welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: american allies lobby to try to save the iran nuclear deal. president trump says he will announce his decision on tuesday. another six years at the top of russian politics. vladimir putin is sworn in once again. the creeping menace from the hawaii volcano. a neighbourhood is being swallowed by molten lava. and melania trump launches a campaign against online bullying, leaving many wondering if her husband will follow her advice. president trump is saying he will announce on tuesday whether he is pulling the united states out of the international deal that limits iran's nuclear ambitions. britain, france and germany, all signatories, say they will still honour the deal,

whatever he decides. hoping to influence the president, the british foreign secretary appeared on mr trump's favourite tv programme, saying the deal was far from perfect but it was the least—worst option. here is our north america correspondent nick bryant. on american television this morning, a double serving of boris at breakfast. the foreign secretary appearing on donald trump's favourite news show, fox and friends, to address an audience of one. we think that what you can do is be tougher on iran, address the concerns of the president, and not throw the baby out with the bathwater. and, just in case the president had switched channels, he popped up on a rival network to repeat — a bad deal is better than no deal. i understand that people have anxieties about this deal and of course, they're right in the sense that it is very far from perfect, but it is the best thing that we have at the moment.

donald trump has called the iran deal a disaster, and says he will announce his decision tomorrow. and, although the foreign secretary isn't scheduled to shake hands with the us president before then, that hasn't stopped him stroking his ego. if he can fix north korea, and if he can fix the iran nuclear deal, then i don't see why he's any less of a candidate for the nobel peace prize than barack obama, who got it before he even did anything. signed by iran and six world powers in 2015, this landmark deal was the signature foreign policy achievement of barack obama's presidency, one that lifted crippling economic sanctions in return for limitations on the country's nuclear energy programme. but donald trump thinks it is far too lenient on tehran. the iran deal was one of the worst and most one—sided transactions the united states has ever entered into. it's insane, is ridiculous, it should have never been made.

but is there room for a compromise, a fudge, one in which america would withdraw from the deal without necessarily blowing it up? one which would allow european countries to continue trading with iran, while at the same time exerting more pressure on tehran over its ballistic missile technology and regional aggression. long live the united states, long live france. boris johnson is not the first european to compliment, charm and cajole. the french president, emmanuel macron, last month pleading with mr trump to accept that kind of compromise. and the german chancellor, angela merkel, made the same case just a few days later. so, from the foreign secretary, a final face—to—face plea to senior administration officials, such as the new secretary of state, mike pompeo, who said the iran deal is built on lies. that view is shared by donald trump, and the final decision rests with him.

earlier i spoke to barbara slavin. she is director of the future of iran initiative at the think tank the atlantic council. if the president does go for a partial pullout from the deal, what might that mean? well, i think what he may do is not renew the waivers, but not immediately reimpose sanctions. the sanctions in question now are ones that try to discourage countries from importing oilfrom iran, and even if he does not renew the waivers to these sanctions, it would need six months before they would really come into effect. so this is what he might do, and argue that he needs more time to negotiate with the europeans on more measures against iran. but, if he doesn't renew the waivers, the united states is in material non—compliance with this agreement, and iran has every right to pull out of it. and what do you think iran will do? what will the rest of the world do, do you think? is there still a deal without america in it?

that's a really good question. because of the nature of the american sanctions, the nature of the international financial system, and the fact that the dollar is the world's biggest reserve currency, it's very hard for me to see this deal really surviving without united states participation. european countries and governments may say they'll stay in, but i don't think they'll be able to force their companies and banks to do business with iran. so i'm very, very concerned about what will happen tomorrow. there must be a risk that this just strengthens the more hawkish factions in the iranian leadership. how do you think iran will respond? well, i think they'll be cautious initially. i think they'll wait and see if the europeans can find mechanisms to make it worthwhile to stay in the agreement. whether the europeans can create some sort of financial institution that will be walled off from the american financial system, that would just do

business with iran. whether european countries will continue to import oilfrom iran, whether the french company total, which has made the biggest investment in iran so far, whether it will stick with this investment in a gasfield in iran, or whether it's going to withdraw. so there is a mechanism in the joint comprehensive plan of action, as it's called. iran can invoke a dispute resolution mechanism. it can have up to 45 days to complain about the united states, and try to bring the united states back into compliance. so that provides a bit of time. perhaps there can be some more negotiations between the us and the europeans to produce this famous fix that president trump has talked about. you know, he's supposed to be preparing for a summit with the leader of north korea, so i have a feeling he will find a way to fudge this before that meeting with the north koreans. still, it is very worrisome. he's done a lot to undermine this agreement, and it's certainly not what all of us anticipated when it was reached three years ago.

