this is bbc news, i'm julian worricker. the headlines at apm: the duke of edinburgh leaves hospital for treatment of a pre—existing condition and arrives in sandringham to spend christmas with the queen. the queen will use her christmas day message to say the past year has been "quite bumpy", adding that "small steps" can heal divisions. 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. and coming up in half an hour — from the cricket world cup to a game—changing summer for women s sport — we look back at the biggest sporting moments this year.

good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the duke of edinburgh has returned to sandringham in time for christmas, after leaving hospital in london. prince phillip, who's 98, spent four nights in the king edward vii hospital on the advice of his doctor. in her christmas day message, the queen will describe 2019 as a ‘bumpy‘ year. here's our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. afterfour nights in the king edward vii hospital, the duke emerged this morning and walked slowly but without assistance to the waiting vehicle. there's been no information about the reason for his stay at the hospital. in the past he's been treated there for bladder and chest infections. whatever the nature of this latest episode, the duke, who is 98 now,

has clearly satisfied his doctors that he is well enough to return home. a helicopter took him from buckingham palace to the queen's sandringham estate, where the royal family is gathering for christmas. in her christmas broadcast tomorrow, the queen will talk about a past year which has felt quite bumpy. she doesn't clarify what it is that been bumpy, which will inevitably invite speculation. these are her words. talking about reconciliation, she says... the obvious conclusion is that this is a coded message from britain's head of state, urging the country to try to move on from the divisions of the brexit debate. she also says in the broadcast that small steps can overcome long—held differences. but the reference to a bumpy year might also be taken to refer to events within her own family

after a year which began with the duke of edinburgh's road accidentjust outside the sandringham estate, which continued with the duke and duchess of sussex complaining about the problems, as they see them, of being in the public eye, and which culminated most recently with the controversies surrounding prince andrew, which forced him to step back from public duties. for the queen, who arrived in norfolk en route to sandringham at the end of last week, there is at least the reassurance of knowing that her husband will be with her over christmas. absent, though, are the sussexes. they are in canada. this is their online christmas card, a picture of them with their seven—month—old son archie. charlotte gallagher is in sandringham for us where the queen has been in residence since friday. the good news for them is that the duke will now be with them. yes, a real relief here that the duke of

edinburgh is back with his family to spend christmas on the sandringham estate. not just from spend christmas on the sandringham estate. notjust from the royal family but also people who work on the estate who say they hey see that you quite a lot, he wants around the estate, they check to him and he feels like part of the family. they are pleased he is back to spend christmas with his family. we will nick see the royals tomorrow morning as they go to church, as they do on christmas morning, we don't know if prince philip will be there. he has just been discharged and secondly because he did not go last year and since retiring from public life in 2017 he has been out a lot less in public, referring to spend time on his own activities. who we do think we'll be there, prince george and princess charlotte. they will be there. prince william's older children making their debut on christmas day. a lot of people who come down here to see the royals will be very excited by that. prince

andrew, we are expecting him to come down. there was speculation that he would not come on christmas day because of the scrutiny and criticism surrounding his friendship with the convicted six offender jeffrey epstein, and also that bbc newsnight interview which created headlines across the world, mainly negative, but apparently he will be here tomorrow. speaking to staff on the estate, they are expecting around 6000 people to come and see the royals tomorrow. it shows you that despite the bumpy year, there is still a lot of interest in the royal family. boris johnson and jeremy corbyn have thanked nhs staff and other public servants who work through the holidays in their christmas messages. the prime minister said the uk stood in solidarity with christians around the world who have 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.

and we're hearing more about the prime minister's plans for the new year. 0ur political correspondent mark lobel told us earlier how mrjohnson isjetting off with his girlfriend, carrie symonds, to the private island of mustique in the caribbean. he will be staying with friends when he goes, but he is not going just yet. he has taken a call and downing street from the present of turkey and will be spending christmas day in downing street with carrie and his dog. he sent out a christmas message, praising the doctors, nurses, police and army members working over christmas and also highlighting the plight of persecuted christians. some people will say, you are off on a nice caribbean island, you deserve it after a long break. a labour source has said that boris was and is a proud member of the elite few idea protect our bankers and billionaires, no surprise he holidays with them. as the leader of the people's government, perhaps he

