this is bbc news, i'm geeta guru—murthy. the headlines at nine. the duke of edinburgh has just left hospital — where he was being treated for what officials described as "a pre—existing condition". meanwhile, the queen will speak of a ‘bumpy‘ path in her christmas message after a difficult year for the royal family and for the country. thousands of volunteer firefighters will spend christmas day battling wildfires that are still ravaging australia. a warning from nhs england to parents, keep button batteries — the type found in toys, festive lights and musical christmas cards — away from children. this is bethlehem's time of year. but the city's tourism has been hit hard in recent years, due to political concerns. we have a special report.

i'mjoin me, sarah i'm join me, sarah campbell, for a look back at a busy royal year. there were plenty of headlines and a new addition. baby archie joined his pa rents new addition. baby archie joined his parents on tour to south africa. good morning. in the past few minutes the duke of edinburgh has left hospital, as "a pre—existing condition". these are the latest picturesjust in. the duke walked out of the king edward vii hospital in central london, and got into a car before being driven away. he travelled to the hospital on friday as a "precautionary measure". buckingham palace say the admission was for "observation and treatment".

andy moore is outside the hospital in central london. what more do we know? we don't know very much more than the fact that the duke of edinburgh has left. we have had no official confirmation from buckingham palace yet. we assume he is going to sandringham to join the rest of the royal family but we have not yet had that confirmed. he left at probably about —— he left probably about 12 or 13 minutes ago, he got back turn into the back of a vehicle at the king edward vii hospital. he was sitting on the front passenger seat. he has been here forfour on the front passenger seat. he has been here for four nights, on the front passenger seat. he has been here forfour nights, we know very little about the kind of treatment he was getting here, all we had was a statement from buckingham palace on friday saying he had been admitted on a precautionary basis under doctor's orders for observation and treatment for a pre—existing condition. we

don't know what that condition was. we heard a little bit from prince charles yesterday, he was visiting flood victims in the village of fishlake near flood victims in the village of fishla ke near doncaster and flood victims in the village of fishlake near doncaster and people asked how his father was, prince charles replied, well, he is 98, things don't work so well when you are that age. he talked about the treatment he was getting at the private hospital here, he said his father was being well looked after and that was all prince charles said he knew about it. thank you very much indeed. the queen will use her christmas day message to say that 2019 has been "quite bumpy". it comes after a year of intense political debate over brexit, as well as a number of personal events affecting the royal family. her majesty said: ‘the path of course is not always sooth and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference.‘ the duke and duchess of sussex have revealed their festive greeting via the queen's commonwealth

trust twitter account. captured in black and white, the image shows their seven—month—old son archie, gazing into the camera. the card was not officially released, instead it was emailed to friends and staff and hard copies sent to family. harry and meghan are currently spending a six—week break in canada. borisjohnson and jeremy corbyn have thanked nhs staff and other public servants who work through the holidays in their christmas messages. the prime minister also said the uk stood in solidarity with christians around the world who faced persecution for their beliefs. mr corbyn said it had been a "difficult" year for many — but christmas was a chance to reflect on hopes for a better world. around 2000 volunteer firefighters will spend their christmas day tackling australia's bushfires as the crisis continues. the country's prime minister has pledged more support amid criticism from some unpaid workers. nine peope have died after more than 84 fires devastated homes and businesses. here's the bbc‘s phil mercer in bargo for us.

this is a miserable scene that has been repeated time and time again, not just here been repeated time and time again, notjust here in new south wales, homes have been lost in other parts of the country. we have seen vast areas of bushland destroyed. this property was burned down from fires that raised up the gully at the back from very dense bushland that is charged and scorched. apparently, we're told by the neighbours that owners were on holiday and have only recently returned, so what a terrible christmas it will be for that particular family and others around eastern australia. although conditions are far more benign today, there is expectation that more hot and dangerous conditions will return. adding to that sense of anxiety is that no one knows where on anxiety is that no one knows where 0n disaster will next strike. this

isa 0n disaster will next strike. this is a suburban street in the town of bargo, about a 90 minute drive to sydney, and if we can look briefly to my right, this is how indiscriminate some of the fires can be. the house over there is unscathed, the house next to me has damage to the roof and the house you have seen behind me that was devastated and destroyed is the only one in this particular street that has been destroyed, and you may be able to hear a water bombing helicopter flying overhead, able to hear a water bombing helicopterflying overhead, this is sadly one of the sounds of the semi in australia, the sounds of emergency helicopters dipping down to suck water out of reservoirs, to jump to suck water out of reservoirs, to jump on the fires. we're also hearing lots of sirens, the fire authorities are using these calmer, cooler conditions to try to gain the upper hand on some of these fires and in state of new south wales for christmas, well, there will be no

