this is bbc america, and now live from london, "bbc world news." >> hello. i'm geeta guru-murthy with "bbc world news." our top stories. the greing pro-democracy protests in hong kong. this is the scene live, as tens of thousands take to the streets. the clashes took place overnight with police. china says it's an illegal movement. the protesters say they'll continue to defy the authorities. >> something is calling me to sitcom here to protest hong kong, to tell the hong kong government what we need. afghanistan's ashraf ghani is sworn in as president, says

his country is entering a new era. and after their weekend wedding, hollywood heartthrob george clooney and amal alamuddin prepare to take part in a civil ceremony in venice. hello. thousands of pro-democracy protesters have blocked roads in hong kong's central business district, forcing the closure of many banks, shops, and schools. when it comes after overnight clashes with riot police who fired tear gas to try to disperse the crowds. when hong kong was handed back from britain in 1997, it became a special administrative region with a high degree of autonomy. in 2007, beijing ruled that direct elections for chief executives of hong kong couldn't

be held before the year 2017. and anger has been growing since ruling just last month that voters would only be allowed to choose between two or three candidates first approved by china. overnight, hong kong's chief executive has reassured the public that rumors of the chinese army might intervene are untrue. laura westbrook brings us up to date. >> reporter: tired, yet defiant. another day of protests in hong kong. tens of thousands of demonstrators remain gathered outside government headquarters to pressure china into giving the territory full universal suffrage one person, one vote, plus the ability to choose its own candidates independent of beijing. roads are blocked. some businesses and schools are shut. and protesters here say they have no plans to leave. they're calling their movement occupy central with love and

peace. but in the early hours of monday morning, there wasn't much love or peace. riot police in the front line fired tear gas into the crowds of demonstrators. in mainland china, police don't put up with scenes like this. but beijing has promised to respect hong kong's way of life. and that makes them the only chinese citizens with freedom of speech. >> if we miss this chance to fight for ourselves, i think hong kong will have no future. that's why we are here. >> reporter: it's not just here. the protests spread across the harbor, and to the shopping district of causeway bay. last month, beijing granted voters the right to elect their future leader, but said the candidates must be selected by a nominating committee. it has condemned the protests as an unlawful occupation.

so far, these protesters have ignored the government's appeal to leave and go home. they say they are preparing for another night of demonstration. laura westbrook, bbc news. >> i just want to show you the latest live pictures that we're getting in here. there is, of course, a huge number of people out on the streets still today. it does seem that riot police have withdrawn to try and defuse things a little bit, but also what appears to be a standoff of some kind. this is the shot that we're getting here. we think it is outside a government building. possibly the government headquarters there. you can see many of the protesters there of course in their masks and it is some sort of standoff, we understand. correspondent julianna lui is in hong kong for us. do we know how many people are on the streets and what the mood is at the moment?

>> reporter: the hong kong government headquarters, tens of thousands of people on the streets. there were so many people even by lunchtime. more more people at the same time last year. this movement really seems to have developed a soul of its own. when i was there, the demonstrators seemed extremely sincere and very idealistic. i was frequently offered water, food, a seat, even flowers. they're very young as well. the vast majority are in their 20s, and even younger, teenagers. there were lots of schoolgirls that i saw passing out bottles of water to participants and their supporters. so, again, another night. a huge crowd. it's difficult to see -- it's difficult to imagine that they will be allowed to stay there, to continue to block access to the road, the main thorough ffa

in the heart of the city. >> have we had official reaction from beijing today? >> we know the riot police have been pulled back, but just how concerned are they now? >> reporter: well, the riot police were indeed pulled back, but that doesn't mean that the presence of law enforcement was any less. in fact, it appeared to me like it was yesterday. no real change really in the number of police officers on the street. perhaps they are not riot police. we did hear from the chinese government today. sounded very similar to a statement from yesterday. they strongly condemn what they say is an illegal movement. so not a lot of difference from the way this demonstration is being viewed by the chinese government. >> thanks very much indeed.

