this is the briefing. i'm samantha simmonds. our top story: the president of south korea says he wants a lasting peace with the north, after the two countries agreed to hold military talks. a ferocious storm brings flash floods and mudslides to southern california. at least thirteen are dead, a search is underway for survivors. and a chronic shortage of contraception in venezuala fuels a sharp rise in teenage pregnancies. firing on all cylinders. a world bank report says global growth has recovered to pre—financial crisis levels and will speed up later this year. i'll be speaking to the lead author of that world bank report. a warm welcome to the programme. briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport.

and you can be part of the conversation. here, virgin trains has stopped stocking the daily mail newspaper on its west coast route. the decision was made after staff expressed concern over the paper's editorial position. the daily mail has called the decision ‘disgraceful‘. what do you think? is it censorship or good business sense? tell us what you think, just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. after months of rising tensions on the korean peninsula, the north and south are to hold a new military dialogue and appear together at the winter olympics. speaking after landmark talks with north korea, president moonjae—in of south korea said the removal of nuclear weapons was an objective that could never be abandoned. but pyongyang says the issue isn't up for discussion. live now to the south korean capital, and our correspondent sophie long. after a year also a ratcheting up

pensions, how significant is this? dash back all so. —— or so. pensions, how significant is this? dash back all so. -- or so. it has been significant and rather swifter. if you think back a couple of weeks at the beginning of... threats and boasts about whose nuclear button is oui’ boasts about whose nuclear button is our biggest. apologies for that, with go back to sophie. wejust our biggest. apologies for that, with go back to sophie. we just lost you there, carry on, we have got you back. thank you. president mcadoo has been speaking to the first and this morning since those historic talks yesterday in which this was agreed. gun gang would sell a delegation to the winter olympics in the south and re—establish a military hotline. significant moves forward but what they didn't touch on, what was barely mentioned

yesterday was word denuclearisation. we didn't hear much about the us either, the key ally of south korea. today we had the response from the president and he said that he welcomed these developments but what he also said and reiterated several times is that the only way to lasting peace on the korean can insulate his denuclearisation of the north. —— and intelare. passionate peninsular. —— peninsular. —— peninsula. these talks have not been welcomed by everyone, sceptics wondering about the motives of kim jong—un to suddenly open up and agreed to this dialogue with the south. they said that he could be an isolated leader trying to drive a wedge between south korea and the united states. today moonjae—in said we are working very closely with the, we have been doing so for the past year and will continue to do so. —— with the us. he said that south korea

would not ease any economic sanctions and that is important because while we have this dialogue that has now begun, the next step everybody is waiting to see what that will be. at the moment it seems to bea that will be. at the moment it seems to be a win—win situation, the south is happen because pyongyang lasalle delegation to the winter olympics which it wants to be a huge success. pyongyang gets to send that delegation without making any concessions. this is a significant development would wait to see what comes next. —— but we wait to see. there are reports of a major earthquake in the caribbean sea, off the coast of central america, and tsunami warnings have been issued for puerto rico and the us virgin islands. the threat has now been lifted. the us geological survey is reporting the earthquake's initial strength as 7.6. eyewitnesses report windows rattled in the honduran capital, tegucigalpa. authorities say there is no tsunami threat to the us east coast or the gulf of mexico. at least thirteen people have died in flash floods and mudslides

in southern california. witnesses say torrents raged through the streets, washing away cars and telephone poles. among those saved was a 14—year—old girl who'd been trapped for hours in the ruins of her house. james cook reports. the rains came suddenly, just for dawn. torrential and terrifying. they coursed over the slick thomas scorched earth, gathering speed until mud was roaring down to the sea like an express train. the deluge smashed into the very homes which had just survived colourful and's biggest recorded wildfire, the result, utter devastation. we had a very difficult time assessing the area and responding to many of those areas to assist those people. the only words i can really think of to describe what it looked like, it looked like a world war i battlefield. the communities hardest hit were montecito and carpentaria,

on the pacific coast of north—west centre was. these are some of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the united dates. home to stars like oprah winfrey and the actor rob lowe. but no amount of money could stop this current. the mud roared down here with terrifying speed, sweeping everything in its path. the firefighters won't let us go up there any further, they say the situation could change in the blink ofan situation could change in the blink of an eye and as you can see, this is how dangerous it is. rescue workers are still scouring scores of damaged and demolished homes, searching for survivors. police say the number of dead here is certain to rise. james cook, bbc news in southern california. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. heavy snow aross the alps has cut off towns and villages, and raised the avalanche risk to maximum in some areas. tourists are being airlifted out of zermatt, one of switzerland's most popular ski resorts, around 13,000 people are stranded there. more than three feet of snow has fallen with more expected

