live from london, this is bbc news. an ethics report into matt gaetz, who was briefly donald trump's nominee for attorney general, is reported to say he paid for sex with a minor and used illicit drugs. us presidentjoe biden reduces the sentences of 37 death row inmates to life imprisonment without parole. a breakfrom tradition — this year the king's christmas message will be delivered at a former hospital chapel rather than buckingham palace. the uk economy flatlines — revised figures show no growth 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.

breaking news from the us, where a luigi mangione has pleaded not guilty to murder.— guilty to murder. these were state-level — guilty to murder. these were state-level charges, - guilty to murder. these were | state-level charges, separate state—level charges, separate from federal ones that he pleaded not guilty to on thursday. that is the latest from new york from that court room, where luigi mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges in the murder of brian thompson, the unitedhealthcare thompson, the unitedhealthca re ceo thompson, the unitedhealthcare ceo who died earlier this month outside a manhattan hotel. we will bring you more on that as it comes in to us.

a long—awaited report into the conduct of the former republican congressman matt gaetz is reported to have found "substantial evidence" that he paid women for sex or drugs on numerous occasions, including paying a 17—year—old girl for sex in 2017. according to a final draft of the report by the house ethics committee, seen by the bbc�*s us partner cbs news, the politician, who was donald trump's initial pick for attorney general, is said to have been involved in prostitution, statutory rape and illicit drug use. the age of consent in florida, where the majority of the incidents are alleged to have taken place, is 18. mr gaetz denies any improper conduct and has mounted a legal challenge to the report's publication. presidentjoe biden has commuted the sentences of 37 out of a0 federal death row inmates, changing their punishment to life imprisonment without parole.

the clemency action, 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. let's speak to our state department correspondent, tom bateman, who is in washington for us now. just talk us through this presidential power, then, this ability to grant clemency to people on death row. it ability to grant clemency to people on death row. it 'ust shows you i people on death row. it 'ust shows you the i people on death row. itjust| shows you the extraordinary direct power of the president of the united states to be able to commute the sentences of those people who are facing the federal death sentence. remember, that is distinct from the many more people who are facing the death penalty in various states in the united states. these are those that have been convicted in federal courts, of whom there are a0.

as you say, president biden has said he is commuting the sentences of 37 of them, all men, all convicted of murder, saying he is doing this out of his belief that there should not be executions at the federal level except, he says, in cases of terrorism and hate crimes that result in mass murder, and that is why we are seeing these 37 sentences commuted to life without parole. those three cases that you mentioned, one man is convicted of the boston marathon bombing in 2013, another who carried out a mass shooting at a church in charleston in 2015, and then a man who killed jewish worshippers in the tree of life synagogue in pittsburgh in 2018. all of those remain on death row. key to this is the political element that you allude to, that donald trump has sought to expand the death

sentence repeatedly saying during his campaign that he would reinstate federal executions, which he did during his first term, when it was rare for them to take place. this decision byjoe biden cannot be reversed by mr trump. so it is really an ideological debate, in a sense, about the death penalty, because i think joe biden said, make no mistake, i condemn these murderers and ifeel for mistake, i condemn these murderers and i feel for the victims, but i am more than ever convinced that we must stop the use of the death penalty. stop the use of the death enal . stop the use of the death penalty-— stop the use of the death enal . . ., , ., stop the use of the death enal . :: :: penalty. he campaigned in 2020 auainst penalty. he campaigned in 2020 against the _ penalty. he campaigned in 2020 against the death _ penalty. he campaigned in 2020 against the death penalty, - against the death penalty, though that is a change of course for him during his political life. he has previously supported the death sentence. more broadly in the united states, there has been a significant reduction in death sentences passed and carried out since the mid—19 90s, when we were seeing something like 300 death sentences passed per year. it is now about a tenth

of that, but states, significantly in the south, texas, alabama, still use the death penalty in the majority tend to take place in those southern states. a majority of americans still support the death penalty, when you look at the opinion polling, though it does depend on how the question is framed in those polls. we have seen a significant reduction in faith in the legal system in general as part of a growing antiestablishment trend in america, and that has led to a loss of faith in the use of executions, particularly in cases where there are miscarriages ofjustice. many miscarriages of justice. many of miscarriages ofjustice. many of those have been seen to happen as well. you are seeing a shift in attitudes, particularly among young americans, away from the death penalty, but still very significant numbers of people, around 2200, still on death row across the states in the us.

