move quickly on some of these recruitment areas. meanwhile, the tories promise to build 100 new doctors�* surgeries if they are elected. we have been focusing as you rightly say on those longest waits and we have virtually eliminated the longest waits, 18 months and above. south african parties get ready for coalition talks as the ruling anc loses its majority for the first time in 30 years. two key far—right figures in israel's government threaten to leave their posts if benjamin netanyahu agrees to the us peace proposal on gaza. and a chinese spacecraft has landed on the far side of the moon.

hello. we start in the uk, where sir keir starmer has pledged to reduce the number of people legally migrating to the country, if labour win the general election. he plans to introduce new laws to train british workers to plug skills gaps in thejob market and strengthen anti—exploitation laws. meanwhile, the conservatives have promised to build 100 new gp surgeries in england and boost the number of available appointments if they win the election. and in the coming hours john swinney, leader of the scottish national party, will formally launch the party's campaign, where he'll argue independence offers the country a "better future". here is our political correspondent ione wells. immigration is a sticky

issue in this campaign and both major parties say they want to control it. labour says it would train more uk workers to fill skills shortages and it says firms that pay exploitative wages would be banned from hiring foreign workers. but labour have not put a figure on how much they would reduce it by, or a timeframe for when. i much they would reduce it by, or a timeframe for when.— much they would reduce it by, or a timeframe for when. i know that you are effectively _ timeframe for when. i know that you are effectively trying _ timeframe for when. i know that you are effectively trying to _ timeframe for when. i know that you are effectively trying to suggest - timeframe for when. i know that you are effectively trying to suggest i - are effectively trying to suggest i set a target or a broad target, i am not going to do that. we are going to be clear, net migration must come down, we believe it is well important and what keir has set out is commitments that we will bring migration down. the conservatives and the liberal _ migration down. the conservatives and the liberal democrats - migration down. the conservatives and the liberal democrats have - and the liberal democrats have announced their own migration policies. announced their own migration olicies. ~ , ., ., . policies. with this announcement toda it policies. with this announcement today it seems — policies. with this announcement today it seems that _ policies. with this announcement today it seems that they - policies. with this announcement today it seems that they are - policies. with this announcement. today it seems that they are copying and pasting — today it seems that they are copying and pasting policies— today it seems that they are copying and pasting policies that _ today it seems that they are copying and pasting policies that are - and pasting policies that are already— and pasting policies that are already in_ and pasting policies that are already in place, _ and pasting policies that are already in place, so- and pasting policies that are already in place, so we - and pasting policies that arej already in place, so we have and pasting policies that are - already in place, so we have tried through— already in place, so we have tried through the — already in place, so we have tried through the introduction - already in place, so we have tried through the introduction of- already in place, so we have tried through the introduction of salaryj through the introduction of salary thresholds— through the introduction of salary thresholds and _ through the introduction of salary thresholds and increasing - through the introduction of salary thresholds and increasing the - through the introduction of salary. thresholds and increasing the salary threshold _ thresholds and increasing the salary threshold is — thresholds and increasing the salary threshold is we _ thresholds and increasing the salary threshold is we have _ thresholds and increasing the salary threshold is we have seen— thresholds and increasing the salary threshold is we have seen already . thresholds and increasing the salary threshold is we have seen already a | threshold is we have seen already a real impact— threshold is we have seen already a real impact on — threshold is we have seen already a real impact on legal— threshold is we have seen already a real impact on legal migration - real impact on legal migration because — real impact on legal migration because we _ real impact on legal migration because we understand - real impact on legal migration because we understand that l real impact on legal migration - because we understand that there is a balancing — because we understand that there is a balancing act— because we understand that there is a balancing act between— because we understand that there is a balancing act between attracting . a balancing act between attracting the brightest _ a balancing act between attracting the brightest of _ a balancing act between attracting the brightest of the _

