24/12/2011 BBC Weekend News

Buckingham Palace says the Duke of Edinburgh is in good spirits in

hospital, after a procedure to treat a heart problem. Prince

Phillip was flown to happen worth hospital in Cambridgeshire last

night, after complaining of chest pains. This morning, the Queen went

to visit the Duke, along with their children, at the hospital where

he'll remain under observation. A challenge to the Kremlin - tens

of thousands demonstrate on the streets of Moscow, over alleged

electoral fraud. Rangers suffer a setback in the SPL against St

Good afternoon. The Queen has been to visit her husband, the Duke of

Edinburgh, in hospital, where he's recovering after being treated for

a heart problem. The Duke, who is 90, is said to be in good spirits.

He also had visits this morning from his four children. The Duke

was flown to hospital from Sandringham last night, after

complaining of chest pains. Our Royal correspondent reports. It's

certainly not the Christmas Eve she could have expected. The Queen en

route from sand ring happen to Papworth to visit her husband. She

was accompanied by three of her children. The fact that the

immediate family went so promptly to the Duke's bedside indicates

this was a moment of real anxiety, albeit, one that now appears to

have past. A short time after the Queen's visit, the Prince of Wales

and The Duchess of Cornwall also arrived from their home in

Gloucestershire. According to Buckingham Palace, the Duke, who

was 90 last June, spent a good night, after surgeons performed the

operation to relieve a blocked artery in his heart. He had been

taken to hospital by RAF helicopter, after experiencing chest pains at

Sandringham. After tests, doctors decided that what is described as a

minimally invasive procedure should be carried out. Up to now, he's

been continuing with an active programme of engagements. There

were 300 last year alone. Two months ago he was with the Queen in

Australia, doing what he's done for very nearly 60 years now -

supporting the Queen in every way he can. Sometimes it's small things,

like guiding a child through the crowds to meet her. Within the

sometimes gruff exterior is a surprisingly sensitive man. Earlier

this year, at the time of a 90th birthday, which he tried to play

down, he did admit it might be time to ease up. I reckon I've done my

bit. I want to enjoy myself a bit now. With less responsibility, less

frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think

of something to say. On top of that, the memory is going and I can't

remember names and things. I'm just sort of winding down. For the Queen

and her family, back at Sandringham, the Christmas programme will

continue as normal. By coincidence, one of the themes of her Christmas

broadcast this year is that of families and wider communities,

rallying around to help each other. Family does not necessarily mean

blood relatives, but often a description of a community,

organisation or nation. On every Christmas morning, the Queen is

used to go to church with her husband. He will be absent tomorrow,

but very much in the thoughts of his family and others. The

procedure the Duke of Edinburgh underwent was to ease a blocked

artery. It's a fairly common treatment carried out regularly in

Britain. Though, the Duke's age does make it more risky. It's a

treatment carried out tens of thousands of times a year across

the UK. It's usually done for local anaesthetic. The surgeon being

guided by x-ray while inserting a flexible tube. The aim is to get

blood flowing to the heart as quickly as possible. Problems

arrive when an artery gets narrower or blocked because fatty deposits

gradually build up. That reduced blood supply to the heart. Surgeons

unblock it by inserting a narrow tuba long the artery to guide in a

metal structure called a stent. Once it's in place a balloon

extends forcing out the mesh walls and widening artery. The balloon is

removed, but the stent stays in place. In a lot of cases it

releases drugs to help reduce the risk of the artery narrowing again.

Papworth Hospital, where the Duke of Edinburgh's been treated, is

very used to carrying out the operation. It's the biggest

specialist heart and lung hospital in the ueng king, fitting sepbts --

ueng king, fitting 2,000 stents a year. -- the United Kingdom,

fitting 2,000 stents a year. More than 80,000 a year have treatment

to unblock an artery or fit a stent. The treatment has a success rate of

more than 95%. The chances of a complication are very small, just a

few percent and whilst they must be higher in someone in their 90s, but

if that somebody is motivated and fit and well and looked after

themselves, the chance of a quick and complete recovery is very, very

high. The Duke of Edinburgh may be anxious to resume his normal

activity, but doctors are keeping him under observation for now.

