this is bbc news. i'm rebecca jones. the headlines at midday: prison sentences of under six months could be scrapped in england and wales for all but violent and sexual offences, under plans being considered by the ministry ofjustice. president trump digs his heels in over his mexican border wall as the us government shutdown enters a record—breaking 22nd day. hundreds of thousands of workers have not been paid. we can work really hard to get this education and make sure that we can provide for our family and still end up wondering if we're going to be able to pay our bills. europe braces itself as heavy snow continues to fall bringing chaos to a number of alpine regions. austria suffers the worst conditions for 30 years. major tech companies showcase their freshest innovations at the ces expo in las vegas. this week, the big hitters for 2019, starring bed rockers, skintight

suits, the new click intern, and queen... # we will, we will rock you. well, sort of. hello and welcome to bbc news. prison sentences of under six months could be abolished under plans being considered by the ministry ofjustice. it's argued that community penalties are better than shortjail sentences at cutting re—offending rates. in england and wales it's thought the move would mean about 30,000 offenders avoiding jail every year, including burglars and shoplifters. this report from ben ando. at any one time, around 3,500 people

are behind bars in england and wales, serving sentences of six months or less for crimes like burglary or shoplifting. but almost two thirds of those released will re—offend within a year. the prisons minister rory stewart has described these short sentences in a newspaper interview as long enough to damage you and not long enough to heal you, adding that those jailed even for a few weeks can lose their home, theirjob and their family and be set on a course to more crime. the ministry ofjustice says that prison is meant to protect the public from dangerous people, reduce crime, and also reform prisoners. but could it be our overcrowded jails are instead turning one—time offenders into career criminals? since the 1990s, the prison population has doubled from 40,000 to 80,000. in 2017, 86,275 people were jailed and more than half of them received sentences of six months or less.

abandoning such short prison sentences in england and wales is stilljust a proposal. legislation would be needed and politicians know promising to send fewer law—breakers to prison is rarely a vote winner. but a similar scheme in scotland has beenjudged a success and is being extended to sentences of 12 months. it could be that ending short sentences will benefit criminals, and the community, in the long term. ben ando, bbc news. well, in a statement, a ministry ofjustice spokesperson said: short sentences are too often ineffective, provide little opportunity to rehabilitate offenders and lead to unacceptably high rates of reoffending. we are exploring potential alternatives, but this work is ongoing and we have reached no conclusions at this time. earlier, i spoke to andrea albutt, who's president of the prison governors association.

i started by asing her what what she thought of the proposals. the prison governors association totally agree with them. we have said for many years that short sentences don't work. in a few months in prison, you can do very little with them. at best, you can deal with immediate health issues, drugs, alcohol, maintain family ties, get them accommodation or maintain the accommodation they've got, deal with finance, benefits and debt, but you can't do anything about reoffending. you must presumably have some sympathy with people who might be rather alarmed by this and think, by keeping these people out ofjail, they are free to reoffend. absolutely, the victims of crime have to come first, but we know that short sentences don't work. people leave prison and continue to reoffend, many of them. if they don't work,

we will continue to have victims of crime. there are better alternatives, and we can do a community sentence where they give back to the community, work in the community and make it better. we have restorative justice, where the victims of crime can face the perpetrators and they can understand what being a victim of crime is like. there are all sorts of things we can do that have a better outcome. when you say that, let's dig deeper. what kind of conditions need to be attached to those alternatives to stop people reoffending? the conditions will be decided by probation. it's not necessarily a prison issue. and they will be monitored if they stay out in the community by probation. if it is as obvious as you say, and reoffending rates are not altered by these short

prison sentences, and prisons are overcrowded, why hasn't it happened before? it has been said many times that they don't work. there just doesn't seem to be a willing government to do it, because it is controversial. victims of crime might be sat out there now saying, this is wrong, they should be punished and go to prison. but the fact is that short sentences don't work and we should look at alternatives. the ministry ofjustice said they are exploring alternatives, but the work is ongoing and they have reached no conclusions at this time. how confident are you that this will happen? we will see. as we know, our government is in a state of flux at the moment, so we'lljust have to wait and see if the current secretary of state and current prisons minister continue in their roles and see this through.

