to carry out the final phase of its offensive and move in on tigre' regional capital. sthe ethiopian prime minister's spokeswoman described the government's position dress. -- position for us. >> i think it is a misunderstood

concept. the president has not rejected to talking to anybody in the tigre region. it is a composition of various tigre political parties. one of the key aspects of why the rule of law measure is being undertaken, according to the criminal code of ethiopia, hijacking your forces is a criminal act and is considered a treasonous one. host: tens of thousands of people have rallied in iraq's capital to show support for mohamed al sadr ahead of next year's election. they gathered in tahrir square. our correspondent reports from baghdad. host: >> on friday, followers of

the powerful shia scholar gathered into rear square. >> october protests had positive and negative sides. as for the negative sides, the hands of the american occupiers spread the obscenity in tyree or square. >> the prayers aimed to shore up political support. yes, yes to our leader. they report their support for sadr after he announced his aim to form a majority, which would allow him to nominated the prime minister. >> muqtada al-sadr is a patriotic leader.

he is considered a shepherd for all iraqis. he will not run for himself, but for these people, his constituents. >> but many disagree. the prayer took place in the same square where weeks ago security forces cleared remnants of iraq's beleaguered protest movement, which aimed to topple the ruling class, including the sadrs. the protests gradually lost steam due to violence, and because political parties hijacked their cause. >> they infiltrate the demonstrators. the demonstration squares in baghdad and wherever they can, and they try to manipulate the process. >> sadr has long tried to brand himself a reformist and initially supported the protests, but in the end, he is seen as having chosen to support the system. >> they have lost a lot of

grounds, political grounds, social grounds. people who have doubted them as being real reformists, but found out they are not. they are just part of the political regime that has run the country since 2003. they are now trying to gain back some of the ground. >> indeed, thousands turned out to show their loyalty for sadr. >> fridays prayer was a display of power on behalf of the sadrist movement, but antigovernment protesters struggled to put up a serious challenge to an incumbent party like the sadrists. al jazeera, baghdad. host: elsewhere in southern iraq, three people were killed in violence between sadrists and antigovernment protesters. at least one person died from gunshot wounds. around 50 were injured. still ahead on al jazeera,

growing anger in india. tens of thousands of farmers descend on the capital to protest against a law they say will slash their incomes. venezuela's citco six, verdicts are in for the oil executives accused of corruption. ♪ >> santa ana winds in southern california are weakening. they might strengthen by tuesday, but the main story is probably going to be the amount of rain falling in southern texas, louisiana, across to the florida panhandle. there has been flooding in new orleans recently, but there could be rather more. the next couple of days sees the rain strengthening. it runs out through the deep south.

the winter to the north is more or less confined to the great lakes. there's another storm system coming into british columbia, but otherwise, the u.s. states with exception to those we mentioned are not particularly cold. in the caribbean, things are showery. the rain isn't quite as concentrated. the next day or so is going to be rather wet or in costa rica and panama than it is going to be in honduras. not that it's bone dry. big showers in south america. it has been particularly sundry. down pairs -- downpours have been notable in uruguay. it extends from bolivia into peru. ♪ ♪ >> after world war ii, france's great empire began to unravel. vietnam --

>> everybody was throwing themselves io the streets, bursting with joy. >> and algeria -- >> if the indocnese manage to beat the french army, why not us? >> the decne continues in episode two of "blood and tears: french decolonization" on al jazeera. ♪ host: hello again. let's remind you of our top stories. a scientist at the center of iran's nuclear program has been assassinated near the capital tehran. the vehicle carrying mohsen fakhrizadeh was ambushed by

gunmen. iran suspects israel of involvement. ethiopia's government is denying that the prime minister has rejected talks with tigrayan leaders. ahmed said he would only speak to opposition leader's operating legally. a mass rally has been held in baghdad in a show of support showing al-sadr's bid to run and parliamentary elections. thousands gathered entire rear square, which was once the focus of antigovernment protests. four french police officers have been detained after a video emerged of them beating a black music producer. president emmanuel macron has called the incident unacceptable and shameful. the assault sparked outrage towards a police force already under scrutiny for heavy-handed tactics. natosha: a shocking video.