a balancing act between attracting the brightest of the united - a balancing act between attracting i the brightest of the united kingdom but doing _ the brightest of the united kingdom but doing so— the brightest of the united kingdom but doing so irr— the brightest of the united kingdom but doing so in a _ the brightest of the united kingdom but doing so in a way— the brightest of the united kingdom but doing so in a way that _ the brightest of the united kingdom but doing so in a way that we - the brightest of the united kingdom but doing so in a way that we are i but doing so in a way that we are able _ but doing so in a way that we are able to— but doing so in a way that we are able to deal— but doing so in a way that we are able to deal with. _ but doing so in a way that we are able to deal with. het— but doing so in a way that we are able to deal with.— but doing so in a way that we are able to deal with. net migration is forecast to fall _ able to deal with. net migration is forecast to fall anyway _ able to deal with. net migration is forecast to fall anyway in - able to deal with. net migration is forecast to fall anyway in the - able to deal with. net migration is forecast to fall anyway in the next | forecast to fall anyway in the next coming years, but what is critically important from the liberal democrats' point of view is that we actually start to pay our co—workers properly and that is why we are pledging to give them an increased minimum wage, £2 higher than the minimum wage, £2 higher than the minimum wage, £2 higher than the minimum wage for other sectors, and only by doing that, by investing in our care workers here in our domestic workforce, can we reduce the demand forforeign domestic workforce, can we reduce the demand for foreign workers to come and fill those vacancies. the snp have accused labour and the conservatives of blaming migrants rather than the westminster government for the country's problems. and reform uk having proposed a tax on businesses employing overseas workers. labour intends to firmly park its tanks on the conservatives' lohan. with legal migration numbers skyhigh, it is set to be a key issue in this campaign. ione wells, bbc news. let's cross to the newsroom and speak to our political correspondent jack fenwick.

ione wells me focusing very much on migration, but that is not the only issue that the political parties are talking about? he. issue that the political parties are talking about?— talking about? no, that is right. for the conservatives _ talking about? no, that is right. for the conservatives this - talking about? no, that is right. i for the conservatives this morning it has been much more about the healthcare system, so, the health secretary, victoria atkins, was on sunday with laura kuenssberg earlier today, and she was out there to put forward this new policy about creating 100 new gp practices and also refurbishing 150 other gp practices, essentially to create more appointments. she was also quizzed about the conservatives' record on gp practices, it was put to her that since 2013, for hundred and 50 have actually closed, so the figure would still be lower than in 2013. she talked about the fact that there will always be churn in the system. —— a50 have closed. given that there is such a big population to get around when it comes to gp appointments. she also talked about the other idea the conservatives are

pitching today, which is about using pharmacies for more novel level things like acne, for example, being able to be given treatment there, and they say that that will also free up gp appointments for more serious conditions. —— for more lower level things. the health secretary was also quizzed about other aspects of the conservatives' record when it comes to the nhs, she was asked about waiting teams, she said that she believes that they are on target to hit the nhs wide target of 92% of patients being seen within 18 weeks, that that target was not hit in the last figures that we got, for december, it was more up around a0 weeks, for that particular target, but the average wait time is now around 15 weeks, so she said that she believes that means they are on course. also quizzed about that famous promise of boris johnson's back in 2019 election, to build a0 new hospitals. she acknowledged that the numbers were quite far away from that figure of

a0 but was quite keen to point out that she believed a lot of that was due to the disruption caused to the nhs and the construction industry because of the covid pandemic. thanks for bringing us up—to—date on those various different election issues, jack fenwick, our political correspondent. the scottish national party will launch their general election campaign in glasgow in the next couple of hours. the leader, john swinney, will say that a vote for the snp is a vote to put scotland's interests first, and that independence would offer a better future. to hear more on the launch of snp�*s election campaign later today, we are joined by our scotland reporter katie hunter. and we are expecting john swinney to very much focus on independence? yes, no big surprise there, we are also expecting him to focus on the conservatives' record at westminster. he said time and again