vladimir putin has been sworn in as the president of russia for the fourth time. during an ornate ceremony at the kremlin, he laid out his life's aim — to do all he could for russia, both now and in the future. today's inauguration extends almost two decades of his rule by another six years. here is our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg. he probably could have walked this with his eyes closed. for the fourth time in his career, vladimir putin climbed the staircase of the grand kremlin palace to take the oath of office. on the stroke of midday, he entered the hall where russian emperors were crowned. the symbolism and the message couldn't be clearer — putin, the modern czar, loved by his people. he swore on the constitution to serve his citizens, protect russia's sovereignty, and made this pledge to the russian people. translation: our main goal

is a new quality of life, security and health. our reference point is a russia for the people, a country where everybody has the possibility for self—fulfilment. then, ringing out over moscow, a gun salute in the president's honour. vladimir putin is arguably the most powerful russian leader sincejoseph stalin, but in this power lies a potential problem for the president and for his country. he has built a political system in which all other institutions, from the parliament to the court system, are weak, and all key decisions are taken by him — by putin. that is not only a huge responsibility, it begs the question, what will happen here when vladimir putin exits the political stage? not everyone has been celebrating six more years of vladimir putin. police broke up this anti—putin protest in moscow at the weekend.

the kremlin is facing international pressure, too, over the salisbury poisoning and the war in syria. meanwhile, western sanctions against russia are biting. russia feels it is being squeezed by the west, and at this moscow arm—wrestling club, they tell me only putin has the political muscle to protect them. we don't have somebody to substitute him. there is no rival, opponent of him. even in a country of 146 million people, there is no substitute for putin? uh...yes. it sounds not very good, but it's true. that is precisely how vladimir putin wants to be seen by his people — as the only choice for russia. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. dozens of families have been left homeless on hawaii's big island

from an erupting volcano, which authorities warn could continue to pose a threat for potentially months. geologists predict it is only a matter of time before new holes of lava explode open in the ground. virginia langeberg reports. a wave of lava crashing forward in slow motion, engulfing everything in its path. in the neighbourhood of leilani estates, ever so gradually, homes have been swallowed up. my sun asks, mummy, can we go home? 2000 people were evacuated as the slow—moving torrents of lava consumed the area. at least two dozen families have nothing to return to. residents have been told that any pause in the threat level

is now just that any pause in the threat level is nowjust that. a pause. toxic gas remains in the air, and geologists predict another explosion and new ru ptu res predict another explosion and new ruptures in the ground, with no way of knowing where it will happen. there are concerns, too, for a power plant in the area, where highly flammable gas is being stored but can't be moved off—site for many days. according to the company, they are shoring the community that there is no danger, even if it does explode, that it will not blow any of the houses up. hawaii's volcano began exploding on thursday, and since then, ten volcanic vents have spewed open from the ground. it is one of the world's most active volcanoes, and has been in constant eruption for 35 years, but not like this. friday saw the island rocked by its most powerful earthquake in more than four decades. a magnitude 6.9. the experts say the volatility shows no sign of easing. more

earthquakes and eruptions could go on for even months to come. for now, there have been no deaths or serious injury. this area carries the highest hazard level for lava flows in hawaii, making homes more affordable, high risk that some had no choice but to take, and sadly it isa no choice but to take, and sadly it is a gamble dozens have already lost. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: where motorsport and gardening collide, literally. it is the start of the annual lawnmower racing championships. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterrand. but the tunnel is still not ready for passengers and freight services to begin.

for centuries, christianity and islam struggled for supremacy. now, the pope's visit symbolises their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in underfour minutes. memories of victory, as the ve celebrations reach their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. very glad to have you with us. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: president trump has said he will announce on tuesday whether he is abandoning the international nuclear deal

designed to limit iran's nuclear ambitions. after nearly two decades in power at the kremlin, vladimir putin has been sworn in as president of russia for a fourth time. armenia's new prime minister will be chosen on tuesday after weeks of protests across the country. the former leader resigned after accusations of nepotism and political corruption. it's thought opposition leader nikol pashinian will be given the job, after public demonstrations showed he had widespread support. andrew plant has more. "end the corruption," goes the chant. students, joining the protests that have swept across the country against the powerful armenian elite and the perception of widespread corruption. translation: the governing elite has robbed and tortured the armenian people for years. now we have a historical moment where people are really taking power into their own hands. armenia has become a state where power belongs to the people. this is the man that many here want to see take power,