police officers beating a man in a music studio in paris, images captured on cctv. this record producer say police forced their way into his studio, physically and racially abused him, and then arrested him. >> there was a police man pointing a gun at me. why did they think i was armed? were they going to shoot if they could find the angle? of course i was afraid. the people who were supposed to protect me were pointing their guns at me. natosha: a french news organization published the images alongside images of michel's injuries. prosecutors throughout the case against the producer and opened an investigation into the for police officers. under pressure to react, france's interior minister condemned the violence. >> the pictures are unspeakable. they are extremely shocking, and as soon as i found out about

what happened, i asked for the police officers to be suspended. natosha: all four officers have since been -- since been arrested. this is the front page of one of the country's main newspapers. it comes just a few days after some people say the police used excessive force while clearing a migrant camp from this square. a police inquiry was ordered after officers were filmed beating officers and journalists. this is one of france's best-known campaigners against police brutality. she accuses police of causing her brother's death in 2016 while he was in custody. >> we see these images now, but can you imagine all the people who have suffered police violence and have died because of police brutality. it's why families like us continue to shout.

natosha: the focus on police violence in france comes as pressure mounts on the government to scrap part of a controversial law that would crack down on people's freedom to film images of police on duty. the government says it is necessary to protect officers, but opponents say it's an erosion of rights, and without images like these, police officers won't be able to be held accountable for their actions. natosha butler, al jazeera. host: thousands of farmers in india have marched on the capital despite police barricades to keep them out of new delhi. they want the government to scrap laws which could en put tm out of business. elizabeth: using their tractors to remove police barricades, farmers rode on their way to the

capital region of delhi. for three days, tens of thousands of farmers from punjab pushed shipping containers and even trucks out of the way. tear gas, water cannon, and being hit by police batons didn't stop the farmers from continuing on their march called let's go to delhi. >> farmers across the country want these black laws to be repealed. this is our demand. elizabeth: farmers are against three new laws which allow private companies to buy directly from them. they say the changes will see the end of the government's guaranteed minimum prize for their produce and leave them at the mercy of large corporations. around half of india's 1.3 billion people work in the agriculture sector. many agree it needs reforms, but they say these laws will not benefit farmers.

after trying to stop the march for days, delhi police made a concession. >> police have allowed them to hold peaceful protests. elizabeth: most farmers didn't take up the offer. >> we will block the highway until the government comes to talk to us. we will block the highway here. they will make us sit somewhere, and no one will come to talk to us. elizabeth: hours after police assigned an area for protests, few farmers showed up, even as their supporters set up a food store to feed them. there is a large police presence waiting for the farmers and just as large a presence beyond this area to stop farmers from reaching central delhi in what have been the biggest protests since the onset of the pandemic. host: antigovernment protesters

in thailand are not backing down on their call for the prime minister to resign. thousands gathered in the capital bangkok. they are demanding constitutional reform and limiting the king's powers. the world health organization is warning countries to remain vigilant, even if they see a decrease in coronavirus cases. the agency said more data is needed to review the efficacy of astrazeneca's coronavirus vaccine. doubts have been raised over its effectiveness. astrazeneca says it is likely to run another global trial after it was found to be 90% effective . >> what we have seen is a press release, and what is the next most important step is that the data really needs to be

evaluated based on more than a press release. first of all, there is only a limited amount that can be said, and secondly, it needs to be reviewed in terms of the data and questions asked about the data that may come up in the course of the review. host: a court in venezuela has found six u.s. oil executives guilty of corruption. they were arrested in 2017 after being called to caracas. the defendants worked for the u.s. refining company citgo, which is owned by venezuela's state oil firm. >> these six oil executives, five of them u.s. citizens who have been stuck in venezuelan prisons for years. now they have finally been tried, found guilty of corruption, and received sentences between eight and 13 years. this letter is from one of them. it is the first public message from any of the men since their arrest.