during this campaign that brexit, austerity, the cost of living crisis, has been imposed on scotland by westminster. and we are expecting him to say to activists that given the uk, in his words, is moving so badly in the wrong direction, that he would be failing in his duty if he would be failing in his duty if he did not set out what he believes is a better future for scotland. he will argue for the opportunity for higher living standards, for decisions about scotland to be made in scotland and he will say that is why he believes in independence. this is of course a westminster election but the snp has been in power at holyrood in edinburgh for 17 years and we are expecting john swinney to say that he's proud of what the snp has done in government and to mention some policies including free bus travel for younger people and free prescriptions. but of course, the snp's prescriptions. but of course, the snp�*s opponents have a very different view on the snp�*s record at holyrood. find different view on the snp's record at holyrood-— different view on the snp's record at holyrood. and it is a long record for the snp, _ at holyrood. and it is a long record for the snp, john _ at holyrood. and it is a long record for the snp, john swinney - at holyrood. and it is a long record for the snp, john swinney has - at holyrood. and it is a long record for the snp, john swinney has a i at holyrood. and it is a long record | for the snp, john swinney has a lot of political experience, but he's

knew as the leader, he has not been the snp leaderfor very knew as the leader, he has not been the snp leader for very long at all? absolutely, this is his second stint in charge, but this time around, he has only been in charge for four weeks or so and i think if anyone had said six weeks ago, john swinney will be leader of the house mp, he will be leader of the house mp, he will be leader of the house mp, he will be first minister, and also he will be first minister, and also he will be first minister, and also he will be leading the snp into a general election campaign, on the ath ofjuly, i think that would have taken many people by surprise. he did say not long ago that the snp is facing a tough campaign. in the last general election, the snp won a8 seats, and the other parties in scotland did not even get into double figures. we have had some boundary changes this time around which will change things, but the snp has been absolutely dominant when it comes to westminster since 2015. but they have had a difficult year, it is not so long ago that the first minister humza yousaf

resigned, following a fallout with the scottish greens, and there has also been an ongoing police investigation into the snp shall as funding and finances, but this afternoon, john swinney will want the focus to be on what he perceives to be his party's positive record and his priorities ahead of this general election. find and his priorities ahead of this general election.— general election. and we are exoecting — general election. and we are expecting that _ general election. and we are expecting that snp - general election. and we are expecting that snp launch i general election. and we are expecting that snp launch in j general election. and we are - expecting that snp launch in about an hour or so. let's get some of the day's other news now. ukrainie's president has accused china of prolonging the war in his country by supporting russia. volodymyr zelensky said beijing was not only refusing to take part in a planned summit in switzerland later this month, but was trying to prevent others from attending. beijing has denied taking sides in the war. north korea has continued to fly balloons carrying large sacks of rubbish over the border into south korea. on wednesday, pyongyang began sending sacks of waste paper, cigarette butts and excrement

to its neighbour in retaliation for activists in south korea sending balloons carrying propaganda leaflets to the north. in less than two hours' time, mexicans will begin to vote in elections which are almost certain to see the country's first female president elected. 0pinion polls put both the frontrunner, claudia sheinbaum, and her main rival, xochitl galvez, well ahead of the only male candidate. it's been the most violent election campaign in modern mexican history. south africa's anc says it is willing to talk to all political parties to create a coalition government after it lost its parliamentary majority in the elections for the first time in 30 years. its secretary—general, fikile mbalula, said his party had nothing to celebrate from the election but was not down and out. he denied underestimating the threat from former presidentjacob zuma. mr zuma's mk party got almost 15%

of the vote and was a major factor in the anc�*s poor performance. the mk party has said it would only work in a coalition with the anc if president cyril ramaphosa stepped down. mr mbalula said this demand was out of the question. here's some of what the anc�*s mr mbalula said. the anc is committed to the creation of a government that reflects the anc is committed to the formation of that reflects the will of the people, that is stable and that is open to govern effectively. the anc is committed to pursue a path of fundamental social and economic change, for which it has received a firm mandate. over the next few days, the anc will be in discussions

the anc will be having discussions within the organisation and with other parties and stakeholders on how best to establish national and provincial governments that reflect the will of the people, and that are able to take the country forward. let's speak to our correspondent in johannesburg catherine byaruhanga. catherine, you have been monitoring these election results for the past week or so, where are we now, because it feels like what happens next, a lot depends on what cyril ramaphosa decides to do, in terms of forming some sort of coalition? yes. forming some sort of coalition? yes, kasia, this is — forming some sort of coalition? yes, kasia, this is shaping _ forming some sort of coalition? yes, kasia, this is shaping up _ forming some sort of coalition? ye: kasia, this is shaping up to be an historic day in south africa. 0f historic day in south africa. of course south africa has had key moments in its history which has shifted the direction of this