i know you've been out and about a lot the last couple days. heart of national district, that is key to the future of hong kong that it continues to function as a financial headquarters, and we've seen some sort of reaction again on the markets, which we will bring you later on too of that unrest in hong kong. but it does look relatively calm on the streets for now, and we will keep you right up to date. if you want to follow much more, of course, the website has the latest, too. with all the developments being updated live as well as analysis from carrie gracie, your china editor, bbc.com/news. do have a look at her blog. let's go now to afghanistan, because they have a new president there today. ashraf ghani has been sworn in at a ceremony in kabul. it comes after months of fierce arguments over who actually won the elections. in his first remarks as president, mr. ghani said he was committed to bringing change, and said the country was entering a new era.

mr. ghani also thanked his rival dr. abdullah abdullah, who's agreed to take part in a national community government, but the new president took the opportunity to make it clear who's in charge. >> translator: we want to assure you that after this, we will try -- that politics don't become the reason for instability. i want my team, i want everybody who participated and supported my team and who have helped dr. abdullah's team as well to thank you. afghan people showed a victory the national government was a necessity. it doesn't mean sharing of power, but it means working

together. i am thanking dr. abdullah abdullah who helped this process to be successful. today's afghanistan is different to yesterday's afghanistan. >> ashraf ghani there, the new president, of course, of the country. i spoke to our correspondent in kabul david lloyd. >> reporter: this was a speech that was full of promises to end corruption. at one point, he said, we will end poverty. reforming the judiciary. looking after widows and orfans. development change. a real sort of sense of the kinds of things that any new government would promise. and you would want to see a new government in afghanistan promising those things. but he knows that he can't do anything without security being resolved. and this is the year when the tall been have made their most

concerted effort to disrupt the afghan state since they fell from power in 2001. and ashraf ghani said very clearly in this speech, we don't want any foreign fighters in afghanistan. we don't need lessons from foreign fighters in jihad. now the jihad that afghanistan remembers was the struggle against the russians in the 1980s, the islamic struggle against the russians. he said, we are an islamic state. we know about the religion of islam. we don't want foreign fighters on our soil. he was clearly referencing the, as he described it, turmoil in various middle eastern countries and i think that is his biggest worry, that his whole reform program could be thrown off course by young men in afghanistan turning, and we haven't heard any very clear signs that they have yet, but young men in afghanistan turning towards islamic state and saying this is the answer.

>> david loyn there for us in kabul. president barack obama has acknowledged that america's intelligence agencies underestimated the threat posed by islamic state extremists in syria, and overestimated the capabilities of the iraqi army. meanwhile, in iraq itself, fighting continues between government forces and islamic state militants outside the capital baghdad. the bbc's lyse doucet gave me an update. >> reports started coming in yesterday of a battle for a strategic town west of baghdad. it lies on a critical supply route for the iraqi army. we understand fighting went on for several hours before air strikes came in. it's now said to be a standoff along that main route and so close to baghdad. these reports of these latest clashes come after what have been a series of setbacks for the iraqi army, very close to baghdad, including one last

week, where islamic state fighters ambushed a military base and left nearly all of the soldiers at the base, more than 400 soldiers, killed in combat, executed, or brutally beheaded. we went to visit what's called baghdad's protective belt yesterday with the sheik who's in charge. they pointed out that in some areas, the so-called islamic fighters are less than five miles away, less than ten kilometers from the capital. so obviously this is causing concern among baghdad residents, among baghdad security officials. one because they're still able to mount significant attacks. and two because the iraqi army still doesn't have the right equipment, the right supply lines, the right organization to be able to repel all of the assaults coming from their enemy. >> lyse doucet there in baghdad for us. prosecutors have accused the

