this is bbc news. the headlines at six: ministers say they'll proceed with caution in deciding whether to end all covid estrictions in england next month. restrictions in england next month. but there's confidence accelerating the vaccine roll out will keep government plans on track. we hope to be able to protect with two doses all the 1—9s, all the over 50s, before the 21st ofjune. israeli opposition parties are inching towards forming a government that would bring an end to benjamin netanyahu's 12 years in power. borisjohnson ties the knot in a secretly—planned wedding to carrie symonds at westminster cathedral. a new nationalflagship is to be commissioned by the government in a bid to boost

british trade and industry overseas. good evening. the vaccines minister, nadhim zahawi, says the government will be cautious and look at all the data before deciding whether to end covid restrictions in england next month. it comes as the chief executive of nhs providers says "very, very few" coronavirus patients in hospital in england, have received two covid jabs, showing that a double dose of vaccine can provide "very high" levels of protection. but he warned hospitals are dealing with a heavy backlog of patients because of delays caused by the pandemic. here's our health correspondent, catherine burns.

the critical incident for the south western ambulance service, not because of coronavirus, though. there are just 13 covid patients in hospital there but the system is dealing with a backlog in cases and a busy bank holiday weekend. so people are being told to only call 99 in an emergency. we people are being told to only call 99 in an emergency.— people are being told to only call 99 in an emergency. we are expecting to see around — 99 in an emergency. we are expecting to see around 3000 _ 99 in an emergency. we are expecting to see around 3000 calls _ 99 in an emergency. we are expecting to see around 3000 calls a _ 99 in an emergency. we are expecting to see around 3000 calls a day - to see around 3000 calls a day across the south—west, and that's a considerable amount for the resources we have available to us. some parts of the country, like bolton and blackburn, have had the biggest increase in cases linked to the variant first seen in india. even in those areas, though, hospitals aren't seeing a huge spike in covid patients. at the same time, though, health bosses are warning about universal pressure on the nhs across the country. we about universal pressure on the nhs across the country.— across the country. we have got these big hair— across the country. we have got these big hair backlog _ across the country. we have got these big hair backlog is - across the country. we have got these big hair backlog is that. across the country. we have gotj these big hair backlog is that we are kind — these big hair backlog is that we are kind of trying to get through as quickly— are kind of trying to get through as quickly as— are kind of trying to get through as quickly as possible, and —— big care

black_ quickly as possible, and —— big care black look's — quickly as possible, and —— big care black look's as though we are tackling — black look's as though we are tackling the most complex cases as quickly— tackling the most complex cases as quickly as— tackling the most complex cases as quickly as possible, which means patients— quickly as possible, which means patients need overnight stays because — patients need overnight stays because they're more convex cases. hospital— because they're more convex cases. hospital say — because they're more convex cases. hospital say complex are often simple problems that got worse because of lockdown, so patients may need more company to treatment and longer stays in hospital. this man was diagnosed with cataracts three years ago and are still in a waiting list. it years ago and are still in a waiting list. , , ., , years ago and are still in a waiting list. , , . , ., , list. it is steadily getting worse, it's an insidious _ list. it is steadily getting worse, it's an insidious thing, _ list. it is steadily getting worse, it's an insidious thing, it - list. it is steadily getting worse, it's an insidious thing, it has - list. it is steadily getting worse, | it's an insidious thing, it has sort of crept — it's an insidious thing, it has sort of crept on — it's an insidious thing, it has sort of crept on and _ it's an insidious thing, it has sort of crept on and i've _ it's an insidious thing, it has sort of crept on and i've had - it's an insidious thing, it has sort of crept on and i've had the - it's an insidious thing, it has sort. of crept on and i've had the surgery cancelled _ of crept on and i've had the surgery cancelled several— of crept on and i've had the surgery cancelled several times— of crept on and i've had the surgery cancelled several times and - of crept on and i've had the surgery cancelled several times and just - cancelled several times and just don't _ cancelled several times and just don't know_ cancelled several times and just don't know what _ cancelled several times and just don't know what is _ cancelled several times and just don't know what is happening, i cancelled several times and just - don't know what is happening, which is quite _ don't know what is happening, which is quite frustrating. _ don't know what is happening, which is quite frustrating. but— don't know what is happening, which is quite frustrating.— is quite frustrating. but at the same time — is quite frustrating. but at the same time as _ is quite frustrating. but at the same time as the _ is quite frustrating. but at the same time as the backlog, . is quite frustrating. but at the | same time as the backlog, the is quite frustrating. but at the - same time as the backlog, the nhs is still running that race, vaccine versus variant. we are six months in now and the government has a new, speedier ambition. taste now and the government has a new, speedier ambition.— speedier ambition. we hope to be able to protect — speedier ambition. we hope to be able to protect with _ speedier ambition. we hope to be able to protect with two _ speedier ambition. we hope to be able to protect with two doses, i speedier ambition. we hope to be | able to protect with two doses, all 1—9s all the over 50s, before the zist 1—9s all the over 50s, before the 21st ofjune. we will make sure we vaccinate at scale but here's the

