live from london. this is bbc news. an ethics report into matt gaetz — who was briefly donald trump's nominee for attorney general — says there's "substantial evidence" 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 from a former hospital chapel — rather than buckingham palace. and one of india s most respected filmmakers, shaam benegal, has died at the age of 90 a long—awaited report — into the conduct of the former

republican congressman matt gaetz — has 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, 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 had mounted a legal challenge to try to block the report's publication. here's our state department correspondent, tom bateman, for more on what the report says and on the significance of it. well, a very significant report in terms of its findings about matt gaetz, as you say, the conclusion itself reading

that there is, according to the house ethics committee investigation, substantial evidence that matt gaetz, it says, violated house rules and other standards of conduct that prohibit prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favours or privileges, and obstruction of congress. so a whole litany of violations of the rules of congress that the report finds, much of it centring around the long held allegations that matt gaetz had paid numerous women for sex and also engaged in illicit drug use, including using his office in congress to purchase illicit drugs. so the report saying it finds evidence of all of this. mr gaetz has vehemently denied all of the allegations.

he has described this as a smear by his political enemies. he's been very active so far today. on x, he had taken out a lawsuit trying to block the publication of the report that is clearly failed, with the report being published in the last 15 minutes or so. but 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 question mark. there is a reason they did this to me in a christmas eve eve to me in a christmas eve report, and not in a courtroom of any kind, where i could present evidence and challenge witnesses. and tom, meanwhile, not many days left forjoe biden still in the white house. but we've had an act of clemency from him in terms of people on death row, on federal death row. yeah, that's right. there are a0 men on death row at a federal level charged with federal offences or convicted of federal offences in the united states.

now 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 taking office, who had campaigned on support for the death sentence, saying that he would expand its use and notably in his first term, had effectively overseen the reinstatement of the use of executions at a federal level when it had largely, um, been very restricted at a federal level. so, mr biden, commuting those sentences to life without parole, he says, out of conscience, although he still condemned the people involved as murderers, he said, but said that he disagreed with the use of the death penalty at a federal level in the exception to accept those three cases where he said involved terrorism or hate crimes that had led to mass murder, including the man who carried out the boston

marathon bombing in 2013, so his, he will remain on death row. as for all the others, the 37, that decision cannot be reversed by mr trump. the suspect accused of killing unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson has pleaded not guilty to new york state murder and terrorism charges. 26—year—old luigi mangione appeared in court on monday to be arraigned on 11 state criminal counts, including murder a crime of terrorism. he also faces a federal criminal complaint charging him with stalking and murder charges that could lead to a death penalty sentence. prosecutors allege that mangione shot 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 car—maker mitsubishi, in which nissan is a big shareholder, is also considering joining the alliance. honda's boss — toshihiro mibe — 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. our business reporter vishala sri—pathma has been explaining the reasoning behind this merger. it does feel like a bit of a lifeline for nissan. nissan's been struggling quite a bit in the last five years, falling sales. it's had to cut car production, it's had to slash jobs like a lot of auto—makers around the world. and so this will hopefully for them, you know, kind of tie up some of their loose ends for honda. honda has done quite well. it's turned a profit even though profits are down. but they're both struggling in that electric vehicle market that china dominates. byd, a big chinese company, dominates that that industry. and really nissan and honda have about sort of maybe less than i%

in that industry. so it's a very small player. so it's very hard to see how they're able to kind of make ground byjoining forces. but what it does is it enables them to share costs. and technology in electric vehicles is pretty expensive. it's very high cost, high intensive industry. so this is a way of sharing expertise, burdening sharing that financial burden, and also like sharing the kind of sense of a vision forjapan, which is kind of behind the curve at the moment when it comes to evs. 0k. and are we going to see fewer companies? i mean, more more companies joining forces. companies joining forces? that's, a lot of analysts seem to think that we're going to get a lot of these legacy auto—makers like honda and nissan, join forces because they are struggling to compete with the likes of china, which have these, sort of, low labour costs and also an incredible domestic market within itself. china's the largest ev market in the world now, so you might see a lot more of this sort of tie up, maybe not in the same way

