this is the briefing. i'm samantha simmonds. our top story: israeli police say prime minister benjamin netanyahu should be charged with corruption. he insists all allegations are baseless. the dutch foreign minister halbe zijlstra resigns after admitting he lied about a meeting with russia's president putin. braving the balkans winter. why hundreds of people arrive in serbia every month, their gateway to the european union. the eu's $16 billion problem. that's the hole that will be left in the 27—nation block after the uk leaves the union. so how are they going to fill it? i'll be speaking to paul hofheinz, the president of the brussels based think—tank the lisbon council. a warm welcome to the programme, briefing you on all you need to know

in global news, business, and sport. are and you can be part of the conversation. it's that time of year when thoughts turn to love and romance, as people celebrate valentine's day. is it something you mark or do you think it's over commercialised? tell us what you think, just use #bbcthebriefing. in her israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has confirmed that police are recommending that he be charged with corruption offences. they say there's evidence he gave bribes to get positive media coverage, and helped rich friends after receiving lavish gifts. in an address on israeli television, mr netanyahu said nothing would come of the cases against him, and that he will remain in office. our correspondent james reynolds reports from jerusalem. the israeli police recommend charges against the country's prime minister in two separate cases. the first centres on gifts for favours and police believe that benjamin netanyahu gave special

treatment to wealthy friends after receiving lavish presents of champagne, cigars and jewellery. the second is about manipulation of the media. officers say that mr netanyahu negotiated favourable coverage from one major newspaper in exchange for curtailing the circulation of one of its rivals. israel's leader has dismissed the police recommendations. translation: over the years, there have been pressures to open no fewer than 15 investigations with the aim of toppling me from power. all began with explosive headlines, live broadcasts and some with thunderous police recommendations. all these attempts resulted ended in nothing. i tell you, this time too, they will result in nothing. the opposition calls on mr netanyahu to step aside.

it's a sad day for israeli democracy that a prime minister is suspected in bribery. this is why we believe, really, he should remove himself, even until this whole thing is sorted out legally. but there is no legal reason for mr netanyahu to stand down and he remains, at least for now, the most dominant figure in israeli politics. the police recommendations against him will now be handed over to israel's attorney general, avichai mandelblit. it's up to this official to decide whether or not to indict the prime minister ought to do nothing. the attorney—general‘s decision is expected to take at least several months. there's uncertainty in south africa over whether the country's president jacob zuma will follow his party's wishes and resign from office. mr zuma was asked to quit for the good of the country

after a series of corruption scandals. he says he'll respond to the request from the african national congress in the coming hours. for more, let's go to lebo diseko who joins us from johannesburg. to walk. every time it seemed though jacob zuma might go it doesn't could today be the day, do you think? —— welcome. it could. there is a lot of doubt as to whether it will happen. the anc yesterday said that it was telling us that they have recalled jacob zuma in order to give us a certainty, newspaper headlines not reflecting that this morning, saying things like the long goodbye and south africa's long, tencent wait forjacob zuma to stand down. yes, he could address the nation today, oi’ he could address the nation today, or he could kick it into the long grass, we don't know. why is he

being so intransigent? why is he insisting on not going when that is clearly what the party wants? he says he has done nothing wrong. in fairness, he has not been found guilty of anything. this is something the anc was keen to stress yesterday. you are right, there are these ongoing allegations of corruption from the past and also which came up during his presidency. i think with the anc going into election mode, there is a general election mode, there is a general election here next year, they would rather cut their losses. lebo diseko, for now, thank you. the netherlands‘ foreign minister halbe zijlstra has resigned after admitting lying about a meeting with russia's president putin. that triggered a vote of no—confidence in the country's prime minister mark rutte that rutte survived. anna holligan has more. holding back the tears, the netherlands‘ top diplomat struggled as he conceded he'd lost the fight for his political life. translation: so as not to burden

the position of the minister of foreign affairs, i see no other option than to offer my resignation today to his majesty the king. i do this with regret in my heart, but in the full conviction that the netherlands deserves a minister of foreign affairs who is above any form of doubt. this came after he admitted lying about hearing president putin express his expansionist aims. the dutch prime minister, seen there offering some comfort, initially stood by his political ally when asked if the foreign minister was spreading fake news. translation: what he says is not fake news, this is not fake news. this is about protecting a source. to protect that source he chose a way that was not wise.

