this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a warning that hospitals in england could become overwhelmed with coronavirus cases, if mps don't back new restrictions. iran's president rouhani blames israel for the assassination of a top nuclear scientist, saying his country won't be deterred from its nuclear ambitions. a worrying weekend for 13000 workers at some of the uk's biggest retail names, the group that owns topshop, dorothy perkins, and miss selfridge is on the brink of collapse. new figures reveal a million more americans caught covid in less than a week — 1500 people are now dying every day and health workers are feeling the strain. the eu's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, and his uk counterpart are holding more talks

in london in a bid to agree a post—brexit trade deal. and a surprise discovery, a rare plant reappears, more than a century since its last confirmed sighting in the british isles. 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 the uk's most senior politicians says hospitals in england could be overwhelmed, if the government's new coronavirus restrictions aren't voted through by parliament next week.

some conservative mps are unhappy with the tougher tier system, which begins on 2 december. meanwhile in the united states the number of coronavirus cases has passed 13 million as a further spike in the infection rate is expected, as millions have travelled for the thanksgiving weekend. and in france many shops are re—opening today as the first step in a three—stage process to ease lockdown conditions. let's hear more first on the situation in england from our political correspondent jonathan blake. preparing for life after lockdown under much tighter measures than before. kent will be one of the places in tier 3 of the new system, which many conservative mps argue is unfair. we had tier version one a couple of weeks ago. we have just lived through lockdown version two. but now we have vastly more people moved up a phase,

despite being told this is the last push, this is the new panacea, get through this, and we will start seeing the sunny uplands. from next wednesday, the vast majority of england will be under the high or very high covid alert level, tiers 2 and 3, where no household mixing is allowed indoors. 0nly cornwall, the isle of wight and the isles of scilly will be placed under looser restrictions, in tier i, or medium risk. less than 2% of the population. defending the new measures, the cabinet office minister michael gove has said the previous tiers weren't effective enough, and tighter restrictions were grimly, inevitably necessary. writing in the times, he warns the level of infection is still threateningly high, and the pressure on hospitals severe. it comes as the number of people in hospital with covid—i9 in four nhs regions of england reached higher totals this month than during the first peak of the pandemic. the thing that really worries us is that if we get very large numbers of covid patients injanuary,

and we have a cold snap, there will be a danger that the nhs gets overwhelmed. labour hasn't yet decided if it will support the new measures, but warns that changes to economic support for businesses will leave local authorities stretched to breaking point trying to help. meanwhile there is some extra advice for the christmas period, when the rules will be relaxed. government scientists say people should consider meeting outdoors where possible. children should share bedrooms with their parents if staying overnight. and quizzes might be a good alternative to board games, which involve close contact. the government's likely to get its way here at westminster, despite opposition from mps, and so restrictions will remain a reality across england well into the new year. jonathan blake, bbc news. earlier i spoke to labour's shadow public health minister, alex norris. he's the mp for nottingham north. nottingham and nottinghamshire will be in the tier 3 very high alert level.

i asked him whether he belived the tier system was the right approach. i think we knew that having been in national lockdown for the last month or so, that we weren't going to come out of it with no restrictions at all. everybody expected there to be some sort of system. michael gove has been very clear for the first time that actually the system they had previously didn't work. very clear for the first time. we are taking the time for a very strong and considered look at the government's proposals. in the end the logic is that you will support this because to vote it down would mean there was nothing in place for when the national lockdown is lifted first thing thursday morning? yeah, i think that is a shrewd analysis, a take it or leave it proposition, but that does not mean we are not going to take our time between now and then to get the best information

and to push for better support. in particular with business, there is no extra support for businesses in tier 3. the hospitality industry is going to be really hard hit at christmas, so we have real concerns there. also, we want to know how different parts of the country can come out of their tiers. so keir is meeting with government scientists on monday to hopefully improve the process. this seems to be something where there is common cause in saying there isn't enough detail... what would affect the different level of restrictions on infection rate? in a sense, are you asking for something it is almost impossible to be precise about? we are not asking for a crystal ball judgments about what is going to happen, but we are asking for the basis on which judgments are made and i think that is fit enough

