this is bbc news the headlines at apm: 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. and coming up at 4.30pm, a special edition of

good afternoon. boris johnson has appointed minister nadhim zahawi to take charge of the deployment of coronavirus vaccines. mr za hawi, the current business minister and mp for stratford—on—avon, will oversee the distribution of the vaccines in england until at least next summer. the health secretary matt hancock has tweeted to say he is "delighted" that mr zahawi is taking on role of covid vaccines minister, adding that there is "an enormous task ahead". it comes as many backbenchers are continuing 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 restrictions. 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. all of us who have been elected to parliament, notjust ministers, he said, must take responsibility for difficult decisions. and medical experts say

the threat to the nhs is real. 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. some news about the number of confirmed coronavirus cases. we are getting reports that the uk has 15,871 new cases on saturday, compared to 16,022 a day earlier, and the number of deaths as well, the report shows a79 people died within 28 days of a covid—19 diagnosis on saturday, compared with

521 a day earlier. of course, we will bring you more on those figures as and when we get them. has continued to talk now about the new vaccines minister. we can talk to the shadow health minister who joins us how. the shadow health minister who joins us now. your reaction to the news that nadhim za hawi us now. your reaction to the news that nadhim zahawi will be the new covid—19 vaccines minister. that nadhim zahawi will be the new covid-19 vaccines minister. we have been calling for a specific minister to deal with the vaccine roll—out for some time, so we are pleased that someone has been appointed to this role. we are relieved that it is not dido harding, given her track record so far. this is a very important role over the next six months or so, one of the most important in government. whilst nadhim zahawi is a capable minister, there is a question as to whether he will still be able to give this his full attention as he will carry on with his business role and that has its own challenges at the time. this role is going to need day—to—day oversight from the minister who will

have to be accountable to parliament and it is critical to get this right, so we need to be clear that he will be able to give this his full—time attention. he will be able to give this his full-time attention. of course, a huge logistical challenge for the government as well. how worried are you about that challenge, and also about people actually taking up the vaccine, because that also needs to happen, doesn't it, for this plan to work? there is no doubt there needs to bea work? there is no doubt there needs to be a massive public awareness campaign about the benefits of the vaccination, but clearly in terms of the roll—out, it is not going to be anything like we have seen for a long time. i know gps are quite concerned about the impact that will have on them. we don't actually know whether gps have come forward to assist in this, and clearly there is assist in this, and clearly there is a question over what happened to their existing patient workload. if this is the pfizer vaccine rather than some of the other ones we have talked about, there are additional challenges there, so there is no doubt there is a long way to go, lots of important things that still

need to be done, and that's why it is right that we have a minister with overall responsibility for this. let's talk about the tier system because there will be a parliamentary vote on the new tier system in england, and it's not clear yet which way labour will be voting. can you enlighten us on that? no, we haven't made a decision yet. there are concerns that we have, not least about the financial support that's going to be available to those businesses in the higher tiers that are affected, so if you look at what the government has said so look at what the government has said so far, for businesses and particular hospitality, they will get the same level of support in tier1 as a tier 3 and that can't be right. if you look at my own area of cheshire west, we are in tier 2 and so cheshire west, we are in tier 2 and so there are still significant restrictions. the government grant which should last until spring 2022 has been oversubscribed by half already, so it's clear that will not last the course so we do need more financial support. that's something we will be keen to push the government on. what alternatives would you offer to the tier system

as it stands now? is not an objection to the tier system itself, it's about whether the right financial support is in place for businesses. clearly as well, there needs to be coherent and credible planning to get areas out of these tiers, and we have heard talk about mass testing, but we don't know much details yet about how that will work in practice, how it will be resourced, and what evidence there is that it will actually bring down infections in particular areas. those things we need to further clarity on from the government. justin, thank you. 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 the president of iran claims the assassination of the country's 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 and israel, says this university student. the father of iran's nuclear programme is now being treated like a martyr, his assassination 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 hands 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—19 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.