former bosnia leader of boasting about ethnic cleansing in closing arguments at his trial in the hague. he's charged with some of the worst atrocities in europe since world war ii. our correspondent anna holligan has more. >> reporter: karadzic has been listening as the prosecutors outline a summary of the evidence against him. they've been talking about whole villages being burnt down, prisoners forced to eat severed body parts and this, they say, was all part of an effort to carve out an ethnically pure area. karadzic was the political leader of the bosnian serbs at the time and therefore they say he was responsible. listening inside the public gallery today are three voifr survivors. they lost their husbands and teenage sons in that massacre, the worst atrocity committed in

europe since the second world war. the prosecutors have ten hours to deliver their summary. this is almost like a highlight. and then karadzic will on wednesday and thursday try to convince the judges here that he is innocent. >> anna holligan. stay with us here at "bbc world news." much more to come. the death toll rises after a japanese volcano erupted without warning at the weekend.

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this is "bbc world news." i'm geeta guru-murthy with the top stories for you. thousands have gathered in protest in hong kong, defying the authorities and calling for full democracy. and afghanistan's new president ashraf ghani has been sworn in at a ceremony in kabul. at least 36 people are known to have died after a japanese volcano erupted over the

weekend. the search for survivors had to be suspended because of fears of rising levels of gases. the eruption at mount ontake is the first deadly eruption in the country for more than 20 years. our reporter just arrived and sent us this. >> reporter: that behind me is mount ontake and it's about six kilometers from where i'm standing to the summit, but you can still very clearly see that huge column of white steam and ash rising into the sky. and every so often, there's another huge belch as another eruption takes place. and down here, even at the base, there's a very pungent smell of sulfur and tiny particles of ash are still falling all the time. behind me here, these military vehicles have just arrived. they've just actually come down the mountain. there has been a huge amount of confusion here about exactly how many people died in saturday's eruption. so far the authorities are only confirming four deaths. the reason for this is really a quirk of japanese law. the police are not allowed to say officially that anybody is dead until the bodies are

brought down the mountain and have been inspected by a doctor. there are thought to be at least 20 more bodies still up there on the mountain. some of them we understand are too close to the crater. they simply just can't get in there. the eruption is still taking place. so it's still going to be some time now before all the bodies are brought down here and we do have an official death toll. >> rupert winfield-hayes in japan. right here is aaron. >> hi, geeta. talking about hong kong. how's your weekend? >> it was lovely. >> on saturday -- i'm joking. let me explain hong kong and what's going on with the market. the situation in hong kong has certainly had an impact on the markets in asia for monday. the hang seng, the main market in hong kong, closed down, nearly 2%. that's near a three-month low. now, hong kong has the sixth largest stock market in the world. it is second-largest in asia just after tokyo.

it's also the sixth largest hub for foreign exchange trading. so, of course, needless to say, the reaction to the protesters will matter a great deal for hong kong to retain its status as one of the top global financial centers. we're going to have more on that coming up in "gmt" in just over an hour's time. also making headlines today, air france pilots, they have done it. yes, they've called off a strike that's lasted for two weeks, and cost the airline hundreds of millions of dollars. but here's the problem. as the pilots prepare to take to the skies again, their union says that they are still yet to reach an agreement over air france's plan to suspend its budget subsidiary. despite the walkout costing air france in excess of $350 million, the loss-making carrier says it will still go ahead with its low-cost carrier plans. in fact, air france boss says reform is essential if the airline is going to survive. all that mounting competition. so we're going to keep across the air france story.

and finally, for the first time, xbox will finally go on sale in china. it follows the lifting of a government ban on game consoles for years. the three big makers of those consoles, microsoft, sony, nintendo, have always wanted access to china's multi-billion-dollar market, but now they have finally got access to that market, they have some concerns, of course. on the one side, potential customers need to buy into the whole idea of a console over phone and arcade games. secondly, microsoft has the challenge of making sure its kit is protected from the black market, protected from being copied. later, we're going to take a closer look at how breaking into the chinese market won't be an easy game for xbox. we're going to have that on "gmt." lots going on. follow me on twitter. you can get me @bbcaaron. that's it with the business. g "gmt" in just over an hour's time. now to india, because the prime minister will meet president obama at the white house later today. on sunday, narendra modi gave an