important thing, we will share the evidence with the country on the 14th ofjune. evidence with the country on the 14th ofjune-_ evidence with the country on the 14th of june. 14th ofjune. those dates are key because during _ 14th ofjune. those dates are key because during the _ 14th ofjune. those dates are key because during the 14th - 14th ofjune. those dates are key because during the 14th is - 14th ofjune. those dates are key because during the 14th is when l 14th ofjune. those dates are key i because during the 14th is when the government will tell us with the next date of opening up in england will happen on the 21st. at that point they will want to meet four tests before going ahead. the first test — is the vaccine roll—out going well? the second — are vaccines stopping people getting sick or dying with covid 7 the third test is about infection levels. are they getting so high they're putting too much pressure on the nhs? and the final test is about new variants of concern. are they changing the risk level? there are questions over the last two test, case numbers and variants of the next few weeks could give us indications of how they could slow us opening up injune. earlier i spoke to peter openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at imperial college london, about the level of caution

the public need to employ when restrictions ease injune. i think we just need to be very cautious and need to keep an eye on the figures. we would all love to be able to open up again but the last thing we want is to see another major surge because of the circulation of these new variants which appear to be more transmissible, and to be able to escape to some degree from the immune response induced by vaccines. you know, i think the good news is that vaccines are very good at preventing serious disease and death, but it's not so clear that they actually prevent transmission of these new variants. and we know that the indian variant is spiking in certain geographical areas at the moment. is there any merit in looking at local or regional measures, or is your view that we really have to be united on whatever restrictions or easing ultimately comes in? i think we have seen before that

when these variants start to emerge in certain parts of the country, they spread quite quickly to other parts of the country. i think there are also clear problems with local restrictions because people do tend to cross the border into areas that have fewer restrictions, even if that's not what's advised. so it is very difficult to succeed with local lockdowns. but i think we are alljust really hoping that we can get this under control, particularly if we can have a very effective local tracing of infection. absolutely, and one of the key elements of all of this for more than a year has been not to overwhelm the nhs, of course, and today we hear a call from the nhs saying, "look, we are finally trying to start getting through the backlog "of all of those routine operations that were postponed," and making the point that if, then, those beds are suddenly needed for another covid wave, god forbid, yet again,

the hip replacements and knee replacements all get postponed. is that a valid argument? is that something that policymakers really need to be paying attention to? yes, the nhs is getting busier and busier with all of those other things that it was extremely busy doing before we had covid, and that's obviously good news for people who have been waiting to have operations and so on, and again, if we have to go back into some sort of lockdown or if the number of cases rises and we have to convert our acute care or long—term care into covid wards again, then everything will go backwards. ijust do so hope that we can keep this under control and do urge everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible to be vaccinated. borisjohnson has married his partner carrie symonds at secret ceremony at westminster cathedral. a spokesman said that following yesterday's small ceremony, the couple would celebrate again