respite for many of the volunteers who are still giving their time to try to protect life and property. last week australia endured a record—breaking heatwave, the city of syd ney record—breaking heatwave, the city of sydney was choking in a horrible smoky toxic haze blown in by the bushfires. then, of course, we had the bushfire emergency as well. during that time of crisis, prime minister scott morrison was on holiday in hawaii and admitted that being out of the country at a time of great distress for many was a mistake. he has been touring the fire grounds and has said that volunteer firefighters employed by the government will have four weeks pay to help them fight the fires, they will not go to work, they will be doing what they have been doing for many, many weeks, giving up their time, often risking their lives to try to stop some of these fires. as far as the political dimension and all of this goes, the prime minister, mr morrison, has conceded there is a link between global warming and the bushfire

crisis that says that australia's environmental policies, australia's climate change policies, are sufficient and do not need to be revised even though this crisis shows no sign of ending and many australians are worried not only what happens in the next week and a few months but also what happens into the future as australia puts my climate dries and gets warmer. phil mercer in australia. police in new zealand say they have called off the search for the bodies of two people still missing since the white island volcano eruption earlier this month. the bodies of hayden bryan marshall—inman and 17—year—old winona jane—langford are thought to be in the water off the island. winona's parents were also among the 19 people killed by the eruption. police said their decision "follows extensive shoreline and substantial aerial searches". thousands of children in care are living more than 100 miles from their family and friends in places they have never heard of — that's according to a report by the children s commissioner for england. more than 30,000 children in care are placed out of area,

which is a 13% increase over five years. while some children are placed further afield for their own safety, to protect them from criminal gangs or sexual predators, many have to move away because of a shortage of local places. the increasing number of children now is really a result of the increasing number of teenagers coming into care. their less likely to go into foster care, more likely to go into foster care, more likely to go into children's homes. the majority of children's homes are in areas of the country where accommodation is cheaper. lincolnshire, the north west, kent. this means they are sent to these places and often moved around. children tell me not only do they feel they do not know where they are on the map, they do not know how long they will be there, they don't have access to school properly and actually they feel it is some kind of punishment. in basis, you know, a crucial time of growing up, a crucial time of growing up, a crucial time of growing up, a

crucial time where they need school, they need friendships and they need to be able to plan their future. let me update you on some good news for the royalfamily, let me update you on some good news for the royal family, we let me update you on some good news for the royalfamily, we presume, the duke of edinburgh hasjust for the royalfamily, we presume, the duke of edinburgh has just left hospital and we have had some pictures in of prince philip walking out of hospital and getting into the back of a car with his staff, we have just had these pictures in back of a car with his staff, we havejust had these pictures in in the last few minutes. the duke of edinburgh has spent four nights in the king edward seventh hospital in central london, he leftjust before ten to nine this morning. he did not respond to any questions or make any comment as he left, as you can see, and there were a number of police officers outside the hospital, as well as the royal protection staff. i don't think it has been confirmed but it is thought that he will be travelling to sandringham to spend christmas with the queen and other

members of the royal family, christmas with the queen and other members of the royalfamily, which i imagine will be very welcome all round. these are the pictures we have just had round. these are the pictures we havejust had in round. these are the pictures we have just had in of the duke of edinburgh as he steps into a car, a brief wave goodbye and as everyone can see, fit and able to walk from the hospital, which will be very welcome for his family. doctors are warning of the dangers posed by small button batteries that can be found in toys, christmas lights and musical cards. if swallowed, the batteries can burn through a child's throat in a short period of time. the child accident trust says two children a year die in the uk from swallowing the batteries. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes has more. claire still remembers vividly the events of 2015. at the age of two, her daughter sophie came dangerously close to death after swallowing a button battery. it badly damaged her throat

and burned a hole in her lung, leaving sophie in intensive care and needing multiple operations. if you swallow one and they leave it, it can be fatal. and if it wasn't for my quick response and getting up there, because within two hours it had already done damage, it is not worth thinking about, really. they are really dangerous and things escalate so quickly. this speeded—up footage shows how fast a button battery can cause damage. slices of ham represent the delicate tissues of the throat, saliva reacts with the battery to release caustic chemicals. within two hours, the flesh is already scorched. senior doctors say it is important that batteries in toys, lights, clothing and cards are kept safe. because children mistake these things as sweets, keep them out of reach where they can't get to them. if they come in compartments in toys, christmas cards, make sure they are in there, locked away if possible. better to prevent than have to go to an a&e department,

