this is bbc news. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: how does it feel to be in canada? a warm welcome in canada for the saudi teenager whose efforts to escape her family gained worldwide attention. three people die and nearly 50 are injured in a powerful gas explosion at a paris bakery. another democrat throws their hat into the presidential ring — a former texas mayor, julian castro, announces plans to run for the us presidency in 2020. a saudi teenager whose efforts to escape her family gained attention around the world has finally arrived in canada where she's been granted asylum. last week, rahaf mohammed al-qunun barricaded herself in a hotel room at bangkok airport

to resist deportation. the 18—year—old feared she'd be killed by her relatives because she'd shared her story on social media and renounced islam. she arrived in toronto from where nada tawfik reports. rahaf al-qunun arrived with a smile as she took the first steps into her new life. rahaf, how does it feel to be in canada? she was escorted out by canada's foreign minister, chrystia freeland, who was on hand to welcome her and to pass on flowers from one of ra haf‘s 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's here, that she's well, and that she's very, very happy to be in her new home. although she did comment to me about the cold. it's been a whirlwind journey for rahaf al-qunun. it's extraordinary that just a few

days ago she was an unknown teenager and now she has commanded the attention of the world's media and reignited a debate about the treatment of women in saudi arabia. and i'm still in the room. rahaf al-qunun 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—year—old barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and sent out fevered tweets saying that she feared her family would kill her for renouncing islam. i'm not leaving my room until i see unhcr. i want asylum. within a day, the campaign #saverahaf went viral, piling on international pressure. thai immigration police initially said her case was a family matter, but reversed course and placed her in the care of the un's refugee agency. after a review, unhcr said she was a legitimate refugee. her family has denied any abuse. saudi arabia and canada have been

on bad terms ever since ottawa criticised riyadh‘s arrests of women's rights activists in a tweet months ago. ra haf al-qunun‘s resettlement will likely exacerbate the already tense relations between the two countries. nada tawfik, bbc news, toronto. three people, including two firefighters, have died and nearly 50 others injured in a powerful explosion at a bakery in the centre of paris. firefighters have been tackling the blaze throughout the day. police suspect a gas leak caused the blast. our paris correspondent lucy williamson reports. on the site of a local bakery, round 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. along rue trevise, 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. it's dry now and i washed off a bit, but there was a lot of blood on my neck and my 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: firefighters were dealing with the blaze. the explosion is probably from a gas leak. it has had a very heavy toll on civilians, but also on firefighters who were on site. 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's a risk of further fires and emergency work will continue all weekend. a crisis centre has been set up to

house and care for the area's new homeless. this is not an lively part of paris packed with bars and theatres look very different tonight. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. the texas democratjulian castro has formally declared he wants to run for president of the united states. he's a former mayor of san antonio who went on to serve in president obama's cabinet. the announcement makes him the first hispanic in what looks set to be a crowded field of candidates vying for the position to challenge president donald trump in the november 2020 election. he's long been viewed as a rising star in the democratic party and will seek to position himself as a political outsider with liberal credentials. here's how he made his announcement. when my grandmother got here almost 100 years ago, i'm sure that she never could've imagined thatjust two generations later, one of her grandsons would be serving as a member of the united states congress and the other would be

standing with you here today to say these words, "i am a candidate for president of the united states of america." cheering and applause. let's get some of the day's other news. more than 80,000 people have taken part in ‘yellow vest‘ demonstrations across france according to the interior ministry. police in paris fired water cannons and tear gas to push back a large group of demonstrators around the arc de triomphe monument. today's protest marks the ninth consecutive weekend of yellow vest rallies against french president emmanuel macron‘s economic policies. an opposition presidential candidate in the democratic republic of congo, martin fayulu, has demanded a full recount of votes from last month's presidential election. another opposition leader, felix tshisekedi, was declared the winner, but mr fayulu has accused him of striking a power—sharing deal with the outgoing president, joseph kabila. mr fayulu says the whole election was rigged and he's filed a petition at the constitutional court challenging the outcome. theresa may has warned

