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, whos 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. Heres 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 has satisfied his doctors that he is well enough to return home. The helicopter from Buckingham Palace to the sandringham estate where the royal family are gathering for christmas. In her christmas broadcast, the queen will talk about a past year which has felt quite bumpy. She hasnt clarified what has felt quite bumpy which will invite speculation. She has talked about reconciliation. The obvious conclusion is that this is a coded message from britain part the obvious conclusion is that this is a coded message from britains head of state, urging the country to move on. She also says in the broadcast that small steps can overcome long held differences. But references to a bumpy year may also be in reference to her own family, after a year which began with the duke of edinburghs Road Accident which continued with the duke and duchess of sussex complaining about the problems of of being in the public eye, and which culminated most recently about the controversies surrounding Prince Andrew, forcing 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 reissuance of knowing that her husband will be with her over christmas. Harry and meghan will be absent. They are in canada. This is the Online Christmas card, a picture of them with their son archie. And earlier Nicholas Witchell gave me his thoughts on the queens Christmas Day message. What did she mean by this reference toa bumper what did she mean by this reference to a bumper year . What did she mean by this reference to a bumperyear . We what did she mean by this reference to a bumper year . We shall find out. She might talk about a path to reconciliation going past deep divisions, so i think shes talking about the political situation, the divisions in the country caused by brexit. I think thats the focus. But it has been a difficult year for the royal family. Not but it has been a difficult year for the royalfamily. Not on but it has been a difficult year for the royal family. Not on the scale of 1992 or 1997 when Princess Diana was killed, but a difficult yearfor all of the obvious reasons, including the recent news with Prince Andrew. Charlotte gallagher is in sandringham for us where the queen has been in residence since friday. Is it too early to suspect he might be attending . We dont know if Prince Philip will attend. He didnt go last year. Hes just been discharged from hospital. Since he retired in 2017 weve seen him a lot less in public. We are possibly expecting to see Prince William and catherines oldest children, george and charlotte, we think they could be making their debut, if you like, on Christmas Day, for that service because theyve never been there before. We also think Prince Andrew will be there. There was speculation he wouldnt attend because of the scrutiny which has been on him because of his friendship with jeffrey epstein. Apparently he will be attending tomorrow with the rest of his family. Meghan and harry wont be there, they are in canada. A lot of little girls were really excited to see her at church, especially to see what she would be wearing, but staff are expecting 6000 people here tomorrow. So despite us having a bumpy year, as the queen put it, peoples excitement about seeing the royals is high. A bit ofa about seeing the royals is high. A bit of a lift for the queen to have Prince Philip there because christmas is the focus of their celebrations. The royal family open their presents on Christmas Eve. This comes from albert, who was german, and it is a tradition to open christmas presents on Christmas Eve. Apparently they give each otherjoke presents. 0ne year the duchess of cambridge a p pa re ntly year the duchess of cambridge apparently gave prince harry a grow your own girlfriend set. 0bviously does not need that now. One year Prince Charles apparently got a padded toilet seat. Tomorrow they will go to church. They will have their christmas dinner. Then a p pa re ntly their christmas dinner. Then apparently the whole family will settle down and watch the Christmas Day message together with the queen and the same room, and i imagine not and the same room, and i imagine not a lot of people will be having a day like that chuckles especially not with the toilet seat thanks very much for that. 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. We are hearing more about the Prime Ministers plans for the new year. What do we know . The Prime Minister will be heading to the private caribbean island to see in the new year, staying with friends, but hes not going just yet, we just learned hes taking a call in downing street from the president of turkey. He will be spending Christmas Day in downing street with his partner and dog. He sent out a christmas message, as you said, praising doctors, nurses, police, and army members working over christmas, and highlighting the plight of christians. Some people might say, you are off to the caribbean, you deserve it, but he will open himself up deserve it, but he will open himself up to some criticism. Yes, how will that play politically . A labour source has said that borisjohnson isa source has said that borisjohnson is a proud member of the elite few and protector of banks and millionaires so it is no surprise he holidays with them. Perhaps he will get some stick for that. But he is paying for it himself. He is. Other leaders have travelled abroad, tony blair used to go to barbados to hang out with Cliff Richard there, David Cameron spent a lot of time in cornwall, but he also travelled abroad. Theresa may famously stayed at home for walking holidays, one in snowdonia where she called that infamous snap election. We need to distinguish between the personal and political for borisjohnson. Distinguish between the personal and political for Boris Johnson. He distinguish between the personal and politicalfor borisjohnson. He has banned ministers from going to davos, the annual economic gathering in the swiss resort. A downing street source told the Evening Standard that at the time of the ban oui standard that at the time of the ban our focus is delivering for the people, not for having champagne with billionaires. Alexander the hosted a party the night after Boris Johnson got his landslide victory, in contrast to that, and it was reported to have been a champagne and caviar fuelled christmas reported to have been a champagne and caviarfuelled christmas party. There is a bit of celebrity and politician in Boris Johnson, there is a bit of celebrity and politician in borisjohnson, which people talk about, so its no surprise he goes to these parties. But when he is in the caribbean for his new year holiday, there is no suggestion he will be handing over power to any deputy, so he will still be very much in charge. There is always a focus on where leaders go on holiday, but wherever they are they are still on the job. Thats right. And he has a huge agenda outlined and when he gets back in january he will be going straight to parliament to get his brexit bill through and get on with the job. Come february, we are expecting a relaunch and a reshuffling of the cabinet, and he might turn to more domestic issues that we have not had a lot of time to talk about the last three and a half years. Chuckles yes, indeed. Who will be covering that trip to the caribbean, will you be going . With a young family i wont be travelling, might you be available . I am sure there will be plenty of volunteers. Thanks very much. 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 australias 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 havent even done any Christmas Shopping or anything for my daughter. She will turn ten 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. 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. Police said their decision follows extensive shoreline and aerial searches. The bodies of Hayden Bryan Marshall Inman and 17 year old Winona Jane Langford are thought to be in the water off the island. Winonas parents were among the 19 People Killed by the eruption. At least 26 people have died in indonesia when a bus plunged into a ravine. The bus left the city of beng kulu 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 5 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. Theyre less likely to go into foster care, more likely to go into childrens homes. The majority of childrens 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 dont 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. Police in hong kong have fired tear gas at protesters whod gathered for a mass Christmas Eve rally. Activists had gathered on the streets and in shopping centres. Some had thrown objects at police and officers responded by beating some demonstrators with batons. Earlier, police had warned protesters against gathering in shopping malls following an Online Campaign by activists. Thousands of people have been arrested since the unrest began injune. 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 Fire Fighters will spend Christmas Day battling wildfires that are still ravaging australia. 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 childs 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 CorrespondentDominic 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 wasnt 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 cant 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. Dominic hughes, bbc news. A Record Number of cattle nearly 115,000 were slaughtered because of bovine tuberculosis last year, and the disease is being considered a significant Animal Health problem for the uk. Now one farmer on the west coast of wales is fighting back. Hes trialling a new kind of test that could help spot infected cows that are being missed by current checks. Heres our science correspondent richard westcott, it may look idyllic, but theres a shadow hanging over this welsh dairy farm. Injust three years, more than half the herd, thats 320 animals, have been slaughtered because of bovine tuberculosis. Its been quite astonishing the. I use the word devastation that its caused my business. No one likes getting onto a sinking ship every morning, and thats how it feels because, you know, were constantly losing animals, 25 to 35 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, 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 it skin reacts. But it doesnt 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, th