welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is lewis vaughn—jones. our top stories: the threat from hawaii's kilauea volcano continues. people are told to stay indoors due to the danger of toxic gases. a warning to tehran — america's secretary of state vows to impose "the strongest sanctions in history" on iran. the inquiry into the deadly grenfell tower fire gets under way with harrowing testimony from relatives of the victims. at that moment, we felt like our hearts had a can. —— at that moment, we felt like our hearts had broken. and delving into the royal wedding album — official portraits of the happy couple on their big day have been released. we start in hawaii, where people

are being warned to stay indoors with the windows closed to limit exposure to toxic gases as flows of molten rock have gathered pace. the kilauea volcano on the big island started erupting on may 3, but shows no signs of slowing. around 2,000 people have already left their homes. chris buckler is on the island. after erupting from beef beneath the ground of this island, lava has reached the ocean and to get here it has destroyed all in its path. molten rock stands more than 20 feet high where it has claimed the land,

still burning and still deeply dangerous. you can see how roads have become cut off because this is a huge amount of lava that has made its way down from the various fishes, the cracks on the ground have opened up and the lava has simply come out. the smoke and fumes are toxic but that isn't the only worry— sections of this scorched surface are still being split apart. what we are concerned about is that there is the possibility of additional fissures opening up there is the possibility of additionalfissures opening up or even lava that may be travelling in tubes under the service that could spring up elsewhere. -- surface. yet the living close to where the lava is continuing tojet the living close to where the lava is continuing to jet out avaricious red haven't left their homes. kilauea has long been a neighbour, a volcano that erupted to create this land that it is now destroying what is on it and many have taken the

decision to abandon their houses. for many days i was sitting down at my house and king that i didn't have to leave and then it from the activity increased enormously. —— thinking. even to get into the evacuation area we had to be escorted by the hawaii national guard. thanks very much. and all who lived in kilauea said they cannot avoid the volcano. you can hear the fishes, you can hear the explosions all night and all day. lately we've had about 100 earthquakes a day. the biggest one we had so far was 6.9. this is a spectacular landscape but beneath these creatures, it is continuing to be shaped and with kilauea still a rocking, no one can be sure that the many prayers to the gods will be answered. the us has vowed to impose the "strongest sanctions in history" on iran.

the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, says iran will be "battling to keep its economy alive" after the sanctions take effect. his iranian counterpart has claimed the us is a prisoner of its "failed policies" and will suffer the consequences. mr pompeo is warning that there could be more to come. we will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the iranian regime. the leaders in tehran will have no doubt about our seriousness. the iranian regime should know that this is just the beginning. the sting of sanctions will be painful if the regime does not change its course from the unacceptable and unproductive path it has chosen to one that rejoins the league of nations. the bbc‘s north america editor jon sopel has more on what the us is hoping to achieve with these sanctions. mike pompeo is calling it a "diplomatic roadmap".

more realistic, it is america waving a very big stick at iran and trying to alter its behaviour. the iran nuclear deal just concerned itself with whether it was developing a nuclear programme. this concerns itself with whether iran is developing ballistic missiles, funding terror groups in the region, or destabilising the region. they want to see a fundamental change in iranian behaviour before sanctions could be lifted. the important thing about the sanctions is that they will not just affect us firms trading with iran. any multinational, whether based in britain or france or germany would be hit by the sanctions if they also trade with the united states. so you have seen the great energy giant from france, total, say they cannot do any business with iran as a result of this, and i'm sure that a lot of other multinational companies will be coming to the same conclusion as well. jon sopel there. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. italy's anti—establishment 5—star movement and the far—right league have put forward law professor

giuseppe conte as their candidate for prime minister. the two parties are seeking permission from the president to form a coalition government more than two months after winning the most seats in general elections. the syrian army says it's retaken full control of the capital damascus and its surrounding areas for the first time since the civil war began. the army made the announcement after capturing the last small enclave still held by the islamic state group. it's a significant milestone in the country's 7—year civil war. a multibillion—dollar bid for sky from us telecom giant comcast may not be referred to the competition authorities in the uk. the decision could be seen as a blow for 21st century fox, which is also trying to buy sky. the public inquiry into the grenfell tower fire has opened and it began with a poignant 72—second silence to commemorate those who died.

over the coming days, the inquiry will examine the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the fire. but the first testimony has come from relatives paying harrowing and heartbreaking tribute to their lost loved ones. our special correspondent lucy manning reports. so many killed, so many lives cut short. none more so than logan gomes — not even born when he died after grenfell. his family shared pictures with the enquiry, heartbreaking ones of their tiny, stillborn son, so loved. they prayed he would open his eyes. he looked like he wasjust sleeping... ..as babies do. at that moment...