the european union and the uk have resumed brexit trade talks, with just five weeks to go until the transition period ends. the eu's chief negotiatior michel barnier has travelled to london for talks with his british counterpart david frost. it is the first time they have met face—to—face since mr barnier went into self—isolation after a member of his team caught coronavirus. the two sides are still at odds over fishing, fair competition, including state aid, and over how disputes will be settled. the snp has pledged to extend free school meals in scotland to provide breakfasts and lunches for all primary pupils. speaking at the party's conference, which is being held virtually, the deputy first minsterjohn swinney said if the party retained power after the holyrood elections it would expand the scheme at a cost of around £230 million per year. also speaking on the first day of the conference 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. 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 now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's jane. good afternoon.

manchester city are currently in action against burnley in the premier league, they've just gone 1—0 up through ryad mahrez. 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 isa it is a massive challenge for us. believe it or not, it is a massive challenge for the teams who played on wednesday night. but with the

performance, i am overly happy, to be honest. i expect a lot from my boys, but i didn't expect we can dominate brighton today like we did. 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 two 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. a—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.

as you can see, they are just starting again after the fourth goal. you can keep up to date with the scores on the bbc sport it's the second round of the scottish league cup. six fixtures, let's pick out a few scores. that is how it is right now. liverpool is thrashing ayr united. —— living stone. 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. the national anthems have been sung, and wales against england is currently under way. it is wales who are leading 7—5 at the moment. jonny williams going over for the try for wales. henry slade with a try for england. before kick—off, england we re england. before kick—off, england were described as the informed side and if they win they guarantee themselves a place in next month ‘s final. they are currently undefeated in the competition. so often form goes out of the window in matches like this. 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,

six frames is the target for a place in the next round. and you can watch this match live on bbc one and the bbc sport website right now. england cricket captain heather knight said she was "really chuffed" after her side sydney thunder beat melbourne stars to win the women's big bash league title. fellow england internationals katherine brunt and nat sciver were in the stars team. they chose to bat first but crumbled to 86—9 in the face of a fine performance from the thunder bowlers. theirs is a young side, but knight's experience showed. she hit the winning runs, a six giving them victory by seven wickets. that's all the sport for now. still 3—0 to manchester city against burnley. you can keep up—to—date with all the rest of the sport on our website. that's it for now. goodbye. 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 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. i'm joined now by the retail consultant richard hyman. thank you forjoining us. are you surprised by this? no, frankly. it has been on the cards for some time, and businesses of this size don't go from being very successful to being on the brink of going over the edge ina on the brink of going over the edge in a matter of a few weeks. it has been a slow burn, so not a surprise. talk me through what are the main factors behind the problems being faced by arcadia? the main factors are many and they are complex, and they range from the fact that when philip green bought this group

around 20 years ago,, aside from the topshop brand, the other brands had already peaked, so they were in long—term decline already. that has been a problem. another problem is that philip ‘s style of business has been to run his businesses for cash, which means taking a pretty short term approach, not investing very much for the future. that has been a disadvantage in the retail market, one that is changing more rapidly with every passing year. he has been disadvantage, the writing has been on the wall for some time. what do you think lies in store for arcadia? we don't know exactly what is going to happen on monday, but there is hope that in some way, some of these brands can continue. if they were to continue, what would need to change? well, i think that one of them has d eftly got well, i think that one of them has deftly got a future, and that is topshop. topshop is still a decent business, it needs a bit of love and

care, it needs some investment, it needs some really good top notch leadership. i think the other brands, as i said earlier, are past their sell by date. i think that deals will be done around those brands, mainly to shift stock. they will become labels, rather than a meaningful business in their own right. i'm afraid, it will mean that quite a lot of people are, sadly, going to lose theirjobs. you talked about philip green and the way he ru ns about philip green and the way he runs a business. how much do you think he is a person, as a businessman, had to do with the demise of arcadia? well, i think it would be shallow, and it wouldn't be right to say that everything it was his fault. if you go back to what i said earlier, half of his business peaked more than 20 years ago. you could argue that he did really well keeping them going for so long,