but if you do have to go, our great nhs staff will be there to remove the battery. sophie has made a good recovery and her mum knows it was a close call. and not an experience anyone else should go through. mike thomson is a consultant paediatrician specialising in gastroenterology at sheffield children's nhs foundation trust — and we can speak to him now from sheffield via webcam. thanks very much forjoining us this morning. how concerned are you at this time of year that these accidents can happen? it is a huge risk, and it is potentially a big problem forfamilies risk, and it is potentially a big problem for families because the child canjust problem for families because the child can just be problem for families because the child canjust be playing problem for families because the child can just be playing around and pick up one of these batteries, even if the batteries have been trained to fight charge, they are still dangerous. we are very worried, a child can have one of these into their mouth very quickly and within

hours can have a significant emergency developing. what exactly happens once the batteries are taken m, happens once the batteries are taken in, if that happens? a child will swallow one of these, if it is one of the larger ones, greater than one centimetre, they will get lodged halfway gullet and in a smaller toddler it will cause... it may go into the lung, it may go into an artery, it may cause bleeding to death.“ lung, it may go into an artery, it may cause bleeding to death. if this accident happens, speed is of the essence, people had to get to a&e, how do you then help, how do you dislodge it? we take an x-ray to make sure we know where the button battery is, if it is in the oesophagus we will immediately go to the operating theatre, initially we will move to what is called an

endoscopy, a flexible tube down their mouth under anaesthetic and try to remove the button battery so long as it has not eroded through the oesophagus already. if it has, on standby we will be having teams who can open up the child's chest and close any holes that may be evident and any damage that has occurred already, it is a big team effort. it is the time of year when people are with their families, they are busy, it is easy to overlook what a toddler is picking up amongst the packaging on the floor. it is enough being done to make sure these batteries are safely locked? the manufacturers do not have adequate packaging at the moment, you can see one of these button batteries here, it is easy to open it up, take it out and swallowed very quickly. the second issue is once they have been removed from the packaging and then the parents removed from the packaging and then the pa rents really removed from the packaging and then the parents really do need to make sure that any spare batteries are locked away in lockable cupboards to

prevent toddlers from taking their name, if they battery has been used in be thrown away, even if it has been used in the parents think it is drained of its charge it can still cause significant damage. drained of its charge it can still cause significant damagem drained of its charge it can still cause significant damage. it is impossible to know sometimes what small children have put in their mouths, but any concern et al. , go to hospital, would that be your advice? yes, hlt was coughing, drooling or has a temperature and there may be a suggestion that they had taken a battery, take a child, especially a toddler, to the a&e department. try to take a typical battery if there is one left in the package to help identify how large it isn't whether it will cause problems. the phase that is very helpful advice, thank you very much, mike thomson. lbs the headlines on bbc news... the duke of edinburgh has just left hospital where he was being treated for what officials described as "a pre—existing condition". the queen will speak of a "bumpy" path in her christmas message after a difficult year for the royal family and for the country. thousands of volunteer firefighters

will spend christmas day battling wildfires that are still ravaging australia. let's get a full round—up of sport with jane. in the last hour it's been confirmed that ben stokes will not be at england training ahead of their test match series against south africa, because his father has fallen ill and he'll be at his hospital bedside. stokes's father ged is said to be suffering a serious illness and was taken to hospital injohannesburg on monday where he's in a critical condition. england's first test against south africa starts on boxing day. adam mountford is injohannesburg. ben stokes' father was admitted to hospital in johannesburg ben stokes' father was admitted to hospital injohannesburg yesterday after suffering what is described as after suffering what is described as a serious illness. he remains in a critical condition. ged is 64 and

was an international rugby player representing new zealand in the 19805. representing new zealand in the 1980s. ben has missed training to be at his father's bedside. england have had a disruptive build—up, with three players missing the warm up games because of flu like symptoms. the government says it won't rule out taking further steps if football authorities in england fail to deal with racism. it follows sunday's premier league match between tottenham and chelsea when play was stopped after antonio rudiger said he heard monkey noises. tottenham have studied hours of cctv footage with lip readers to find the alleged perpetrators, but their findings were "inconclusive". tottenham managerjose mourinho gave his thoughts on the issue of racism in football. do we need help? yes. but society needs help. we need to eradicate... is that the correct word? yes. we need to eradicate any form of discrimination, and in this case, we are speaking about racism. and, yes, football needs help.