..we felt like our hearts had broken. and they had. but at least we were able to... ..to hold him. and to be with him. the joy of the baby shower, decorating the nursery, choosing a name, all destroyed. you never know what you are made of until you're broken. mohamed neda, known as saber, fled the taliban in afghanistan. he came to britain and started a chauffeuring business.

his final message to his family from inside the burning tower played to a silent enquiry room. his wife's tribute read out by her solicitor. it's just so sad that my beloved husband will not be with us at fahad's wedding, and will not be there to see and hold his grandchildren, or share in thejoy of becoming a grandparent. 0ur hopes and dreams have been shattered. he was my husband, he was my best friend, i miss him so much. he will always be the love of my life. denis murphy had lived in grenfell

for more than 20 years. he had three big loves — family, friends and chelsea. not always in that order, his sister said. he was the linchpin of our family, and touched the lives of so many people. once you had met denis, you would never forget his warmth, wit, cheeky smile and love of life. there's a gaping hole in our hearts that can never be filled, and it hurts. it really hurts. a short but poignant tribute to 69—year—old joseph daniels was made by his son. the events of that night took his life and all trace of his existence in this world. he never stood a chance of getting out. it should never have happened. mother and daughter mary mendy and khadija saye died together. mary remembered as strong, hard—working. khadija, a photographer

lauded for her talent. the family's solicitor read the tribute. there will be two empty chairs on the table for every birthday, christmas and new year's, but they will forever own a position in our hearts. and then the enquiry heard khadija's own words, filmed for a bbc documentary, talking about the future she would never have. then one of my friends said, "you're an artist." i was like, "i am now!" it will be quite an emotional moment to actually say, "khadija, you've done it, you know, you're up there." the tower is now largely covered up but the grenfell families desperate for the truth to be exposed. lucy manning, bbc news. senior palestinian officials say president mahmoud abbas, who's 82, is to remain in hospital on monday night.

unconfirmed reports say he's suffering from pneumonia. the veteran leader has visited hospital three times in the last week, first for a minor ear surgery and later for unspecified medical tests. the medical director of the istishari hospital in ramallah said mr abbas's medical condition was reassuring. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: getting a bird's—eye view without leaving the ground. we'll tell you about a new virtual way to explore paris. this morning, an indian air force plane carrying mr gandhi's body landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. in doing so, it's become the first

country in the world to approve the change in a national referendum. it was a remarkable climax to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. it has been a peaceful funeral demonstration so far, but some of the police are tear—gassing the crowd — we don't yet know why. the pre—launch ritual is well established here. helen was said to be in good spirits butjust a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country and the challenges ahead are daunting but for now, at least, it is time to celebrate. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the threat from hawaii's kilauea volcano continues. people are warned to stay indoors due to the danger of toxic gases. a warning to tehran —

america's secretary of state vows to impose "the strongest sanctions in history" on iran. let us go to hawaii. earlier i spoke to two sisters. malika dudley is a meteorologist with big island now and her sister emily clearwater lives on the island with the erupting volcano. it is thought her home has been destroyed by the lava. i asked meterologiest malika what her concerns now. well, since the event began two weeks ago we have seen multiple fissures, we are in the 20s now, spewing out lava, copious amounts of gas, sulphur dioxide poisoning, now with the ocean entries we are dealing with something called laze. laze is that giant white plume you see when hot lava interacts

with the ocean. it's hydrochloric acid, steam, and fine glass particles. this is a concern. we are watching the winds, the trade winds have been blowing, that is good news. but our communities downwind, even downwind, with a little shift in the wind, they can be impacted. we're watching this situation closely and monitoring it. the biggest concern is the lava covering people's properties and homes. malika, sorry to interrupt you. that is exactly what we think has happened to your sister. emily, let's speak to you now. you had to evacuate with your family. yes, we evacuated about two weeks ago. we can see a picture now. we arejust going to show people now. you on the left of this picture, with your family. 0n the right—hand side, hopefully we can see it, is a huge flow of lava, quite a stunning, striking image. underneath all that, somewhere, you think is your house. yes.