up beat message to thousands of americans of indian origin at madison square garden in new york. he told an excited crowd that the 21st century could well belong to india. the bbc's nick bryant was there. >> reporter: the color and exuberance of bollywood, fused with the fajing of an american political convention. from the wed, white, and blue balloons, the obama portrait, everything was choreographed to present the new face of india's controversial leader. this arena has hosted elvis, springsteen, muhammad ali, but today the superstar welcome was for narendra modi, a one-time pariah. up until recently, he couldn't have even walked through u.s. immigration. but today he made his entrance through an adoring indian-american crowd. this was a rebranding exercise, national and personal. with confidence, even swagger, he predicted that this would not

only be the asian century, but the indian century. god bless mother india, was the chant. what's missing from this event, of course, is mention of narendra modi's controversial back story. his role as a chief minister of a state that witnessed the massacre in 2002, which he's accused of doing nothing to prevent. these protesters who gathered outside would go further. they claim the hindu nationalist politician committed genocide against muslims in his home state. but to his adoring fans, the riots that led to his u.s. visa ban are easily brushed aside. >> he's always going to rise. >> he is the new leader for modern india, but he's trying to

transform india into like the first world countries, into one of the major powerhouses. ♪ o say can you see >> reporter: mr. modi claimed that no india leader has ever claimed such a welcome on american soil, a boast that may be true. and the greeting that he received also suggested that washington, his next stop, is prepared to forgive and forget. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. >> let's speak now to our correspondent who is in delhi. forgive and forget what, some people might be saying because nothing was ever proven against modi, and yet that controversy -- is it still there in the air in america? or is the u.s. caught up in this huge frenzy that -- is india caught up, in fact, with this huge frenzy that we've seen over the weekend? >> i think it's safe to say that

it's been put on the back burner for the moment. certainly here in india, it's basking in the afterglow of modi's coming out party. i'll just give you a sense of the morning papers. the times of india writes, modi rocks madison square. the indian express, at madison square garden, modi brings the house down. the tribune says modi is the new rock star of politics. there's wall-to-wall coverage on all the indian networks. of course, in the indian media as well. almost no mention of those protesters that you saw in nick bryant's report there, which is not very surprising. i think the entire focus and attention here in india has been on first of all mr. modi's star appeal, the fact that he's made an address in madison square garden and central park earlier in the day. and then, as you mentioned, of course, the important business end of this trip, which comes later tonight when he has a private dinner with president obama, and then on tuesday, when the two of them sit down for a proper summit level meeting.

>> and of course, he's had very high profile meetings with china and japan. what does india want from this visit. >> i think there's a bit of both really. there's a bit of trying to rebrand india, which is what you saw in that package there, rebrand modi and rebrand india. and then there is also trying to bring a relationship that's slightly gone off track. i mean, the united states and india still do get along, but they've had a lot of irritating problems along the way, not least which is economic. the united states still very upset that india brown down a world trade organization agreement, a massive trillion-dollar international trade agreement, india refused to play ball. there are complaints about india not opening up enough to let american companies in. and also the fact that, you know, we are at a stage where the obama administration is on its way out. he is embroiled in the middle east. so not much really left to achieve in this trip except to

perhaps improve already existed. >> we're going to leave you with pictures from venice, because yes, george clooney and amal alamuddin are expected to have a civil ceremony at the venice town hall today. guests are arriving and these are the latest pictures from that glorious city coming into us live. we're back very soon with all the latest. stay with us. (door bell rings)