with family and friends next summer. speaking to us a little earlier from outside westminster cathedral, our political correspondent, ben wright gave us more details on the secret ceremony. it was only this morning that number ten confirms that the marriage ceremony happened yesterday, so this really was a wedding kept under wraps. borisjohnson and his wife carrie tied the knot here at westminster catholic cathedral yesterday afternoon, just around the corner from yesterday afternoon, just around the cornerfrom downing street, and even though mrjohnson has been married twice before, the roman catholic church does allow divorces to remarry if their previous marriages were outside the church. a spokesman said it was a small ceremony and a photo was then released of the couple in the downing street garden afterwards. a tory minister also posted a picture that showed some hay bales and some bunting in the background, but beyond that, details of the day are very sparse. i can

tell you that borisjohnson is the first sitting prime minister to get married since 1822. he and carrie got engaged in february last year, —— their son was born a few months after that, there was no publicity for this at all and they will have a celebration for friends and family next summer. the newly—elected leader of the democratic unionist party has accused the eu of playing "fast and loose" with the peace process in northern ireland. edwin poots said checks on goods entering northern ireland from great britain were having a "devastating impact" and leading to violence on the streets. the european commission says it rejects any suggestion that it no longer cares about the peace process. from belfast, louise cullen reports. the northern ireland protocol has caused political and practical problems since its inception. it creates a trade border in the irish sea, by keeping northern ireland in the eu single market for goods, enforcing eu

customs rules at the ports, to prevent a hardening of the land border. and unionists view it as a threat to their place in the united kingdom. that fear was blamed for trouble on the streets at easter. the uk has delayed introducing some food checks until october, a move the eu has gone to court over. technical talks continue. the new dup leader edwin poots claimed the northern ireland peace process was being damaged. i don't want to use a threat of violence in terms of this. our arguments are very clear, they're very coherent. this is the european union seeking to punish the united kingdom, and, as a consequence, northern ireland is being used as a plaything for the european union. i can assure you, northern ireland should be nobody�*s plaything. the eu commission vice president rejected that. i think we are working absolutely flat out to make sure that the protocol operates as smoothly as possible. i think we have also to turn the table a little bit

in this discussion and look at what the protocol brings as an opportunity to northern ireland. talks continue that simple find the workings of the protocol. the uk government spokesperson said solutions must be found rapidly to minimise disruption in northern ireland. in israel, opposition parties have moved closer to forming a coalition government, that would end the era of benjamin netanyahu, the country's longest serving prime minister. let's speak to our middle east correspondent yolande knell. slightly curious concoction, it appears they have reached here. explain more about what anyway, as if it will happen?— if it will happen? that's right, “ust if it will happen? that's right, just now. _ if it will happen? that's right, just now, we're _ if it will happen? that's right, just now, we're getting - if it will happen? that's right, - just now, we're getting comments in

to us from one of the key players in all of this, the leader of the right—wing yamina party, naftali bennett, a former defence minister, and after israel's fourth election in just two years, he emerged as the kind of kingmaker and first mooted going into a coalition government with benjamin netanyahu. when he couldn't get the seats together, he went to yair lapid, a centrist, who now has to the end of wednesday to form a new coalition government, he became the person for yair lapid to get on board and we understand yair lapid has offered naftali bennett a rotating premiership, the commits naftali bennett has been making, he has been accusing benjamin netanyahu of sowing division to cover for failure, saying there will not be that kind of division on his watch.