yes, it was a very beautiful and powerful, but at the same time it is sad and emotional. and i understand you had not long bought that house. we worked very hard to be able to afford it. we bought it actually four months ago. this must be devastating for you. what's running through your mind now? it's a rollercoaster of emotions. we had a lot of stress. but because i'm six months pregnant i was trying my hardest not to give into those emotions. now that our land and our house is covered, it's a strange relief to kind of begin to have closure on the situation, instead of all the other hundreds of people who still don't know whether or not the lava will take their home away from them. that's right.

i've seen the pictures of the place you bought, the little in and the beautiful countryside. it looks it idyllic. you and so many others they have had to walk away, get away from this. that area we can see now is just covered in lava. yes. it is mind blowing. malika, you talked us through the risks, now where do we go from here, how long is this likely to last? well, that's what's really interesting. scientists from the usgs and the hawaiian volcanic 0bservatory have been taking samples of bringing them back to the lab and trying to find the chemical composition of this lava. they had been expecting a change. up until friday afternoon what has been coming out of the ground has been older lava that's been stored deep down underground for decades,

maybe as far back as 1955 or older. as it came to the surface it was a more slow—moving viscous lava, but on friday afternoon it was confirmed by data they collected and tested that now it is the newer fresh magma that has drained out of the crater that is making it to the surface, fattening in a spectacular fashion up to 350 feet in the air. this lava is newer, fresher, hotter, more fluid. that's why over a matter of less than 2a hours we saw that lava move, hightail it for the ocean. i think it has covered 3.8 miles in less than 2a hours. two sisters with the devastation in hawaii. venezuelan president nicolas maduro's re—election has been called a sham by the us after voting irregularities, and washington is aiming new economic sanctions at the country in protest.

more than a dozen nations are recalling their ambassadors to venezuela, after a controversial campaign in which some of mr maduro's rivals were barred from running. all this as the country is ravaged by economic despair. the bbc‘s katy watson reports on what's next for venezuelans. goodbyes are never easy. but if you don't know when the next hello will be, it's all the more painful. claudia is on her way to chile with her husband and sister, leaving their parents behind. translation: our family understands. they know it is for a better future and they support us 100%. but it is still hard. across the road, chreison and his cousin do not know where they are going and they don't care. they just want to leave. but all tickets to the border are sold out. i asked him how he feels

about mr maduro's victory. translaton: mr maduro won yesterday and we are leaving today. how do you think i feel? the hardest part of this for me is not being able to hug my three kids. looking at photos isn't the same. nearby, maria has been working in front of the bus station for years, renting her phones to those who need to make calls. "this is not narnia, this is venezuela", she tells me. she says she's never seen so many people queueing for tickets to leave. "something needs to change." the scene of venezuelans leaving on the bus every day tells you all you need to know about what people feel about politics here. mr maduro's won another six years in power and the only change most venezuelans expect is that their life will get much harder. 5,000 venezuelans are leaving every day. with this election win, that number's expected to rise. in a country where vast oil wealth once flowed, more people are eking out a living in these muddy waters, douglas has been working

in this river for 1h years. translation: when i started, there were about six people working here. now with the crisis, there are more than 100. it is thin pickings. these coins used to be worth something. but with hyperinflation of more than 13,000%, they are no more valuable than the sediment itself. instead, he is on the lookout for silver and gold. even this earring backing could change his day. the nights, though, are long for a gang of boys living on the street. the youngest is just five years old. every month, there are new arrivals. when dusk falls, their work begins, begging for something to eat. "it used to be that lots of people came in their cars to drop food off," 8—year—old jose tells me, "but with the crisis, fewer people can be generous." with no change at the top, the march towards greater economic and social misery is expected to quicken.

these little boys never had much of a future, but it's looking far less hopeful now. katy watson, bbc news in caracas. the election over but certainly not the economic and political challenges. the first official pictures from the royal wedding have been released by the duke and duchess of sussex. the newlyweds said they felt "so lucky to have been able to share their day with all those gathered in windsor and those who watched on television across the uk, commonwealth, and around the world." nicholas witchell has been taking a look. relaxing in windsor castle. all the principal players, bride and groom, their close family and the bridesmaids and pageboys. standing to the couple's left is meghan's mother, doria ragland, who made such a deep impression at the wedding with her poise and dignity. the queen and the duke of edinburgh are seated in front of prince charles and the duchess of cornwall.