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hello. i'm geeta guru-murthy with "bbc world news." our top stories, tens of thousands of protesters take to the streets of hong kong to continue their demands for greater democracy. clashes took place overnight with police, china says it's an illegal movement. the protesters say they'll continue to defy the authorities. >> everything is calling me to come here to protest hong kong, to tell the hong kong government what we need. afghanistan's ashraf ghani is sworn in as president. he says his country is entering

a new era. and after their weekend wedding, hollywood heartthrob george clooney and amal alamuddin prepare to have a civil ceremony in venice. hello. thousands of pro-democracy protesters have blocked roads in hong kong's central business district, forcing the closure of many banks, shops, and schools. it comes after overnight clashes with riot police who fired tear gas to try to disperse the crowds. well, of course, when hong kong was firsthanded back from britain back in 1997, it became a special administrative region with a high degree of autonomy. in 2007, beijing ruled that direct elections for hong kong's chief executive couldn't be held before 2017. anger has been growing since a

ruling last month that voters would only be allowed to choose between two or three candidates approved by china. overnight, hong kong's chief executive has reassured the public that rumors that the chinese army could intervene were untrue. laura westbrook has this report. >> reporter: tired, yet defiant, another day of protests in hong kong. tens of thousands of demonstrators remain gathered outside government headquarters to pressure china into giving the territory full universal suffrage one person, one vote, plus the ability to choose its own candidates independent of beijing. roads are blocked. some businesses and schools are shut. and protesters here say they have no plans to leave. they're calling their movement occupy central with love and peace. but in the early hours of monday morning, there wasn't much love

or peace. riot police in the front line fired tear gas into crowds of demonstrators. in mainland china, police don't put up with scenes like this, but beijing has promised to respect hong kong's way of life, and that makes them the only chinese citizens with freedom of speech. >> if we miss this chance to fight for ourselves, i think hong kong will have no future. that's why we have to. >> reporter: it's not just here. the protests spread across the harbor to the shopping district of causeway bay. last month, beijing granted voters the right to elect their future leader, but said the candidates must be selected by a nominating committee. it has condemned the protests as an unlawful occupation. so far, these protesters have ignored the government's appeal to leave and go home.

they say they are preparing for another night of demonstration. laura westbrook, bbc news. >> well, i'm joined now by the editor of the bbc's chinese service, raymond lee. just bring us up to date first of all on the numbers. how many people are out there and what do we know about what the mood is amongst the protesters? >> well, according to my reporter on the scene, she said roughly, there are still about 50,000 to 60,000 people out there in different places in hong kong. >> right. >> so that's quite a huge number. >> what sort of people are protesting? >> well, what we saw, actually at the scene, most of them are young people in early 20s. but not sure whether all of them are students or maybe some of them are young professionals or even young workers. we don't know exactly. but certainly, most of them are young people. >> we know that tear gas was

fired, but the authorities have pulled back a bit from now, haven't they? >> they've already withdrawn the riot police since this morning, and just a moment ago, the hong kong police had a presser and disclose act yesterday, they fired 87 tear gas in nine places in hong kong. >> people obviously would be very worried about any potential use of violence. china has said look, we don't want any outside interference in this, although britain has issued a statement. >> actually, yes. issued a statement from the british government. i have to say, very mild, but even that, beijing point out don't interfere. that's my internal affair. that's the usual stand by the beijing government on this kind of thing. >> how worried is the chinese government about this? is this going to be seen as something small still and relatively containable, or will they be really starting to worry now? >> certainly i think they must

be very worrying about this. and not only just about hong kong, but also, you know, in other parts of china, because anything happening in hong kong certainly will have some impacts in other parts of china. so that's i think the real worry. >> and the protests obviously were initially angry that the choice of the people that they could elect was going to be basically vetted, cleared by china so they would get very pro-beijing figures to choose from, not a free choice. they're now saying they want full democracy. what is your sense speaking to people there? are they likely to be put off by stiffer treatment from the authorities, or is the sense that they are really not going to stop? >> i think certainly there's a huge anger in many people in hong kong that beijing hasn't kept their promise before, because beijing said that there will be action in 2017. well, yes, that actually is going to happen.