i think that's probably doubtful. the standoff between president trump and members of the us congress over funding for a wall on the mexican border, has now resulted in a record—breaking government shutdown. the row has entered its 22nd day, leaving hundreds of thousands of government workers unpaid, as politicians argue over budgets. david willis has the latest from washington. we pray today for your wisdom, for your answers, for your help. at the white house, they prayed. among them, a president caught in a crisis so seemingly intractable, it might take divine intervention to solve. a government shutdown that started with museums closed and rubbish piling up at national parks has now seen hundreds of thousands of government workers go without pay. and following protests across the country, that shutdown has now set a dubious record as the longest

in american political history. cher muzyk was among those marching. when she and her family moved to the farming community of nokesville in virginia, she was looking forward to life as a stay—at—home mother to her young twins. but her husband works for the government and hasn't been paid, leaving her to fret about how to make ends meet. we can work really hard to get this education and make sure that we can provide for our family but still end up wondering if we are going to be able to pay our bills. things are working out well... president trump had threatened to declare a national emergency. he still might, he says, but not now. this is a 15—minute meeting! if they can't do it, i will declare a national emergency! there has been no formal contact between president trump and democrat leaders since talks collapsed in the middle of this week. and with none planned, washington's winter of discontent

threatens to drag on and on. david willis, bbc news. around a quarter of the government agencies are out of operation until a budget is agreed, leaving 800,000 employees unpaid. one of those is sunny blaylock, who earlier spoke to us from her home in virginia. i'm a federal government contractor, so i'm not working. i'm not going to get back pay, like a lot of people think, i'm just out, out of work. my husband's a federal government employee, so he's working without pay. and it's incredibly frustrating, and i know it must seem confusing, and we feel confused that this is going on. a lot of people don't realise. they think it will all be ok because we'll get back

pay, which i think should be happening for the federal government employees, but federal contractors will not be getting back pay, so a lot of people are really getting hurt. then there is the second resource of the economy, like the people that support the federal employees in this area. i live outside of washington, dc, so that's a good chunk of the economy here. the dog walkers, the restaurants, the shops. it's hurting everyone. we are all being affected. it's an unknown. we don't know how long it's going to go. i really loved the work that i did. i'd like to go back eventually. i don't know how long it's going to be, and i don't know if i need to start making other plans. my husband's working without pay, so you have to re—evaluate your family circumstances and how long you can hold out. you have to start using emergency savings for normal living, so you don't go out to eat,

you don't make plans for any trips, you don't buy the kids extra things. is we have to reserve summer camp well in advance in this town. things like that, we just aren't making any plans. we're hunkering down and holding out. is newsjust in - the is newsjust in — the french interior minister says four people have died and dozens have been injured after an explosion at a ba kery injured after an explosion at a bakery in central paris. police suspect the blast was caused by a gas leak reported in the building this morning. a number of shops have been damaged by the blast in the city's ninth district. firefighters are trying to contain a fire, burning at street level. the transport secretary, chris grayling has warned the uk could see a rise in political

extremism if mps block the prime minister's brexit deal. in an interview with the daily mail, mr grayling said the 17 million people who voted for the uk to leave the eu would feel ‘cheated' by any attempt to water—down or stop theresa may's deal. meanwhile, thousands of people are expected to march through central london shortly, demanding a general election. let's cross to our political correspondent, tom barton, who's there for us. tom, how is it looking there? protesters are starting to gather ahead of this protest, which is organised by the people's assembly against austerity. their message, really, is that brexit isn't the only issue affecting the country. they say the run many other issues as well, and the only way to solve those, and to unlock the brexit deadlock, is to hold a general election. i'm joined by shadow

labour minister laura paddock. why are you holding this protest? we are holding it because we are now nine years into austerity, and if anyone has been around this country, they know that there are many issues, many crises taking place across the nation, one of which is brexit. there is political deadlock in parliament, but in my own constituency, we have a sixth form thatis constituency, we have a sixth form that is close, services at threat, policed balazs might —— police cuts. we must get rid of this government that not only handle the brexit negotiations terribly but also gave nine years of austerity, punishing oui’ nine years of austerity, punishing our communities. many people would say that brexit is the single most important issue affecting the country at the moment. do you disagree? i don't disagree. it is clearly a crisis and we have to sort it out. it is an imminent political priority that must be sorted out, and there is deadlock. theresa may

has had two years to sort this mess out and get a good deal. we will be voting down the deal next week, but the point of this march and rally todayis the point of this march and rally today is to say that there are many other issues that people are upset and discontent about. you have to look at this system of universal credit, which is punishing people. no announcement from amber rudd is going to tell us otherwise. brexit is immensely important, but it's not the only issue. there is another march today. there is one organised by the people's boat campaign in sheffield, calling for another referendum. they obviously think brexit is the most important issue, and they think a referendum is a way to unlock the deadlock. why don't you agree? we have a country where people are free and able to show their opinions on a variety of issues. the labour party has a clear view of events. and it is this, that

