this is bbc news, i'm julian worricker. the headlines at 6... prince philip is discharged from hospital after 4 days. the duke is now spending christmas with the queen in 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. the wildlife victims of australia's bushfires — helped by the firefighters working around the clock. five children are amongst eight people killed in air strikes in syria, after a week—long government offensive in the mainly rebel—held province of idlib. pilgrims from around the world are in bethlehem for christmas eve celebrations. ben stokes misses training for england, because his father

is admitted to hospital in south africa with a serious illness. also this hour, catch up on all the latest gadgets, games and computer industry news with click. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the duke of edinburgh has returned to sandringham 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. his return to norfolk comes as it's been revealed that the queen will describe 2019 as a ‘bumpy‘ year, in her christmas message. 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 has been no information about the reason for his stay at the hospital. in the past, he has 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 has 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. but the reference to a bumpy year may also be taken to refer to events within her own family, after a year which began with the duke of edinburgh's road accident, just 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 norfolk 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. but the other principal members of the family will all be there. this was george, a few days ago, stirring a christmas pudding with his father, grandfather and great grandmother. the royal family's

christmas is ready. and earlier, nicholas gave more detail on what the queen might have meant by her comments about a ‘bumpy‘ year. it would be so much simpler if she would be a bit more explicit, wouldn't it? we can only look at the context and we know, from the extracts which buckingham palace has released, that one of the themes of the broadcast tomorrow is reconciliation. she will talk about the 75th anniversary of d—day, of former sworn enemies coming together so in the context of reconciliation she says the path can be quite bumpy, as we have found this year. she talks about small steps, overcoming deep—seated divisions and long—held differences. surely that can only be a reference to the political divisions that we have seen over the past 12 months, as a result of the brexit debate. as head of state, she found herself being forced, by her prime minister, into the prorogation of parliament, which turned out to be unlawful and that is quite a bump for her. i think that that is

what she is referring to, although inevitably, it is undeniable that it has also been a bumpy and difficult year for the royalfamily, but we will really have to wait and see till three o'clock tomorrow afternoon to see the broadcast in its entirety. people in the australian state of new south wales have been showing their gratitude to the volunteer firefighters battling huge bushfires, by donating christmas presents. since september, nearly 3,000 volunteers have been out every day trying to control the blazes which have engulfed vast areas. 0ur correspondent phil mercer sent this report. 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 isjust overwhelming support, like, obviously all the presents and stuff for the kids. i haven't even gone christmas shopping or anything for my daughter. she will turn one on january the 11th. 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. greg allan, spokesperson for the new south wales rural fire service in sydney, and he's been giving us the latest on the situation. 76 current fires burning across new south wales, 30 of those fires are yet to be contained. we have got, in the field right now, more than 2000 personnel working to christmas morning, across boxing day and thousands volunteers across the new year to slow the spread of fire, and protect lives and properties across the state. for the families who have been caught up in this, it's really going to make for an incredibly miserable christmas. some of them losing not

just their homes but in some cases their livelihoods as well? it is very, very very sad, as we have said more than 870 homes this season that have been destroyed in this state alone. very, very sad, we have seen lives lost, a very destructive season. no doubt christmas day will be particularly a tough day to get through, no doubt for those who lost property, for those who lost homes, but especially for our volunteer firefighters who are away from families, doing what they can, itjust shows the amount of support are volunteers are willing to do for the communities right across the state. police in new zealand have called off the search for the bodies of two people missing since the volcano eruption on white island earlier this month. police say they took the decision after extensive shoreline and aerial searches. the bodies of hayden marshall—inman, who was 40, and 17—year—old winona jane langford are thought to be in the water off the island. ms langford's parents were among the 19 people killed by the eruption. police in hong kong have fired tear