we can stop this madness and take responsibility, he has been saying. either we have a unity government or israel goes to a fifth election. but as you say, it will be a really, really unusual line—up if this new government does take place on the baseis government does take place on the base is being talked about, because it will really bring together parties from across the political spectrum, from the far left to the far right, and you will have parties like naftali bennett's, which says that it has stood in the past for annexing most of the west bank to israel, and then you have parties like the far left party in israel, which has opposed, always come occupation of the palestinian territories. a dose of this new coalition government looks very likely to be really looking to a small arab islamist party for support as well if it's to be able to push legislation through. and what really unites all of these different political players is the

fact that they are opposed to benjamin netanyahu, and they say after 12 years, consecutive years in office, now is the time for change, mr netanyahu of course is on trial for corruption charges, corruption that he denies, but still, the other political players say he has been putting his personal interests before those of the country. goodness. thank you very much for the latest on the situation in jerusalem, our correspondent following those talks to try to form a coalition government. the colombian government has deployed 7,000 troops across some of its major towns and cities in a bid to end two months of deadly protests and riots. demonstrators have vowed to march on the streets of the capital, bogota, today, as they continue their stand against poverty, police violence and tax rises. our latin america correspondent will grant reports. colombia is no stranger to violence, but these scenes have shocked the nation.

shouting. two months after the protests began, they are showing no sign of letting up. what started as an outpouring of anger over a proposed tax hike has now exploded into pitched battles in several major cities. the epicentre of the anti—government protests is cali, a city which suffers from all of colombia's social ills, from poverty to paramilitaries and drug cartels. every day, peaceful protests soon descend into burning barricades and stone throwing. the authorities responding with tear gas and live rounds. the latest incident to enrage demonstrators was the sight of civilian gunmen shooting at protesters with the police. the president ivan duque announced the deployment of some 7000 military personnel around the country. translation: | want to make it l absolutely clear that the maximum

deployment of military assistance to the national police begins as of tonight. they won't find it easy, though — the protesters are in no mood to back down. this violence brings back painful memory of colombia's 50—year civil war between left—wing farc rebels and the state. indeed, many say the open wounds from that conflict have fanned the flames of these clashes. now, instead of strengthening the peace, colombia's long and bloody history of social unrest has simply started a new chapter. will grant, bbc news. it's 6:16pm. the headlines on bbc news... the head of the group which represents nhs trusts in england has told the bbc that hospitals are still under pressure and there must be an open debate about plans for a further easing of restriction. opposition politicians in israel are moving closer to forming a new government and removing the prime minister,

benjamin netanyahu, from power. and borisjohnson has married carrie symonds in a secret ceremony at westminster cathedral, yesterday afternoon. the government will miss its deadline for completing applications for £5 billion's worth of funding to remove flammable cladding in the wake of the grenfell tower tragedy. the bbc understands that managing agents who administer most tower blocks with dangerous cladding have yet to sign any contracts with the government which would release funding. hundreds of thousands of people remain concerned they won't be able to get dangerous cladding removed from their homes. here's our consumer affairs correspondent sarah corker. i couldn't sleep, i couldn't eat, i couldn't concentrate. unless that agreement is signed, we're stuck and we're trapped. making a very difficult situation for leaseholders far, far worse.

a chorus of concern about the government's building safety fund — £5 billion has been set aside to remove flammable cladding from buildings like this one in st albans. alison hills moved here in 2018. fire safety issues were discovered months later. now she's moved out. you're sat here in a flammable flat 2a hours a day, particularly during lockdown, knowing that your building could go up in flames any minute. i couldn't sleep, i couldn't eat, i couldn't concentrate. my mental health was in absolute bits. but alison's building, like hundreds of others, isn't being made safe. managing agents who act for the building's freeholders are refusing to sign contracts with the government to release the funding. nigel glenn represents the agents. he says the contract, while paying for cladding problems, makes them liable for all other fire safety defects. we represent 325 managing agents —