will get some stick for that. he is paying for that himself. 0ther leaders have travelled abroad, tony blair used to go to barbados to hang out with cliff richard. david cameron spent a lot of time in cornwall but also travelled abroad. theresa may stayed at the home for walking hilly days in snowdonia where she called the snap election. we need to distinguish been the personal and political, untypical front borisjohnson has banned ministers from going to the annual gathering in the swiss resort, economic gathering. ace downing street source told the evening standard that our focus is on delivering for the people, not champagne with billionaires. the slight irony of that is that the owner of the paper hosted a party the night after borisjohnson upon his landslide victory, and the guardian said it was a champagne fuelled caviar fuelled christmas party. you do have an equal measure of celebrity and politician in boris

johnson that many close to him speak about our debt is perhaps no surprise he goes to these parties, but even when he is in the caribbean for a holiday, no suggestion that he will be had together power to a deputy so he will still very much be in charge. people in the australian state of new south wales have been showing their gratitude to volunteer firefighters battling huge bushfires by donating christmas presents. since september, close to 3,000 firefighters have been out every day trying to control the fires which have engulfed vast areas. 0ur correspondent phil mercer reports. koalas and other australian animals are the unseen victims of the fires. much of their habitat has been destroyed and the survivors need all the help they can get. the true extent of australia's bushfire crisis is gradually emerging as the charred remains of devastated towns are inspected.

since the start ofjuly, the authorities here in new south wales say almost a thousand homes have been destroyed by the bushfires. this property was devoured by flames that tore up through a gully at the back. communities like this terrorised by fires that in many places are simply burning out of control. we just want to make sure that you guys have got stuff for your community. the damage would be far worse without the efforts of volunteer firefighters. here in buxton locals have been showing their appreciation to those who have been working around the clock to keep the town safe. it is just overwhelming support with presents and stuff for the kids. i haven't even done any christmas shopping or anything for my daughter. she will turn one on january the 11th. yes, just thank you very much.

to boost the emergency efforts, the australian prime minister, scott morrison, says that volunteer firefighters who have jobs in the public service will be given four weeks' paid leave. some have been battling the fires for months and with no end in sight to the crisis, a long, dangerous summer lies ahead. phil mercer, bbc news, new south wales. there have been further clashes between police and pro—democracy protesters who've been holding christmas eve rallies in hong kong. some demonstrators threw umbrellas and other objects at police, who responded by firing tear gas and beating protesters with batons. thousands of people have been arrested since the unrest began injune, although the demonstrations have been smaller in recent weeks. at least 26 people have died in indonesia when a bus plunged into a ravine. the bus left the city of bengkulu with 50 passengers on board. rescue teams and volunteers evacuated the survivors,

who were trapped on the bus, before taking them to nearby hospitals. thousands of children in care are living more than 100 miles from their family and friends in places they have never heard of, 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. they're less 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. this is, you know, 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. 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 locate and

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. the headlines on bbc news... the duke of edinburgh has left hospital in time to spend christmas with the queen at sandringham. the queen will use her christmas day message to say the past year has been "quite bumpy", adding that "small steps" can heal divisions. thousands of volunteer firefighters will spend christmas day battling wildfires that are still ravaging australia. sport, and time for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. here's 0lly. good afternoon. tottenham have banned one of their supporters for throwing a missile at the chelsea keeper, kepa arriza balaga, during their defeat at home on sunday. the club haven't said how long the ban is for. a chelsea fan has been arrested for committing a racially aggravated

offence during the game, and tottenham and the police are still trying to identify a supporter who allegedly abused the chelsea defender antonio rudiger. speaking today, the chelsea manager, frank lampard, has criticised jose mourinho for questioning rudiger‘s integrity. the spurs boss felt that rudiger overreacted in an incident that saw son heung—min sent off. the chelsea defender claimed that he was targeted with racial abuse from the stands shortly afterwards. i think with tony in this incident, when he is having to post after the game about something we know is a huge deal, i think to question his integrity in that time is disappointing. because i think pretty universally, certainly what i heard in the commentary at all the

post—match reflection was that this incident was a red card. i said it after the game, it wasn't a brutal red card, but it was an instinctive one that warrants a red card. tottenham's appeal against son's red card has failed. the fa have announced that in the last last hour, so he will miss the boxing day match at brighton. liverpool's alex 0xlade—chamberlain has damaged an ankle ligament and will miss their games against leicester and wolves. the england midfielder picked up the injury in qatar during the second half of his side's 1—0 win over flamengo in the club world cup final on saturday. 18 months after getting sacked by west brom, alan pardew is back in football — he's taken over as head coach of dutch side den haag. he has signed a deal until the end of the season and will have chris powell as his assistant. powell will combine the role alongside his coaching position

