live from london, this is bbc news. a breakfrom tradition — the king's christmas message will be delivered at a former hospital chapel rather than buckingham palace. a woman dies after being set alight on the new york subway in an apparently random attack — police arrest a suspect. the uk economy flatlines — revised figures show gdp failed to grow at all in the last quarter. honda and nissan enter talks to merge, as they aim to improve their standing in the electric car market hello. this year's king's christmas message has been recorded outside of a royal

residence for the first time in almost two decades. the speech was filmed in a former hospital chapel earlier this month. the king, queen camilla and the princess of wales have all battled health issues this year. our royal correspondent, daniela relph, has more. tucked away amongst the modern blocks of flats and offices in central london, a small peaceful space that will this year host a piece of royal history. the king is said to have been bowled over by the beauty of this chapel. once a place of solace and reflection, for patients, staff and family using the middlesex hospital before the hospital closed in 2005. after a year where the king was diagnosed with cancer and is still undergoing treatment he wanted his christmas broadcast to come from a location connected to health care and somewhere used by the local community.

with the particular year the family have had, the chapel and its connection to the hospital and the wider health care profession is what made it the choice for them. but it is also, its life now is as a charity in the local community so it's open to community groups, we have local choirs, we have festivals that happen in the local community, events happening here. and so it's very much rooted in the community. the chapel is not consecrated and open to people of all faiths. the king wanted to do something different this year, to make his message more personal and delivered from a space used by the community. but taking a christmas broadcast out of a royal residence is highly unusual. i am sure that most of you will be celebrating christmas at home.

in 2003 queen elizabeth took her christmas message to a barracks in windsor and she thanked servicemen and women and their families but virtually every other christmas broadcast has come from a royal residence. to choose this intimate chapel is a significant break from convention from a king who this year wants his christmas broadcast to reflect some of the experiences and challenges he has faced. police in new york have arrested a suspect after a woman was set on fire and killed on a subway train. police said the man approached the woman on board the f train at coney island on sunday morning, as she appeared to be sleeping, and set fire to her clothes with a lighter. 0fficers responded with fire extinguishers, but the victim died at the scene. cbs news correspondent naomi ruchim gave us this update from new york. this all happened around 7:30am yesterday as the train approached the last stop in brooklyn. that's when the suspect

walked up to the woman, lit her on fire, using what appeared to be a lighter, and then stayed on scene, watching her burn from the train platform. the victim's clothes became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, and police say there appeared to be no interaction between the victim and her attacker before she was lit on fire. nearby officers saw and smelled the smoke. they immediately ran over to investigate, used a fire extinguisher to put out those flames, but sadly, the woman died on that train. later in the day yesterday, a person of interest was ta ken into custody, thanks to the help of three high school—age new york ofs. ——three high school—age new yorkers. these teenagers saw the person of interest on a different subway and called police. police eventually stopped that train and arrested a man. he was wearing the same clothes as he was seen in earlier and was found

with a lighter in his pocket. police say they were able to get incredibly clear and detailed images of the suspect from the initial incident, giving them a very clear picture of what they were looking for. they then asked the media to broadcast those images far and wide in order to use the viewing public as a force multiplier, and the commission said new yorkers and specifically those teenagers came through. police said the person of interest came to the us from guatemala in 2018. so far, no charges have been filed, but investigators are questioning him and trying to figure out a motive. police had been offering a $10,000 reward for any information on the incident. they have also not yet been able to identify the victim, but police are crediting the public and their own officers from working together to solve this heinous crime. presidentjoe biden has commuted the sentences of 37 out of a0 federal death row inmates, changing their punishment to life imprisonment without parole.

the act of clemency, that cannot be reversed by president—elect donald trump, applies to all federal death row inmates except three convicted of terrorism or hate—motivated mass murder. the decision follows months of pressure from campaigners who warned that mr trump backs the death penalty and restarted federal executions during his first term after a pause of nearly two decades. officials in mozambique say the number of people killed after the cyclone chido hit the country last week has rised to 120. the cyclone hit mozambique on 15 december with winds of 260 kilometres per hour and dumped 250 millmetres of rainfall in the first 2a hours. it struck the african nation after causing widespread devastation in the french island of mayotte in the indian ocean. japanese carmakers honda and nissan have begun merger talks, with the aim

of creating the world's third—largest auto manufacturer, after toyota and volkswagen. the integration would give the two companies scale and the ability to share resources, in the face of intense competition in the electric vehicle market. smaller carmaker mitsubishi, in which nissan is a big shareholder, is also considering joining the alliance. honda's boss denied suggestions that the planned merger amounted to a rescue of struggling rival nissan. translation: i want to be clear that this is not a bailout. - as i mentioned earlier, we plan to maintain competitiveness by 2030. as i have said previously, the prerequisite is the turnaround of nissan, which is absolutely necessary. ultimately, we would like to lead the world once again, and you should consider today's discussions as the first step in that direction. new figures on the state of the uk economy suggest it failed to grow at all in the third quarter of this year.

