good afternoon. the ministry ofjustice says it's considering proposals to abolish prison sentences of less than six months in england and wales. ministers say short sentences are less effective at cutting re—offending than community penalties. it's thought about 30,000 offenders would avoid jail every year under the plans. ben ando reports. 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 reoffend 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 was their home,

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. we should not be imprisoning these people. we should be turning their lives around and giving them support, dealing with their drug addiction, their homelessness, and getting them to make amends for the wrong they've done. that's good for victims and it's good for the taxpayer and it will ease pressure on the prisons. abandoning such short prison sentences in england and wales is stilljust a proposal. legislation would be needed. and politicians know promising to send fewer lawbreakers 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. thousands of demonstrators are marching through london, demanding a general election and an end to austerity. it comes ahead of a crucial week in the commons, when mps are widely expected to reject theresa may's withdrawal deal with the eu. 0ur political correspondent tom barton is in central london at the protest. how's it going? this protest isjust getting under way, they arejust starting to march from here outside the bbc down to trafalgar square. this protest is organised by the left—wing group people's assembly, their message is that brexit is not their message is that brexit is not the only issue affecting the country, it's one of a number of issues and the best way to solve thoseissues issues and the best way to solve those issues and unlock the brexit deadlock is to hold another general

election. this is not the only protest taking place today, there is also one in sheffield organised by the peoples vote campaign, that is calling for another brexit referendum. this is all happening ahead of another big week in the brexit debate, mps due to vote on tuesday, finally, over the prime minister's brexit deal. it might be noisy here and sheffield today but it will be noisy in the house of commons as well. firefighters have been tackling a blaze in the centre of paris after a powerful explosion killed several people and injured at least 37. cars were wrecked and other buildings were damaged by the blast. police suspect a gas leak caused the explosion which occurred in a bakery around nine o'clock this morning. the partial shutdown of the us government has become the longest in the country's history as it goes into its 22nd day. there have been widespread protests with hundreds of thousands of government workers not being paid. the standoff between president trump

and the democrats in congress is over funding for the wall he promised on the border with mexico. heavy snowfalls have brought chaos to parts of northern europe. in austria, the heaviest snowfall in 30 years — which was up to three metres deep in places — has left alpine resorts and villages cut off. and in germany hundreds of soldiers joined emergency workers to clear roofs and roads in bavaria. now it's that time of year — returns season. in fact the office for national statistics estimates that a quarter of our christmas shopping could be sent back. anything bought online is more likely to be returned, and in women's clothing the percentage can be as high as 50%. it's a huge cost for stores, and, as our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith reports, retailers are starting to fight back. picking, packing and mailing out.

it's been a busy couple of weeks for this online fashion company. but staff here know that, like a boomerang, a good chunk of these clothes come straight back. this is just today's returns. 0h, we would be flying if we did not have any returns but we sort of accept that. you know, it is like if you go into a retail shop, you do sort of expect to try a few things on before you want to buy something. this week in our clearance sale, we have had ladies buy three of the same dress in three different sizes and i know that, you know, best case scenario, one will stay out. however, if they actually get the dress, three might come back, which is quite heartbreaking when you know the cost of, you know, getting things back and forth. but increasingly that is what shoppers are expecting. i will buy a small and a medium and see which one fits best because i do not want to risk it, so i will send one back, because, obviously, i do not need two. only if, also...

if you send it back, it is free. if you have to pay to send it back, i will probably just give it to a friend or sell it or something like that. yeah, over ordering, especially things for the kids, like holiday clothes and things like that, ordering loads to try on and then taking things back. with it being easier online, a lot of people will do that. maybe not so much in the shops because it is more of a hassle to come back but a lot of my friends do it. the amount of stuff being brought back to shops has increased dramatically over the last couple of years. royal mail say they are expecting this year to be their busiest ever for returning online goods. that is why some of the biggest online stores, like next, have decided to start charging people to return some items. but most retailers are using softer techniques to make sure too many things are not sent back. we are tending to see more online technology that suggests what size you might want to buy. they are paying more attention to the photography, or indeed the videos of the things they are selling, to help the customer have a better sense of what they are buying. retailers will have to work harder

