good evening. a saudi teenager whose efforts to escape her family gained worldwide attention — has arrived in canada where she's been granted asylum. last week rahaf mohammed al-qanun, who's 18, barricaded herself in a hotel room at bangkok airport, to resist deportation. she said she feared she'd be killed by her relatives — because she'd renounced islam. in the past few hours she arrived at toronto airport and was greeted by canada's foreign minister. nada twafik reports from toronto. ra haf rahaf mohammed al-qanun arrived with a smile as she took the first steps into her new life. how does it feel to be in canada? she was escorted out by the canadian foreign minister chrystia freeland who was on hand to welcome her and pass on flowers to one her supporters. after chronicling her ordeal on social media, she chose this moment, now safely in toronto, to let another speak on her behalf. she wanted

canadians to see that she is here, that she is well, and that she is very very happy to be in her new home. although she did comment to me about the cold. it has been a whirlwind journey for rahaf mohammed al-qanun, extraordinary that just a few days ago she was an unknown teenager and now she has commanded the attention of the world and reignited a debate about the treatment of women in saudi arabia. ra haf treatment of women in saudi arabia. rahaf mohammed al-qanun had been trying to reach australia by way of thailand when her passport was confiscated and she was told she would be deported. the 18 you barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and sent out fevered m essa 9 es hotel room and sent out fevered messages on twitter that she feared herfamily would messages on twitter that she feared her family would kill her for renouncing islam. i am not leaving here, i want asylum. within a day, the campaign went viral. piling on international pressure. thailand

immigration police who initially said her case was a family problem, instead placed her in the care of the united nations refugee agency which deemed her a legitimate refugee. saudi arabia and canada have been on bad terms ever since to work criticised the arrest of a woman's rights activist. this settle m e nt woman's rights activist. this settlement of ra haf woman's rights activist. this settlement of rahaf mohammed al-qanun will likely exacerbate the already tense relations between the countries. hundreds of people have marched through london today, 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. our political correspondent chris mason has more. central london this afternoon and left wing campaigners take to the streets. theresa may must go! people have seen brexit is a mess, the shambles the government is making a

bit, but what is the most important thing is to have a general election because we can then have a say on everything. we don't come out here to go around town a couple of weeks after christmas, the reason is to get rid of this government. also here, the shadow chancellor, with the same message. the only solution to austerity and the only solution to austerity and the only solution to tackling the threat brexit poses isa to tackling the threat brexit poses is a general election and the election of a labour government. this demonstration wasn't primarily about brexit but these campaigners like others see the prospect of the government's plans over brexit being defeated as an opportunity for them to sta ke defeated as an opportunity for them to stake a case for what they want instead. 170 miles north in sheffield, another crowd with a cause, this wanting another eu referendum. the obvious question to ask is about the two macro deals, the propositions that are actually on the table, one is from the

government and people may or may not like it, it is very uncertain, but it is there, and the other is the one we already have with the eu which in my view is a much better one, so let the people decide. the government is opposed to delivering what people here want. clearly there are people coming out who are complaining about the deal for one reason or another but i still think it is the only game in town, the thing that gets us out of the political institution and stops us paying so much money and ends freedom of movement and that is why i encourage people, if they want certainty, this is the way to do it. today was peaceful for the most part but this isolated incident in london was a reminder of the tension and anger brexit still provokes. chris mason, bbc news. firefighters have been tackling a blaze in the centre of paris after a powerful explosion that killed three people and injured nearly 50. police suspect a gas leak caused the blast in a bakery. our paris correspondent lucy williamson reports. on the site of a local

bakery, around the corner from the folies bergere, residents faced a charred and empty shell. the force of the gas explosion was felt in districts several miles away. the blast shattered windows, blew out doors, and sent locals and tourists into the street, straight from their beds. translation: when i walked past the entrance i heard a huge explosion. i was hit by the debris. i'm dry now and i've washed off a bit but there was a lot of blood on my neck and head, too. 200 firefighters were called in to help those trapped by the blast. among those whose lives they saved was a colleague, buried for almost two hours beneath the rubble. but two other firefighters died. translation: at 830 this morning firefighters were on a call for a gas leak and during their intervention a dramatic explosion happened. helicopters waited near the opera house to evacuate the wounded, some of whom are still in a serious condition.