of a "catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust" in democracy if mps reject her brexit deal and the uk remains in the european union. with just two days to go before the commons vote on her withdrawal agreement, the prime minister pleaded with parliamentarians to "do what is right for our country" and back her controversial exit plan. mrs may said the uk risks crashing out of the eu without a deal or, if mps are "unwilling" to face the uncertainty of no deal, then the uk may not leave at all. meanwhile, hundreds of people have marched through london, demanding a general election and an end to austerity. our political correspondent

chris mason has more. chanting: tories out! refugees in! central london this afternoon and left—wing campaigners take to the streets. theresa may must go! people have seen brexit's an absolute mess, the shambles the government is making of it, but really, what is the most important thing is to get a general election because then people can actually have a say on everything. have you got a spring in your step at the moment? absolutely. absolutely, yes! you don't come out two weeks after christmas to plod around town, do you? you come for a reason and the reason is to get rid of this government. securing a general election isn't straightforward, but the shadow chancellor was also here to make the case for it. the only solution to austerity, the only solution to tackling the threat that brexit poses is a general election and the election of a labour government. this demonstration here wasn't primarily about brexit, but this gathering, like others,

is about seizing a political opportunity, seeing that the government is likely to lose on its plan for leaving the european union on tuesday, and so making the most of pressing for what they want instead. 170 miles north in sheffield, another crowd with a cause, this one wanting another eu referendum. but what would be the question? the obvious question to ask is about the two deals, the two propositions that are actually on the table. one is for the government, and people may or may not like it, it's very uncertain, but it's there, and the other deal is the one we already have with the eu, in my view, much better, but let the people decide. the government's implacably opposed to delivering what people here want and its supporters are still trying to sell its plan. clearly, there's a lot of people coming out that are complaining about the deal for one way

or the other, but i still think it's the only game in town — it's the thing that gets us out of the political institution, stops paying so much money in, ends freedom of movement, and allows us to start the trade deals, and that's why i still encourage people, if they want certainty, this is the way to do it. today was peaceful, for the most part, but this isolated incident, scuffles between rival protesters, was a reminder of the tension and anger swirling around our politics. chris mason, bbc news. ministers are being warned that a proposal to scrap prison sentences of six months or less will only work if there is more investment in the probation services. the government says short sentences are less effective at cutting reoffending than community penalties. it's thought thousands of offenders in england and wales could be affected every year under the plans. chi chi izundu reports. "long enough to damage you and 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. annually, there are some 30,000 offenders in england and wales, who've committed crimes like burglary or shoplifting, who this could affect. but realistically, because of turnover, at any one time, it would free up around 3,500 prison places. 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 are calls for better funding of every element of thejudicial system. i wouldn't say that the rehabilitation side works. it patently obviously doesn't. but what needs to happen is prison needs to be made to work. and that means investing in prisons so that the conditions are better, so that there is rehabilitative activity all day, every day when they're there, and we maximise the chances of them not coming back. a similar scheme in scotland has been judged 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. parts of germany, austria and sweden are suffering exceptional amounts of snow, which have already killed seven people in the past week. bethany bell reports now from anna—bairk

—— annaberg in 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 annaberg's primary school. stefan obermeister from the lower austrian fire brigade says they need to ensure 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, because if the weather is changing and the snow gets heavier, the big problem is that

the roofs crash down and so it is very dangerous for the people who 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, annaberg in the austrian alps. this is bbc news. the headlines: the saudi teenager who fled to thailand in fear for her life has arrived in canada where she's been granted asylum. theresa may has warned of a "catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust" in democracy if mps reject her brexit deal and the uk remains

in the european union. south africa's governing party the anc has putjobs at the centre of its election campaign as it launched its manifesto in durban. thousands of supporters turned out to hear party leader, and president cyril ramaphosa outline his promises to transform the economy. but with a quarter of south africans unemployed, the party has a huge challenge on its hands. nomsa maseko reports from durban. a show of force by tens of thousands of anc supporters as president cyril ramaphosa launched the party's election manifesto. it has been a while since south africa's governing party pulled such a massive crowd. especially in kwazulu—natal, which is former presidentjacob zuma's home province, who was ousted in 2017