to ask for that. my constituents have been asking me to the last 48 hours about why we are in tier 3 rather than tier 2 and it is clear, having talked to some of the government scientists, that we are right on the cusp of that. it is right, i think, to get the information, but the key thing for me is, if we are going to that top tier, either in nottingham orfor the vast majority of the country, we have to have support for business at this time, because otherwise the economic impact is going to be really severe. i think we are right to push for that. i know that there is a cross—party push, so i think the government need to listen. iran's president has claimed the assassination of its top nuclear scientist on friday will not slow down its nuclear programme. hassan rouhani has blamed israel for the killing of mohsen fakhrizadeh outside tehran. he was killed on friday in an ambush on his car by gunmen in the town of absard, east of the capital. president rouhani accused israel of trying to create "chaos" but said his country would not fall into a "trap". iran's supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei has promised retaliation for the killing, tweeting that the scientist's nuclear work will continue. there have been demonstrations in tehran over the assassination, with protesters

calling for revenge against israel and america. israel has not commented, but it has previously accused mr fakhrizadeh of masterminding a covid nuclear weapons programme. 0ur security correspondent gordon corera reports. the scene of an ambush. the highway where gunmen targeted a vehicle carrying one of the most important figures in iran's nuclear programme. mohsen fakhrizadeh was a scientist and senior defence official. but western intelligence services have long believed he was the driving force in iran's quest for a nuclear bomb. iran has always said its nuclear programme was peaceful — but it's been claimed fakhrizadeh was leading work on project amad to develop a weapon. in 2018, he was singled out by israel's prime minister. this is how dr mohsen fakhrizadeh, head of project amad, put it — remember that name, mohsen fakhrizadeh. so here he is, right here.

and he says, "the general aim is to announce the closure of project amad." but then, he adds, "special activities" — you know what that is. iran's foreign minister quickly responded to his death with this tweet... israel is widely assumed to have been responsible. but why now? iran's nuclear programme was constrained under an international deal signed in 2015. but in 2018, donald trump pulled the us out of the deal — and iran has been growing its stockpile of nuclear material. mr trump is reported to have looked at — and then decided against — a military strike just two weeks ago.

but israel may now be seeking to take advantage of the window whilst he's still in office. this is very clearly timed in order to impede restoration of the iran nuclear deal. trump has made it very clear he's wanted to kill the deal, he hasn't succeeded in four years, he has two months left. and this is an effort to do so in order to provoke iran's own hardliners into resisting diplomacy. the killing is already causing anger in iran, but it's not yet clear how it might retaliate — and what that would mean for attempts to resurrect the international deal. iran has been under economic blockades for the last few years. it is a country of 80 million people facing the most severe covid pandemic in the region under sanctions in which it cannot access basic medicines and health care, and medical equipment for its people. it is important to bear that

in mind, and the iranian government surely is aware of the extreme pressures it's facing at home. emergency vehicles were still at the scene hours after fakhrizadeh's death. the struggle over iran's nuclear programme has been going on for close to two decades. but, in the midst of an american presidential transition, this looks set to be a moment of tension and uncertainty. gordon corera, bbc news. it is always surprising when such a bold attack takes place against in irani and top scientist in the capital of the city. his car was intercepted by two assassins, there isa intercepted by two assassins, there is a shoot out and the assailants managed to get away. it is very