however, there's a kind of secret rule in nomination of the candidates. i think some hong kong people, at least many of them, are not happy about and feel very strongly against it. >> okay, raymond. we'll have to leave it there indeed. thanks very much indeed. do go to the website, you can get all the latest updates there plus analysis from our china editor carrie gracie. she's got a special blog. do have a look. bbc.com/news. afghanistan's new president ashraf ghani has been sworn in at a ceremony in kabul. it follows months of fierce arguments over who won the elections. in his first remarks as president, mr. ghani said he was committed to bringing change. mr. ghani also thanked his rival dr. abdullah abdullah who's agreed to take part in a national unity government, but the new president took the chance to make it clear who's in charge. >> translator: we want to assure you that after this, that

politics don't become the reason for instability. i want my team, i want everybody who participated and supported my team and who have helped dr. abdue will's team as well, to thank you. afghan people showed a victory. the national unity government was a necessity. it doesn't mean sharing of power, but it means working together. i am thanking dr. abdullah abdullah. who helped this process to be

successful. today's afghanistan is different to yesterday's afghanistan. >> ashraf ghani, the new president. our correspondent in kabul david loyn gave me his latest thoughts on this. >> reporter: this was a speech that was full of promises to end corruption. at one point, he said, we will end poverty. reforming the judiciary. and looking after widows and orphans. development change. a real sort of sense of the kinds of things that any new government would promise and you would want to see a new government in afghanistan promising those things. but he knows that he can't do anything without security being resolved. and this is the year when the taliban have made their most concerted effort to disrupt the afghan state since they fell from power in 2001, and ashraf ghani said very clearly in this speech, we don't want any foreign fighters in afghanistan. we don't need lessons from

foreign fighters in jihad, he said. now, the jihad that afghanistan remembers was the struggle against the russians in the 1980s. he said, we are an islamic state. we know about the religion of islam. we don't want foreign fighters on our soil. he was clearly referencing the, as he described it, turmoil in various middle eastern countries, and i think that is his biggest worry, that his whole reform program could be thrown off course by young men in afghanistan turning, and we haven't heard any very clear signs that they have yet, but young men in afghanistan turning towards islamic state and saying this is the answer. >> david loyn there in kabul. well, president obama has acknowledged that america's intelligence agencies underestimated the threat posed by islamic state extremists in syria and overestimated the capabilities of the iraqi army.

meanwhile, in iraq itself, fighting continues between government forces and islamic state militants outside the capital baghdad. lyse doucet gave me an update on the situation from there. >> reporter: reports started coming in in the battle of a town west of baghdad, it lies on a critical supply route for the iraqi army. we understand that fighting went on for several hours before air strikes were called in, and that allowed iraqi forces to repel the attack by the so-called islamic state fighters. but there's now said to be a standoff along that main route and so close to baghdad. these reports come after what have been a series of setbacks for the iraqi army, very close to baghdad, including one last week where islamic state fighters ambushed a military base and left nearly all of the soldiers at the base, more than 400 soldiers killed in combat, executed, or brutally beheaded. we went to visit what's called

baghdad's protective belt yesterday with the sheik who's in charge of the volunteers for the protection of baghdad and they pointed out to us that in some areas the so-called islamic state fighters are less than five miles away from the capital, so obviously this is causing concern among baghdad residents, among baghdad security officials. one, because the islamic state fighters are still able to mount significant attacks. and two, because the iraqi army still doesn't have the right equipment, the right supply lines, the right organization to be able to repel all of the assaults coming from their enemy. >> does it seem as though i.s. is wanting to come into the capital, or is it still looking at area outside? >> reporter: baghdad is very heavily protected inside. there's an extensive network of check points. every street you go down, you're constantly stopped. check points by the iraqi army or the police or check points in