after nine years at the helm. this is an annual event which sets the tone for the anc‘s plans for the year but this time it is even more significant. south africa marks 25 years since the first democratic elections and millions will be going back to the polls. most credible opinion polls suggest the anc will secure enough votes to form the next government. that is despite declining support and small economic growth. the party's president, cyril ramaphosa, said the anc would do all it can to regain the confidence of all south africans. today at the african national congress, we launch our 2019 election manifesto. we do so at a crucial moment in the history of our nation. after a period of doubt and uncertainty, we have arrived at a moment of hope and renewal. the new leadership has vowed

to raise millions of dollars in foreign direct investment to drivejob creation, particularly among the youth and women. there are more unemployed, you know. so cyril ramaphosa will take all the problems of south africa and will cover all of them. to fight poverty, unemployment, especially for women and the youth. another critical electioneering point will be the party's land reform policy. and with the amendment of the constitution to expropriate land without compensation passed, the anc believes it is keeping its promises. nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban. there's still no sign

of a breakthrough in the partial government shutdown in the us, which is now officially the longest in history. president trump is refusing to sign measures to pay all federal employees because democrats in congress won't include funding for the wall he promised on the border with mexico. david willis is in washington. it is a sign of the sheer dysfunction here, that the president is in the building behind me, waiting for congressional democrats to make contact, and they are at home with theirfamilies. hence the president is doing what he tends to do when he is restless and that is tweet. and, in response to claims that he doesn't have a plan to end to the current shutdown, he tweeted that he does, adding: "to understand that plan, you would have to understand the fact that i won the election and i promised safety and security for the american people. elections have consequences." now, the president is also on the record as claiming that democrats form the bulk of those who are currently involved in this government shutdown. meanwhile, all the buildings around me are in darkness. many people are trying to work out how to make ends meet and it is snowing.

washington's winter of discontent mayjust be getting started. secretary of state mike pompeo is confident that the us and turkey can reach an agreement on a way to protect america's kurdish allies in syria after its troops pull out. us forces have fought alongside the kurds in northern syria against islamic state jihadists. the turks regard the kurdish fighters as terrorists. mr pompeo is on a middle east tour which is intended to reassure washington's allies following president trump's announcement last month that us forces would be withdrawn from syria. barbara plett usher is monitoring his trip from riyadh. this dispute with turkey over america's turkish allies has overshadowed mr pompeo's trip. he told journalists he had spoken with his turkish counterpart and an agreement might be possible. one that would all other turks to defend their country from legitimate terror threats. it would also protect those kurds who have been fighting the islamic state group alongside the americans and who he said were not terrorists. the turks think they are and have not publicly with rollback plans against them. mr pompeo really

wa nts to plans against them. mr pompeo really wants to turn the focus to countering iran. he has court three united airfront countering iran. he has court three united air front against what he describes as destabilising activity. saudi arabia is key to that. outrage over the recent saudi murder of the murder left —— journalist jamal khashoggi, they wanted the saudis to give a more credible explanation of what happened. mr pompeo would press them on this point. upper plate are sure, bbc news, riyadh. now, for a bit of history. in the last years of stalin's life, the soviet leader pursued a campaign against many of the doctors in moscow, accusing them of attempting to assassinate high ranking soviet officials. natasha rapoport was the daughter of one of the doctors who was arrested, and she speaks to witness about the doctor's plot. there was a loud knock at the door.