the revised official figures for gross domestic product coverjuly to september, the months after the general election and the run—up to the labour government's first budget. business groups in the uk have predicted a difficult economic start to 2025, as our correspondent, theo leggett reports. a bleak midwinterfor a government which has made the economy its top priority. the latest figures show zero growth between july and september. that's worse than initial estimates had suggested. and it follows last week's figures showing inflation at its highest level in eight months. this labour government is going into 2025 with absolute resolve to work with investors, wealth creators and workers across the country to stimulate economic growth and improve living standards for workers across the country. this is our number one mission as a government and we start from a disappointing set of economic statistics

as we head into 2024, but that's why we are going to fight every day to make sure we improve the lives of working people across this country. for mick, who runs a pub in wimbledon, business has been pretty good in the run—up to christmas. he says that's necessary, because the new year can be tough. injanuary, people tend to tighten the purse strings a bit. and, yeah, it's important for cafes, pubs, bars and restaurant across the country to have a good christmas. this is where we are going to get to pay our bills forjanuary, february and march, because unfortunately, the heating and lighting bill and the coal for the fire and all the things you have to do regardless of trade, those bills are still there injanuary, february and march, so we have to have a good christmas. one of the biggest problems that businesses across the country are facing is rising costs. that's partly because of changes brought in in the budget.

for example, the rise in employers' national insurance contributions and the higher national living wage. that gives companies a choice — do they pass those extra costs on to customers in the form of higher prices, or do they absorb them and take a hit on their profits? either way, that is sapping confidence over what the next few months will bring. 0nce many will choose to do is raise prices and reduce hiring, according to the confederation of british industry. what firms expect over the next quarter is to have falling output, to reduce employment and we are going to have pressure on prices increasing as well. so that makes for a difficult business environment going forward. the british retail consortium says consumers are also losing confidence. shoppers in manchester seemed to be feeling the pinch. i think i am asking people what they want and buying them what they want. and the things they want are affordable because everyone understands that it is a tight year. it is expensive this year.

everything has gone up. things are definitely more - expensive, but there's not much you can do about it. the government's gamble is that short—term pain will lead to long—term gain, but in the meantime, many businesses are expecting to brace themselves against chilly economic winds into the new year. some breaking news. in the us, the house ethics committee, says it has found evidence that the former republican congressman matt gaetz paid women for sex or drugs on numerous occasions — including paying a 17—year—old girl for sex in 2017. the politician, who was donald trump's initial pick for attorney general, was found by congressional investigators to have been involved in "prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favours or privileges,

and obstruction of congress". the age of consent in florida, where the majority of these incidents are said to have taken place, is 18. mr gaetz has denied any improper conduct. more any improper conduct. on that as it comes into us. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

now, it's time for a look at today's sport with chetan. hello from the bbc sport centre. we start with disappointing news for arsenal and their premier league title hopes — their winger bukayo saka is going to miss "many weeks" with a hamstring injury according to manager mikel arteta. the england forward was forced off during saturday's 5—1win against crystal palace and left selhurst park on crutches. the 23—year—old's scored nine

goals and provided 13 assists this season. arsenal next play on friday, at home to ipswich, and go into christmas six points behind the league leaders, liverpool, having played a game more. back from injury, fast bowler kate cross has been named in the england squad for the women's ashes which starts in australia next month. cross, who has been included in the 0di and test squads for the series, will be joined by heather knight, who captains the side across all formats during the series that features three 0dis, three t20s and a four—day test match. all—rounder freya kemp, spinner linsey smith and wicketkeeper—batter bess heath are part of an ashes squad for the first time. kate has probably got a little way to go to be fully fit at this point. but hopefully over the course of christmas, the work they will do off the field with her now, and we have quite

