this is bbc news with the latest headlines. the prime minister appoints nadhim zahawi as minister for the deployment of coronavirus vaccines. 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 13,000 workers at some of the uk's biggest retail names — the group that owns top shop, dorothy perkins, and miss selfridge is on the brink of collapse. the perils of gambling addiction — we look at how covid and lockdown has created what experts call a perfect storm for problem gamblers.

good afternoon. borisjohnson has boris johnson has appointed borisjohnson has appointed nadhim zahawi to borisjohnson has appointed nadhim za hawi to take borisjohnson has appointed nadhim zahawi to take charge of the deployment of coronavirus vaccines. he is the current business minister, and mpfor he is the current business minister, and mp for stratford—upon—avon, and will oversee the distribution of vaccines in england until at least next summer. the health secretary has tweeted to say he is delighted that nadhim za hawi has tweeted to say he is delighted that nadhim zahawi is taking on the role, adding that there is an "enormous task ahead". it comes as many backbenchers are continuing to oppose the tougher system of tiered restrictions that will replace the lockdown in england next week.

cabinet office minister michael gove has warned that hospitals in england could become overwhelmed with new covid cases if mps don't back the planned tougher tiered restrictions due to come in to force next wednesday. with more, here's our political correspondent ellie price. teignbridge in devon has one of the lowest infection rates across england, but it will find itself in tier 2 with the rest of the county. it's a similar story across towns and villages in england, which is just one of the things that's been irritating conservative mps about the new tier system. we have just lived through lockdown version two and yet we have vastly more people being moved up a phase, despite being told this is the last push, this is the new panacea. but writing in the times today, the cabinet office minister michael gove tried to address the concerns of wavering mps. he said the tougher tiers are grimly inevitably necessary, not least because the previous system had not been effective enough. and without tougher action, the nhs would be broken. then a challenge.

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. so far, around 12 conservative mps have said they will vote against the government in the commons on tuesday. another 20 or so have publicly voiced concerns. a numberare waiting on a so—called impact assessment, a sort of cost—benefit analysis, that the government are expected to publish in the coming days. but will it be enough? but don't forget there was a sizeable conservative rebellion going into the most recent lockdown measures in england, and that still passed. so any real chance of a government defeat will depend on how labour vote. and so far, they are undecided. i am particularly worried about business. there is no extra support for businesses in tier 3. and the hospitality industry will be really hard hit at christmas, so we've got real concerns there.

but also we want to know how different parts of the country can come out of their tiers. the government acknowledged the best hope of getting out of any tier system is mass vaccination. and today announced nadhim zahawi as the new minister responsible for covid vaccine deployment. until that's under way, here in england, we are likely to be living under the tier system, which will come into effect on wednesday 02 december. ellie price, bbc news, westminster. 0ur political correspondent, ellie price, is here. a ministerfor the a minister for the vaccine, a a ministerfor the vaccine, a sign that the government is taking the vaccine that the government is taking the vaccine programme that the government is taking the vaccine programme seriously. absolutely, it is a big job for anyone who takes it on, and nadhim zahawi has anyone who takes it on, and nadhim za hawi has everything anyone who takes it on, and nadhim zahawi has everything to gain and everything to lose, of course, if it all goes horribly wrong. all eyes will be on this role because clearly it is the hope of how we get back to normality in this country. nadhim zahawi is a business minister, he will pause most of his business

responsibilities for now, and take control of what is going on. and the big question is will be, how does the government avoid some of the logistical nightmares it faced with the likes of test and trays and some of the other big logistical challenges that this virus has posed, and that's why there is a minister in charge of it. it is something that labour called for earlier in the week because of the sheer challenge ahead. there has been plenty of talk that the nhs is ready for this, ready for the roll—out as soon as the vaccines get the go—ahead that they are safe and effective, then the nhs is well placed to do it because they are used to doing the likes of the flu vaccine. but clearly there are challenges and the government is keen to make sure that there is somebody in charge, making sure it goes as well as it possibly can. let's talk about the tier system as there are still ongoing tensions regarding england moving into that system. what do you think can be done to ease those tensions, if anything? you heard in my piece at