surprising. if you look at the history of the similar assassinations and attacks in the past decade, it is not that surprising. previously for other nuclear scientists were killed or assassinated in iran, from 2009-2011. you had assassinated in iran, from 2009—2011. you had an explosion in irani and military base, which they ran inside was a technical fault, but it killed the architect of iran's missile programme to stop you had cyber attacks on the nuclear installation, one a few months ago. and another infamous attack. a series of suspicious explosions and fires over the summer in iran's nuclear installations, which is really raising questions about the failure of a ran‘s intelligence apparatus, specifically the intelligence wing of the revolutionary guard, becoming more pressing because they project a very draconian image inside the country, cracking down on dissent and arresting dozens ofjill nationals,

and conservation activities —— jill nationals. 0n espionage charges, while at the same time the real spies are roaming free inside the country, crossing the border and carrying out these attacks, partly with a free hand. what difference will it make to the development of the nuclear programme, if any? not very much. yes, fakhrizadeh was very important to iran's nuclear programme. in the past 10—15 years, iran has trained many nuclear scientists, so this attack is symbolic. given the powerful statement that came from the former cia director, who is very close to thejohn biden cia director, who is very close to the john biden team, cia director, who is very close to thejohn biden team, although he doesn't have a statement describing this as a criminal act, it shows that this has been construed as

sending a message to thejohn biden administration that it will not be easy to engage back in diplomacy with iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, because in the past year the trump administration and its proponents have built a wall of sanctions, destroying all of the bridges between iran and the us, making it very difficult for thejoe biden administration to want to get back to a nuclear deal, given that they have remained silent on this latest development as well. longer term, you have spoken about the prospects of getting the united states back into that nuclear deal. in the meantime, though, iran is really feeling the effect of the sanctions that president trump, the additional sanctions that president trump has imposed. it has. in the past three years it has been suffering from crippling sanctions. irani are very unhappy with the economic conditions. yes, they know it is partly because of the

sanctions, but the sanctions have also exacerbated internal corruption and mismanagement. rising inflation. people are very resentful and that is giving the hardliners enough ammunition to attack the moderate government, with the president being blamed domestically by the hardliners, if you weren't so soft on the americans and the israelis, they wouldn't be so bold as to carry out these attacks. reports from northern ethiopia say the capital of tigray province, mekelle is under heavy bombardment from the government army. these are pictures of ethiopian military heading in for tigray as prime minister abiy ahamed launched a final offensive. aid workers have confirmed a declaration from the beseiged dissident leader that the city was being shelled. the ethiopian government has rejected ceasefire demands from the african union, saying it is engaged in a police action.

staying in the uk — and around 13,000 people employed by one of the high street‘s biggest retailers — arcadia — are waiting to hear if theirjobs are safe — with the company said to be on the brink of collapse. administrators could be appointed to the group — which owns brands such as topshop, dorothy perkins and burton — as early as monday. here's our business correspondent, katy austin. the festive season is approaching, but there's tough news this weekend for the 13,000 people working for arcadia, with their employer on the verge of collapse. the group had its troubles before the pandemic, already shedding jobs and closing stores. experts say it had failed to adapt as retail changed. new fashion businesses which are digital native have found it much easier to adapt to the shopping climate now. it's not easy for any big company who's an old company to adapt in the same way as a new one can do. arcadia's owner, sir philip green, had built a huge clothing empire,

but in 2015, he sold bhs for £1, and the department store chain collapsed the following year. do you mind not looking at me like that all the time? it's really disturbing. leaving him first facing fury from mps, then coughing up hundreds of millions to plug the gap in bhs‘s pension scheme. he was definitely a man of his time, but that time has been changing dramatically in recent years, and then we've had the pandemic, which has catapulted it further forward. his style worked really well some years ago. it's worked less and less well. in a statement, arcadia said the forced closure of its stores during the pandemic had had a material impact on trading across its businesses. if the administration process does kick—off on monday, the group's 500 shops will continue to trade when they're allowed to reopen in england and ireland, and a buyer will be sought. the question then is if buyers can be found for arcadia's brands, and who they might be. katy austin, bbc news.

