Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - a podcast by TRT World

*) Iran says satellite-based attack killed scientist remotely

A top Iranian security official says the assassination of a nuclear scientist was carried out solely with electronic devices and without anyone present.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh's funeral was held on Monday in Tehran.

The government has accused Israel of his death, with Iranian General and Chief of Security Ali Shamkhani saying it was a satellite-based attack that caught the country off-guard.

*) Trump suffers another crushing defeat

US President Donald Trump's hopes of overturning the results of the 2020 election appear to be fading.

Two more states, Arizona and Wisconsin, have certified votes for President-elect Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden is set to formally announce former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as his pick for Secretary of the US Treasury.

*) France to rewrite controversial police security bill

France has given in to days of protests over its controversial police security bill, and agreed to completely rewrite the proposal.

The bill would have strengthened government surveillance tools and curbed the public's right to film police officers in action.

On Saturday, tens of thousands of people held rallies across the country, saying the bill will curb freedom of the press and reduce police accountability.

*) UK retailer Topshop faces closure

UK retail giant Topshop is among several brands facing closure, after its parent company, The Arcadia Group, collapsed into administration, putting 13-thousand jobs at risk.

Falling sales due to the pandemic have been blamed for the company's financial troubles.

Arcadia is owned by British billionaire Sir Philip Green.

And finally…

*) Destruction of Amazon rainforest hits highest level in 12 years

The destruction of Brazil's Amazon rainforest has hit its highest level in 12 years, according to Brazil's national space agency.

Deforestation in the Amazon has increased by almost ten percent since last year.

The area lost between July 2019 and August of this year is 11,000 square kilometres – roughly twice the size of Rio de Janeiro.

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