none of them have signed. we've talked to freeholders, we've talked to cladding action groups, and as far as i know, none of them have signed. it's a really difficult situation. we're talking here of hundreds of blocks, potentially hundreds of thousands of people, and we just can't sign it, because by doing so, you take on the liability which would render you technically insolvent. the ministry of housing says the managing agents�* interpretation of the contract is fundamentally flawed and allows cladding removal without leaving the leaseholders liable for other fire safety costs. leaseholders like stephen in manchester say they've been waiting long enough. you think you might be able to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, and then now, unfortunately, they won't sign the agreement, so it's like it doesn't matter how much money the government make available for us, unless that agreement is signed, we're stuck and we're trapped. the longer this dispute between the managing agents and the government goes on, the longer people living in these buildings are having to pay out thousands of pounds a month on interim fire—safety measures.

the ministry of housing has now said it will allow applications to be processed beyond the end ofjune deadline on a case—by—case basis. that is some comfort for stephen and alison and hundreds of thousands of others still caught up in this cladding crisis. but their wait to live in a safe home continues. sarah corker, bbc news. the uk's biggest seller of building supplies, travis perkins, is warning of "considerable" increases in the cost of raw materials because of shortages. the company says surging demand as lockdown eases, as well as problems with the supply chain, mean bagged cement will rise by 15%, chipboard by 10% and paint by 5%. a new nationalflagship is to be commissioned by the government in a bid to boost british trade and industry overseas. the royal navy vessel,

which will cost a reported £200 million and be in service for 30 years, would be used to host trade fairs and diplomatic meetings. it would be the successor to the royal yacht britannia, which was retired in 1997. australia's prime minister is in new zealand for the annual bilateral talks with his counterpart, jacinda ardern. the relative success in curbing the coronavirus pandemic was evident — as neither leader wore a mask and scott morrison was welcomed with a traditional maori greeting. from sydney, phil mercer reports — there are flashing images at the start of the report. a traditional maori greeting replaced elbow bumps and fist taps, as new zealand's prime minister welcomed her australian counterpart. scott morrison said the meeting highlighted the success of two countries that have weathered covid—19 arguably better than any other.

both governments banned foreign nationals in march 2020, but they need a plan to eventually bring to an end their isolation from the rest of the world. a quarantine—free travel corridor was opened last month. while flights to the australian state of victoria have been suspended due to a snap seven—day lockdown, the bubble could be extended to other parts of the south pacific, including fiji and vanuatu, to help revive their tourism industries. mr morrison said australia and new zealand were family, but, like most households, there are disagreements. canberra's controversial deportation of new zealanders convicted of crimes, including children, has strained the relationship. a senior australian minister compared the policy to taking the trash out. it remains a very sore point between these trans—tasman cousins.

phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. it's an eyesore which blights alleyways, streets and fields. we're talking about flytipping — which is now happening 20,000 times a week in england alone, according to the local government association. linsey smith reports on the misery that flytippers have brought to one street in grimsby — and i do hope you're not eating while you watch this. eight years' worth of rubbish. mattresses, beds, peppered with needles, faeces and rats. the stench from this means theresa and herfamily can't sit in their garden. but north east lincolnshire council say, if they want it clearing, do it yourselves. it's disgusting, absolutely disgusting. i can't get access to my side gate. i'm a mobility scooter user and i can't get it out.

it's just... you sit here thinking, when's the next fire? when are they going to set fire to it next? and it's absolutely terrifying. until last weekend, the waste went right up to this gate. jeanette spent £180 hiring a skip to enable access to her garden. why should it be at our expense to clear an alleyway that we did nothing, no dumping in? you know, other people did that. the smell, sometimes... the fact that there's cats and rats. ok, i have cats, but there's tomcats living down there. they're digging through the rubbish. there's needles, you're scared to let anybody out. although north east lincolnshire council praised theresa and jeanette, they told look north: the council also say they will investigate reports of fly tipping on private land