a short turnaround, maybe ten days or so before the first game, so we will assess everyone as we go through that period. it's been a year to remember for british tennis number one katie boulter. after climbing to a career high ranking of world number 23 she's announced her engagement to fellow player alex de minaur. the celebrations will be short—lived — in a week they'll potentially face each other on opposite sides of the net when great britain play australia in the united cup in sydney on new year's day. i wouldn't say i was thrilled at the idea of playing him all over again. 0bviously, he is a top—ten player and he knows how to play tennis. there is a personal side of it as well, which is difficult. also great for bragging rights. i am looking forward to the match, of course. it's going to be a great atmosphere and playing in australia is always fun as an opportunity for us. and like father like son. tiger woods's 15—year—old

charlie did the family name proud, hitting his first hole—in—one during the final round of the pnc championship in florida, where he was playing alongside his dad. a chip off the old block. this is what happened at the fourth, sending the pair into the lead. he said afterwards he "just kind of hit it". a very proud dad arguably more excited than him. but it wasn't quite enough to win the tournament which saw 20 major champions team up with a member of their family. a moment he won't forget. they were beaten in a play—off by bernard langer and his son, jason. there is more on the website. back to you, ben. thank you.

now, as we reach the end of 2024, we're reflecting on the shadow of the war in the middle east, and what may happen in the region in the year ahead. we've already been hearing from the leaders of different faiths about the impact of conflict on them and their communities. police in the occupied west bank are investigating reports that a mosque was vandalised and set on fire by israeli settlers last week. this cctv shows the moment anti—muslim graffiti was sprayed on the walls of the mosque. israeli authorities say they �*see the incident as extremely serious' and are working to �*bring the perpetrators to justice'. we're interviewing different faith leaders today, including a reverend and a rabbi, but right now we can talk to mustafa abu sway, a member of the islamic waqf council at al—aqsa mosque injerusalem. thank you very much for being with us. what are your thoughts and reflections as we come to the end of this year, another

year of war in the middle east stop... year of war in the middle east sto - . .. ., , ., ., stop... the thoughts are that there is still _ stop... the thoughts are that there is still an _ stop... the thoughts are that there is still an ongoing - there is still an ongoing genocide in the gaza strip. unrwa said a while ago there was a child killed every hour. the heart is broken, the land is devastated, and people, lives are lost. we go beyond our own community when we think about life. we tried to instil hope, even though the conditions on the ground are deteriorating. what you referred to, the graffiti at the mosque in the west bank, this is... being good to one's

parents is the name of the mosque. that is one of the most... injerusalem, we have had the demolition of two mosques, all within one mile south of the old city. the historical status quo at al aqsa mosque has been violated —— violated systematically. things have been better under occupation but they deteriorated, especially with a government minister saying he would have a synagogue inside the al aqsa mosque. sunday to thursday, every single day, there was a period in the

morning and in the afternoon when the settlers are occupied by the israeli security forces. they conduct their own prayers, but also they sing national israeli songs. they raise the flag. within a couple of hours in the morning and shorter in the afternoon, they are absolutely protected by the israeli security forces, a direct violation of the historical status quo. you talk about genocide. _ historical status quo. you talk about genocide. as _ historical status quo. you talk about genocide. as you - historical status quo. you talkj about genocide. as you know, the israeli government and military completely deny that, and they will say and do say that they are responding militarily to the attacks of the 7th of october by hamas, that they are determined to destroy hamas to stop it ever carrying out another massacre like that, that killed or kidnapped hundreds of

civilians. just a broader point, as you see it, as we come to the end of this year — can there be peace in the middle east, given all the horrific events of the last year or so that we have seen? can there be two people living in two states, a palestinian state and an israeli one? {131 state and an israeli one? of course. _ state and an israeli one? of course. in _ state and an israeli one? of course, in principle, it is possible, but even following from the jewish possible, but even following from thejewish tradition of truth and justice, two keystones for having peace, i would like to simply highlight that not only israeli human rights groups report on the ground. there is a former israeli minister who said that ethnic cleansing is happening in the northern part of gaza. yes, it is possible to reach peace, but we need to

understand that peace is not simply lip service or an agreement. there is an indigenous people that lives on this land, and the rights of the palestinians are being denied, to self—determination statehood. we simply talk about international law, which is not being upheld in the case of the palestinians, of course. this could be the case in other countries. it has been more than a century of the modern palestinian story, from the balfour declaration till today, more than a century, really, and we would like to see peace, to see the conditions on the ground being prepared for this piece. we probably need a different government in israel is willing to go that far. thank you so much for being with us.