certain areas by the shiite militia who are dominant in those areas. but even allowing for that, there are still explosions in the capital. still mortars landing. it will be difficult because we don't believe the islamic state fighters have the numbers to get in. but i think it's just a matter of concern that they are so dangerously close and that at some time, what's stopping them from entering, penetrating at certain points, is not a significant enough barrier in terms of the security forces aligned at those particular areas along this protective belt around the capital. >> lyse doucet there in baghdad. prosecutors have accused the former bosnian leader radovan karadzic of boasting about ethnic cleansing. karadzic is charged with some of the worst atrocities in europe since world war ii, including a massacre. he faces life in jail if convicted. our correspondent anna holligan has more. >> reporter: effectively, what they're talking about here is

radovan karadzic being the leader of the bosnian serbs at the time, and they say that he was trying to carve out an ethnically pure territory made up purely of serbs, and that involved expelling or killing all non-serbs in this desired region. so some really harrowing testimony so far. we've been hearing about residents who were loaded on to buses. villages burnt down. and then in some of those camps, the detainees, according to the prosecution, were forced to eat severed body parts. now, in the front row of the public gallery are three of the mothers, you mentioned one of the worst atrocities committed during the war. the massacre, more than 8,000 muslim men and boys were slaughtered, their bodies buried in mass graves. these crimes were so atrocious that some of those bodies are still being dug up today. and that's why this trial is

attracting so much attention. and we are approaching the climax now. these closing arguments will last for four days. two days of prosecution. and then radovan karadzic himself, he's defending himself in this case, he will be given ten hours to try to convince the judges here that he is innocent. >> anna holligan there. do stay with us here on "bbc world news." much more to come. the death toll rises after a japanese volcano erupted without warning at the weekend.

this is "bbc world news." i'm geeta guru-murthy. the latest headlines for you. china has warned the international community against supporting hong kong's pro-democracy movement. a spokesperson says foreign powers shouldn't interfere in china's affairs. afghanistan's new president

ashraf ghani has been sworn in at a ceremony in kabul. at least 36 people are now known to have died after a japanese volcano erupted without warning at the weekend. the search for survivors had to be suspended because of fears of rising levels of toxic gases. the eruption at mount ontake is the first deadly volcanic eruption in the country for more than 20 years. rupert winfield-hayes has this report. >> reporter: that behind me is mount ontake. it's about six kilometers from where i'm standing to the summit, but you can still very clearly see that column of ash and steam. every so often, there's another huge belch as another eruption takes place. there's a very pungent smell of sulfur and tiny particles of ash are still falling all the time. behind me, these military vehicles have arrived, they've just come down the mountain. there has been a huge amount of confusion about exactly how many people died in saturday's eruption.

so far, the authorities are only confirming four deaths. the reason for this is really a quirk of japanese law. the police are not allowed to say officially that anybody is dead until the bodies are brought down the mountain and have been inspected by a doctor. there are thought to be at least 20 more bodies still up there on the mountain. some of them we understand are too close to the crater. they simply just can't get in there. the eruption is still taking place. it's still going to be some time before all the bodies are brought down here. in other news, it's ten months since al jazeera journalists were jailed in e justin upton, accused of reporting stories damaging to national security. they were convicted in june of aiding. russian protesters in kharkiv

have toppled a statue of vladimir lenin. india's prime minister narendra modi will meet president obama at the white house later today. yesterday, he gave a very up beat message to thousands of indian-americans at madison square garden in new york. he told the crowd the 21st century could belong to india. and with their help, india won't look back. the story you've all been waiting for, because yes, we finally get to venice, the world's most famous newlyweds, the actor george clooney and human rights lawyer amal alamuddin are due to wrap up their whirlwind wedding weekend in venice by holding a civil ceremony today to seal their marriage. the pair have whipped up a frenzy with four days of lavish nuptial celebrations. if reports are believed, they're