gas at pro—democracy protesters who've been holding rallies. the demonstrators had gathered around shopping malls and areas popular with tourists. some activists threw umbrellas and other objects at the police, who responded by beating them with batons. thousands of people have been arrested since the unrest began injune. 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 i3% 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 they 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. but 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 but her mum knows it was a close call. and not an experience anyone else should go through. a record number of cattle were slaughtered last year because of bovine tuberculosis — nearly 115,000 — and the disease is considered a significant animal health problem for the uk. now, one farmer on the west coast of wales is fighting back — by trialling a new test that could help spot infected cows that are being missed by the current checks. more details from our science correspondent richard westcott. it may look idyllic, but there's a shadow hanging over this welsh dairy farm. injust three years, more than half the herd — that's 320 animals — have been slaughtered

because of bovine tuberculosis. it's been quite astonishing, the... do i use the word devastation, that it's caused my business. no one likes getting onto a sinking ship every morning, and that's how it feels, because, you know, we're constantly losing animals, 25 to 35 animals every test. in a bid to save his farm, chris and his vet, rob, have been given government permission to try something different. the current tb test is prone to miss infected animals, who then rejoin the herd. so they are amongst the first to trial a new type of test that should be better at finding those missed infections. i think the difference it could make is we will detect animals sooner, we'll be able to manage or remove those animals, before they become infectious, and therefore, overall, we should be able to shortcut the disease and stop the reinfection of animals within the herd.

at the university of nottingham, one of the scientists who devised the new technique analyses blood from wales. current tests involve giving an animal parts of tb bacteria and seeing how its skin reacts. but it doesn't always work. the new technique uses a virus, called a phage, to smash open the cells of any tb in the blood and pull out its dna. this machine can then spot it, even if there is only a tiny amount. if you have really good testing, you have the skin test and then you have this additional test on top of it, is that enough, do you think, to ultimately get the country clear? i hope so. i really believe that. and if our test is part of the toolbox that helps us control the disease, that's all we are after. initial results from wales look promising. 18 high—risk animals, recently given the all clear by the official tests,

came up as infected with the new technique. but they will need to test hundreds more animals in many different areas before we know for sure if this is an effective new weapon against the old disease that we still can't control. richard westcott, bbc news, ceredigion, on the west coast of wales. the headlines on bbc news... prince philip is discharged from hospital after 4 days. the duke is now spending christmas with the queen in 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. the wildlife victims of australia's bushfires, helped by the firefighters working around the clock. borisjohnson 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 in downing street from the present president 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, mustique, you deserve it after a long break.

a labour source has said that boris is a proud member of the elite few who will protect our bankers and billionaires, no surprise he holidays with them. as the leader of a people's government, perhaps he will get some stick for that. he is paying for it himself. other 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 went on walking holidays in snowdonia where she called the infamous snap election. but for borisjohnson, we need to distinguish been the personal and political, he has banned ministers from going to the annual gathering in the swiss resort, economic gathering. a 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 won

his landslide victory, that boris went to and the guardian said it was a champagne fuelled, caviar fuelled christmas party. you do have an equal measure of celebrity and politician in borisjohnson that many close to him speak about, and 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 handing over power to a deputy, so he will still very much be in charge. in syria, five children are reportedly among the latest casualties of a week—long offensive by syrian government forces, backed by russia, in the mainly rebel—held province of idlib. the operation has caused tens of thousands of people to flee towards the turkish border and doctors in the area have warned that they're struggling to deal with mass casualties. sebastian usher, middle east editor for the bbc world service spoke to me about the latest. for the bbc world service spoke president assad has vowed time and again that he will take back every

inch of the country at one point that seemed unlikely, it seemed simply him, just rhetoric. but it is 110w simply him, just rhetoric. but it is now true in a sense, he has a 70% of the country under his control, they have been pushing and pushing. people will remember earlier this year there was major concern it would be a government offensive that would be a government offensive that would cause a new humanitarian catastrophe. that. when russia and turkey brokered a ceasefire which has been in place for several months but has been broken time and time again. what we have seen in the last week is a fully new offensive being launched. part of the drive to take back the whole of the country and also a strategic attempt by the syrian government to take full control of the main highway that i’u ns control of the main highway that runs through the country, the m5 which is part of that ceasefire deal was supposed to be made safe, the militias were supposed to report back, fighting happening now is going a bit more deep into idlib in