marriage, matchmaking and government—organised speed dating, in south korea the search for love is taken some unusual turns. as the country battles extremely low fertility and marriage rates, it's hoped these novel ways to meet a partner will help solve a looming population crisis. from seoul, rachel lee reports. fairy tale weddings are expected in south korea, but they don't all begin with meet cutes or dating apps. some couples are embracing new ways to meet. these newlyweds are unpacking their new life and business together. and business together. their story started when they met through their story started when they met through a marriage—matching agency. a marriage—matching agency. want to these. i signed up because i wanted i signed up because i wanted to meet someone who also wanted to meet someone who also wanted to get married. to get married. lots of people don't lots of people don't

want to these. ——lots of people don't want to these days. working in construction, there weren't that many chances to meet new people. it was time—effective to have an expert help find a good partner. the pandemic made it difficult to meet people in person and caused a resurgence in marriage. marriage matchmaking. the industry has - grown by 30 to 40%. perceptions have changed. in the past, - young people thought these agencies were for those who had failed to get married. - now they're seen as a way- to find someone who matches their specific needs. the matchmaking isn't always successful,

matchmaking, south korea has extremely low marriage and fertility rates. they've been falling steadily for the past decade. in fact, the fertility rate here is the lowest in the world. and this is a huge challenge for the government who's committed to tackling this issue. they too are playing matchmaker. they're organising speed dating events and marriage is the theme. they say they're providing young singles with an opportunity to meet and mingle. young people today lack opportunities to meet new people, so i really appreciate that the city is providing a venue for this. but critics say they should be tackling high living costs and supporting women returning to work after children instead. meanwhile, the government says these events work, with two marriages and many more on the horizon. as young people

search for love, they're also seeking stability and security, something the country needs too as it battles its demographic crisis. rachel lee, bbc news, seoul. hello. for most of us this afternoon is going to stay cold. however, the weather is about to turn exceptionally mild over the next 2a hours. as the milder air works in, the cloud gets increasingly low. we'll start to see that arrive in western scotland. over the next 2a hours a huge ten degree celsiusjump up in temperatures for some — aberdeen, going from about four degrees this afternoon to 1a tomorrow afternoon. the change to milder weather conditions is associated with this cloud on the satellite picture — a warm front that pushes eastwards and behind that we do get much milder southwesterly winds flowing in. however, when we see these kinds of transitions in winter, often it takes a while for the cold, dense air that's accumulated near the surface of the earth to get elbowed out

of the way, and that's certainly the case today. a lot of cloud around, some damp weather, too. it's only really across western areas of northern ireland that we'll start to see the weather turn milder. 0therwise today, it's cold. for many of us, temperatures around four or five degrees this afternoon. now overnight tonight, a lot of low cloud around, some mist and fog patches around the coasts and the hills. bit of drizzle too, so quite a damp night for a number of us. it is a night, however, where temperatures will continue to rise through the night and by the end of the night, for many of us, temperatures will be up into double figures. and so tomorrow morning it's going to be a mild start to the day. you're certainly going to notice that change. but sunshine will be in short supply. i suspect it's going to be a rather grey and drab day for most of the day. some mist and hill fog patches across western areas, a bit of drizzle too. you might see a few breaks in the cloud, maybe to the northeast of scotland, maybe to the east of the pennines, but otherwise cloudy and very mild. temperatures could reach 1a, maybe even 15 celsius, making it one of the mildest christmas eves we've ever seen.

heading into christmas day, we've still got that very mild flow of southwesterly winds across the uk. a weather front gets close to the northwest of scotland, bringing some thicker cloud here and a bit of rain. otherwise it's more of the same. a lot of cloud, some hill fog patches, coastalfog patches around western areas. a bit of damp and drizzly weather for some, but christmas day — no chance of it being a white christmas. it's going to be a very mild one. temperatures 11—13 degrees. in fact, it looks like this mild air is going to hang around for about a week, but there are signs that it could turn colder in the run up to new year's day, and perhaps, for some, a bit more wintry.

this is bbc news, the headlines a breakfrom tradition — this year the king's christmas message will be delivered at a former hospital chapel — rather than buckingham palace. time for a special bbc panorama report. 0ur climate is changing. we're seeing more extremes. we need to cut our use of fossil fuels, but other solutions will be needed... you look out of the window and you see a tree and you say, "well, clearly that tree is collecting c02 out of the air", so we know it can be done. ..new ideas that could help pull us back from the brink.

it's in everyone's best interest to start taking action. the one thing that you can do with it that you can't do with any other climate risk mitigation method is that you can cool the planet down quickly. time is running out. so can scientists help save the world? the sooner we stop this warming, the better. we could stop the warming within a generation if we just put our minds to it. here we go. this is a programme looking for hope, from scientists