as a merger where you're seeing two companies come together in that way, but certainly in the sense of tying up their expertise in one specific area. clearly, there are other parts of the auto making industry. it's notjust evs, but in this situation, it would call would create the third largest car maker in the world by sales. so it's a pretty significant tie up. officials in mozambique say the number of people killed after the cyclone chido hit the country last week has risen 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 after also causing widespread devastation in the french island of mayotte in the indian ocean. we can now speak to ulrika blom, the mozambique director for the norwegian refugee council. thank you very much for being with us and what was the latest

on the situation after this devastating storm? thank you for having _ devastating storm? thank you for having me. _ devastating storm? thank you for having me. the _ devastating storm? thank you for having me. the situation i devastating storm? thank you j for having me. the situation is one week after the cyclone, it was really devastating and now, the numbers of the affected population is rising by the day and electricity and telephone network has been cut and it's difficult to reach the villagers and understand the impact and so now after one week, every day there's an increase in star with 100,000 and now 29,000 people affected but we are expecting a massive rise. we can also say that we have been out in the villages and seeing the devastation of the houses people are living in totally destroyed, flattened and they are sleeping under the

trees, sleeping together and keeping what items they still have together and waiting for the system to rebuild their houses with almost no resources.— houses with almost no resources. it's already a country _ resources. it's already a country in _ resources. it's already a country in some - resources. it's already a country in some crisis i resources. it's already a country in some crisis in resources. it's already a - country in some crisis in this deep political unrest. all of this on top of that, what about your organisation? are you able to help with aid supplies to the people who need them? i think it is already a conflict that has caused many people in need to need to be assisted and funded by only 40% meaning that many people have not been assisted as they need and a lot of people in the situations are starving and they're going hungry it's estimated 700,000 people in mozambique today and very difficult situations and

so, when a crisis like this is “p so, when a crisis like this is up to the people being affected, it is hitting the community and also the displaced that are in this area and we started with response and we started with response and the neighbouring villages and the neighbouring villages and yesterday with distribution of traffic kids where they get plastic sheeting to cover what they have in the house and we are estimating these numbers and at this points on 20% of the people that need new houses that we have in the pipeline in the country for the organisation.- the country for the oruanisation. a, ., , organisation. the mozambique director for — organisation. the mozambique director for the _ organisation. the mozambique director for the norwegian - director for the norwegian refugee house for the latest on the situation in that country. around the world and across the uk.

this is bbc news.

now, it's time for a look at today's sport with 0lly foster. 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 gunner's 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. 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. and that's all the sport for now. one of india's most respected film—makers has died at the age of 90. shaam benegal was an award—winning director and his career spanned more than four decades.

his work was celebrated for its deep social commentary and realistic portrayal of indian society. his daughter said he had been suffering from health complications. with me is our south asia editor, anbarasan ethirajan. how significant was shyam benegal for the indian film industry, what set him apart? he was a pioneer of new wave cinema — he was a pioneer of new wave cinema and were never there or romantic— cinema and were never there or romantic comedies and thrillers and action— romantic comedies and thrillers and action movies, those the established bollywood motif to make _ established bollywood motif to make a — established bollywood motif to make a successful film. and then— make a successful film. and then he _ make a successful film. and then he starts holding a mirror to the — then he starts holding a mirror to the indian society and many complexities and contradictions, he was bringing it to _ contradictions, he was bringing it to the — contradictions, he was bringing it to the indian audience with minimai—