among the bridesmaids and pageboys, prince george is smiling, princess charlotte is sitting on her mother's lap. the second picture shows harry and meghan in a more relaxed pose with their young attendants. george has an even bigger smile, charlotte is sitting on the floor holding one of the bouquets. the third photograph is a black and white portrait of the bride and groom looking very happy on the east terrace of windsor castle. so what do people make of the pictures? to see a woman of colour in the royal family, which inherently has been white, that acceptance, it does mean there is a step forward. that's, um... the commonwealth's history, our history and a bit of history in the making. it's nice to see philip about as well. for the queen, visiting the chelsea flower show this evening, the wedding and the positive reactions to its images of diversity will surely be a matter of relief. she knows that the family's younger generation is stepping forward now, and it seems well—equipped for the future.

nicholas witchell, bbc news. let's head to france now. it is renowned for tourist attractions like the eiffel tower and notre dame cathedral. but how would you like to see them from a sky—high point of view? the bbc‘s tim allman explains. the city of lights. one of the world's most famous cities. this is paris at street level. wide boulevard, cafes, elegance. but if you want to see it from a whole new perspective, you can come here. rigged up to look like a rocket pack, flyview gives you a virtual reality tour of the city. it's supposed to feel like you're soaring through the air, a bird's eye view of an iconic skyline. translation: the images are real images of paris. they're not computer—generated images. they're images taken with drones, flying over paris at low altitudes, near monuments.

the company behind it says flyview gives you a perspective that is both global and intimate in nature. what was the verdict? translation: you feel like you are on a rollercoaster, but it really feels very real. the view isn't always very sharp, but it's really magnificent to discover paris like you don't usually see it. it's very impressive. translation: it was very exciting. i saw everything. you really feel like you're there and you forget all the rest. it was really beautiful. you can see all the iconic buildings. it is not exactly cheap, a 12 minute virtual tour costs 15 euros. although hiring a realjet pack might be a little more expensive. tim allman, bbc news. this is bbc news.

the weather is not looking bad at all really over the next few days. we can't guarantee completely dry weather. then again, we need a bit of rain at least from time to time. and on tuesday, in fact, there is a risk of some downpours with thunder across the south of the uk in particular. as far as the short—term is concerned, the next few hours, fairly quiet across the uk. there's a bit of cloud across the north—west here where we have a weather front — that's across northern ireland and scotland. it is a very weak weather front which means it is mostly cloud and not an awful lot of rain at all. so the early hours of tuesday morning — a few spots of rain there across scotland. to the south of the country we've got clear skies and not cold at all, 12 in london. a bit fresher in the north—west of scotland, only around four degrees. but let's have a look at the weather first thing in the morning, and it is looking great but there is a chance of some

showers across kent and sussex, for example, maybe even the london area, but the vast majority of the country is looking dry. not necessarily sunny everywhere. a bit more cloud in the north—east there, some across scotland, also partly cloudy skies in northern ireland as well. so that is the north of the country here where we have a bit of the cloud. to the south, sunshine. and then later in the morning, into the afternoon, the clouds will continue to develop so there is that risk of a few downpours, particularly across southern areas, possibly in the midlands as well. and a warm one for many of us — across the south of the country into the 20s, a little bit colder north. how about the chelsea flower show? it is looking absolutely fine, temperatures could hit the mid 20s but there is a chance of rain by the time we get to thursday. so let's have a look at the forecast for the middle part of the week — it will be a really good week with high—pressure extending all the way from scandinavia into the uk. chances are there will be a bit of cloud, at least early in the morning, across some of these north—eastern areas, possibly along that north sea coast

down into east anglia, but it will be a warm one for many of us. where you see those oranges, those are temperatures well into the 20s, so we're talking 23 maybe 2a in london, in the north of the country, mid or high teens, possibly even 20 degrees there in edinburgh. and then the next couple of days, so that's thursday into friday, temperatures will probably level off across the country. further south, down to around 22 in london with a risk of one or two showers. now let's have a look at the forecast for saturday because things are set to warm up widely across europe, and temperatures could really be hitting the mid, possibly even the high 20s, across the south come the bank holiday weekend. this is bbc news. the headlines: the eruption of the kilauea volcano on hawaii's big island has entered a more violent phase. experts say lava is now flowing twice as fast as it was earlier in the eruption and fountains of molten rock are reaching 180 metres in the air. around 2,000 people have already left their homes. the us has vowed to impose the "strongest sanctions

in history" on iran. the us secretary of state mike pompeo says iran will be "battling to keep its economy alive." his iranian counterpart has claimed the us is a prisoner of its "failed policies" and will suffer the consequences. the public inquiry into the grenfell tower fire has opened and began with a 72—second silence to commemorate those who died. the construction company behind the refurbishment told the bbc that it did not test the cladding which burnt rapidly because it was thought to comply with regulations. now on bbc news, hardtalk.