well, the sheffield united manager chris wilder agreed with mourinho and said fans shouldn't hold back in calling out racism when they see it in the stands. i have always thought it was always society, attached to football teams and grounds. if you are sitting next to somebody who is doing it, just out them, out the people next to you. be brave and police your own football ground. the two—time champion gary anderson survived a huge scare to progress to the fourth round of the pdc world championship. the scotsman was 3—1 down to ryan searle before fighting back to win in a deciding set. there were also victories for adrian lewis and jeffrey de zwaan who beat dave chisnall. and finally, diving in football has been an ongoing issue for some years now but for two teams in tanzania, they were left with no choice. players were forced to drop to the ground when a swarm

of bees invaded the pitch. it led to the match being stopped briefly for a few moments, as players and fans tried to find cover. the swarms of these were getting in their hairand the swarms of these were getting in their hair and forcing them to lie on the ground to get away from them, even the linesman had problems. that didn't look like fun! that's it for now, we will be back in the next hour. few cities are in the spotlight more over chrsitmas than bethlehem — the biblical place revered as the birthplace ofjesus christ. but tourism has been hit hard for the last 20 years. it's a palestinian city in the israeli—occupied west bank and because of restricted movement out of the city by the israeli government, its christian community has dwindled — a move palestinians say harms their freedom and economic prospects. barbara plett usher reports. this is bethlehem's time of year.

dressed up in christmas finery, it invites the world to celebrate the story of a humble birth that changed history. tourism here is a bright spot, despite dark times for the palestinian economy. for bethlehem's christians, there is a special gift from the vatican, a splinter of wood believed to be from jesus' manger. it's small but a big boost for a community decimated by waves of emigration, and an inspiration to priests like this one, who provide aid to local christians, trying to anchor them here. this year's different? this year is different because we remember the manger, so we must think more, our hearts must be the real manger to receive jesus. your hearts must be the real manger to receive jesus?

i am working for that. tourists roll in past what israel calls it security barrier. the wall, as residents call it, is squeezing bethlehem into an ever shrinking space. that doesn't stop the tide of visitors, but many know more about the past than the present. what about the politics, you know, between. . ? i don't know much about it, all i know is my saviour, jesus christ. that's all i know, that's all i care about. ijust want to learn more about him. i mean, this is where our lord and saviour was born and, oh, my goodness, this is where everything started. what about the politics, you know? the israelis and palestinians? did you hear anything about that, think anything about that? yeah, you know, it's definitely concerning, i guess. what did you think of the wall when you came in? oh, that was substantial, of course, and you can tell that people that lived in old time, how protected they felt by the big wall and how amazing it is today. it's a new wall, but anyway... it's a new wall? yeah. 0h 0k.

the new wall, then. that too, it's about the future as well. you can't avoid politics in the nearby refugee camp of dheisheh. quite the reverse. ahmed wants to show foreigners how palestinians here live. the refugee camp is actually like a... they are all connected. he is renting a room to adventurous tourists, advertising on the internet... it's... they have this bond. ..and it was just the kind of alternative holiday clara was looking for. in the end of the day, you see that you really think in the same way, but you come from two different places in the world. that's the connection ahmed is seeking. you know, the people here are not... most of them are not allowed to go outside, and especially to the outside world. and they see the outside world in your eyes. business is booming this year, but who knows? next year could be a bust. when you don't control your own space, the situation is very fragile. i suppose the only constant thing is faith. the faith of things hoped for...

..if not yet seen. barbara plett usher, bbc news, jerusalem. let's ta ke let's take you back to the breaking news this hour, we had just seen images of the duke of edinburgh who has left hospital in the last half hour also, walked out of hospital and intoa hour also, walked out of hospital and into a car. we can talk now to charles anson, who worked as the queen's press secretary. that was from 1990 to 1997. thank you forjoining us, it seems good news that the duke is fit and able to leave hospital? that is marvellous that he will be able to go back to sandringham. christmas is important for the royal family, they a lwa ys important for the royal family, they always gather together in