expected to be at the grand 13th century later, in the next hour or two possibly. with me now is our entertainment correspondent. all the other journalists are there. why are you not standing on a venetian bridge? >> why was i not on the wedding list? that's the question i've been asking. a huge amount of interest in this because he is one of the world's biggest stars. a double oscar winner. a heartthrob to many millions around the world. and she is, of course, equally successful in her world, a very successful human rights lawyer, so people have been looking forward to this occasion ever since they first got engaged back in april. they had their lavish wedding ceremony, reportedly lavish on saturday night privately in front of invited guests and now expecting them to have this civil ceremony later on here this morning. >> these are the live shots we've got coming into us from venice, which look stunning. no celebrities in shot at the moment but we've seen quite an array, haven't we? >> absolutely. guests have been including the likes of hollywood actors matt

damon and bill murray. bono, the lead singer of u2. supermodel cindy crawford. all the kind of people you would expect to be invited and seen at an event like this. you know, a generally show biz event. lots of crowds have been flocking into venice hoping to catch a glimpse of the happy couple either on saturday or later on today, and they'll be crowding around the venue overlooking the grand canal. they're hoping to actually see them at some point, when they do arrive for this expected civil ceremony. >> i was lucky enough to go to a party in almost similar style a few years ago, and it was one of the most surreal experiences of my life because venice is so photo generalic. but they haven't been able to be completely private because they are on the water. >> we have seen pictures the last few days of both the wedding guests and of course george and amal in boats going around the -- almost sightseeing around venice and followed by a

flock of photographers. because of course these photographs can sell for huge amounts around the world. >> she looks stunning in that picture, i've got to say. that was the cry around the newsroom this morning. also, of course, massive social media reaction in the last few days. >> yes, of course, as you'd expect. he's a huge figure on social media. people have been following what's been happening very closely. lots of tweets of congratulations. and of course, from lots of entertainment figures who weren't actually at the wedding, but have worked with clooney or just want to wish the both of them their congratulations. >> brad and angelina not there? >> they haven't been spotted. nobody seems to have definitively spotted that couple, but they are very good when they want at evading the photographers' lenses, so who knows? >> well, we are waiting to see what we get to witness today, but we'll be back to venice as

soon as anything emerges. thanks very much indeed. now, his fans range from the princess of monaco to the hollywood actress salma hayek. he went on to teach himself how to carve into precious stones. this is his story. >> translator: everything in the universe is nurtured by the generosity of mother nature. everything is beautiful. in 1973, i started as an apprentice for sculpture in a family-based workshop. after that i taught myself and explored the world on my own.

i learned that when light enters the diamond, the reflections and colors interact with each other and create different effects. in 1987, i invented this cut inside a gemstone. i only carved one figure, but because of the gemstone cutting and the light, it appears as four sides. the sapphire comes from sri lanka and is 164 carats. it's the largest and fullest purple sapphire in the world. this ant on my shoulder. why did i make it? it's because i know that the ant can lift up something 100 times

more than its own weight. i have been working on different kinds of metals and i could not find a metal that could do the same thing as the ant. in china, more than a thousand years ago, there was a story called the butterfly lovers. today in china, the butterflies have become a symbol of love. but no matter what gemstones you use, it is very difficult to convey the colors of the butterflies. so i used the wings of the butterfly for my butterfly broach. the technology, the craftmanship, the knowledge left to us from our ancestors have become our foundation today. i hope my pieces can also become another kind of education for

our next generations. >> his lovely designs. we're going to leave you with those beautiful shots of venice this hour, as the photographers are camped out waiting for some more pictures for the final phase of george and amal's wedding, their civil ceremony at the town hall in venice. this is "bbc world news." have a good day. his shoes! and a third simply doesn't want to be here. ♪ until now... until right booking now. ♪ planet earth's number one accomodation site booking.com booking.yeah!

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hello, you're watching "gmt" on "bbc world news." i'm lucy hocking. defiance in hong kong. democracy protests shut down many parts of the city. riot police have been pulled back, but demonstrators are refusing to leave. beijing warns it won't tolerate any external support for what it calls illegal movements. a change at the top in afghanistan. ashraf ghani is sworn in as president under a power-sharing deal with his rival abdullah abdullah. japan's second-highest volcano continues to unleash