face—to—face talks have resumed in london to reach agreement on a brexit deal between the eu and the uk. the eu's chief brexit negotiator michel barnier said deep divisions remain. borisjohnson has also spoken to the irish prime minister and underlined his commitment to reaching an agreement, which respects the uk's sovereignty. the number of coronavirus cases recorded in the united states has passed 13 million, as the pandemic continues to surge. nearly 265,000 americans have died with covid—19. around 90,000 are in hospital. a further spike in the infection rate is expected, as millions have travelled for the thanksgiving weekend despite public health warnings to stay at home. 0ur north america correspondent david willis reports. in the worst affected nation on earth, coronavirus cases are growing at an alarming rate. the united states added more

than a million new cases of covid—19 in the space of less than a week, and on hospital wards and amongst health care workers, the strain is starting to show. when the news says we've reached a new death toll, i don't understand that. but as a frontline health care worker, i can understand, and i can describe the sound a zipper on a body bag makes. health experts urge people to avoid travelling over thanksgiving, fearing the holiday weekend could turn into a super spreader. some chose to ignore that advice, although bargain hunters were noticeably thinner on the ground on what's known as black friday, traditionally america's busiest shopping day of the year. some, though, see a deadly virus as little deterrent. kyle camped outside a video game store for two nights

to get his hands on a cut—priced playstation 5. it gave me some big concerns that we would all be squashed up less than six feet together. i try to wear my mask as much as possible to limit the risk of getting covid, in case there was someone who had it. but i felt, for the most part, pretty safe. away from the shopping malls, online sales are booming this year. by the end of the holiday season, they're expected to reach $10 billion, a 40% increase on last year. whilst his successor has vowed to make tackling the coronavirus his number one priority, the current occupant of the white house has seemed more focused on perfecting his golf swing and disputing the result of the election. donald trump once again found himself in the rough after an appeals court judge in pennsylvania rejected an attempt to prevent certification ofjoe biden‘s victory there. certainly i will, certainly i will.

and having said on thursday that he would leave the white house if the electoral college formalised mr biden‘s victory nationwide, the president then appeared to backtrack, writing on twitter... but whether mr trump likes it or not, joe biden will be the president onjanuary the 20th, at which point he will be responsible for the country's response to a virus which is now spreading so fast that officials in los angeles county, the largest county in the country, are preparing to introduce tough restrictions aimed at keeping people at home. some wonder here if a long, dark winter might be just beginning. david willis, bbc news, los angeles.

more than 2.5 million vulnerable people in england will be offered free vitamin d supplements this winter. the vitamin, which helps to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy, is made by the skin when it's exposed to sunlight. the groups most at risk are those who have spent extended periods shielding from the virus. the government has appointed the network rail chairman, sir peter hendy, to establish whether the train, road and air networks are ready for people planning to travel over the christmas period. families will be allowed to make festive trips during a five—day window, between the 23rd and 27th of december. the department for transport will publish measures aimed at easing travel disruption next week. the transport secretary, grant shapps, has already urged people to book tickets well in advance and be prepared for restrictions on passenger numbers. first minister nicola sturgeon has opened the snp annual conference

by calling for a new independence referendum for scotland. prime minister boris johnson has vetoed snp calls for a fresh vote on the issue — but the first minister has said she hopes another ballot could be held in the early part of the next term of the scottish parliament. the conference is being held virtually this year. a number of french police officers are being held for questioning after a video showed them beating up a black music producer in paris. the footage has sparked outrage. president macron has described the beating as unacceptable and says france has been shamed by the incident. the three officers identified in the video have been suspended. mark lobel reports. pursued by the police for not wearing a facemask, then, set upon in the reception room of his music studio by those he thought were meant to protect him. caught on this cctv footage that has

struck a nerve in france, the black french music producer michel zeckler is brutally punched, kicked, hit and allegedly racially abused. the three officers seen here, two in uniform and one plainclothed, have been suspended and questioned in police custody. the violent scenes continued for around five minutes until michel's colleagues emerge and push the police out. france's president emmanuel macron said, "the images shame us, france must never allow racism to prosper. those who apply the law must respect the law. i ask the government to quickly make proposals to reaffirm the bond of trust between the french people and those who protect them, and to fight against discrimination more effectively." anger at the treatment of the a1—year—old, who was released without charge after being held for 48 hours, was felt by several members of france's world cup squad. kylian mbappe wrote this. antoine griezmann said this.