i opened the door and there was a crowd, a big crowd of men. i have decided that they were burglars, that they came to take a furniture. and then there was a telephone call. one of them grabbed me and screamed at me and it was too much for me. i fainted. i was unconscious for several hours. it was the last year

of stalin's life when he became extremely paranoid and he arrested all major doctors in the kremlin hospital. they were accused of spying for england, israel, america and deliberately killing high—level comments party members. major targets. you couldn't, you know, turn on the radio. at the moment you turn on the radio. at the moment you turn it, you only hear about this killer doctors. scum on the earth, people that sold their soul to the devil. rumours are spreading. there we re devil. rumours are spreading. there were threats of hangings on red square. but he refused to sign false

accusations. he was kept there in ma na cles accusations. he was kept there in manacles and many, many days and nights without sleeping. if he signed it, it would have been his death sentence. they didn't expect this happening to my father. i was brainwashed. i grew up in soviet school. in march five, 1953, stalin died. the situation of the doctors in prison changed immediately. translation: made a rememberthe marvellous evening when i was called

to go downstairs. i was taken in a prison van to see a general and he told me you are free, you have been totally rehabilitated and can go home. that was a big celebration in a house. at the time of stalin's death. because it was stalin's death and for us, it was the return of the father. i think, and for us, it was the return of the father. ithink, i and for us, it was the return of the father. i think, i am sure, that the dock of‘s plot accelerated stalin ‘s death because he didn't have doctors to help him. when his stroke happened, there was nobody at hand to help him. isn't it amazing? a new squad of mounted police wearing traditional outfits have gone on patrol in mexico city.

the "charras" have been recruited to keep the streets safe and help tourists find their way around. 30 of them are on duty around the capital's landmarks, the palace of fine arts, alameda central and garibaldi square and are proving a big hit with locals and tourists alike. let's have a look at the weather with chris fawkes. hello there. temperatures on saturday reached 12 degrees in strathallan. six celsius higher than the january average in this part of scotland. it was a mild day with rain for western scotland and that rain continues to edge southwards. if you are heading outside over the next few hours it is worth taking wet weather gear with you across scotland, northern ireland and the far north of england. it can be quite blustery and very mild as well. temperatures between eight and 10 celsius to start day on sunday. on sunday we have two weather fronts to look at. the first week of front will move southwards across england and wales and a more significant occluded front here across northern scotland will bring heavy rain to the north of scotland with colder air following that.

for sunday, a cloudy day for england and wales with a few patches of rain working southwards. bright weather in the afternoon with showers working into northern western areas and more persistent rain in the north of scotland. wherever you are it will be a blustery day weatherwise and temperature wise there will be big contrast from south to north across the country. much of england and wales will see temperatures similar to that on saturday, 11, 12 degrees. notice it gets cooler further north and cold in shetland where temperatures reached just two degrees. a fair few wintry showers with a little bit of sleet and a few fronts of snow mixed in with showers during the latter part of the afternoon. the week starts mild, rain in the north and west, the week ahead starts on a mild note. there will be rain around particularly for western

scotland and the highlands look wet. it becomes much colder later in the week. chilly and on monday across the north—east scotland the mildest air tends to be across western and southern parts of the country but quite cold air across the north and east. temperature just around one celsius. tuesday and wednesday we have a slow—moving weather front that will bring heavy persistent outbreaks of rain to western scotland, particularly into the highlands and western isle looking wet. temperatures are rising again, 10 degrees widely and temperature is reaching around seven degrees here. it will get milder for all of us as we reach wednesday and thursday we will start to see a more significant push of arctic wind moving down and replacing these milder westerly wind. for all of us as we head through thursday, the temperature will drop even a little below normal for the time of year at the same time, with the cold air of arriving it should be a little bit more in the way of sunshine. that's your latest weather. this is bbc news.

the headlines: a saudi teenager who fled from her family, fearing that they would kill her for renouncing islam, has arrived in toronto where she's been offered asylum. rahaf al-qunun, who's 18, barricaded herself in a hotel room in bangkok and used social media to highlight her case. theresa may has warned of a "catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust" in democracy if mps reject her brexit deal and the uk remains in the european union. the prime minister has pleaded with parliamentarians to "do what is right for our country" and back her controversial exit plan. the trade union that represents probation officers has welcomed government proposals to abolish most prison sentences of six months or less in england and wales, but said they won't work unless they're given more resources. the number of families in england

sharing their rented home with adult children or professionals has trebled in the last 27 years, according to research by the resolution foundation. it says not enough homes