in the coming hours. donald trump's former chief strategist steve bannon has stepped down as head of the far right website breitbart. he's been heavily criticised by mr trump and faced a backlash from supporters since the book ‘fire and fury‘ quoted him accusing the president's son and son—in—law of treason. the south african president jacob zuma says he is setting up a judicial inquiry into alleged influence—peddling in his government. he said the deputy chiefjustice raymond zondo would head the inquiry as recommended by the chief justice mogoeng mogoeng. the move follows a court ruling last month that gave mr zuma 30 days to set up the investigation. the world bank says global economic growth is likely to strengthen this year, after turning out better than expected in 2017. it predicts 2018 will be the first year since the financial crisis in which the world economy

will operate at or close to its full potential. jeremy cook, chief economist for the payments company world first. welcome to use. good morning. this is how we are covering it on the bbc website. that is not it. —— welcome to you. global growth back at pre— crisis levels. has this come as a net surprise? it was expected the global economy would continue to recover from the lows we saw through the gxe and the upbeat numbers and news that we are hearing are mainly in asia but obviously in europe and in the us, would start to lift the global economy. the old saying of a rising tide lifts all boats is true here and it is something maybe not to be celebrated at something to get behind as a future growth story. to be celebrated at something to get behind as a future growth storym there a future growth story? certainly for this year it is looking good but perhaps in the

longer term they are warning that it might not continue and issues about rising living standards and reducing policy as well. it is all about how much we can continue this. the direction of travel, the speed. the direction of travel, the speed. the direction is right, the speed is ok but how long have we got on this road? whether the but how long have we got on this road ? whether the economy but how long have we got on this road? whether the economy is at outperforming at this moment me that investment to keep on going and how we can make equalfor investment to keep on going and how we can make equal for everyone as well. jeremy will be back in about half an hour ‘s time to review the main stories being covered why the global media. venezuela has the highest teen pregnancy rate in latin america. one in four women who give birth are adolescents. with contraceptives hard to come by, and the cost out of reach for most venezuelans, it's a problem that's getting worse. our south america correspondent katy watson has more from venezuela. margaret's pharmacies looking at the empty these days. she hasn't had any deliveries of contraceptive pills for a year, everyday people come looking for them and every day she

has to turn them away. they are having to adapt. translation: has to turn them away. they are having to adapt. translatiosz used to be just men buying having to adapt. translatiosz used to bejust men buying condoms, but women are buying them now too because there is nothing else and the price of condoms has up 200%. dan ellis is learning that consequences of the shorters zoos, after becoming a mother in her teens, she is now expecting her third baby, unplanned because she couldn't get contraceptives. translation: my first reaction was to cry. at the moment, getting contraceptive pills is really hard. there is nothing. when you can get a hold of them, they cost so much and iam making hold of them, they cost so much and i am making plans to get sterilised because the idea of having another baby, no way. it is a struggle, her older boys sometimes have to go without new clothes and shoes so she can pay for her medical appointments. when the pop price of

food is spiralling and contraceptives cost double the monthly salary, something has to go. contraceptives are not the only thing in short supply, doctors have told me that they have two buy medical supplies like gloves and hand them to the doctor when they get them. this doctor says the births he attends, a vast majority are unplanned and thinks the government ‘s parities are wrong. —— priorities. the government, instead of giving you sexual education, gives you pills and condoms, what do they do the population? if you are pregnant, i give you a house and give you money but is only for the first year may be. and buying some food. last year, betsy turned 15 and like many venezuelan girls, had a big party marking her passage into womanhood. in two months time, there

is another important date. the birth of her daughter, she is excited but apprehensive about the future. translation: i am scared. once i give birth and because it is hard to get contraceptives and condoms i am afraid that if i have sex i will get pregnant again. it is a reality that more and more women and girls are facing here in venezuela. the choice to decide theirfuture facing here in venezuela. the choice to decide their future taken away from them at a time when, for many, the future looks bleak. katie watson, bbc news in venezuela. stay with us on the briefing. also on the programme: south africa's songs of freedom. we meet the black musician who's adapted afrikaans, the language of apartheid. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. good grief!