it to the indian audience with minimal funding, it to the indian audience with minimalfunding, with it to the indian audience with minimal funding, with more realism _ minimal funding, with more realism into his films. and his film _ realism into his films. and his film in — realism into his films. and his film in 1974 was seen as a very searing — film in 1974 was seen as a very searing criticism of india's caste _ searing criticism of india's caste system in feudalism. so, it was— caste system in feudalism. so, it was a — caste system in feudalism. so, it was a reminder for many people _ it was a reminder for many people while, the movies are always— people while, the movies are always about imaginary worlds, people — always about imaginary worlds, people always being taken out of reality and this man was showing _ of reality and this man was showing the mirror. and he spoke — showing the mirror. and he spoke to— showing the mirror. and he spoke to the bbc some years ago about— spoke to the bbc some years ago about what kind of films he was making — about what kind of films he was makinr. ., ., ., making. there are a lot of film-makers _ making. there are a lot of film-makers like - making. there are a lot of film-makers like myself. making. there are a lot of. film-makers like myself were film—makers like myself were concerned _ film—makers like myself were concerned about _ film—makers like myself were concerned about this - film—makers like myself were concerned about this and - film—makers like myself were concerned about this and who have — concerned about this and who have been_ concerned about this and who have been making _ concerned about this and who have been making films- have been making films competing _ have been making films competing with- have been making films competing with these . have been making films- competing with these subjects and not — competing with these subjects and not recently, _ competing with these subjects and not recently, it's- competing with these subjects and not recently, it's been. and not recently, it's been going _ and not recently, it's been going on— and not recently, it's been going on for— and not recently, it's been going on for a _ and not recently, it's been going on for a long - and not recently, it's been going on for a long time . and not recently, it's been. going on for a long time and there — going on for a long time and there will— going on for a long time and there will be _ going on for a long time and there will be somewhat - going on for a long time and - there will be somewhat marginal to the _ there will be somewhat marginal to the mainstream _ there will be somewhat marginal to the mainstream audience - there will be somewhat marginal to the mainstream audience who will go _ to the mainstream audience who will go to— to the mainstream audience who will go to the _ to the mainstream audience who will go to the cinema _ to the mainstream audience who will go to the cinema and - to the mainstream audience who will go to the cinema and go - to the mainstream audience who will go to the cinema and go to l will go to the cinema and go to be entertained. _ will go to the cinema and go to be entertained. not _

will go to the cinema and go to| be entertained. not necessarily be entertained. not necessarily be provided _ be entertained. not necessarily be provided with _ be entertained. not necessarily be provided with an _ be entertained. not necessarily be provided with an experience | be provided with an experience that can — be provided with an experience that can he _ be provided with an experience that can be disturbing - be provided with an experience that can be disturbing to- be provided with an experience j that can be disturbing to them. she was— that can be disturbing to them. she was also— that can be disturbing to them. she was also a _ that can be disturbing to them. she was also a pioneer- that can be disturbing to them. she was also a pioneer of- she was also a pioneer of crowdfunding and a very fashionable thing and he did than — fashionable thing and he did than the 70s where nearly half a million — than the 70s where nearly half a million milk and dairy farmers, they all contributed to a — farmers, they all contributed to a piece of each and that contributed to the film in the making — contributed to the film in the making of this film and it was also — making of this film and it was also talking about how india, which — also talking about how india, which was milk deficient at that— which was milk deficient at that time, a dairy movement started — that time, a dairy movement started in— that time, a dairy movement started in making that a successful milk producing state and india — successful milk producing state and india is also one of the worlds _ and india is also one of the worlds biggest milk producers so, he — worlds biggest milk producers so, he made a film about them it was— so, he made a film about them it was seen— so, he made a film about them it was seen by these thousands and thousands of farmers is a pioneer— and thousands of farmers is a pioneer in _ and thousands of farmers is a pioneer in terms of gathering money— pioneer in terms of gathering money from people to make films — money from people to make films. ~ . , , films. what is been the reaction _ films. what is been the reaction to _ films. what is been the reaction to news - films. what is been the reaction to news of- films. what is been the reaction to news of his | films. what is been the - reaction to news of his death? people up and offering their condolences and expressing