the explosion is being treated as accidental but there is a risk of further fires and emergency work will continue all weekend. this smart and lively part of paris, packed with bars and theatres, looks very different tonight. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. 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 be affected every year under the plans. chi chi izundu reports. long enough to damage you but not long enough to heal you, that's how the prisons minister rory stewart described those serving sentences of six months or less in today's telegraph newspaper. right now, that's around 30,000 prisoners in england and wales, who have committed crimes like burglary or shoplifting. even a short spell behind bars could mean the loss of their home, job and family. we should not be using

prison for 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 really good for victims, it's good for the taxpayer and it will ease pressure on the prisons. in a statement, the ministry ofjustice said it's exploring potential alternatives and is yet to reach any conclusions. overcrowding in prisons like this one is a big problem in the uk, and the worry is, according to the government, that rehabilitation and reform won't happen. in fact, these prisons will turn one—time offenders into career criminals. this idea would need legislation to make it a reality and mps know promising to cut prison sentences is rarely a vote winner, and although prison reform groups have welcomed the idea, there is concern that victims of crimes are not being considered enough. i think victims will feel very resentful, that it's unfair. that they have had the trauma of what's happened to them. and they almost feel that

someone's got away with it. you don't want people to get away with things. a similar scheme in scotland has beenjudged a success and is being extended to sentences of 12 months. simplyjailing offenders has doubled the prison population since the 90s and the government suggests reform of the offender isn't enough. they also have to look at the system. chi chi izundu, bbc news. in rugby union ulster are on the brink of the european quarter—finals after a nail—biting win over racing 92 in belfast. they beat the parisians 26—22, as patrick gearey reports. they used to call this the ravenhill roar but now ulster stadium is officially known as the kingspan. whatever you name it, you can definitely hear it, especially when robert baloucoune of enniskillen went over on his european debut against racing 92 — one of the mightiest around. that try came from fermanagh. the next hailed from tyrone. jacob stockdale's smile summing up ulster‘s start. their dreamlike state lasted for the first 20 minutes before this brutal wake up call.

still, ulster responded, sending a kick into the path of stockdale, a try, surely, but fate and physics abandoned them. the smile remained. racing reduced the gap to six points at the break but perhaps stockdale knew something, because this time the ball bounced for him. were the celebrations too early? racing came back, of course. once this brilliant try was converted, they were one behind. belfast breath was baited but this kick sealed a famous victory on a day when these ulstermen well and truly stood up. patrick gearey, bbc news. we're back with the late news at ten. hello.

this is bbc news. 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 continue to argue over budgets. well this afternoon donald trump has been tweeting: saying he does have a plan on the shutdown. a short time ago i asked our correspondent in washington, david willis, about these latest comments from mr trump. president trump making the point that he's all alone in the white house, why don't the democrats come and negotiate with them? and in to a claim bya and negotiate with them? and in to a claim by a television reporter that he does not have a plan to end this

shutdown, the president to dojust he does not have a plan to end this shutdown, the president to do just a short while ago saying that he does. but to understand that plan, he says you would have to understand the fa ct you would have to understand the fact that i won the election, and i promised safety and security for the american people. part of that promise, he goes on, was a wall at the southern border, elections have consequences. so, clearly that is aimed at his base, the people who put him in the white house, and by and large those people are thought to generally support a wall along the us border with mexico. the president no doubt looking for their continued support and support going into the 2020 election, when he will be seeking reelection. david, there's so much bubbling away at the moment, isn't there? because in march you've got the debt ceiling issue that's coming up, you had fitch that have been issuing warnings over the us credit rating,

do you think reality is anywhere near biting for president trump, because the repercussions of this partial government shutdown, it appears it's starting to bite the people on the ground. they really are, for ordinary people who yesterday, of course, went without the first paycheque of the new year, this is all about car payments, mortgage payments, rent payments, mortgage payments, rent payments, and so on. payments that in many cases, because they are very often people who live paycheque to paycheque, they can't now afford to make. so this is, this is potentially building up into quite a prolonged and severe crisis. the president said yesterday that he will not be declaring a national emergency, as he had suggested in previous days that he might, that would be one way of circumventing congress, getting money from the wall by other means, and effectively ending the current shutdown will