after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer, paul simon, starts his tour of south africa tomorrow, in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. teams were trying to scoop up lumps of oil as france recognises it faces an ecological crisis. three weeks ago, the authorities confidently assured these areas that oil from the broken tanker erika would head out to sea. it didn't. the world's tallest skyscraper opens later today. the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. you're watching the briefing. our headlines: flash floods

and mudslides in southern california have left at least thirteen people dead. a search is under way for survivors. the president of south korea has again stressed his determination to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons. the bbc‘s laura bicker was at the news conference. you have pursued this policy of engagement to beat the us policy is one of the maximum pressure. is there not a potentialfor a flashpoint between those two policies and how will you deal with it? translation: it is a practical concern, an extra concern we have the ‘cause we do have a close bond with the us and we have been working closely together against north

korea‘s nuclear programme. as close as international bodies, organisations, to create pressure on north korea to resolve the nuclear issue. we, south korea, are trying to bring north korea to the table to open dialogue. however, when pressure from the international community those up so high, obviously inconsequence, the tension between north and south can only increase. this needs to be dealt with extremely carefully. we need

deep thinking. at the moment they have come out to talk to us. this is talk. north korea came out to improve the into korean relationship. i think this is a good start. ajudge in san francisco has locked president trump from ending the programme that protects children of illegal immigrants. mr trump is insisting on tying all of this into funding for his promised wall on the mexican border. democrats are strongly opposed. i feel having the democrats in with us is absolutely vital because this should be a bipartisan bill, one of love, truly.

it should be a bill of love and we can do that. it also needs to be a bill where we are able to secure our border. drugs are pouring into the country at a record pace. people coming in that we cannot have. we have greatly stiffened, and people as you know, few are trying to come in. we had tremendous numbers of polly bull and drugs pouring into the country so we need a wall to secure that. —— numbers of people and drugs. here‘s our briefing on some of the key events happening later. we start in berlin where coalition talks continue between chancellor angela merkel‘s cdu/csu party and the social democrats led by martin schulz. in brussels, eu ambassadors from the 27 remaining member states will meet to discuss the ongoing brexit negotiations. and beginning just after, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will deliver his annual address to the foreign press injerusalem. now it‘s time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hi, i‘m nick marshall—mccormack and with your sport briefing for wednesday where zidane wants real to be zealous

in the copa del rey and stevie g sheds a tear for coutinho. zinedine zidane has some problem—solving to do at real madrid. his side face segunda division team numancia in the last 16 of the copa del rey later. real have a 3—0 lead from the first leg, and zidane is demanding a convincing victory but back in the primera division they are struggling. a 2—all draw with celta vigo at the weekend means that the spanish champions are now 16 points behind leaders barcelona. but zidane won‘t give up. translation: i know i am translation: i knowl am only temporary but i am going to work 3000% and i will give everything. i say that because i believe in what i do and can rely on my years that it

is not just do and can rely on my years that it is notjust something i am saying because we have just one player or three orfour because we have just one player or three or four matches. —— bad matches. back in 1993 zidane was making a name for himself scoring goals for bordeaux. in the same year arsenal won the english league cup — but they haven‘t won it since. they‘ve been runners up twice since then though and arsene wenger knows fans want more silverware. they face chelsea on tuesday in their semi—final first leg later on — that‘s a week after their 2—all draw in the premier league. the winners will face manchester city or bristol city at wembley stadium on february 25th. winning is something the atlanta hawks can only dream of at the moment. the stats don‘t lie — they‘re currently the worst team in the nba. victory over the denver nuggets on tuesday night would give the team a much needed confidence boost. atlanta are having a miserable time — their defeat to the los angeles lakers on sunday was their 30th loss of the season. finally a win for north korea with international relations!

they‘ve agreed to send a delegation, including athletes, to next month‘s winter olympics in south korea. the breakthrough announcement came as the countries meet for their first high—level talks in more than two years. the delegation will include athletes, officials and a group of cheerleaders. now sam sunderland isn‘t cheering after the defending motorbike champion was forced to pull out of the dakar rally. the british ktm rider had to be helicoptered to hospital after suffering back pain in the fourth stage through peru. frenchman adrian van beveren won the stage on his yamaha and is the new overall leader. it was a grim day for cyril despres in the cars. he crashed his peugeot into a rock while crossing the inca desert and has also withdrawn from the race. his team—mate stephane peterhansel remains in the lead. now here‘s what‘s been