the government is going to announce, or publish an impact assessment, a sort of cost benefit analysis, which is what a number of disgruntled conservative mps have been calling for. their concerns about all this range from a variety of issues, but one of the big things is a number of conservative mps saying that their constituency has low rates of the virus, hospital capacity is ok, so why are we lumped in on a countywide restriction, for example? the government responds by saying these need to be quite broad restrictions so need to be quite broad restrictions so that there is clarity, and also, of course, people travel in and out of course, people travel in and out of areas so it makes the most sense. i think what we will see from the government is a publishing as much as it can of the science behind all of this, but in the end it will be up of this, but in the end it will be up to conservative mps to try and back their government. and don't forget, there was a sizeable conservative rebellion the last time

mps conservative rebellion the last time m ps voted conservative rebellion the last time mps voted on restrictions, which was for the lockdown in england. it may happen again, but crucially it will be how labour decide to vote and whether they will vote with the government. the president of iran claims the assassination of the country's top nuclear scientist will not slow down its nuclear programme. hassan rouhani has blamed israel for the killing of mohsen fakhrizadeh. he was shot dead on friday in an ambush on his car by gunmen in the town of absard, east of the capital tehran. speaking at a cabinet meeting, 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 the united states. israel has not commented, but it has previously accused the victim of friday's attack, mr fakhrizadeh, of masterminding a covert nuclear weapons programme. 0ur diplomatic correspondent

paul adams reports. angry protests once more on the streets of the iranian capital. people here in no doubt about who was behind yesterday's killing. we demand a hard revenge against america says this university student. the father of iran's nuclear programme is now being treated like a martyr, his assassination on the subject of much debate. 0ur enemies are becoming weak, he says. assassination is the work of those who have no other options. and they point the finger at donald trump. in his last two months in office, this man says, he is trying to create conditions for war. yesterday's killing is not without precedent. 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, says the perpetrators and those who commanded them will be, pursued and published. —— pursued and punished. the country's more pragmatic president struck a different tone. iran would respond in due time, the president said, but would not fall into a trap. they're thinking of creating chaos, he said, referring to israel, but we read their hand and they will not succeed. iran knows the next american president wants dialogue, not confrontation. but pressure is mounting. iran vowed to retaliate after america killed general major general qasem soleimani in iraq injanuary. it is yet to do so. with another senior figure dead, the desire for revenge is strong. i think iran has no option but to respond to this. if it doesn't, i think this will bring a bigger danger of further actions

or even conflict in future. iran's recent progress, stockpiling and enriching uranium beyond the limits allowed by the 2015 nuclear deal, may have triggered this attack on the programme's figurehead. it is a stark warning to iran's entire nuclear establishment. but it is also likely to make joe biden‘s already difficultjob, coaxing iran back into negotiations, that much harder. paul adams, bbc news. more than 2.5 million vulnerable people in england will be offered free vitamin d this winter. this follows the lead of scotland, which is also providing free supplements to some people. the vitamin helps to keep bones, teeth and muscle healthy — but a new clinical trial has just started looking at whether it can also protect against coronavirus. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle reports. a dose of sunshine, helping us to make vitamin d, which is essential for our health.

but at this time of year, the sun's in short supply. from october to march, people in the uk are advised to take vitamin d, and now in england people in care homes and those classed as clinically extremely vulnerable will get a free supply too. we know that with things like lockdown measures, people staying indoors much more often, maybe not going out as much because they're shielding, or they're housebound, here i think supplementation is, you know, a relatively easy and affordable way to sort of protect the health of the general population. but can vitamin d also help with covid? this lab is trying to find out. there's some evidence the vitamin helps with other respiratory infections. now a clinical trial involving more more than 5,000 people is looking at its impact on coronavirus.

it's not going to be as powerful as a vaccine, but it might reduce the risk of covid—i9 or the severity of the disease significantly. we only need to demonstrate a modest effect for it to be worth implementing. because vitamin d is very safe and it's very inexpensive. the vitamins for the clinical trial have been sorted into different doses. then they're packed up and sent out to volunteers across the uk. they'll be taking the supplements throughout winter and spring. it's clear that vitamin d is important for general health. the uk government's now asking health authorities to review the existing science around its effect on covid, and should publish those findings by the end of the year. rebecca morelle, bbc news. face—to—face talks continue 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 snp has pledged to extend free school meals in scotland to provide breakfasts and lunches for all primary pupils. the expanded scheme, expected to cost £230 million per year. also speaking at the party's virtual conference, he said they could expand the scheme at the cost of £230 million per year. first minister nicola sturgeon called for a new independence referendum. scotland is now a nation on the brink of making history. independence is in clear sight, and if we show unity of purpose, humility and hard work, i have never been so certain that we will deliver it. around 13,000 people employed by one of the uk high street‘s biggest retailers, arcadia, are waiting to hear if theirjobs are safe, with the company described