to help customers get it right first time or swallow the extra cost, because for customers, sending things back is now part and parcel of the shopping process. colletta smith, bbc news, in newcastle. with all the sport now, here's mike bushell at the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. andy murray has been back on court warming up for what could be his last match at a grand slam on monday in the first round of the austrlian 0pen. he could retire after this tournament or possibly continue until wimbeldon. whatever happens, the focus will trun to his successors. joe lynskey has been looking at the future of british tennis. cheering of the waiting is over! andy murray is the briton who redefined his exports ambition but after the waiting and the thrill of the ride,

what comes next? his match on monday morning could be the last time we see him in court. so hampered is he by injury he will not expect to challenge for the australian open. more realistic hopes could rest with kyle edmund, britain's new number one reached the semifinals last year. the experiences i've had with him and memories in terms of training with him and getting to know personally, and seeing what he's done on the court, i don't know, it's a very unfair question to say can you fill this void because he's gone for something like that. further down the british ranks are young players approaching the spotlight. cameron norrie nails it for britain. already cameron norrie has made a davis cup impactand cameron norrie has made a davis cup impact and last night he made his first tour final. but at the same age of 23 andy murray was already a grand slam finalist and british tennis is still assessing what it looks like without him.

tennis is still assessing what it looks like without himlj tennis is still assessing what it looks like without him. i think it looks like without him. i think it looks good but nobody will replace andy murray too quickly. he's special. dan evans hopefully on the way back. cameron norrie doing great as well but it could be a while before the shoes are filled. the dream is over for another year. the home expectations have now changed on the grass, after the waiting, andy murray brought the sunlight. now this sport must emerge from what he leaves behind. in today's football the early kick—off is a london derby between west ham and arsenal, who are still harbouring hopes of a top four finish. west ham's marco arnuatovich is playing after the all the specualtion about him being tempted by an offer to play in china, but so far neither he nor the arsenal strikers have found a way through and it's goaless. leeds united's owner has apologised to his derby counterpart for actions of his manager, marcelo bielsa, who sent an employee to spy on a derby training session before their championship match last night that leeds won.

the subject has divided opinions with some footballing figures saying it's not a story because it didn't break any rules or law, but others argue its unethical and former england international, jermainejenas has called for leeds to have points deducted. bbc radio leeds' adam pope, says that's unlikely. to say there should be a points deduction isjust way to say there should be a points deduction is just way beyond any reasonable measure because at the end of the day marseille will be also has admitted to doing this himself, again, what rule has he broken? culturally you could say we are very different and it's a violation of fair play in the eyes of frank lampard the derby county head coach but if there is to be a sanction and bear in mind the manager is willing to accept anything that comes his way and that should be a fine on a reprimand but against the club? i don't see that at all, it's not likely have masterminded this. at the end of the day the one thing that has come through all the season is that he is a man of honesty and he's very humble and a servant of the game and

he generally feels he's done nothing wrong here. charley hull has claimed her first victory, for over, two years, after winning the opening tournament, of the 2019 ladies european tour season. the 22—year—old had a three under par final round of 69 to win the ladies 0pen in abu dhabi by a single shot. it's only her second career win and her first on the ladies european tour that's the sport. you can find more on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport. that's all from me. the next news on bbc one is at six o'clock , bye for now. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel. let's bring you up to date on a story breaking this lunchtime. police have arrested the hardline pro—brexit campaignerjames goddard. he was detained outside a london underground station this morning on suspicion of a public order offence. james goddard was involved in a protest outside parliament earlier this week when the remain—supporting conservative mp, anna soubry, was called a nazi. in other news, 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. the conservative vice—chair for london, paul scully, said it's imperative that theresa may's brexit deal gets through parliament without any delay. i don't think that's realistic, because if you start come... postponing it, people will feel cheated. that's why this deal is the best way of getting to the next stage and starting negotiating our future relationship. we are only