nikol pashinyan, at a rally last weekend. his ascent to prime minister now seems all but guaranteed. he is the only one on the ballot sheet after the current ruling party said it wouldn't field a candidate against him. the former leader, serzh sargsyan, stepped down as prime minister last week. he had been the country's president but then became prime minister after armenians voted to switch from a presidential to a parliamentary system. thousands of people protested and demanded change. critics accused him of clinging to power, and many saw it as a prime example of political corruption. with a struggling economy, many armenians feel their country is undergoing a long—awaited change. translation: if there will be a change, it will be very good. it is not easy to make a revolution. i believe in nikol pashinyan, i think he can make a new country. this won't be a nation—wide vote. armenia's national assembly,

its parliament, will choose who should now fill the now vacant prime ministerial position. but nikol pashinyan has said he would immediately call a general election so armenia's people can vote and finally be free to choose their own prime minister. andrew plant, bbc news. two people have been killed in a train collision in southern germany. the national rail operator deutsche bahn said that a commuter service hit a freight train in bavaria. police say the driver of the passenger train and a female passenger were killed. fourteen others were injured. the cause of the crash is not yet clear. water is life — and in kenya's capital, it's also a paradox. even though heavy rains in recent weeks have flooded the streets, tap water is now being rationed. this is because the water levels at the main dam supplying nairobi are still very low — but not everybody is satisfied with the reasons given for that. victor kenani reports. this dam in central can now covers

600 acres and provide 60% of kenya's water. at a recent years, water levels have gone down because of prolonged dry seasons. this year's heavy rain left half a million people displaced. it did not tell the dam. the reason why is disputed. u nfortu nately, the dam. the reason why is disputed. unfortunately, the levels have gone down. we cannot with the programme of rationing. that is to ensure that the water that is available is equitably shared. whereas any right now is inside the dam, which holds up now is inside the dam, which holds up to 70 billion litres when it is full. the last time that happened was in 2016. the dark spot on this poll shows you where the water

should be. at the levels have dropped significantly. the dam is filled by three main rivers which start up in the rages. they were once majestic but now streams. another river a few kilometres away, and the contrast is striking. this is january falls. water levels here have risen dramatically. so why the difference? the kamke governor is not buying the water company's excavation that it is not great enough. check this waterfall. it is an example that it is raining up the mountains. so it is important to tell us what is happening. somebody might not be maintaining the dam properly. anything is possible. on social media, the public has joined in on the debate as to why the dam is low. conspiracy theories have

been offered. whatever the reason, water rationing continues. many are forced to buy the commodity from the street. until the dam water levels rise, the situation is set to continue. victor kenani, bbc news, narrabri. —— nairobi. the first lady of the united states, melania trump, has launched a campaign to teach children the importance of social, emotional and physical health. announcing her "be best" initiative, she said her aim was to promote healthy living, the positive use of social media and combat drug abuse. her husband, president trump is of course well—known for using social media to insult anyone he disagrees with. this was the first lady's message. as we all know, social media can both positively and negatively affect our children. when children learn positive on—line behaviours early on, social media can be used in productive ways and can affect positive change. i believe children should be both seen and heard. and it is our responsibility

as adults to educate and remind them that when they are using their voice, whether verbally or on on—line, they should choose their words wisely and speak with respect and compassion. well earlier i spoke to sarah mccammon, reporter with npr who was at the white house earlier today. i asked her what she made of it all. that's right. i was there this afternoon — a us time, anyway. it was — you know, it was attended by the first lady's staff and senior administration officials and the president himself. it was well received. of course, these were invited guests, so no surprise, but it seemed to be well received. and she's emphasising children and a lot different issues affecting children.

it felt, watching it, as if irony is a dead thing. isn't her husband doing exactly what she has just launched a campaign against? indeed, donald trump is well known for his habit of attacking his — his rivals — criticising their intelligence or appearance, often on twitter and elsewhere. so this irony has been pointed out. and melania trujmp has acknowledged that. a few months ago, there was a summit at the white house on cyber bullying, and she said that she was aware of the criticism, but she believes it is something she needs to do — that it is the right thing to do, so she continues to talk about this issue. but her critics have the irony. is it possible she not so subtly trolling her husband? she is not averse to making a point to him in public. there are many shots of her refusing

to hold his hand, very publicly. i can't speculate to their relationship, but everybody is curious about that. i think that's a good question. i can say today at the white house they seemed affectionate. donald trump hugged his wife, kissed her on the cheek, and was effusive in his praise. so whatever he saying and he is saying on social media, he is publicly expressing support about her initiative and other issues affecting children in the united states. but it is a fair question. many first ladies have done a lot of good work on things that they care about, particularly. but she was a reluctant first lady.