sandringham soi always gather together in sandringham so i am sure the queen and other members of the family will be very glad he is able to come back and leave hospital under his own stea m. and leave hospital under his own steam. have you heard he is definitely headed back to sandringham? i would assume that thatis sandringham? i would assume that that is where he would be going. the royalfamily will that is where he would be going. the royal family will be there gathering for christmas already. i am sure he will be on his way to sandringham. any information as to what he was being treated for, we were only told by the palace that it was a pre—existing condition. by the palace that it was a pre—existing conditionlj by the palace that it was a pre-existing condition. i don't know any more about it, the palace have been consistent in saying they would not speak of in any more detail but it was definitely something he had been treated for before, and they —— andi been treated for before, and they —— and i think the fact that he can actually leave hospital on foot like that to go back to sandringham must

bea that to go back to sandringham must be a good sign that he is on the mend. the vice we don't know whether mend. the vice we don't know whether men “— mend. the vice we don't know whether men —— whether any members of his family visited in hospital, we certainly hadn't heard of any. family visited in hospital, we certainly hadn't heard of anym that a measure of confidence in his health? i think partly that, but prince philip does not like a great fuss made of him, never has done. he will be treating it very much as being under observation in sorting out whatever needed to be sorted out and going back to the other members of his family. what is the christmas routine in sandringham? what will he be joining routine in sandringham? what will he bejoining the routine in sandringham? what will he be joining the family gathering today for? the gathering, certainly it is on christmas eve as well as christmas day, it is a long european tradition of christmas eve being important as well as christmas day, and then tomorrow the queen and members of the family will go to church. whether prince philip goes

with them, he hasn't always gone with them, he hasn't always gone with them, he hasn't always gone with them in the last year or two, so he will not necessarily go to church tomorrow, i doubt that he would, he has just church tomorrow, i doubt that he would, he hasjust come church tomorrow, i doubt that he would, he has just come out of hospital. they will go to church and then of course have a great christmas gathering at sandringham, and the queen puts my christmas broadcast in the afternoon which, of course, has been pre—recorded, as it a lwa ys course, has been pre—recorded, as it always is. and they stay up at sandringham fora always is. and they stay up at sandringham for a few days through to january. i don't know whether you will be able to see the pictures of the duke of edinburgh leaving hospital in the last few minutes, he looked in reasonably good shape, i thought? certainly for a man of 98,

i think it is marvellous that he is able to leave under his own steam in that way, at 98, a lot of people feel a lot frailer than he is. he is in very good shape for someone of that age. the vice one is always struck that when you are a member of the royalfamily, struck that when you are a member of the royal family, all of struck that when you are a member of the royalfamily, all of these illnesses that people would perhaps prefer illnesses that people would perhaps p refer to illnesses that people would perhaps prefer to deal with in private have to be dealt with in public, but i am sure everybody will be very happy to see those images today. his family will be very pleased that he is able tojoin them at will be very pleased that he is able to join them at sandringham, will be very pleased that he is able tojoin them at sandringham, i think. it is an important time of the year for them to gather and have some private time together over a reasonably relaxed period. thank you so much forjoining us on christmas eve, mr charles anson, and of course we are very interested to follow the

progress of the duke of edinburgh, and many people are, of course, watching what is going on. charlotte gallagher is in sandringham for us, where the queen has been in residence since friday. presumably very welcome news to see the duke of edinburgh leave hospital? yes, and especially as he was seen walking out of the hospital after staying for four nights in central london. and we are expecting him to arrive and then beaches and into the estate. 0bviously huge for prince philip to be home for christmas, because since he retired from public life in 2017, this is his home, where he spends most of his home, where he spends most of his time. talking to the estate staff here, they say they often see him walking around, talking to people, carriage riding around the estate, so a huge relief for him and the family that he is back for

christmas. the royal family the family that he is back for christmas. the royalfamily go the family that he is back for christmas. the royal family go to church on christmas day, it is their tradition, but we might not see him there, he has just tradition, but we might not see him there, he hasjust been released from hospital after spending four nights there, he did not go last year. since he retired from public life we have seen him a lot less in public, he seems to spend time in private giving things out of the focus of the media. harry and meghan will not be here either, but we expect prince andrew to come to church on christmas day. some people think it might not be coming after scrutiny about its friendship with jeffrey epstein and that interview with bbc newsnight, and there is also speculation that prince william and catherine's young children, charlotte and george, could come on christmas day and make their first appearance at the christmas day church service. i am sure for the hundreds and hundreds of people that come here first thing in the morning to catch a glimpse of the royal family, that would be a very welcome sight indeed, seeing the young children attending the church

service with the queen,