halfway through the protest, either way. labour have said they will reject the prime minister's deal, and want a general election. their shadow business minister, laura pidcock stressed there are other important issues affecting the country, other than brexit. it's clearly a crisis. we have to sort that out. it's an imminent political priority that must be sorted out. there is deadlock. theresa may has had two years to sort this out and get us a good deal. we'll be voting down the deal next week. the point of this march and this rally today is to say that there are many other issues that people are upset and discontent about. you just have to look at the system of universal credit. it is punishing people. no announcement from amber rudd is going to tell us otherwise. brexit is immensely important, but it is not the only issue. let's return to that standoff between president trump and members of the us congress over funding for a wall on the mexican border. it's now resulted in a record—breaking government shutdown.

let's return to that standoff between president trump and members 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.

the federal government is shut down right now. 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. 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. as we've been hearing, 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. police have arrested the hardline pro—brexit campaignerjames goddard. he was detained outside a london underground station this morning on suspicion of a public order offence. he was involved in a protest outside parliament earlier this week when the remain supporting conservative mp anna soubry was called a nazi. let's speak to our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford, who is on the line. what more can you tell us at this point? we are following the protests by james

goddard and some of the others that seemed to be shouting at anna soubry on that footage that was filmed early in the week. there are about 200 or 300 people marching through central london, taking a route from westminster to victoria and down to pimlico. as the march assembled, at about 20 to 12 this morning, we saw james goddard being arrested by police. when we asked police what it was about, they said it related to a public order offence. they weren't more specific than that. certainly, james goddard hadn't done anything at that point this morning, so we assumed it related to events earlier in the week. daniel, we will leave at there. thanks for the update. 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 o'brien has been following the story. jaime disappeared the night her parents were shot dead in western wisconsin. at a briefing, please described how thousands of volunteers searched in vain 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 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 counts of first—degree homicide for the murder ofjayme's parents and one count of kidnapping. police say that the suspect had no 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 what offered for information. local officers say they never gave up hope of finding jayme alive. we have been hearing about the heavy snow in europe. but what about closer to home? susan has the forecast. could it be any more different here? super mild this weekend, temperatures of 11 and 12 celsius, above average for the time of year. sky like these are quite widespread currently, and we will see more cloud piling into the north—west as the others go by. little gaps, but a wet story as the afternoon comes to a close. temperatures of ten or 11

celsius. overnight, we don't move far, perhaps coming down by one or 2 degrees. a little rain briefly for eastern england through the evening, heavier downpours for scotland and northern ireland, perhaps a few showers for northern england. the night—time lows are higher than the daytime highs would normally be at this time of year. there is a cold front sinking self, allowing brighter skies to come in for sunday, but eventually, it will mean colder air coming sunday, but eventually, it will mean colderaircoming in sunday, but eventually, it will mean colder air coming in from the north. mild to the south but quite cloudy, brighterfurther north, mild to the south but quite cloudy, brighter further north, and mild to the south but quite cloudy, brighterfurther north, and by the afternoon, temperatures sliding down into single figures. 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. the french interior minister says four people have died and dozens injured after an explosion at a bakery in central paris. 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. now on bbc news: china has more millennials than the total population of the united states. in this special programme, adam shaw investigates the impact they're having on china and the wider world. 400 million chinese millennials are about to change the world. they will do that both in the new businesses

they create and the power represent as consumers. it's a change that will revolutionise china but will also have far—reaching implications for businesses and people right around the world. in much of the west of the globe there are known as the millennials, here in china, there are also known under a different name, translation: i think my father's generation lack an understanding of millennials and therefore, distrust us. if you're interested in the macro economic or political scene but also who is going to be affecting your local real estate market this young generation, you have to pay attention to. they are driving the consumption, they are driving digital adoption, they are digital natives,

and the companies who are winning, there is no way they can win without focusing on that group. millennials are absolutely running the show. this is the annual taoboa festival, it is run by the world's biggest retailer alibaba and offers a showcase for mainly millennial entrepreneurs and their products.