you should not done that. now mr rutte is facing questions about what he knew, how long it took him to inform parliament, and whether he was right to defend a lie. on monday we heard from the dutch foreign minister, admitting that he had lied about being present at this meeting with president putin in 2006, in which he claimed that the russian president had outlined his plans for a greater russia, which were said to include the baltic states, ukraine, belarus, and that kazakhstan would be nice. a former shell executive e—mailed a dutch newspaper to say he had been at the meeting, which halbe zijlstra had not attended, and that his comments were made in an historical context. the russian embassy in the hague released a statement expressing frustration at what it described as unfounded claims. he had been scheduled to visit his

russian counterpart, sergey lavrov, in russia this week. instead, his words have put pressure on the countries' relationship, and his own government. anna holligan, bbc news. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. the danish royalfamily has announced that prince henrik, the husband of queen margrethe has died. he was 83 and had been suffering from dementia. prince henrik was born into a french aristocratic family and grew up partly in indochina. he married princess margrethe in 1967 and they had two sons. america's intelligence agencies have warned that russia is already trying to influence the us midterm elections taking place later this year. the director of national intelligence, alongside cia and nsa directors, told a senate intelligence hearing that moscow would continue using propaganda and social media to try and drive open divides among american voters. british actress minnie driver has quit as an oxfam ambassador following allegations senior staff working in crisis zones paid for sex with vulnerable locals.

in a statement she said she was horrified by the claims. a spokesperson for the charity said they were saddened by her decision, but they understood and respected her choice. there has been a shooting in utah, details are still coming in. reports are coming in the multiple people have been injured just outside the la ke have been injured just outside the lake city. more details as we receive them. now has the market for television rights by the premier league hit its peak? the premier league have announced the first winners of the match packages on offer. no surprise they are once again dominated by sky television and bt sport, but the price paid is something of a surprise. with me is james hughes, who's chief market analyst at axitrader. welcome to you. good morning. is

this a bit of a surprise? it is a surprise that they are paying so much less than previously. and that the number was well above 5 billion for the last round. but we are still talking about this being over £4 billion to show premier league football rights. when you look at this, there is more to go on this as well. these are done in rounds. rounds of fixtures over a week and are sold off in various places. sky and bt are the powerhouse is within us. and bt are the powerhouse is within us. they are paying ridiculous sums of money to show this football. —— powerhouses. it is incredible amounts of money that we start seeing bandied around. this is television and sport, it is one thing that has always been a bit of an issue together and which one comes first. is it the actual sport

thatis comes first. is it the actual sport that is the important thing or is making money out of it and showing it on the television the most important thing? it is massive, massive business. what knock—on effect will there be for those watching it on television and those buying football tickets and spending an enormous amount is in many cases? what football clubs want is that they want people to continue to go to the matches and create atmosphere. an issue this obviously causes, which is good forfans, and battle clubs, is it makes it more readily available on the television. these are paid for under subscription. sky and bt will make the general public pay to watch this. what we have not seen, and there was the talk online, big powerhouses like facebook and amazon, they were going to come in a stumping for these tv rights, so far from what we have seen that has not happened. what spin is the premier league putting on this? it is a vast amount of money, but less than what

they got on this, are they disappointed? they will be disappointed. it will notjust bbm, the clubs will be disappointed, they the clubs will be disappointed, they the ones that receive the majority of this money —— it will notjust be them. well above £4 billion just to show the football. it is astronomical. 20 million per game. it is amazing. fast. james will be back with me later, in about half an hour to review the main story is being covered by the global media. stay with us for that. hundreds of people are entering serbia every month in the hope of reaching countries in the european union. some of them find their way to asylum centres. but many are sleeping rough near the borders, hoping to cross while evading detection by police. and they're putting up with harsh conditions in the balkan winter. our balkans correspondent guy de launey has been to sid on serbia's border with croatia. an alfresco brunch, some comfort for people living rough a long way from home. volunteers from a pitch and

provide a vital service at this abandoned factory in sid, close to serbia's border with croatia. they have been here for a while, some of them yes, helping them not crossing them yes, helping them not crossing the border, just making sure they are not dying. most of the clipsal are not dying. most of the clipsal are from afghanistan and pakistan and they are hoping to reach countries in the european union —— clientele. the food fortifies them for regular attempts to cross the border. the so—called balkan route for refugees officially closed almost two years ago, but there is still a steady flow of people coming into serbia, even in the winter months, and they are determined to reach the european union, whatever the financial or physical cost. some of these men are licking their wounds, there are regular reports of altercations with border police to push people back into serbia. they try to cross the border quite often and when they are caught they are