we vote down the deal, then we have to try and secure a general election and force a vote of no—confidence against the government. then, all of out against the government. then, all of our options are on the table. in reality, a general election will be almost impossible for you to force, because theresa may has, with the a small majority in parliament. conservative and dup mps won't vote for a general election that will lead to a jeremy corbyn government. it hopefully will lead to a jeremy corbyn government. let's see what the circumstances are next week. they are changing by the hour. let's see what the dup do. the labour party will only put that vote of no—confidence against the government when we have the best chance of winning a general election, which is clearly what the people here want. thank you for your time. it is noisy, and it will get noisier year later. but it's also going to be very noisy parliament this week. tom

barton, many thanks. the headlines on bbc news: prison sentences of under six months could be scrapped in england and wales for all but violent and sexual offences — under plans being considered by the ministry ofjustice. president trump digs his heels in over his mexican border wall as the us government shutdown enters a record—breaking 22nd day. hundreds of thousands of workers have not been paid. europe braces itself as heavy snow continues to fall bringing chaos to a number of alpine regions. austria suffers the worst conditions for 30 years. the big tech companies lavish huge amounts of money on their gigantic stands at the international tech expo, the consumer electronics show. it's a chance to pitch their latest wares to electronic retailers and show off their freshest innovations. as the show closes in las vegas,

our correspondent dave lee took a tour of some of the biggest displays. this is a demo to show off a new audio system, but what is capturing peoples attention is the windscreen is covered with this image like a big screen. the way they are doing that is by using a projector strapped to the ceiling, but it is one idea of what we might be able to do in a car if it was to become self driving. what do we have here? new lg styler, no need for plumbing, you do is the water, generate the steam back here, so...

and is that dropping the wrinkles out? the steam comes up and allows the wrinkles to the steam comes up from the bottom and allows the wrinkles to be released, the steam penetrates from the inside out, opening up the garment and it helps everything go away. how many times have you had to explain why this is shaking here at ces? way too many. you have the patience of a saint. here is a cute robot from samsung, they call it the retail bot, and it is designed to intelligently know its way around a location such as a restaurant. it can bring you your food, warn you if the plate is hot and even suggested a dessert. because who needs a human to do that, huh? i guess we have found the sony stand.

three, two, one, go! one of the trends we have found here is equipment being sold specifically for video bloggers or vloggers. it is big business for companies like sony, because many of those people are using equipment that is more expensive than broadcast companies like the bbc. that's it for ces but it is not over for technology in 2019. it will be a huge year and we are just getting started. and you can read and watch reports from the event by dave and the rest of the bbc tech team at bbc.co.uk/ces2019 ? heavy snow is continuing to wreak havoc across large parts of europe, leaving roads blocked, trains halted and schools shut. it's led to the deaths of seven people in austria in the past week,

and two hikers are missing. conditions are also particularly treacherous in bavaria, as andy beatt reports. from scandinavia to switzerland, and the baltic to bulgaria, vast swathes of europe in the grip of a deadly, debilitating freeze. in austria, the heaviest snowfalls in 30 years have left alpine resorts and villages stranded, up to three metres of snow bringing many to a standstill. in germany, hundreds of soldiers joined emergency workers to clear roofs and roads in bavarian towns. five districts declared a state of emergency with schools closed and many communities cut off. further north in saxony, helicopters were used to blow snow off trees to stop them falling on roads and railways. but some remain blocked, while more than 100 flights have been cancelled. three people were injured when an avalanche swept through this

hotel in eastern switzerland. local reports said the wall of snow was 300m wide. and storms across scandinavia have made some routes impassable. in northern norway, a bus full of students blew off the road, while winds on the swedish border approached almost 180km/h. 1,000 miles further south, more snow and sub—zero temperatures. drivers in romania battling blizzard conditions, police rescuing some, but reportedly finding the body of one man in a car park. translation: you cannot see three metres in front of you. right here, 200m back, you cannot see. translation: we're waiting, for the moment. we're waiting for the snowfall to stop. but there is little sign of that with heavy snows forecast to continue across europe over the weekend. for many, there is still a long winter ahead. andy beatt, bbc news. a saudi woman who fled her family