he wrote it just before his trial upon conclusion. >> now reaching a crossroads where justice is done, i will be able to rebuild my life and try to compensate my family for the lost a moments. the hope is great. give me freedom. >> freedom was denied to him. human rights groups have said that venezuela's justice system is plagued with corruption and political bias. his lawyer again -- >> in his case, there is no evidence. it's not that there is no circumstantial evidence or indirect evidence or flawed evidence. there is no evidence. none. >> al jazeera asked the team of venezuela's attorney general about his response. the answer, no comment. the men worked for oil company citgo. they were arrested and charged

with embezzlement after being lured to a business meeting in venezuela three years ago. the cases played out against the backdrop of the acrimonious relationship between president maduro and the trump administration. like many countries, the u.s. supported maduro's rivals claim to the presidency. u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo has indicated that he believes the six men are being used as political hostages. despite that, before the verdict, his family was hopeful he would be home for future thanksgivings, just like the ones they used to celebrate together. >> i think my father wants to show to the world a message of love, hope, and justice. he's been held for over three years unjustly, and now there is a glimmer of hope. >> now that trial is over. the six men and their families,

hope appears to be waning. host: three days of national mourning in argentina have ended following the death of football star diego mayor donna. our correspondent reports from the neighborhood on the outskirts of buenos aires where it all began. >> the residents would be insulted if you called their neighborhood a slum. they are proud of what they have, proud that one of their own lived and played here. diego maradona's death wednesday hit them hard. >> you feel it in the neighborhood. it is sad. many people are crying. the whole place is practically in silence. now there is a terrible silence. >> of course everyone of a certain age has a memory of the

cheeky little boy who could do incredible things with a football. he wasn't surprised to see diego score his wonder goal against england in the world cup. >> it was a great goal, but it was normal for us to see it here. as a keeper, i'd give him the ball, and he would go past all of us and score. >> he says diego gave him joy, a rare commodity in a place like this. >> he will live on in our hearts and minds, not just for argentine, but in the hearts and minds of the whole world. >> the people say they are proud that maradona never forgot them, never forgot where he came from. it was on pitches like this one covered in dust and stones that diego maradona the boy formulated his football skills to one day display his magic in the best stadiums in the world.

maradona's talent was spotted early, and he made his professional debut at age 15. his memory continues to ask for -- inspire. >> i was given this space to fill it with what i felt. it has to be here from where he played, from where he became so big. >> outraged many with his behavior, but he enchanted many more with his artistry with the football and continues to inspire after his death both here and beyond. al jazeera, buenos aires. host: this is al jazeera, and these are the headlines. a prominent scientist at the center of iran's nuclear program

has been assassinated near the capital tehran. the vehicle carrying mohsen fakhrizadeh was ambushed by gun men. he died later at hospital. >> at first, the car carrying him was shot at. 15 seconds later, a nissan pickup truck loaded with explosives blasted meters away from his car, inflicting wounds that led to his death. host: ethiopia's government is denying that the government has rejected talks with tigrayan lea ders. a mass rally has been held in iraq's capital in a show of support following sadr's bid to run in parliamentary elections. thousands of people gathered in thai rear square, which was once the focus of antigovernment protests. three people were killed in violence between sadrists and

antigovernment protesters. four french police officers have been detained after a video emerged showing them beating a black music producer in paris. president emmanuel macron has called the incident unacceptable. the assault has sparked outrage for a police force already under scrutiny for heavy-handed tactics. thousands of farmers in india have marched on the capital despite police barricades trying to keep them out of new delhi. those are the headlines. i will have another bulletin for you here. do stay with us. >> frank assessments. >> you've got colleagues on the ground in the canaries. >> there's only one doctor and one nurse. >> informed opinions. >> how big does foreign policy

figure into a biden administration? >> he comes into office with a huge amount of experience. >> in-depth analysis. >> how will a place like this get the vaccine when all these rich companies are fighting for it? >> inside stories on al jazeera. >> people were angry. people could not take it anymore. we went out with everyone who was there.