if residents have cctv. on this modest street, they've invested in technology, but with little success. i've repeatedly rang them up. it's just like they don't care. as the pandemic worsened over the last year, fly tipping has blighted communities. the big question now is, who's going to clean it up? let's get some fresh air! the three peaks challenge, in which walkers tackle the highest points of scotland, england and wales one after the other, is one of britain's most popular endurance events. but three climbs aren't enough for one pair of fitness enthusiasts, who are planning to throw in a fourth — in northern ireland. oh, and they're going to row between each nation. alison freeman went to meet them. their home for around six weeks. katherine and martin will eat, sleep and travel on this rowing boat between the four nations

of the united kingdom, before taking on their highest peaks on foot. a challenge that's never been attempted before. so this is our cabin. there's just enough legroom to be able to lie down. and i'm here, martin's here, so it's pretty cosy. it's the idea of katherine wilkins, who runs a fitness centre in northumberland. despite the mammoth challenge ahead, she managed to get martin, who works for her, on board. i like to try things that no—one's ever done before. when katherine mentioned it to me, that she's got this challenge in mind and no—one's ever completed it, i was instantly, "yes, i'm there, i'm doing it." the pair will start their challenge by climbing mount snowdon in wales before walking to caernarfon. they'll then row to whitehaven, and from there walk up to the summit of scafell pike. after walking back to the coast, they'll cross the irish sea to northern ireland, where they'll tackle slieve donard. they'll then take on the longest rowing leg of their expedition,

by sea and canal to fort william in the highlands of scotland. there, they'll climb ben nevis. the irish sea has a lot of challenges. it's got shipping lanes. it can be horrendously tidal and choppy. so we have everything crossed for a high—pressure system and a gentle crossing, but we're not under any illusions. the pair will be raising money for the mental health charity mind. me being a former marine, a veteran of the marines, some lads who leave struggle a lot with mental health, including myself. so, when ijoined the forces, the forces was my family. and then to go from that to civilian life is a bit of a shock. it's hard, really, to find that purpose, of where you stand in civilian life and what gets you up in the morning. ijust want people to be able to talk about it, the benefits of being outside and pushing yourselves physically, and the benefits that can have on mental health. you are really going to be pushing yourself physically, aren't you?

yes, i think we are! we are definitely going to be pushing ourselves physically, and, you know, we're probably talking 16, 17 hours rowing a day. they'll set off on their challenge onjune the 3rd. is it going to challenge your friendship, do you think? we had a couple of hairy moments on the training row last weekend and we got through that and said to ourselves, there's no—one we'd rather be in a boat with. alison freeman, bbc news. goodness, good luck to them. now it's time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. hello. any cold and wet weather we've been enduring for most of this may is now firmly behind us and the next few days, dry, sunny and warm. it's been warm today, as well. top temperatures of 23 degrees in liverpool, 22 in aberdeenshire and aboyne, but only eight on the coastline in aberdeenshire, where we had some of this low cloud and murk linger for much of the day. still, most of us, high pressure did bring fine weather and sunshine and overnight tonight,

the low cloud, mist and fog will reform initially across eastern areas of both scotland and england, moving into more central areas late on in the night. temperatures about 7—10, so not desperately cold. tomorrow morning, the mist and fog and low cloud that we start off with will burn away for the first few hours of the morning, then it's sunshine pretty much across the board. not bad for a bank holiday, i'm sure you will agree. and as far as temperatures go, it should be even warmer, peaking at 22 in glasgow, but up to 2a in london. that's your weather.

hello, this is bbc news. i'mjane hill. these are the latest headlines. the vaccines minister, nadhim zahawi, says england will decide byjune14th whether coronavirus infection rates and hospitalisations are low enough to justify lifting the lockdown a week later. opposition politicians in israel are moving closer to forming a new government — and removing the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, from power. after 12 years in power. a new nationalflagship is to be commissioned by the government in a bid to boost british trade and industry overseas.

and, borisjohnson marries his fiancee