stop he's not going to do that for now he says, so what is he going to do? with these two sides with the democrats and president trump has firmly entrenched as they seem to be, no further meetings between them possible between now and monday, because congress is in recess until monday. this is just because congress is in recess until monday. this isjust perhaps going to drag on and on. that was david was there speaking to me earlier from washington. heavy snow has been wreaking more havoc across large parts of europe, leaving roads blocked, trains services cancelled and schools shut. it's led to the deaths of 7 people in austria in the past week , and 2 hikers have been reported missing. bethany bell reports from the austrian alps. the little town of annaberg is blanketed in white. like many mountain regions in germany and austria, it's experiencing unusually heavy falls of snow. these sensors are there to protect houses from avalanches. the authorities are struggling to remove the snow.

these volunteer firefighters are working to clear the roof of anna berg primary school. steffan from the lawyer austrian fire brigade said they needed to insure the building is safe enough for children to enter. the big problem is that the snow is very heavy, so we have about 3.5 metres on the roofs, and that's the big problem. if it's changing and the snow gets heavier, the big problem is that the roof crashed down, and so it's very dangerous for people that are living here. cars have been buried under several metres of snow. and it's a constant struggle to keep paths and roads clear. in neighbouring germany, the army is helping to clear away snow. several areas have been declared disaster zones.

and there's more snow on the way, the risk of avalanches remains very high. bethany bell, bbc news, anna berg in the austrian alps. police in wisconsin have charged a 21—year—old man with kidnapping a teenage girl, and murdering her parents. jake patterson was arrested on 2 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. 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.

and using credit cards for gambling could be also be facing a ban. in a bid to target addiction, culture secretary jeremy 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. 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. we would be fine if we didn't have any returns, but we sort of accept that, it's like to be going to a retail shop, you expect to try a few things on before you want to buy something. this weekend our clearance sale, we've had ladies by three of the same dress in three different sizes, and i know that best case scenario, will stay 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's what shoppers are expecting. albay like a small and medium and then see which one fits pets, don't want to risk it. —— best. so i will send one back obviously because i don't need two. if you send it back, it's free. if you have to pay to send it back, i would probably just give it to a friend or sell it

or something like that i think. especially if things but kids like holiday clothes and things like that, just to try on and take things back. with it being easier on mine, a lot of people will do that. —— online. maybe not so much in the shops, because it's more hassle to come back. but i think yet, 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 said they are expecting this to be the busiest ever for returning online goods. that's why even some of the biggest 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 aren't sent back. you tend 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 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. coletta smith, bbc news, in new castle. the wreck of a world war one german submarine is gradually resurfacing on a beach in northern france after decades of being buried in the sand. shifting sand off wissant, near calais, is exposing the remains of the uc—61 which was stranded there injuly 1917. it is now becoming a tourist attraction again, although the local mayor warns it may only be a fleeting visit. since december, two sections of the submarine have been visible at low tide. 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 kind of motor system, but what's really catching peoples attention is the fact that the whole windscreen here is covered with this image, like a big screen, now the way they are doing that right now is by using a projector, struck to the ceiling. but i guess it's just one idea of what we might be able to do with the car, if it was to become self driving in the future. sojosh, tell us what we have here? this is the new lg style, we have no need for plumbing hookups or anything like that. all you do as you fill the water reservoir down here, generates the steam back here, so the shaking what does the shaking

do? at stopping the wrinkles out or what? the steam comes up from the bottom, hetero allows the wrinkles to be released. it penetrates from the inside out, opening up the diamond and it penetrates the shaking helps everything go away. how many times have you had to explain why this is shaking? way too many. you have the patience of a saint. here's a cute little robot from samsung, called the retail box, and it's designed to intelligently know it's way around a restaurant, could bring you your food, it could one use the plate is hot, and it may even suggested dessert, because he —— who needs a human to do that? i guess we found the sony stand.

three, two, one go. one of the trends that we found here is video equipment being sold specifically for video bloggers or vloggers, it's big business for companies like sony, because many of those bloggers are using equipment that is more expensive than big broadcasters like the bbc. that's it, for ces 2019, but it's certainly not over for tech in 2019. this is going to be a huge year, and we're just getting started. and you can read and watch reports from the event by dave and the rest of the bbc tech team at hyperlink "http://bbc. co. uk/ces2019"bbc. co. uk— /ce52019 ? it's all there for you. let's find out how the weather is looking here is susan powell.

