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 commutes 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. honda and nissan enter talks to merge as they aim to improve their standing in the electric car market. 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. according to a final draft of the report by the house ethics committee which has been 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. let's speak to our state department correspondent, tom bateman, who is in washington for us now. talk us through the significance of this report, and what it says, tom. fix, significance of this report, and what it says, tom. a very significant _ and what it says, tom. a very significant report _ and what it says, tom. a very significant report in _ and what it says, tom. a very significant report in terms - and what it says, tom. a very significant report in terms of. significant report in terms of its finding about matt gaetz.

the conclusion itself reading that there is, according to the house ethics committee investigation, substantial evidence that matt gaetz has violated house rules and other standards of contract that prohibit prostitution, statuary right, drug use, special favours or privileges, and obstruction of congress. a whole litany of violations of the rules of congress that the report finds. much of it centres on the allegations that gaetz had paid numerous women for sex and engaged in illicit drug use, including using his office in congress to purchase illicit drugs. the report says it finds evidence of all of this. mr gaetz has vehemently denied the allegations, describing this as a smear by his political enemies. he has been very active so far today

on x, and he has taken out a lawsuit trying to block the publication of the report. that has clearly filed, with the report published in the last 15 minutes or so. mr gaetz saying on social media, giving funds to someone you are dating that they didn't ask for and that isn't charged for sex is now prostitution? there is a reason they did this to me on the eve of christmas eve in a report and not in a courtroom where i could present evidence challenge witnesses. hat could present evidence challenge witnesses. not many da s left challenge witnesses. not many days left for— challenge witnesses. not many days left forjoe _ challenge witnesses. not many days left forjoe biden - challenge witnesses. not many days left forjoe biden still - days left forjoe biden still in the white house, but we have had an act of clemency from him in terms of people on death row, federal death row? there are 14 men _ row, federal death row? there are 14 men on _ row, federal death row? there are 14 men on death _ row, federal death row? there are 14 men on death row- row, federal death row? there are 14 men on death row at. row, federal death row? there are 14 men on death row at a l are 14 men on death row at a federal level, charged with federal level, charged with federal offences, convicted of federal offences, convicted of federal offences, convicted of federal offences in the united states. he has commuted the sentences of 37 of those 40 in

an act of clemency, as you say, in the last month of his presidency. that comes ahead of mr trump presidency. that comes ahead of mrtrump taking presidency. that comes ahead of mr trump taking office. he had campaigned on support for the death sentence, saying he would expand its use. notably, in his first term, he had effectively overseen the reinstatement of the use of executions at a federal level when it largely had been very restricted at that level. mr biden commuting those sentences to life without parole, he says, out of conscience, though he still condemned the people involved as murderers but said he disagreed with the use of the death penalty at a federal level, except in the three cases where he said they involve terrorism or hate crimes that led to mass murder, including the man who carried out the boston marathon bombing in 2013. he will remain on death row. as for the others,

the 37, that decision cannot be reversed by mr trump.- reversed by mr trump. tom, thank you — reversed by mr trump. tom, thank you very _ reversed by mr trump. tom, thank you very much. - reversed by mr trump. tom, thank you very much. the i thank you very much. the suspect accused of killing unitedhealthcare ceo brian unitedhealthca re ceo brian thomson unitedhealthcare ceo brian thomson has pleaded not guilty to murder and state terrorism charges. luigi mangione appeared in court on monday to be arraigned on 11 state criminal counts, including murder, and the crime of terrorism. he also faces a federal criminal complaint. prosecutors allege that luigi mangione shot brian thompson in central manhattan before going on the run. 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.

0ur 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. honda and nissan have confirmed they've begun merger talks, with the aim of creating the world's third—biggest car 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. a doctor in gaza has told the bbc that an israeli air strike on in a designated

humanitarian zone has killed 17 people. this was the scene as tents were set ablaze at al—mawasi refugee camp in southern gaza. thousands of displaced people were sheltering there. the idf said they were targeting a �*hamas terrorist�* and had warned people there to leave. but those in the camp say they were told to move there for their own safety. translation: we were sleeping in ourtents- _ translation: we were sleeping in our tents. none _ translation: we were sleeping in our tents. none of _ translation: we were sleeping in our tents. none of us - translation: we were sleeping in our tents. none of us were - in our tents. none of us were warned by the israeli army, nor was anyone around us, so why are they bombing us while we are they bombing us while we are sleeping in our tents? the idf told us to head to the tents in the mawasi area, so how can they bombard us with missiles on our tents?

meanwhile, israeli prime minister on monday said progress had been made in ongoing hostagenegotiations with hamas in gaza but that he did not know how much longer it would take to see the results. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil is injerusalem. what more can you tell us about what the israeli prime minister has been saying?— what the israeli prime minister has been saying? many strands cominu in has been saying? many strands coming in now— has been saying? many strands coming in now on _ has been saying? many strands coming in now on the _ has been saying? many strands coming in now on the gaza - coming in now on the gaza story, but the latest is what benjamin netanyahu has been saying in his address to the can sit on the hostage deal. he said, i can carefully say that there has been a certain purpose in the deal —— progress. notice the language — a certain progress. what we've heard from palestinian officials is, they have described it as significant progress, nearly there, 90% there, with some sticking points. the major sticking points. the major sticking point in those talks is israeli presence in the philadelphia corridor, a hugely significant strip of land between gaza and the egyptian border. israel is