and benjamin mendy asked... ever since the death in us police custody of george floyd in may, and as the black lives matter movement has grown, tackling police conduct has been under the spotlight. i certainly think accountability would be a great first step to rebuilding trust in the community. when you first admit and acknowledge there is a problem, then, we need to next fix it, accountability. there should be a disciplinary process that is commensurate with the crime or misconduct conducted by police officers. emmanuel macron‘s condemnation is also intended to quell ongoing protests across france. demonstrators are critical of a police crackdown on migrants and proposed reforms to restrict publishing images of the police they say jeopardises freedom of expression. after this latest incident, there will be even less appetite

among protesters for more anonymity for the police. mark lobel, bbc news. and you are watching bbc news. a rare plant has reappeared, more than a century since its last confirmed sighting. known as grass—poly, the pink flower came out of hiding after seeds were disturbed during restoration work at a pond in norfolk. scientists say conservation efforts could lead to the return of other forgotten species. it's a big night for an amateur choir in yorkshire. after losing two of its members to coronavirus, the huddersfield choral society wanted to do something special to honour them. restrictions meant they couldn't meet up to perform in the usual way, so they enlisted the help of the poet laureate simon armitage to create two new works, which will premier online this evening. 0ur entertainment correspondent,

colin paterson reports. choir sings. the huddersfield choral society, refusing to stay silent. choir sings. in march, for the first time since the choir was formed in 1836, rehearsals were not allowed due to lockdown. then, within a matter of days, two members died from covid. stephen brooke, who had sung with them 44 years, and philip carland, described as a backbone of the group. for the music to suddenly stop was very difficult, particularly as in that two—week period, we actually lost two members of the choir. everyone was devastated. it was such a shock, and so sudden. they'd been there,

and then they weren't. it was through that an approach was made to simon armitage to see if he could write something that was so relevant to what we were going through. the choir responded to the tragic events by deciding to create something new. they commissioned two pieces with accompanying films, illustrating the separation felt by many this year. huddersfield's the home town of the poet laureate, and he agreed to write the lyrics. i have grown up with the noise of choirs in these valleys. women's choirs, male voice choirs, choral societies, amateur operatics and dramatics. so i guess the noise in my head was one that's been almost a constant soundtrack since growing up. how was it to hear the finished pieces? yeah, it was very moving, actually. particularly when i saw them together with the films that have been made.

you know, these are songs and films that are populated by real people expressing things that are very important to them, so i had a little weep, actually, when i watched the films. and the choir are thrilled that at 7:30pm the pieces will receive their premiere online, and at last they will be able to have a moment they can share with others. it has lines such as "cobweb heart", or "a blackbird stirs "and opens its throat". and i think that really captures how notjust the people in the choir, but people generally feel. i think it's going to be really exciting. it'll be exciting to hear them and to see the films. it recognises what everybody‘s been through in this, and that, yes, we will be back again.

colin paterson, bbc news, huddersfield. a lot of christmas lights are going up this weekend — and if you're planning to impress anyone with a grand "switching on" ceremony — here's a valuable lesson in the importance of timing. 4, 3, 2, 1... it is more like a pantomime season as well because all the audience we re as well because all the audience were yelling "it's behind you! " that was the mayor of bridgwater, in somerset — and a council colleague — being a bit slow with the ceremonial plunger. a council spokesman said they were glad the lights had brought "more happiness than we planned". bridgwater always puts on a lovely show. at least they have got christmas lights.