she seemed like a reluctant first lady. she did not spend any time on the campaign trail. she has taken more than a year to get her initiative up and running. i have spoken with some historians and folks who study first ladies. they have all done different things. but in many different other administrations, first ladies have had things up and running. mrs obama took about a year to start. but melania has begun it now. one thing i noticed was that there was not a lot of specific policy proposals coming here, today. there was a lot of talk about children, how things like opioids and bullying affect them, and a lot of calls for respect and stability. it will be interesting to see how melania trump carries this forward. if you're a follower of motorsport you'll know there are different types of racing. there's formula 1, of course,

plus indy car, stock car, touring car — to name just a few. but some enjoy the sport on a different — and much smaller scale — as the bbc‘s tim allman explains. this is not silverstone, this is not monaco. this is billingshurst, west sussex, the home of speed. and this is the opening of the 2018 british lawnmower racing championship. men, and it seems to be pretty much only men, their machines, and a big, muddy field. it's just a case of holding on. umnm, mastering the bumps, how your machine handles over the bumps, going into corners, etc. so, yeah, very bumpy. there are four classes of vehicle taking part from your bog—standard lawnmower with attached seat, of course, all the way up to a small lawn tractor, although all blades have been removed for safety reasons. just like in a grand prix, it's 25 points for a win. and these lawnmowers

don't half movie. it's really fast. i didn't realise they could could go that fast. it's quite scary with bumps all over the place. going up and down. it's quite exciting. the season lasts until october when the kings of lawnmower racing will be crowned. until then, it's thrills, spills, and grass cuttings. tim allman, bbc news. a reminder of our top story — president trump has said he'll announce on tuesday whether he's abandoning the international nuclear deal designed to limit iran's nuclear ambitions. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @bbcmikeembley. hello there.

what a bank holiday weekend that turned out to be. in fact, a recordbreaker. 29 degrees. the warmest early may bank holiday weekend on record. and for the vast majority, there was a lot of sunshine. there were exceptions too. the western coastal fringe is seeing low cloud and mist and fog. temperatures, no better than 11 degrees. wherever you are, you can expect the temperatures to take a tumble in the next few days. we are swapping out the warm air with cool and fresh conditions from the atlantic. this is how we start off tuesday morning. temperatures in pretty decent shape for many. double digits in most places. and again, we will start off with some sunshine in eastern scotland, east wales, and potentially eastern portions of england. out west, cloudy skies, still some grey and murky conditions along the coast. and through the day, a band of rain from the west across northern ireland

into scotland, north—west england, parts of wales, and the midlands, and ahead of that, just the odd shower and still some warmth. with temperatures up to 28 in the south—east. out west, temperatures beginning to take a tumble. and as we push this weakening rain band further eastwards through tuesday night we will all get into the cooler and fresher air from the west. a little ridge of high pressure just about building its way in to start wednesday. so, not a bad start to the day. some fine weather, some spells of sunshine. out west, things already changing. thickening cloud for northern ireland and scotland. some rain. the further south and east you are, especially in england, staying dry and bright into the afternoon. temperatures even here a good few degrees down on where they have been. 20 degrees in london and maybejust 11 in belfast. we push that system eastwards wednesday night into thursday. it tries to build its way back in. so, thursday, not a bad looking day. decent spells of sunshine perhaps. a few showers blowing

in towards the north—west perhaps. even given the strength of the sun at this time of year, temperatures will not be as impressive as they have been over the weekend. 13 to 17 degrees at best. and a similar story really on friday. a fine start. our next atlantic frontal system then pushing in from the west strengthening the winds and bringing outbreaks of rain. and sticking with that cooler, fresher feel. top temperatures on friday afternoon, 12 degrees in aberdeen, a high of 18 in london. that's all for now. this is bbc news. the headlines — president trump is saying he will announce on tuesday whether he is pulling the united states out of the international deal designed to limit iran's nuclear ambitions. britain, france and germany, all signatories to the agreement, have urged mr trump not to abandon it. iran agreed to stop its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions being eased. vladimir putin has been sworn

in for a fourth term as russian president, extending his almost two—decade rule by another six years. he pledged to improve the lives of ordinary people. on saturday, nearly 1,600 protesters were detained during nationwide rallies against the inauguration. lava from one of the world's most active volcanoes is steadily destroying a residential neighbourhood on big island in hawaii.