providing gainful employment to so many people. you could look at it like that. i think that his reputation has gone before him, let's say, and i think that in a business where quality leadership is becoming more and more critical, that made it increasingly difficult for him to recruit the top talent that his businesses needed. a lot of what he has done and his notoriety has not been very helpful. richard, thank you very much indeed. 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 facemasks, ignored requests to go home. protests are currently not permitted under lockdown rules in england. 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. the queen's gambit on netflix has been the surprise hit of lockdown, telling the fictional story of beth harmon, a young female orphan who is taught to play chess by the caretaker at her children's home. beth is a prodigy who goes on to become a grandmaster and the biggest female star in a male dominated sport. for anyone that hasn't seen it, here's a clip. you will have your time in the sun, but for how long west mug you have got so much anger in you. you have to be careful. let's play.

although beth's story is one of fiction, we're going to speak now to judit polgar, who is considered one of the best chess players of all time. she was a child prodigy who overcame sexism in her sport and defeated all—time greats like russian world champion garry kasparov. what was it like, winning against him? hello, good evening. it was a great experience and pleasure, but all the way until i got there it was more of the biggest challenge. let's talk about the queen's gambit because it has won a lot of plaudits. many people have watched it and plaudits. many people have watched itand said plaudits. many people have watched it and said it is amazing, and chess experts have said it is as close to realistic as you can get. do you agree with that, did you enjoy it? yes, i saw the series within two days when it came out, and i enjoyed

it quite a lot. from many aspects, but focusing on the chest part, i really enjoyed the games, which later on i got to be able to see —— chess. many experts gave these attention. what was amazing for me was that all the actors were really making all the gestures and movements, the looks and the body language, not only the players, but also the audience, the opponents, the other players of the tournament. the demonstration, the setup of the clock, of the game, of everything. it was quite amazing. i had some deja vu feelings in some parts. the experience of beth harmon in the series is one of coming up against a very male dominated sport, which clearly chess has been in the past and in many ways still is. what were

the challenges you faced, and how could you relate to beth within the programme? well, the movie is great in many different ways, but there was one thing which i think was much more positively shown than actually reality, and i didn't feel in the movie that beth was criticised that she is playing in male tournament and she is playing against male opposition, but when i was growing up, it was very much in the air when i started to beat adult, they were kind of saying you don't belong here, you should be playing with the girls. ifi here, you should be playing with the girls. if i started to win some games, they said well, it is by chance. these are the comments which i was getting, and i was experiencing it so i had to prove it more times than if i had been a talented boy. what was interesting

in the series, a lot of times when she beat a male opponent, they were very magnanimous in defeat, these men. was that how it really happened in real life west mug did the men shake your hand and say well done, you are amazing? well, it happens sometimes, not frequently, but some games my opponent acknowledged that i played something very special, a special match and they said well done, this was amazing. but there we re done, this was amazing. but there were cases also when my opponent was so were cases also when my opponent was so frustrated they did not shake hands at the end. actually, that was not necessarily against me because i was a woman, it was just frustrated about himself. but there are mixed experiences. after being in the top 30 in the world, and being number one lady in the world, i mostly experienced that they took me as their colleague, and that how it

became as i grew older and that was a very nice feeling, i gained respect from my opponents. a lot of people have watched the series, i know that i have, my husband is a keen chess player and has suddenly got into it again and we are buying a chess set for our eight—year—old daughter now, so a lot of people like us have seen that passion for chess reignited. do you hope that this series has done this for the sport of chess, vertically for young girls? i do believe that it is a fantastic boost for chess. i think we didn't have anything even similar since a match in 1972. in many aspects this is better because it shows how tense and interesting a chess tournament can be. i do hope there are going to be more girls starting and picking up the game, and not only picking it up for a week, but i hope that they are going

to be enthusiastic and keep