country and today what we are expecting to hear is the final declaration of the results from wednesday's election by the election commission. the expectation is that for the first time in 30 years, the ruling african national congress party is going to lose its majority in parliament. what that means is that the system of politics here is expected to shift to one of coalitions, not simply having a majority dominant party. that changes dynamics here in south africa and as we have been hearing from the secretary—general of the anc, fikile mbalula, he says we have to start looking at how different models work around the world, for example, in europe, where many countries have coalition governments. now, what has happened is that the government in south africa has to make a decision quickly, within 1a days from today's announcement, on how it is going to govern within parliament. that is because on the first sitting that happens in 1a days, the parties have

to elect a president. of course, cyril ramaphosa would like to continue on as president of south africa but he has to get a majority of votes in parliament. so, that means that his anc party has to find alliances. that could take the shape of a form of coalition government where you ministers from different parties parties all governing together, or it could be some kind of power—sharing agreement, some kind of loose alliance, all of that is still to be played for. and of course when cyril ramaphosa takes to the stage today in south africa, this is not onlyjust about party politics, this is also a key moment for the nation. so what we are hearing from his party is that even though he is the leader of the anc, he really has to take stock of this moment, essentially a kind of transition of power in south africa, and mark this moment with his comments to the nation. has and mark this moment with his comments to the nation. as always, thank ou

comments to the nation. as always, thank you so — comments to the nation. as always, thank you so much, _ comments to the nation. as always, thank you so much, catherine - thank you so much, catherine byaruhanga, a critical moment in south africa going forward. now it's time for a look at today's sport with gavin. and football, football? yes, indeed. real madrid will parade the champions league trophy through the streets of the spanish capital later after winning european football's top tier competition for the 15th time. and the party started after the match in madrid, with fans gathering at cibeles square following real�*s 2—0 win over borussia dortmund at wembley, thanks to goals from danny carvajal and vincius junior. it means head coach carlo ancelotti has now won five champions league trophies, three whilst in charge of real. this competition gave to me fantastic happiness. as a player, as a manager, and... my target is to try to repeat

the same emotion that we had the week after this game. and so this is the target. i have the luck to be in the best club in the world. defending champion iga swiatek is through to the quarterfinals of the women's singles at the french open. the world number one blew away anastasia potapova, ranked a1st in the world, in straight sets. a double bagel, 6—0, 6—0, for swiatek, top of your screen, who was at her ruthless best, getting the job done injust a0 minutes. also, coco gauff breezed past elisabetta cocciaretto. and more big names from men's singles are in action today — jannik sinner�*s to come — annd the number three seed carlos alcaraz has just started his match with felix augur aliassime, the spaniard looking for a first french open title. and alcaraz has been broken in the

opening game. but very early stages. the men's cricket t20 world cup is under way and co—hosts west indies take on papua new guinea in the second match later. the first saw the tournament's other hosts, the usa, beat canada by seven wickets in texas. aaronjones hitting an unbeaten 9a as they reached their target of 195 with over a couple of overs to spare. it is always a great feeling when you're playing at home. 0bviously you're playing at home. obviously the majority of the fans are obviously backing us. i obviously wanted it, especially because america is not really a cricketing country, in quotes, i wanted to win the first game of the tournament, and against canada, for ourfans, and against canada, for ourfans, and we and against canada, for our fans, and we did and against canada, for ourfans, and we did that. we have some great players, to be honest with you, and we just want to keep winning as much as possible. of course we can't win every single game for the rest of our lives but we want to win as many games as possible and beat as many teams as possible and really show the world that the usa really have great cricketers here in the