with england. den haag are currently second bottom in the dutch league. they're on a winter break at the moment, pardew‘s first game will be against the bottom side on january 19th. the england cricket captain, joe root, says he doesn't know if ben stokes will be available for the first test against south africa that starts on boxing day. stoke's father ged was taken seriously ill yesterday. he is in a critical condition at a johannesburg hospital. ijust want i just want to throw all our support behind him and his family and just stress the importance of respecting their privacy at this time. but it is really sad news. we are all there for him. you have no idea if he is going to be able to play not on boxing day? no, i don't would be wrong to go into that now. it is important that he is therefore his family, that comes first. and we will have to wait and seek, but most importantly we are all there for ben and the rest of his family.

everyone's thoughts are with ben at his family. they are at his father's bedside, he is in a critical condition, and ben stokes has been out and able to practice here today with the rest of his team—mates. impossible the same whether he will be playing on boxing day. overnight at another illness, this will disappoint england, they thought they were through this, this mystery bug that has cut a swathe through the bowling attack, but they went down last week and england thought they might have been through it. now chris woakes again, if vital member of the site, down overnight, and england civilly cannot have any thoughts at all about announcing theirteam thoughts at all about announcing their team until the morning of the match. james anderson is expected to start. they said he will, to win his 150th test ca p. that's all the sport for now. asia bibi spent nearly ten years injail in pakistan,

facing a death sentence for alleged blashphemy. she will celebrate this christmas as a free woman, after being released earlier this year, but the country s blasphemy laws remain intact. human rights groups say blasphemy allegations are often used in pakistan as a way of settling personal feuds or targeting minority groups in the country. secunder kermani reports. for years, asia bibi's father prayed for her release. this summer, as she was flown out of the country after nearly a decade on death row, he spoke to her on a relative's phone. translation: i was so happy i saw her face and she held her hands up in front of me and said, "father, forgive me." then i started crying and i said, "go, my daughter. may god protect you." asia bibi was accused of having

insulted the prophet muhammad during an argument whilst working inafield. a prominent muslim politician was murdered for speaking in her defence. hardliners took to the streets when pakistan's highest court overruled her conviction last year. eventually she was freed and fled abroad with her children and husband. the rest of her family are still in pakistan. they had to leave their village when asia bibi was first accused of blasphemy. translation: i do get angry, but what can you do with anger? we are labourers, poor people. the verdict in asia bibi's case was welcomed around the world, but pakistan's blasphemy laws remain in place. despite the release of asia bibi, activists say courts are still reluctant to acquit suspects in other blasphemy cases,

afraid of the reaction from fundamentalist groups. meanwhile, new cases continue to be filed. at least a dozen people have been accused of blasphemy this year. this christian man faces the death penalty if convicted of sending blasphemous text messages. we are concealing his identity for his own protection. his lawyer, guarded by police, also defended asia bibi. he saysjudges often feel intimidated. they do whatever the prosecution lawyer is asking. they go after him. they don't listen to the accused's lawyer and the way they sit, putting their faces down, frightened. to see that they are frightened, it's awful. the jailed man's family had been hoping he would be released on bail in time for christmas.

that has not happened. translation: for me having to cope with everything alone is so difficult. in the past few days he got badly beaten up because there was some argument between the inmates over prayers. across pakistan, christian neighbourhoods are preparing to celebrate. the community no longer faces the same level of threat from militant groups that it did even five years ago, but a continued trickle of blasphemy allegations leaves many feeling marginalised. the historic town of bethlehem is welcoming pilgrims from around the world to celebrate christmas in the holy land. there's been a procession for the acting latin patriarch ofjerusalem who arrived in bethlehem earlier. tourists have been queueing to visit the grotto inside the church of the nativity, believed to be the site where jesus christ was born. the local christian community there is dwindling, partly because of the economic effect

of the israeli occupation in the west bank. but tourism is thriving — the palestinian authority says 3.5 million tourists have visited bethlehem this year. 0ur correspondent barbara plett—usher is in bethlehem. we have had the christmas parade with the patriarch coming out later there is going to be a christmas mass with many dignitaries and visitors. the light has gone down, night has fallen, you can see the christmas lights behind us. there are many visitors and pilgrims, but also a local christian community, palestinians. i have one with me here, active in the christian trinity. i wanted to chat with you about what this means for local christians. a very busy season, lots of tours. is that important? yes, very, christmas is all aboutjoy and

