this is bbc news, i'm clive myrie. the headlines at 8pm. three members of the same family, reported to be british, have drowned in a swimming pool at a holiday resort, on the costa del sol. prince philip has been discharged from hospital, and is now spending christmas with the queen, at sandringham. and the queen will use tomorrow's 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, that are being helped by emergency crews, working around the clock. pilgrims from around the world are in bethlehem, for the yuletide celebrations. and coming up in half an hour on bbc news: amol rajan takes a look back at a year dominated by the power of social meida in review

2019: the media year. good evening, and welcome to bbc news. we start with breaking news and three members of the same family, reported to be british, have drowned in a swimming pool at a spanish resort in the costa del sol. our correspondentjon donnison is here with more details. what more do we know about this? tragic story, it seems. this happened as a resort that's very popular with british families on the costa del sol. the resort says that three members of the same family we re three members of the same family were found unresponsive in a swimming pool, the emergency services attended but they were

unable to save them. it has been reported it was a nine—year—old girl, a teenage boy, and their father. any idea as to the circumstances regarding how they could've ended up like this? no, there is a question as to whether one of them perhaps got into difficulty first, that's been reported by some of the papers, that the young girl may be gone to difficulties and the other two went into the pool. but this isn't at the sea, this is an ordinary swimming pool sea, this is an ordinary swimming pool. so at this stage we don't know. but it does seem remarkable and certainly tragic that three people could die in this way. indeed. any more and we will speak to you throughout the evening. thank you. 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 3pm 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 1,000 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... 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 onjanuary 11. 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. 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 more 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. 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 us about the latest. president assad has vowed time and again that he will take back every inch of the country. and again that he will take back at one point that seemed unlikely, it seemed simply him, just rhetoric. but it is now true in a sense, he has a 70% of the country under his control, idlib they have been pushing and pushing.

people will remember earlier this year there was major concern it would be a government offensive that would cause a new humanitarian catastrophe. that was stopped 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 past week is a fully new offensive being launched. this is partly 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 runs through the country, the m5, which as part of that ceasefire deal was supposed to be made safe, the militias were supposed to have pulled 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 have moved

towards the turkish border. monitors say around 80 civilians have died in the past few days, today as you're saying, school was hit, five children and two women were killed. the casualties build again. 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. dominic hughes, bbc news. a record number of cattle were slaughtered last year because of bovine tuberculosis — nearly 45,000. and the disease is considered a significant animal health problem for the uk. a record number of cattle were slaughtered last year 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... three members of the same family, reported to be british, have drowned in a swimming pool at a holiday resort, on the costa del sol. prince philip is discharged from hospital after four 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. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's 0lly foster. good evening. ben stokes is a doubt for first test against south africa that starts on boxing day.

the england all—rounder missed training today to be with his father ged, who was taken taken seriously ill yesterday. he is in a critical condition in a johannesburg hospital. 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 on boxing day? no, and it would be wrong to go into that now. it is important that he is there for his family, that comes first. and we will have to wait and see, but most importantly we are all there for ben and the rest of his family. england's preparations have been far from perfect for the four test series, illness has swept through the squad, chris woakes is the latest to be laid low. from centurion, here's our cricket correspondent jonathan agnew.

again another concern for england who thought they were through the worst of this bug. generally last week england thought there had been a bit of a gap in this development. and now chris woakes going down is worrying. and it throws that selection completely up in the air for boxing day. they're just unable to name the team until the morning of the match. south africa dating back to the world cup and in england, a bit of a shambles there, behind the scenes the players do not like to get involved in administrative detail but there is unhappiness there as well and changes. they have just signed i think with graeme smith, the highly respected former captain and of course jack kallis, a fine all—rounder, suddenly all in the south african dressing room and that is bound to give their team a boost.

tottenham have banned one of their supporters for throwing a missile at the chelsea keeper kepa arrizabalaga during their tottenham have banned one of their supporters for throwing 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. chelsea manager frank lampard has criticised jose mourinho for questioning the part that antonio's rudiger played in son heung—min‘s sending off at the weekend. the spurs boss felt that rudiger overreacted in the ncident that saw son sent off for violent conduct. the chelsea defender claimed that he was targetted with racial abuse from the stands shortly afterwards. lampard says mourinho's comments were "disappointing". tottenham's appeal against son's sending off was rejected today he's suspended for the boxing day match at home to brighton then trips

to norwich and southampton. liverpool's alex 0xlade—chamberlain has damaged an ankle ligament and will definitely miss their games against leicester and wolves. he was injured in qatar during their victory over the south american champions flamengo in the club world cup final on saturday. 18 months after getting sacked by west bromwich albion, alan pardew is back in football — he's taken over as head coach of the struggling 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 with his england coaching position. den haag are currently second bottom in the dutch league. they currently on a winter break, pardew‘s first game will be against the bottom side in the division on 19january. that's all the sport for now. plenty more on the bbc sport website and app, including bunce and costello's

review of what has been a brilliant year of boxing. more from us in an hour. many thanks for that. 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. barbara plett—usher, bbc news, bethlehem. in paris, notre—dame's christmas eve mass has been celebrated at a nearby church as repair works continue. notre dame cathedral was of course deeply damaged by a fire in april this year. it's the first time since the french revolution that the cathedral has been unable to host christmas services. homelessness is a big issue in many parts of the uk and is particularly poignant, at this time year. well, london's city hall has now decided to open its doors for a festive celebration, for some of those sleeping rough — an initiative backed by the mayor and charities in the capital. a recent report found that london is the worst place in the country for homelessness. alpa patel reports.

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, claire 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 it's very fair. according to the charity, shelter, 170,000 people are sleeping rough, or in temporary accommodation, in london. a rise of 2,000 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 a record numbers of londoners. and tackling the complicated causes of homelessness is what many of those who attended this event are longing to see. alpa patel, bbc london. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller.

hello, the weather looking much quieter, for christmas day tomorrow. the showers we've had today fading away as we get into the night. a few coming in on the breeze across northern and western scotland, towards northwest england. by the end of the night it is reallyjust western scotland with showers. the wind easing a bit, clearing skies, dropping temperatures close to freezing, so at least a ground frost in the morning, may be two icy patches out there breezy showers. these will fade, a good deal of sunshine around but a dry christmas day with patchy cloud, northwest england, high clouds billing and towards south west england and parts of wales and northern ireland late in the day. i had a bar weather system coming in from the atlantic. a light winds, feeling a bit cold compared to today, but we are expecting fog to develop after dark that may be dense in places before it turns windier and wetter again on boxing day.

hello, this is bbc news with clive myrie. the headlines. three members of the same family, reported to be british, have drowned in a swimming pool at a holiday resort, on the costa del sol. prince philip is discharged from hospital after four 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.

pilgrims from around the world are in bethlehem for christmas eve celebrations. you are up to date. next, the bbc‘s amol rajan takes a close up look at a year dominated by the power of social media in review 2019: the media year. and a warning, you may find some of the material in this film upsetting. hello and welcome to this review of the media year in 2019, and what a year it has been. 0ne dominated, of course, by the californian tech giants that both manipulate us and find themselves being manipulated by friends and foes of decency and democracy.