present right now and its presence in the ceasefire agreement is a big sticking point for hamas. we have seen these three stages laid out for us that could see 20 or so palestinian prisoners for every female soldier, for example, that could see this buffer zone on the gaza— israeli border, several kilometres wide, that could see people returning to the north, displaced people returning to the north, with an egyptian qatari presence. those crucial names of palestinian prisoners are a sticking point. benjamin netanyahu was also saying that he cannot give a time but that israel has made progress. rememberthat time but that israel has made progress. remember that the hamas leadership has been taken out. also the hezbollah leadership. he spoke on the

iran backed yemen rebels, the houthis. he said, i have instructed our forces to destroy the infrastructure of houthis, because anyone who tries to harm our country will be struck with full force. 0ver be struck with full force. over the past month, we have seen almost tit for tat military hits between israel and the houthi rebels. there was a houthi rebels. there was a houthi hit this weekend on tel aviv, and that missile was not intercepted and it hit what looked like a residential area, even though the houthis said it was a military target, but it just shows you that pressure from the houthis is ongoing. a couple of days before that, israel hit energy infrastructure run by the houthis in two yemeni cities. with hamas infrastructure so weakened, and with a ceasefire as fragile as it is in lebanon,

the third arm of the so—called axis of resistance that is backed by iran is the houthis, and they have mounted these attacks and have vowed that they would not stop.- attacks and have vowed that they would not stop. we've also heard from _ they would not stop. we've also heard from oxfam, _ they would not stop. we've also heard from oxfam, accusing - heard from 0xfam, accusing israel of systematic obstructing its attempts to bring food and water into palestinians in the north of gaza. ., �* , palestinians in the north of gaza. . �* , u, gaza. that's right. ifi could zoom out — gaza. that's right. ifi could zoom out for _ gaza. that's right. ifi could zoom out for a _ gaza. that's right. ifi could zoom out for a brief - gaza. that's right. if i could| zoom out for a brief second, aid to gaza, the amount of it has hit one of its lowest point in november. this month hasn't been significantly better. maybe 100 trucks, nowhere near what gaza needs. in northern gaza, it is an area of active combat. if you look at different areas, they have almost been besieged now, or nearly, for weeks and weeks because of ongoing fighting between israeli forces and hamas, who say they have

regrouped in this area. that means that aid is very difficult to come by, and it is not safe to collect and distribute if it comes. 0xfam is saying it blames israel for deliberately obstructing aid, saying that in two and a half months, only 12 trucks of aid managed to get to that area. 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 0llie foster. hello from the bbc sport centre. really bad injury news for arsenal — one of their most influential players, bukayo saka, has a torn hamstring and in the words of his manager mikel arteta, he'll be out for "many weeks". the england forward was forced off during saturday's win at crystal palace and left selhurst park on crutches.

it's a huge blow to the gunners' title hopes. saka has chipped in with nine goals and 13 assists across all competitions this season. they are six points behind leadersliverpool having played a game more. yeah, it's a huge one. he is a big playerfor 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. fast bowler kate cross is in the england squad for the women's ashes which starts in australia next month, even though she hasn't fully recovered from the back strain that limited her involvement on the recent tour to south africa. she's made the white ball and test squads for the series which features three one dayers, three t20s and a four—day test match. heather knight will captain across all formats. cross played in last years series that was drawn, with australia retaining the ashes that they have held since 2015. england will give cross every chance to be ready

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 doubles champion max purcell has been provisionally suspended after admitting he broke anti—doping rules. the 26—year—old says he "unknowingly received" an intravenous infusion of vitamins, above the regulated limit of 100ml. for now he can't play in, coach at or attend any tennis event, with the length of his ban yet to be determined. he won the men's doubles title at wimbledon in 2022, and the us open this year. british number one katie boulter has announced her engagement

to fellow pro alex de minaur. boulter won two titles this year, rising to a career high ranking of 23rd in the world. next week she'll represent great britain in the united cup against australia in sydney so could face de minaur on the other side of the net. 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 and another opportunity for us. we are definitely the underdogs, so let's put pressure on them. 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. he had just made an eagle on

the previous hole. this is the fourth at the ritz—carlton club in orlando. 176 fourth at the ritz—carlton club in 0rlando.176 yards. fourth at the ritz—carlton club in orlando. 176 yards. that was a seven iron. and there goes the ball. but it took him a while to work it out. his dad has done that a few times. that gave him the lead, but they couldn't hang onto it. this event has 20 major champions in the field, teaming up with a family member. they were beaten ijy family member. they were beaten by bernhard langer, the two time masters winner, and his sonjason, in a play—off. it was a good shot, ben, wasn't it because my eye will be back in the next hour. it looks like one of yours! donald trump has threatened to reassert how many things that you need to cover how many things that you need to cover donald trump has

threatened to reassert united states control over the panama canal, saying american ships are being charged excessive fees by the central american nation. panama's president has hit back, insisting panama's sovereignty and independence are non—negotiable. the canal, which links the atlantic and pacific 0ceans, is critical to international trade, with about 40% of american container traffic passing through it. largely built and administered by the us from the beginning of the last century, it was eventually handed over to full panamanian control in 1999. mr trump made his comments to a conference of the conservative �*turning point usa' group in arizona. it's his first political rally since winning the presidential election in november, and comes four weeks before he officially takes office on january 20th. he told the audience he was not happy about the panama canal arrangement and is concerned it is falling into quote "the wrong hands". here's a little of what he said. you've got to treat us fairly, and they haven't treated us fairly. if the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the panama canal be returned to the united states

of america in full, quickly and without question. i'm not going to stand for it. so, to the officials of panama, please be guided accordingly. one official in panama had this response. the president himself. translation: the canal is not under _ himself. translation: the canal is not under the _ himself. translation: the canal is not under the direct _ himself. translation: the canal is not under the direct or - is not under the direct or indirect control of china, the international community or any other power. as a panamanian, i strongly reject any other power. as a panamanian, i strongly