as being 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. in a statement arcadia say they're working on a number of contingency options to secure the future of their brands. susie lau is a writer and fashionjournalist. were you surprised by the news of theissues were you surprised by the news of the issues facing arcadia? it was actually a bit inevitable, really, when you look at the onslaught of digital first companies that have p°pped digital first companies that have normed up digital first companies that have popped up in the last decades. companies like asos. they have responded to social media much better, they can turn out products much quicker, they can respond to trends in a much more efficient way, and it has kind of left particularly

topshop chasing trends, rather than setting them. do you think that's what the main issue has been? the likes of primark don't have an online offering but they are doing well, aren't they? well, primark has a much lower price point. topshop had an identity crisis, where they didn't know quite where they sat in the high street. they are more expensive than primark, but when they are up against other bricks and mortar offerings such as zara, they we re mortar offerings such as zara, they were kind of losing their identity. topshop really defined british call fashion in the early naughties, and when they started pulling back from

collaborations as well, i think that was really the beginning of the end for their identity —— mike noughties. we don't know what will happen to the brands within arcadia, but if there is to be a future for topshop, what do you think it needs to look like to get back to success?” what do you think it needs to look like to get back to success? i think it really needs to have a complete creative overhaul, make use of the fa ct creative overhaul, make use of the fact that britain has got amazing fashion talent, and actually, we are really missing a sort of british bricks and mortar destination high street store, and they can really own that experience in the face of digital first companies. what do you think about the other brands within the arcadia umbrella. dorothy perkins, miss selfridge, evans. lesser brands, but still well known on the high street. i am not sure if

evidence exists any more. one by one, all the brands have started losing their identity, going down on profit, so it is a bit of a domino effect where the crown jewel, topshop, if they are not doing well than the others will follow. susie, good to talk to you. thank you very much indeed. thank you. the headlines on bbc news: the prime minister appoints nadhim zahawi as minister for the deployment of coronavirus vaccines. 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.

sport and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's jane dugal. good afternoon. we start with manchester city, who are currently in action against burnley. they have just gone 1—0 up. that's after 17 minutes. brighton snatched a point in the early premier league match against defending champions liverpool, with a penalty in the dying moments. they had earlier missed from the spot, neal maupay sending it wide, to squander a chance to go ahead. and it looked like they'd be made to pay for it as diogojota scored to give liverpool the lead. jurgen klopps' side had another two goals ruled out by var before — in the final moments — replays gave brighton a second penalty, put away this time by pascal gross. it's the second round of the fa cup today, with all the latest across the bbc. in one of the early games, it's gone to extra time. morecambe against non—league

solihull moors was 2—2 after normal time. but the league 2 side scored twice in extra time to reach the third round. mitch hancox headed into his own goal to end solihull‘s run in this year's competition. 11—2 the final score. currently in action are portsmouth, who won the cup in 2008. they're hosting non—league side king's lynn town. and they went ahead after only two minutes through this header from rasmus nicolaisen. and these are live pictures from fratton park. the non—league side from norfolk are going to have to work hard to come back from that early setback. 1—1 is the latest score. it's the second round of the scottish league cup. six fixtures, let's pick out a few scores. hibs vs dundee. motherwell vs stjohnstone.

st mirren vs aberdeen is the late game. qualifying for the bahrain grand prix has just finished, with the drivers‘ champion lewis hamilton on pole for the 98th time in his career. he set a new track record to qualify a quarter of a second faster than team—mate valtteri bottas, with max verstappen in third. it's the 11th time this season that mercedes have locked out the front row. new zealand thrashed argentina 38—0, to avenge their defeat two weeks ago in the tri—nations rugby championship. ahead of the rematch, captain sam kane laid an all blacks jersey on the pitch, with diego maradona's name and number — one of many tributes at sporting events this weekend. to the match action and new zealand were quick off the mark, with an early try from dane coles. after the break they were ruthless, willjordan racing over for two tries within 10 minutes of coming on for his debut. new zealand will almost certainly take the title.