tom, thank you very much. 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. japanese carmakers honda and nissan have begun merger talks, with the aim of creating the world's third—biggest manufacturer, after toyota and volkswagen. 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 its struggling rival. 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. with me is our business reporter vishala sri—pathma. he says it is not a rescue or a bailout, but it looks like a lifeline. , bailout, but it looks like a lifeline. , lifeline. nissan has been struggling _ lifeline. nissan has been struggling quite - lifeline. nissan has been struggling quite a - lifeline. nissan has been struggling quite a bit - lifeline. nissan has been struggling quite a bit in i lifeline. nissan has been i struggling quite a bit in the last five years — falling sales, it has had to cut

production, slashjobs, like lots of car—makers around the world. hopefully for them this will tie up some of their loose ends. honda has done quite well and has turned a profit. they are both struggling in the electric vehicle market that china dominates. nissan and honda have less than 1% in that industry, so it is a very small play, so it is hard to see how they can make ground byjoining forces, but it enables them to share costs and technology in electric vehicles is pretty expensive. it is a high—cost, intensive industry, so this is a way of sharing expertise and sharing the financial burden, and also the sense of a vision forjapan which is behind the curve at the moment when it comes to electric vehicles. will we see fewer companies, more companiesjoining

will we see fewer companies, more companies joining forces? a lot of analysts seem to think we will get a lot of legacy auto—makers like honda and nissanjoining forces auto—makers like honda and nissan joining forces because they are struggling to compete with china, which has low labour costs and an incredible domestic market within itself. china is the largest ev market in the world. we might see a lot more of this tidying up, maybe not in the same way as a merger with two companies coming together that way, but certainly in the sense of tying up certainly in the sense of tying up their expertise in one specific area. there are other parts of the auto making industry. it is notjust evs. in this situation, it would create the third car—maker in the world by sales. it a pretty significant tie—up. the world by sales. it a pretty significant tie-up.— significant tie-up. thank you very much- _ 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 — they're winger ——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. yeah, it's a huge one. he is a big playerfor us. you yeah, it's a huge one. he is a big player for us. you just have to see the impact he has on the team. it will be a really good exercise for all of us to think about ways to overcome another challenge because we already have a lot in the season.

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 odi 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 odis, 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. the us open men's doubles champion max purcell has been provisionally suspended after admitting he broke anti—doping rules. the 26—year—old australian has taken a voluntary suspension after admitting he'd

"unknowingly received" an intravenous infusion of vitamins above the regulated limit. for now he can't play in, coach at or attend any tennis event, with the length of his ban yet to be announced. 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. and 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 years day. i wouldn't say i was thrilled at the idea of playing him all over again. obviously, 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 and another 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. here he goes. hoping, but not knowing exactly what had happened there. he needed a little bit of confirmation. this is what happened at the fourth, sending the pair into the lead. he said afterwards he "just kind of hit it". but it wasn't quite enough to win the tournament which saw 20 major champions team up with a member of their family. he will keep that ball for some

time. the title was won by bernard langer and his son, jason. more reaction to that on the bbc sport website. more for you later. that is all for now. 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 approaching coney island on sunday morning as she appeared to be sleeping and set fire to her clothes with a lighter. officers 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 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 commissioner 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 for working together to solve this heinous crime. now as we reach the end of 202a, 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 been hearing from the leaders of different faiths, including a christian reverend and a muslim faith leader, about the impact of conflict on them and their communities. let's speak to gideon sylvester, who's a rabbi at the british united synagogue. he joins us from jerusalem.

thank you very much for being with us. i wonder whether you think in the year ahead, 2025, there can be more peace than there can be more peace than there has been in 202a? there can be more peace than there has been in 2024? thank ou. there has been in 2024? thank yom first _ there has been in 2024? thank yom first of— there has been in 2024? thank you. first of all, _ there has been in 2024? thank you. first of all, it's _ there has been in 2024? thank you. first of all, it's a - you. first of all, it's a pleasure to be with you. i think all of us in israel are hoping and praying that next year will be a year of peace, but of course that will depend on our enemies recognising israel's right to exist and to live in safety.— israel's right to exist and to live in safety. what about the idea that has _ live in safety. what about the idea that has been _ live in safety. what about the idea that has been talked - live in safety. what about the l idea that has been talked about so much which has never come to fruition of a two state solution, palestinians living alongside an israeli homeland. is that style a viable option, do you think? i is that style a viable option, do you think?— is that style a viable option, do you think? i think probably at the moment _ do you think? i think probably at the moment most - do you think? i think probably at the moment most israelis i do you think? i think probably i at the moment most israelis are very nervous of such an option. we have just been attacked on seven fronts by people representing palestinians. we

have had murder, rape, kidnap of babies and grandparents by hamas members, so i think it is —— israelis are not very comfortable with the idea. it depends on whether we can find a palestinian leadership who are willing to have a liberal democracy, to live side by side with israel in peace. i think that could be wonderful. doesn't it also depend on the government of benjamin netanyahu? because there are a lot of israelis who say he has been pursuing war in gaza for his own ends, in a sense, and that he has been pushed by some of the right—wing nationalists in his government, and there are a lot of israelis who would like to see an 1546 00:22:43,835 --> 00:22:4