There's no reason, though, say experts, why he shouldn't make a

speedy recovery. Luisa Baldini is at Papworth Hospital in

Cambridgeshire now. What is the latest from the hospital? The Duke

of Edinburgh is in good spirits, we have been told, following that

visit by the Queen and all four of his children this morning. In fact,

the Buckingham Palace spokesperson said he'll be eager to leave now,

but he is going to have to stay in here overnight, beyond that, but

they don't know exactly, but it was indicated to me he may have to stay

here for as long as four to five days, but the Duke of Edinburgh is

in very good hands here, as we have been hearing. The Queen's chief

physician has also been here today and as we were hearing from Jane,

the hospital here is the UK's largest specialised cardiothoracic

hospital and carry out over 2,000 stent operations each year. It's

routine and patients are often discharged the very next day, but

given this special case and the age of Prince Phillip, doctors want to

keep him here, so it does seem he will be spending Christmas here in

hospital. Thank you. Nicholas Witchell is with me now. A

pretty routine procedure, as we were hearing, but what is your

thinking on how seer crust this was? I think the family's reaction

speaks for itself. This is a family which prides itself on being

stowical and not making a fuss and rushing to bed sides, but the Queen

and all of their children went to Papworth Hospital very quickly this

morning. The Duke has come through it well. He is remarkably fit. He

doesn't smoke. He doesn't drink very much. He doesn't have a weight

problem. I think the question will now arise, will he need to

substantially reduce his workload and we are very close to the die

pond Jubilee year. That is not something that he will want to do,

but I think that plans for the Jubilee will have to be looked at

with very much a consideration of the health not just of the Duke,

but also of the Queen. Thank you. Tens of thousands of protesters

have been out on the streets of Moscow demonstrating against

alleged electoral fraud. They are demanding a re-run of the

Parliamentary elections which Vladimir Putin's party won earlier

this month. It's the latest in a series of protests across the

country. The temperature never got above zero, but it became clear

today that Moscow's newly militant voters won't give up easily. They

feel that they were cheated in the elections, and they sense that the

freedoms that they won at the end of the Communist era are slipping

away. We believe that we can change something. We changed it 20 years

ago. I'm sure that we can change today. It was the biggest protest

of the Vladimir Putin era. Bigger than the one two weeks ago and

another challenge to a political establishment that had become too

comfortable. The mape complaint was still about cheating at the polls.

New elections, they cry. It's the second time in a fortnight that the

people of Moscow have braved bitter winter temperatures to come out in

their tens of thousands and send a simple message to the Government -

we have had enough. It would be a mistake to think the crowd

represents all the Russian people. Nobody can be sure how widespread

the dissent is, but Moscow hasn't seen defiance like this for decades

and now it's happening again and again. The protesters are in a

determined frame of mind. We are waiting for transparency. We are

waiting for the honesty. Russia is already a democracy of a kind and

the Government made concessions to help opposition parties earlier

this week, but without overturning the whole political system the

protesters want more than just cosmetic changes. Nobody wants a

revolution. We just want a fair election and a government that

actually represents our interests. The once all powerful Vladimir

Putin runs for President again in March. He'll probably still win,

but it's not going to be an easy campaign. A member of the Royal Air

Force, who was seriously injured in an explosion in Afghanistan on

Thursday has died. A Royal marine was also killed in the attack. The

blast went off to the south of Kabul, and the sesman was flown

back to the UK but -- serviceman was flown back to the UK, but died

here and his family has been informed. In the SPL, Rangers

suffered their only second defeat of the season losing 2-1 to St

Mirren. They were reduced to nine men in a feisty match. The SPL

makes no allowances for last-minute shopping plans. Christmas Eve is

just another working day. Rangers weren't clocking off early. They

were straight in among St Mirren and Lee Wallace took the chance for

the first Rangers' goal. St Mirren were squeezed out, but a swing of

the elbow swung it back. Rangers were left with ten men for hor more

than an hour. They made it not even 20 minutes about Aaron Mooy smashed

the resistance apart. The hosts were expertly finding holes in the

defence and Paul mac gown dug Rangers into the mire. They fought

to climb out but Nikica Jelavic blew the big moment. Their