catching our eye on social media. phillippe coutinho‘s $190 million move from liverpool to barcelona was made official on monday. and with the paperwork signed, the brazilian‘s now had the chance to meet his new team—mates. he‘s been re—united with striker luis suarez— who posted how pleased he was that the pair were in the same team once again. he also posed for a selfie with barcelona legend andres iniesta. but not everyone was pleased to see him go. liverpool legend and coutinho‘s former captain at the club, steve gerrard, posted "it hurts you have left because you were a special player. i want to wish you all the best and thank you for the special memories." that‘s your sport briefing this wednesday — you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that‘s bbc.com/sport. but from me, nick

marshall—mccormack, and the rest of the sport team, see you later. during the apartheid era in south africa, black students protested by learning afrikaans. refentse morake — a young black south african has not only learnt the language but has become one of the top selling musicians in the country in the afrikaans genre. the bbc‘s taurai maduna sat down with him to talk about his music. it was not easy at first to sing in afrikaans as a black man. i did not know whether people would accept or understand what i was trying to do with this. but now, it is so natural to me. a lot of people may see

afrikaans as the language of the oppressor and that sort of stuff, but it is nice to see we have come so but it is nice to see we have come so farand we but it is nice to see we have come so far and we are living in a nation where black people can sing at afrikaans and white people can sing in salute and it is not even funny any longer, my parents do not speak afrikaans what‘s the weather. my mother is zulu. we speak another language at home. and when i started singing, iwanted language at home. and when i started singing, i wanted to sing in afrikaans. people knew i had been speaking afrikaans but no—one ever thought i would pursue a career with afrikaans people in afrikaans. i only realised that i could action is follow a career in music when the video was posted and people reacted so video was posted and people reacted so well. i started to consider it a

little bit. it was still in the back of my head. after my first performance, i don‘t know what changed but i never looked back. the album title means through my window and the reason i called it that is because i feel it is a peak for the listeners into my heart‘s window. stay with me on bbc news, i‘ll be back with the business briefing in just a few moments. we will have more on the world bank report as global growth has recovered to pre— financial crisis levels. and don‘t forget to let us know what you think about the talking point. virgin trains no longer stock the daily mail newspaper on the west coast route.

the decision was made by staff after concern about the editorial position of the newspaper. the daily mail have called it censorship. what do you think? we have had a lot of messages. one person says they are not selling the communist manifesto either. not selling an item does not mean the suppression of free speech. the daily mail still has the right to print whatever they want. others say it is no different to the sun that not being available in shops of liverpool. someone else calls it a silly decision with a degree of censorship. stay with us and i will be back with more in a few moments. tuesday was a disappointing day up and down the country,

cold, damp and grey with the exception of western scotland which saw a little sunshine. i am pleased to say that today it is looking brighter for many with sunshine particularly through the afternoon. begins on a chilly note across northern ireland with ice and a little frost elsewhere. for north, central and east areas, a weather front becomes confined to many north—eastern areas by the end of the day. a grey one for much of scotland and outbreaks of rain, a little hill fog as well but the skies brighten up across the west and south—west of scotland. sunny spells in northern ireland. a veil of cloud draped down the eastern side of england. it makes its way slowly out into the north sea. from the west it will be bright with sunshine. a much more pleasant feeling of noon. —— afternoon with warmer temperatures.

there could be a few showers, some heavy across south—west to end wednesday but those will clear away. the rain eventually clears away from the eastern side of england confined to the northern isles. and with clear skies with light winds it will turn chilly. a touch of frost and mist and fog patches that could be quite dense. that is how we end the week for thursday morning and friday morning, on a chilly note with morning frost and fog to watch out for. this is thursday morning. watch out for dense patches of fog. most should clear. some could be stubborn. the east may hold onto cloud through the day that sunny spells break through widely and better for scotland and today. temperature is on the cool side. the high pressure holds on for most of us on friday. things will turn windy across the far west through the day with the weather front are rising across northern ireland and later run in the day. here it will be wetter, elsewhere after a mist and fog start sunshine should break through.

a quick peek into saturday with the weather front trundling eastwards through the day. it never reaches the east until after dark. it will stay dry and on the cool side. this is business briefing. i‘m samantha simmons. firing on all cylinders. the world bank says global growth has recovered to pre—financial crisis levels and will speed up later this year. and the race for artificial intelligence, we‘ll be hearing from the boss of sony about its push into robot pets, virtual reality and driverless cars. and on the markets, little change in asia after yet another record close in the us.