cracks from their side, that's where they are going to get most of the activities. most of these people are not employed.we've seen recently

lots of boys have been released from jobs -- from jail. there's nothing that they can do. they go back to crime. our government and the police and sources, they need to help us in this regard. we do the same thing time and time again.

now we are going to my workplace at the department of education. i'm employed as a labor relations officer. they are fully aware of the operation. the media reported the operation

, and the achievements with the differences between myself and the police, they are fully aware. cracks education has deteriorated. educators do not have control. constantly, you are faced with situations with an imbalance. i am of the view that the only time that humans change their behavior is if there is pain.

>> i am actually very proud because not a lot of people -- i would never be able to do something like that. protecting an entire community is a big thing. >> you know it is not going to stop.

>> everything must sacrifice just to save our community.

>> it is not easy to run an

organization like this. in the three years, i think we've done enough. it would be difficult to continue for another three years because we don't have the funds. >> 154. >> 1, 2, 3, 4. >> eight cell phones. one hammer.

>> one day a good samaritan will come along and see the good that we are trying to do. >> best thing we have to carry --

>> i'm going to take this one to the hospital. [crying]

♪ >> we had to take an approach that is abnormal because we are facing an abnormal situation. >> i'm going to repeat it. the only way a human being will change their behavior is if they feel pain. someone else will carry it out.

the reason why we stood up when all those in government were in positions of responsibility cannot empower people, got to choose us. >> why don't you take me to your police? >> everywhere.

>> i wish to work. >> i feel like my luck is running away. [whistle] ♪

>> i realize the only thing that helps is hope. you died to do your best. when you score, people appreciate you as the captain. those are the things that keep you same. -- sane.

>> that's a serious allegation. you're going to jail now. >> i am a police officer. the only thing that we are

against is the manner in which they do things. i do believe that one day we will be able to work together, but the justice system is one that says, what type of punishment does this person deserve? it's not us they punish. >> we do not have a beef against the police. we are there because the police are saying they do not have the necessary resources. we do not want to be better than the police. we are not the police. all we want is a relationship

where all of us work together in the fight against crime. >> i am only worried about if they start fighting each other. we cannot afford that.

♪

>> i stand for a society that will have a future, but i've never been perfect. >> there comes a time when all of us realize that no human being should be treated like that. when you have cultures like myself, it is something that mean something as a person. there is something that needs to be done. >> we are going to pick up my daughter, my firstborn.

i believe i've done a good job with regards to my daughter because she is one person who has never disappointed me. >> your child has been chosen to play a match on tuesday, 15th of may. hi. >> why did you come early? >> i'll see you later.

>> male or female, husband or wife, there is no person who would want to leave their relationship, and i was forever not at home. you grow apart because of the distance between the two review. me and the mother, we always have the best interest of the kids at heart. as long as in the situation that i am in, it's better that i don't risk their lives. ♪ ♪

>> made a deal with the industry. they are going to give us a certain amount of money if we can help them. what motivated us to agree to that was when we realize that every time there was a quick

exit out of time -- we've confiscated too many knives. at least now we see there is a point of order in town and people have confidence. if this wasn't established, my life would've been far better. i sleep well at night. i know at least i've made a difference. there come days where i feel that enough is enough. you don't give up because you've

got that fire burning inside of you that you cannot just leave the people to end up being victims of time when there is something that you can do about it. uuuqq

natasha del toro: this navajo family lives in the shadow of a sacred mountain. lawrence: ifou have respect fo, it'll ta your li. ♪ we're e caretars ofhe lan we don'tust ta and tak withougiving. l toro: how do thebalance reved withheir neeto makea livi? laence: plse do noforsakeme, mo. del toro: "the blessing," on america reframed. ♪ ♪