country. there's a three—way tie for the lead at the us women's open in pennsylvania australian minjee lee carded an impressive round of 66 and sits on five under par with thailand's wichanee meechai and andrea lee the american, who was bogey—free on the back nine. japan's hinako shibuno trails the leaders by two shots, with compatriot yuka saso a further stroke back. 0bviously, obviously, a major championship, it is hard to get super high on your expectations, because it's always tough if you have superhigh expectations, and the course is hard and difficult. week to week, it has been getting better and better, in all aspects of my game, so i feel like it has been coming together for the moment that i am in right now. staying in the united states, the florida panthers have reached the stanley cup final for the second straight year, beating the new york rangers over six games. sam bennett scoring the opening goal of the game here, which finished 2—1 to the panthers, meaning they seal the east title. they await the winners of edmonton

and dallas in the finals, with that series set to start on 8th june. we are not done yet. we're very happy with the way this play—offs has gone for us, winning the first three, but it's a different feeling this year, for sure, so, very proud of the effort from everybody. and that's all the sport for now. let's turn to the middle east now, where two key right—wing members of israel's coalition government have threatened to bring it down if the prime minister agrees to the latest peace deal offer. finance minister bezalel smotrich and national security minister itamar ben—gvir said they were opposed to striking any deal unless hamas was wiped out. last night in tel aviv tens of thousands of people gathered to urge the prime minister to accept the ceasefire proposal unveiled by the us presidentjoe biden.

groups of protesters were dispersed by mounted police and water cannon. joining me now is mahjoob zweiri in doha. he is a professor of contemporary middle east politics at qatar university. so, what do you think, �*sleadership group in doha, in qatar, where you are, are saying? are they urging each other to accept are, are saying? are they urging each other to accethoe biden�*s proposal? —— the hamas leadership group? proposal? -- the hamas leadership a-rou? , proposal? -- the hamas leadership ”rou? , ., ., . proposal? -- the hamas leadership a-rou? ,~ ., . group? they announced last night, the are group? they announced last night, they are looking — group? they announced last night, they are looking positively - group? they announced last night, they are looking positively to - group? they announced last night, they are looking positively to the l they are looking positively to the announcement made by president biden, and they are willing to talk about it and discuss it further, to see a more clear plan, and more details about the implementation. let mejust remind

details about the implementation. let me just remind the viewer is that all of the proposals suggested in the last few months, actually all of them sort of restructure and resubmit of what has happened in the paris meeting a few months ago, when the whole mediators were discussing the whole mediators were discussing the whole mediators were discussing the whole crisis in gaza. so everything we see now is actually started in paris discussion, which happened a few months ago. so, the new proposal is sort of amendment of that discussion. 50. new proposal is sort of amendment of that discussion.— that discussion. so, what is your understanding, _ that discussion. so, what is your understanding, then? _ that discussion. so, what is your understanding, then? what- that discussion. so, what is your understanding, then? what is. understanding, then? what is specifically different, then, with this, because arguably, this proposal means that, does hamas in your understanding continue as is? because ultimately, benjamin netanyahu, the right of his party will not accept that?— netanyahu, the right of his party will not accept that? according to president biden, _ will not accept that? according to president biden, what _ will not accept that? according to president biden, what he - will not accept that? according to . president biden, what he presented, it was an israeli proposal, and that proposal did not mention three things. one, anything about the day

after. secondly, anything about rebuilding gaza. thirdly, about the complete withdrawal. however, if you look at the key steps announced by biden, actually, there is talk about stopping all, i would say, military activities, but they don't talk about complete ceasefire. so, there is a play of words can be seen. all of the proposals, they talk about three stages, each stage for two days, and basically followed by a complete ceasefire. and within those, there would be basically all of the hostages would be released, there would be more palestinians also released, there would be freedom to the gazan people from the south to go to the north, the israelis would withdraw from the whole of gaza. and then the talk about basically rebuilding. in what

biden presented, there is no talk about the day after, and i think thatis about the day after, and i think that is what tenure who is trying to capitalise on and trying to protect the proposal from capitalise on and trying to protect the proposalfrom his cabinet members. the proposalfrom his cabinet members-— the proposalfrom his cabinet members. ., members. professor mah'oob zweiri, from the wart members. professor mahjoob zweiri, from the qatar university, _ members. professor mahjoob zweiri, from the qatar university, we - members. professor mahjoob zweiri, from the qatar university, we are - from the qatar university, we are going to have to leave it there but thank you for your analysis. until now the dark side of the moon has been relatively unexplored — except perhaps by pink floyd — but now the chinese have landed a spacecraft on the far side of the lunar surface. the mission to discover to bring back rock samples and see if there is ice or water there. this is the view from the change six space probe as it comes into land on the far side of the moon. now that it's here, it has work to do in what china is describing as an historic mission.