there's a big game in the autumn nations cup this afternoon, wales taking on an in—form england side in llanelli in under an hour's time. england will guarantee their place in next month's final with a win. they‘ re undefeated in the competition so far, but form often goes out of the window in matches like this. a pretty basic answer, but it's pretty simple, the pure fact of the rugby side of things and that applies to any games, any opposition. obviously the added... ..sideshow and potential circus that, you know, the wales—england thing, but we are in a different context in the competition. you know, and like i say, we are very aware of what's coming. defending champion ding junhui is in second round action at the uk snooker championship in milton keynes. let's take you there now — these are live pictures from the marshall arena, where ding was ahead against david grace, but grace has just taken the last

frame to make it 2—2 on table one. and you can watch this match live on bbc one and the bbc sport website right now. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories and follow the latest from this afternoon's football via the bbc sport website. protests are under way in paris against a new law restricting sharing of images of police officers. the demonstrators argue it undermines the freedom of the press to document police abuses. the government says the law protects security services from receiving online abuse. the action comes days after the distribution of disturbing footage showing police officers beating black music producer michel zecler. president emmanuel macron called the officers' action "shocking". 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. 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. 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. police and protesters have clashed at an anti—lockdown demonstration in central london. officers say they've arrested more than 60 people. demonstrators, many not wearing face masks, ignored requests to go home. protests are currently not permitted under lockdown rules in england. charities and nhs services who help problem gamblers say this year has been one of their busiest. more than a quarter of a million people in the uk are thought to be addicted to gambling, with the number of women increasing at double the rate of men.

next month, the government is due to launch a review of industry regulations. jeremy cooke reports. gambling to me was as normal as breathing. i was gambling from the first moment i'd wake up in the morning. i would wake up in the night and gamble. there was no time that i wouldn't gamble or think about gambling. kerry is a recovering addict. it felt like something i couldn't stop. it was part of me, it had control. gambling cost her tens of thousands of pounds. but the true cost has been higher still. what i lost was so much more than that. it was my identity, my self—respect, my values, time, sleep, relationships, my home. the list is endless. i did think of ways to end my life. i didn't want to be here, because i couldn't see a life without gambling. it had me, it had total control. i would just have a little gamble, maybe. breaking the habit is not easy. this is one of the few

residential centres in the uk helping gambling addicts. and it's cold turkey. no phones, no internet, no cash. the event, as you know, could be a sporting event... for years, online betting has been shifting the problem from the bookies to the family home. and then came the covid lockdown. it just amplified the situation. it amplified their feelings, thoughts, and of course their behaviour. it took them to the edge when they were desperate. for most of us, of course, gambling is harmless. but for some it can be disastrous. and now experts say covid and lockdown have created the perfect storm for a growing and deeper problem. before lockdown, our outreach services were reaching about 30 interactions a month. we are now doing about 1,000 a month. the volume is on the increase, but the intensity is ten times greater then it was before.

studies show that the number of women living with gambling addiction is growing, and stands at around 75,000 across britain. kerri now works full—time to help as many of those women as she can. if i hadn't spoken about it, i probably wouldn't be here now, you know? you can recover — it is possible. i never believed it, but i'm living proof. so there is hope, but also fear that this new lockdown once again brings the ideal conditions for gambling addiction to grow and to destroy lives. jeremy cooke, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello again. it is been a day of big contrasts weather—wise across the country — england and wales and many areas keeping the low cloud, the mist and the hill fog loitering into the afternoon. further north though, in scotland, quite a contrast with clear blue skies, beautiful sunshine here in glasgow, light winds and

stunning reflections. now looking at the weather picture overnight we will keep the clear skies across northern scotland and here it is going to be cold and frosty, with temperatures down to —3 or “11. patches of drizzle will tend to work northwards across england and wales as we go on through the night, still some mist and fog patches lingering around and those temperatures continuing to slowly rise across parts of northern england and northern ireland as well. tomorrow is another cloudy day coming up for most — cold, frosty, but sunny start for north—east scotland. just like today, there could be a few areas where the cloud breaks up, but equally probably some drizzle and mist loitering across the midlands and eastern areas of wales. temperatures 8—10, breezy, with the threat of a little rain in the far north—west of scotland later in the day.