pushed back in serbia, u nfortu nately, pushed back in serbia, unfortunately, sometimes, they are beaten. so we have some physical wounds. they are also sleeping rough through the winter. serbia provides accommodation in asylum centres to those who register, but many others say they have to take their chances outside the system, like this man who did not want to show his face. outside the system, like this man who did not want to show his facelj live who did not want to show his face.” live in the jungle, who did not want to show his face.” live in thejungle, i am a jungle man, i had to do something. if i go back i know my life is in danger. it is better for back i know my life is in danger. it is betterfor me back i know my life is in danger. it is better for me to live in the jungle somewhere. i will try to keep on crossing the border. he is not likely to succeed, but like the others you will keep trying because the reward is deemed to be worth the hardships. for these men people of the eu remains irresistible. guy de launey, bbc news, sid. stay with us on the briefing. also on the programme:

and can these canine casanovas find love, and a new home, on valentine's day? there's mr mandela. mr nelson mandela, a free man, taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader, ayatollah khomeini, has said he's passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti have flocked to church to give thanks for the ousting of their former president, 'baby doc' duvalier. because of his considerable value as a stallion, shergar was kept in a special secure box in the stud farm's central block. shergar was driven away in a horse box the thieves had brought with them.

there stepped down from the plane a figure in mourning. elizabeth ii, queen of this realm and of all her other territories. head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. the headlines. israeli police say benjamin netanyahu should be charged with corruption. he insists all allegations are baseless. the dutch foreign minister resigns after admitting he lied about a meeting with president putin. a group of 15 latin american nations have criticised venezuela's president nicolas maduro for his decision to call a presidential election. foreign ministers of the 'lima group' — which includes canada — have released a statement saying as long as there are political

prisoners in venezuela, elections cannot be free nor fair. katie silver reports. in venezuela's capital, caracas, hundreds queue outside the peruvian embassy seeking an escape from the crippling economic crisis. embassy seeking an escape from a crippling economic crisis. with food unable to get in, they are desperately trying to get out. critical shortages have seen a number of mass anti—government protests in recent years, some of which have turned violent. on monday, students marched in memory president nicola smith euro has promised fresh elections by the end of april, telling supporters he is ready to do another six years. —— nicolas maduro. on tuesday, foreign ministers of 15 south american countries met in peru's capital, lima, looking to decide whether these elections can be deemed democratic. translation: the elections that president maduro's government unilaterally called do not meet the conditions of a democratic, free

and transparent election nor venezuelans are requesting more help from the international community. translation: i ask the foreign ministers to have consideration with venezuela, to help us so they are not simply words about actions. we always hear the same. "we're going to help venezuela, we are going to help them," but we haven't gotten anything. 1.2 million venezuelans have left the country in the last two years alone. the vast majority have gone to: beer, forcing authorities there to tighten border security last week. —— columbia. there have been in flux also ina —— columbia. there have been in flux also in a brazilian state over the border. it has been called a humanitarian emergency. with with crippling food, this number looks only set to rise. katie silver, bbc news. the pacific island of tonga

is dealing with the consequences of the worst storm to hit the country in over 60 years. the parliament building has been completely flattened. high winds battered the island overnight into tuesday, lifting roofs off houses and bringing down electricity lines. at its peak, cyclone gita reached 233km/h. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later. we begin in the philippines where greenpeace ship rainbow warrior is on a visit to promote climate change awareness while in brussels, european commission presidentjean claudejuncker will hold a press conference on the eu budget ahead of the next eu summit on the 23rd february. and then in paris the verdict is expected in the trial of jawad bendaoud who is accused of hiding the november 2015 attackers. meanwhile in new york the un security council will discuss peace efforts in syria. a quick look at what's been happening at the winter olympics — or indeed not happening.

for the third time in four days, a skiing event has been postponed. this time it's the women's slalom that's fallen foul of the wind — it will now be run on friday. there has been some action on day five — as japan's ayumu hirano was leading in the men's halfpipe snowboarding event. but an extraordinary final run from america's shaun white gave him the title. it's the third time he has taken olympic gold and it is the 100th gold the united states has won in winter olympic history. there is not much that marshall hirsch has not won. the 55 world cup race wins to his name, played down the importance of winning here. the 28th rob was well placed a medal after the downhill and clinched victory with the fastest time in the slalom. back at austria house, the relief was clear to see. after