and became stranded at bangkok's main airport is due to arrive in canada after being granted asylum there. 18—year—old rahaf mohammed al-qanun was stopped in thailand translation: you cannot see three metres in front of you. 18—year—old rahaf mohammed al-qanun was stopped in thailand while attempting to reach australia from kuwait. she said feared being killed by relatives if she returned home as she had publicly renounced islam. the un's refugee agency has said it considers her to be a legitimate refugee. police in wisconsin have charged a 21—year—old man with kidnapping a teenage girl and murdering her parents. jake patterson was arrested on two counts of first—degree homicide and one count of kidnapping. 13—year—old jayme closs had been held captive since october, after her mother and father were shot dead. she managed to escape and was found yesterday. jane 0'brien has been following the story. jaime disappeared the night that her

parents were shot dead in western wisconsin. at a briefing, please describe thousands of volunteers who searched for the 13—year—old suddenly appeared on thursday almost a month later and approached a woman for help. this lady went to a nearby house and notified that neighbour of the claim, and this neighbour called 911 and my deputies responded en masse immediately, and identified jayme as the person that approached the neighbour. they took control of her, possession of her and put her in safekeeping, and a short time later one of my patrol sergeants happened to find a vehicle that matched the description that jayme gave my deputies of the suspect, and pulled the vehicle over and took the suspect in custody at that time.

the suspect was arrested and is currently being held in barrett county jail. that suspect is jake thomas patterson. he is 21 years old from wisconsin. he is currently being held on two degrees of first—degree homicide for the murder ofjayme's parents and one count of kidnapping. police say that the suspect and the previous contact with the family but that jayme was the target of the attack. they believe she was held near the town of gordon about an hour from her home, they said patterson went to considerable effort to avoid detection. the investigation attracted national attention, and a reward of $50,000 was offered for information. local officers say they never give up hope of finding jayme alive. using credit cards for gambling could be banned under plans being considered

by the government. in a bid to target addiction, culture secretaryjeremy wright will meet banks and bookmakers ahead of a review by the gambling commission next month. the move would affect billions of pounds' worth of bets a year. promotional deals on unhealthy snacks placed at supermarket tills could be banned under new government proposals. the department of health has said offers for high—sugar, high—fat foods linked to childhood obesity should be restricted. it said the number of children classed as seriously obese is at a record high and it's now consulting on its plans. now, it's time for a look at the weather. a mild and increasingly windy weekend across most parts of the uk. the damp weather we have seen across southern parts of england and wales

eases away through the afternoon, lingers in the channel islands. brightness for the second half of the day, and sunshine at times in eastern england and eastern scotland in particular. rain in the west, most persistent through the afternoon in the highlands and islands. temperatures are 10—12dc, thanks to westerly winds. the winds will be more north—westerly tonight, bringing more rain to the south. the dampers conditions will be in western scotland and northern ireland, then later into northern england. temperatures barely dropped, 8—10dc tomorrow morning. tomorrow, rain and cloud. there will bea tomorrow, rain and cloud. there will be a lot of dry weather around a bit more sunshine developing, especially in the afternoon. showers in the west. the most prominent showers to the north and west of scotland, and still mild for many of you. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: more than 30 thousand

offenders would avoid jail every year, under new proposals to scrap sentences of six months or less to reduce the pressure on prisons. president trump digs his heels in over his mexican border wall as the us government shutdown enters a record—breaking 22nd day. hundreds of thousands of workers have not been paid. europe braces itself as heavy snow continues to fall bringing chaos to a number of alpine regions. austria suffers the worst conditions for 30 years. the french interior minister says four people have died and dozens injured after an explosion at a bakery in central paris. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's mike. good afternoon.

leeds united have attempted to draw a line under the controversy, surrounding the so called spy, their manager sent to a derby training session on thursdsay. police were called, when a man was seen acting suspiciously with a pair of binoculars outside the perimeter fence, but no arrests were made, and no rules were broken. before it there to win over derby last night they admitted they had sent the spy. leeds say they will work with their head coach, and staff, to remind them, of the integrity and honesty, which are the foundations that leeds are built on. the club's owner has also apologised to his derby counterpart for his manager's actions. andy murray has been back on court after all the emotion surrounding his impending retirement. he had a knock up, today on court at melbourne, with grigor dimitrov, as he warms up for his opening australian open match, against roberto bautista—agut, on monday morning. it is so significant because

it could be murray's final match because of the pain he has been talking about although if monday goes well, he could cling onto hope of bowing out at wimbleodn. of bowing out at wimbledon. a shocker for me, honestly, because we are the same age, the same generation. it is kind of sad to see him going through what he has been going through in the last couple of years with his injuries. as someone who has been through a major injury with my elbow in the last couple of years, i can definitely empathise with him and relate to what he's going through. 0bviously, probably the extent of his injury is even worse than mine. seems like he had not a very long career,