their— condolences and expressing their shock and dismay how part of breaking film directors. for one on— of breaking film directors. for one on film director talking about— one on film director talking about always being remembered as the _ about always being remembered as the man who changed the direction _ as the man who changed the direction of the indian cinema with— direction of the indian cinema with films. the opposition leader— with films. the opposition leader was talking about the film—maker who brought india possible — film—maker who brought india possible stories to life with depth _ possible stories to life with depth and sensitivity and his legacy— depth and sensitivity and his legacy and cinema and commitment to social issues will inspire generations. marriage matchmaking and government—organised speed dating. in south korea the search for love has taken an unusual turn. it comes as the country battles extremely low fertility and marriage rates. but will these unusual ways to meet your partner help boost them? rachel lee reports from seoul. 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. their story started when they met through a marriage—matching agency. i signed up because i wanted to meet someone who also wanted to get married. lots of people don't want to these days. translation: 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 i to get married. now they're seen as a way- to find someone who matches their specific needs. the matchmaking isn't always successful, and not everyone agrees with this method of finding a partner. translation: using a marriage matching agency isn't always - viewed very positively. it can seem like people are being judged by their profiles and are getting married without love. it felt a bit embarrassing to tell friends and family that i signed up with an agency. despite the increased popularity of marriage 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. now, take a look at this. dozens of santas swapped their sleighs for gondolas to bring some festive cheer

to venice they rowed along the grand canal dressed in their signature red suits as part of the city's annual christmas regatta. it's the 12th time the event has taken place and large crowds gathered to watch as they passed on boats covered in lights and decorations. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. it's been a chilly day across eastern areas of the uk, with the weather slowly turning milder in the west. as the milder air started to arrive we had extensive low cloud, a bit of a fog up over the hills as well, and there's more of that to come over the next few days. in the eastern side of the uk, though in particular, we've got a big jump in temperatures on the way — temperatures climbing by ten degrees celsius between this afternoon and tuesday afternoon — christmas eve afternoon. the changes are all brought about by this warm front. once that's pushed through, which will happen overnight, we then get these southwesterly winds working in and it's these winds that will be bringing us some exceptionally mild weather. so overnight tonight, a lot of low cloud developing across western areas with some mist and fog patches around coasts and hills. some damp and drizzly weather. we could see some drizzle just about anywhere, to be honest,

but it's one of those nights where temperatures will rise hour by hour through the night. and by the end of the night, for many of us, we'll be looking at temperatures into double figures. and so it's going to be a much, much milderstart to the day tomorrow. but a case of really grey, cloudy, drab conditions. bit of morning drizzle slowly fizzling out as the day goes by. slowly fizzling out probably staying quite damp though for the hebrides and the highlands of scotland. sunny spells in short supply, but you might see a few brighter spells for north—east scotland and perhaps the eastern side of the pennines. temperatures 13, 14, maybe even 15 celsius. that would make it one of the mildest christmas eves we've ever seen. and this mild southwesterly airflow stays with us for the big day — for christmas itself. and so it's a case of extensive cloud around again, some mist and fog patches around coasts and hills, some damp and drizzly weather. we do have a weather front that's going to be bringing more general rain in across the hebrides and the highlands through the day, but with temperatures across the board double figures —10—13 degrees — there's no chance of it

being a white christmas anywhere. indeed, it's going to be a very, very mild christmas. boxing day — little overall change. the changes that we do see are all towards the north of the uk, where we see this band of rain that was across the hebrides and highlands, just sinking a bit further southwards. could bring a few spots of rain into northern ireland, the central belt of scotland, but not really amounting to too much here. the wettest weather will be still affecting parts of highland scotland. this mild spell of weather looks like it's 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 potentially, for some of us, a bit more wintry.

this is bbc news, the headlines. an ethics report into matt gaetz — who was briefly donald trump's nominee for attorney general — says there's "substantial evidence" 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 from a former hospital chapel — rather than buckingham palace. and one of india's most respected film—makers, shaam benegal, has died at the age of 90. now on bbc news — a look back at the royal year.