humbleness and humility. having people from all around the world to celebrate this with us and be whether to show us that they know what bethlehem is and the birth of jesus christ happened here, it means a lot. it also increases the capacity of the city, and bethlehem where palestine as a country goes through its own challenges. we have been hearing that the christian community has dwindled quite a lot over time. why do creatures leave? living under occupation is a big issue. it is not easy to live here. the occupation precious people in so many areas. economically, but also it limits our movement, the feeling of injustice, prejudice laws that they apply. they all affect the presence of not only creatures but also muslims, the palestinian community, but christians are, there isa community, but christians are, there is a higher number emigrating. what

about next year? do you feel there is hope for things to change doesn't look bleak? i am always hopeful person. i do hope things will change, we do need change, cannot live in the current circumstances but i am not sure if they will happen that fast, if in 2020 we will be able to notice a change. we have been noticing a bigger community showing support for the palestinian people, and awareness of the injustices we are going to add are actually trying to pressure their governments and international policies to make change. we are hoping this will have an influence to such policies and help us as palestinians to maintain and stay in this land. thank you. a christian who is active here in the committee and bethlehem, and also celebrating christmas. figures from the polling company yougov suggest 12% of shoppers will be out on the high street today, hunting for christmas bargains. in years gone b,y last—minute shopping hasn't brought any real savings, but that's changing as struggling retailers continue discounting

right up to the big day. 0ur consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith followed three shoppers on their last—minute dash. racing through the shops just hours before christmas, scott still has gifts to find. and he's not alone. joining him for the last—minute dash is his disorganised mate dean. theirfriend nick makes it three dads in the final frenzy. but are they the modern day three wise men? i've got an idea of what i need to get. i've got a cheeseboard... what, you've made a list? ..for my son. cheese, bread... no, actually that's the wrong list. is thatjust your shopping list? so it's usually christmas eve, we go shopping every year, in a panic situation. usually end upjust in the pub. they are certainly not alone.

more than one in ten of us are doing our shopping in december will finish present buying in the final 48 hours. describe your daughter to me. she is eight... no, she's not! oh, my god! but this year, could scott and his mates actually be making the best choice? thank you very much. merry christmas. yes, you too. sue used to be a top director at house of fraser. she says the early sales are bad news for retailers but good news for shoppers. this year there are some great things on offer at very reduced prices, because many retailers, after black friday at the end of november, have maintained their reductions and gone on their winter sale, normally on boxing day, a bit earlier. the biggest problem with last—minute buying is the panic factor. debt charities warn that despite decent offers, people are more likely to become desperate and blow the budget as a result.

so will the lads stick to their 11th hour shopping habits? i don't really plan, but, yeah, it always seems to sort itself out after a while. it's probably not the best way to do it, but then you do get the odd little bargain so you think, "oh, it's worth doing," rather than just buying online. probably still be here on christmas eve next year but, again, i'll probably do quite a lot of it online. perhaps not exactly the three wise men, but their last—minute present dash is no longer the daft idea it once was. colletta smith, bbc news in manchester. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. the heavy showers that we have seen across the south of england should be moving away this evening, when direction changing to more north—westerly, feeding showers into north—westerly, feeding showers into north—west england and north wales, the midlands. they will fade overnight, skies clearing about wind

dropping, cold enough for a touch of ground frost. a blue sky day on christmas day, showers to clear away from northern scotland but otherwise plenty of sunshine, the winter light for the most part. cloud increasing for the most part. cloud increasing for northern ireland later. the northern half still 6—7dc, cooler of late. travelling in the evening, but where folk developing, particularly across northern england, midlands and east anglia. dense for a while, lifting by boxing day morning with more cloud coming into about wind picking up, a spell of rain across the north may bestow on the hills and mountains. wetter weather and blustery winds feeding in from the west. temperatures still in double figures.

hello, this is bbc news with julian worricker. the headlines... the duke of edinburgh has left hospital — in time to spend christmas with the queen at sandringham. the queen will use her christmas day message to say the past year has been "quite bumpy," adding that "small steps" can heal divisions. thousands of volunteer fire fighters will spend christmas day battling wildfires that are still ravaging australia. next, some of the biggest names in sport sit down to relive the key events of the year, including the cricket world cup, the athletics world championships and a game—changing summer