winning silver in sochi, finally it's the colour he admits he had a lwa ys it's the colour he admits he had always dreamt of. i mean, it is perfect to have this last big goal. to have this right now in my pocket. better it hangs around my neck. the other good thing is the always on pretty boring question is, now it is over with, this last boring question, they always ask me how was it, or is your career perfect without a gold medal? so this is what media were always asking me and now it is pretty easy because just good questions are allowed. chloe kim was already celebrating before herfinal run in the half pipe. the american, born to south korean pa rents, american, born to south korean parents, put on a snowboarding masterclass. despite a rage, she has

dominated the sport and the 17—year—old won with a score of 98.2 five. a favourite at the home fans, she is fast becoming one of the stars of these games. there have been colourful scenes around the world as people celebrate mardi gras. in new orleans there was the traditional annual parade — floats and dazzling costumes in abundance. mardi gras — also known as shrove or fat tuesday — is the beginning of lent. christians are supposed to fast or do penance for 40 days before easter. a portuguese man has a been accused of carrying one kilogram of cocaine

infake of carrying one kilogram of cocaine in fake buttocks. 5000 individual doses could have been made from it. it is that time of year when thoughts turned to love and romance as people celebrate valentine's day but not everyone has that certain special someone in our lives. in the philippines, if you're for companionship, there is an unusual place you can now go. the philippine animal welfare society, the appropriately titled paws, is offering people the chance to enjoy a doggy date. # and they call it puppy love #. for a small donation, you can spend some quality time with one of the 17 canine casanovas at the shelter in the villa. they want to promote pet adoption and love for animals, something some of these animals have had precious little of. even among stray dogs and stray animals with anger issues, with enough love and care,

they can be rehabilitated into loving homes. that certainly seems to be the case for some of these budding romances. "i don't have a date for valentine's, so i came here," said this girl. "my love for dogs will never go away." no—one knows exactly how many stray animals there are in a city the size of manila. many of these dogs were likely pets abandoned when their owners could no longer afford to feed them. let's hope some will find new homes, showing that a little bit of puppy love can go a long way. # this is puppy love #. tim allman, bbc news. certainly a different way to spend

valentine's day. more on the on line dating industry which is now worth more than $5 billion every year. and don't forget to let me know what you think about our talking point today as people sell a great valentine's day. we are asking, is it something kumar was that a load of nonsense and completely over commercialised ? a bit of breaking news coming in from south africa. south africa's elite high crime unit is conducting an operation at the gupta residence. injohannesburg. an operation at the gupta residence. in johannesburg. the gupta an operation at the gupta residence. injohannesburg. the gupta family are injohannesburg. the gupta family a re close injohannesburg. the gupta family are close friends of jacob zuma and they have been accused of state corruption in south africa. more coming up.

just be up—to—date to how we see the weather over the next few days. tuesday was a real mishmash of weather, certainly across the northern half of britain. there was this on corporate leased a time but my word, things develop nicely. there was some sunshine in some areas. just as that frontal system pulls away, living to the western side of the british isles, there is the next set of cloud and wind and rain. in between, its going to be a cold start to wednesday. into that cold start to wednesday. into that cold air, eventually will push all of this wind and rain from the atlantique and of this wind and rain from the atla ntique and there of this wind and rain from the atlantique and there will be plenty of wind as well. some of the gusts around 50,60, of wind as well. some of the gusts around 50, 60,70 miles per hour. gail certainly through the irish sea coast. to the east, around about the middle part of the day, there will

be the charters of some significant snow. several centimetres across the north—west. tricky conditions there. bottom end of the m74 and into the north of wales, the north midlands, there could well be some disruptive snowfall, particularly on the high grounds. even further south, the tail end of the front. majors turned a wee between three. maybe into the chilterns as well. nine degrees 10 degrees or ii. eventually, all too late in the day, that frontal system moves up into the atlantique, leaving behind a low pressure dominant driving in through the north and west of scotland. on the cool side especially across the high grounds even across the water into

england. further south, a really decent day. the temperature really responding to that. from thursday to friday, we will build in this ridge of high pressure. they will be some rain to northern ireland, the western side of scotland but in the south, a bit of warmth and some dry weather too. this is business briefing. i'm samantha simmonds. the eu's $16 billion dollar problem: that's the hole that will be left in the 27 nation block after the uk leaves the union. we'll find out how they are going to fill it. and it's valentine's day, but maybe not as you know it. we look at how technology can help us find love. and on the markets asian share markets are mixed as investor nerves were strained ahead of a us inflation report that could soothe, or inflame, fears of faster rate hikes globally.