skies look like this on saturday, quite flat great, just the occasional promise of something a little bit brighter. hopefully, someday it will deliver. as clear skies start to feed him from the north. behind this weather friend, it's a cold weather front. not going to do much in terms of bringing rainfall, but it will start to introduce just rainfall, but it will start to introducejust some rainfall, but it will start to introduce just some slightly chillier air. in the next few days, we're going to sit on the boundary between some cold air coming in from the arctic, and milder trying to push in from the atlantic. that's going to flip flop our temperatures as we move into next week. for sunday, what we have a smile they're sitting to the south ahead of that cold weather front, and sitting to the south ahead of that cold weatherfront, and quite sitting to the south ahead of that cold weather front, and quite a sitting to the south ahead of that cold weatherfront, and quite a bit of clout around. temperatures though still set to reach double figures. for the north, the skies should be brighter, and showers for northern and western scotland. temperatures will fall through the day behind that cold front come afternoon and we're looking at seven or 8 degrees for glascow and aberdeen. overnight

sunday into monday, the colder air will slide all the way south across the uk, and another weatherfeature will start to make its way south, behind that the air will be cold still. he gets a clue that by the frost developing and of the wintry showers down the north sea. this is how that looks on monday morning, here's that other weather feature, skies looking pretty clear for monday, there will be a lot of sunshine, but it will be a pretty chilly start to what will turn out to bea chilly start to what will turn out to be a rather chilly day. should be some sunshine around, hazy sun to the northwest, thanks to some high cloud cover, but it will feel colder, especially with the northerly breeze. it won't be particularly strong, temperatures are looking generally sixes and sevens, perhaps double figures to the southwest and across south wales. hugo tuesday, we turn it on its head, the wind direction change, its head, the wind direction change, it south—westerly. rain pushing into scotland, we should see perhaps indecent amounts of sunshine at times, but temperatures do a great job at recovering their back—up with figures we will see through the

weekend, tens andy levens. then come wednesday, it will change once again, low pressure starts to sink its way south across the uk, more clout around generally, you can see some white here showing up on the chart, colder air some white here showing up on the chart, colderair digging into that weather system, showing things trying to turn a little more wintry. still mild in the south on wednesday, temperatures sliding back down again from the north as the day goes on. it's this weather front fighting its way south that will then pushed all the way south overnight wednesday into thursday, move back into northerly regime, you can see the wintry showers showing up can see the wintry showers showing up here across scotland, thursday, a day bringing a lot of us some widespread spells of sunshine, but it will be old. light winds we are expecting quite frosty nights as well, our daytime hot highs on thursday four or 5 degrees. again a real change. friday, doesn't see much change either, and on into next weekend, the jet stream that feeds us our weekend, the jet stream that feeds us our weather system splits across

the uk. all the action goes north or south, we sit in no man's land with a wobbling area of high pressure through next weekend. so nothing too dramatic happening, on into the following week though it looks like this weather system could head our way, and behind it is improperly cold air. so into the following week, it looks like things could turn colder, widespread overnight frost, and stay tuned because there could be an increased risk of snow. hello this is bbc news with lukwesa burak. the headlines. a saudi teenager whose efforts to escape her family gained worldwide attention has arrived in canada where she's been granted asylum. protesters have marched through central london demanding a general election and an end to austerity. hundreds of demonstrators were wearing yellow vests copying recent protests in france. police have arrested a man in connection with incidents in westminster earlier this week. james goddard seen here

in the high—visibility vest was detained by officers this morning on suspicion of a public order offence. two french firefighters and a spanish tourist have been killed in a powerful explosion in central paris caused by a gas leak at a bakery. nearly 50 other people were injured. prison sentences of less than six months in england and wales could be scrapped under plans being considered by the government. ministers think it could cut re—offending. now on bbc news it's time for sportsday. hello and welcome to sportsday with us. the headlines this evening. after two defeats on the spin liverpool are back to winning ways in the premier league. it's rice, rice baby

for west ham as declan stars in west ham's win over arsenal. and it's a great day for the irish in the champions cup with wins for ulster and leinster over their french opponents. also coming up in the programme — as andy murray begins the long goodbye, we ask what's next for british tennis.