every movement was monitored at beijing's aerospace control center. landing on this part of the moon, as shown in this animation, is risky. this is a very impressive mission because the thing about the far side of the moon is you've got no line of sight communication with the earth. but years earlier, china launched a satellite to relay messages from earth to solve that problem. after decades of preparation, the probe finally touched down. for the next two days, a mechanical arm will drill and collect rock and soil samples. this is a world first. scientists have never been able to study this side of the moon. the chang'e—six began its mission in early may, and if the uncrewed craft makes it back later this month

with the precious samples, china will know its leading the way in this type of lunar exploration, and the country is yet another step closer to putting their own man oi’ woman on the moon. laura bicker, bbc news, beijing. just got time to tell you that there is a buzz over david beckham who has been announced as an ambassador for the king's foundation. after meeting looking at highgrove house, david beckham said that they bonded over a love of beekeeping, and even compared to tips on the hobby. the charity created by the king offers education programmes in traditional skills such as woodworking and embroidery. what's more on our website. from me and the team, goodbye.

we have got a lot more sunshine for central and eastern england which has an impact on the temperatures. yesterday was cooler in eastern england, but today, it is seven celsius warmer. it is going to feel very pleasant in that sunshine, and for many parts of england and wales, we have almost got clear blue skies with us and that is the way it is going to stay for the rest of the day. for northern ireland, a bit more cloud but still bright enough. for the far north—west of scotland we have a few patches of rain coming in by the end of the day, when he degrees in aberdeen, still warm in the hazy sunshine, top temperatures probably reaching around 23 degrees across southern parts of england and wales, warm in the strong june sun. high levels of uv. so if you are out for any length of time, it might be worth using some suncream. 0vernight it turns quite cloudy, which keeps temperatures from falling, so for the vast majority temperatures will be holding up in double figures. tomorrow, much cloudier, certainly to start off with for northern

ireland, england and wales, occasional drizzle. clearer weather coming into scotland were just a few showers in the far north of scotland and through the day a bit of cloud breaking across the midlands and eastern areas of england, particularly to the east of high ground. where the sunshine comes out it will still be warm, with temperatures getting into the low 20s. however, as we get into the middle part of the week, much colder air is set to come in from the north and with that, there will be heavy showers or some longer spells of rain in scotland, some hailstorms mixed in, some of the rain pushing southwards to reach parts of northern ireland, northern england in north wales, a few showers ahead of that, and a big drop in temperatures coming up for scotland, 1a in glasgow, the average being 18 for this time of year, so it will feel quite chilly, particularly in the winds, similar weather for wednesday, heavy showers and thunderstorms, some of them with hail mixed in, they will be most frequent across scotland, probably staying largely dry and bright across southern parts of england. if you are out of the breeze it should

continue to feel 0k. you are out of the breeze it should continue to feel ok. this kind of pattern will continue for a while, temperatures generally staying below—average in scotland and northern ireland with charlie conditions continuing.

this is bbc news, the headlines: in the uk, the electoral campaign continues with the labour leader pledging to reduce legal migration levels, while the prime minister promises

to build 100 new doctors' surgeries and boost the number of available appointments. south african parties get ready for coalition talks as the ruling anc loses its majority for the first time in 30 years, dropping from 58 to a0% of the vote. two key far—right figures in israel's government are threatening to leave their posts if benjamin netanyahu agrees to the us peace proposal in gaza as they argue they will oppose any deal before hamas is destroyed. and a chinese spacecraft has landed on the far side of the moon. launched on may the third, the mission aims to collect rock and soilfrom this region for the first time in history. now on bbc news, the travel show.

on a sunny day, a ride around paris takes some beating, that's for sure.