the area so that is the main strategic aim at the moment of the government. but again, the tactics used are to bombard villagers from the air, from artillery, people running scared, tens of thousands moved towards the turkish border. monitors say around 80 civilians have died in the past few days, today as your sight, school was hit, five children and two women were held. the casualties build again. asia bibi spent nearly 10 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. it's visible. 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. pilgrims from around the world have been gathering in the city of bethlehem, revered by christians as the birthplace ofjesus, to celebrate christmas in the holy land. thousands converged on the town in the israeli—occupied west bank, with christmas eve festivities taking place in and around the church of the nativity. from bethlehem, our correspondent barbara plett—usher sent this report this is bethlehem's time of year, when it invites the world to celebrate the story of a humble birth that changed history. it's a tradition for palestinian scouts to set the pace of festivities. this time, perhaps, with an extra spring in their steps. bethlehem is enjoying its busiest tourist season in two decades, a bright spot despite dark times for the palestinian economy. and 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. yet in the holy land, the christmas cheer is always wrapped in political realities. the procession of christian leaders from jerusalem crossed into bethlehem through an israeli army checkpoint and a concrete barrier that separates the two cities. if we look to our human realities, politics, social, economics, we have not so much hope. 0n the other side, i see everywhere i go in the communities commitment, volunteers, desire, especially in the youth, to do something for their society, for theirfamilies. the patriarch will be leading the midnight mass here in manger square at the church wherejesus is said to have been born, the highlight for locals and pilgrims alike. it's a merry christmas here. lots of sparkling lights and happy people tonight. but in this town, in this region,

the situation is fragile. perhaps the only permanent thing is faith. homelessness is a big issue in many parts of the uk and it feels particularly poignant at this time of year. for the first time, today, london's city hall opened its doors for a festive celebration for some of those without a permanent home, who've been supported by the mayor and charities here. a recent report found that london is the worst place in the country for homelessness. alpa patel has more. smoked salmon or ham? the mayor of london, serving food to just some of the 100 homeless people, invited for christmas lunch. it's the first time an event like this has been held in city hall. as well as food, people are offered haircuts and eye checkups, too. claire became homeless when she wasjust 13.

she spent the next 30 years either on the streets, or in prison. i'd be a lot more careful. i mean if you know people that is fair enough but you have to be very careful where you sleep. be careful, you can't leave your stuff any more. it's got a lot harder as well, especially with everything going on. with help, clare now has a place of her own. she is hopeful this event will forge partnerships and improve homelessness. but she is not convinced there is enough of a joined up approach. i'm still waiting for support with mental health. but again that depends on where you live, what borough you're in, what area you're in, so it can all depend on a lot of different things. honest? i don't think that's very fair. according to the charity, shelter, 170,000 people are sleeping rough, or in temporary accommodation, in london. a rise of 2000 people on last year.

the mayor of london says he is aware the picture is bleak. it's unacceptable that, in one of the richest cities in the world, we have got parts of london which had fantastic michelin star restaurants but also more than half a dozen food banks. we are doing our bit to deal with the symptoms as i said, helping helping record numbers of londoners. and tackling the complicated causes of homelessness is what many of those who attended this event are longing to see. now, hundreds of thousands of us have, apparently, been out on the high street doing our chrismas shopping today. figures from the polling company yougov suggest 12% of people use christmas eve to find bargains. in previous years, last minute shopping hasn't brought any real savings but that's changing, as struggling retailers discount their goods before 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. something for my daughter... they are certainly not alone. more than one in ten of us doing our shopping in december will finish present buying in the final 48 hours. describe your daughter to me. she's 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.