24/12/2011 BBC Weekend News

The Duke of Edinburgh is spending a second night in hospital after

being treated for a heart problem. Prince Philip is said to be in good

spirits. This morning, the Queen went to visit him, along with their

children, at the hospital in Cambridge and where he remains

under observation. A challenge to the Kremlin - tens of thousands

demonstrate on the streets of Moscow over alleged electoral fraud.

And thousands of miles from home, how British servicemen and women

Good evening. The Duke of Edinburgh is spending a second night in

hospital after being treated for a heart problem. Prince Philip, who's

90, is being treated at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. He was flown

there last night suffering from chest pains. Buckingham Palace say

he is in good spirits. This morning, the Queen visited, along with her

four children. Nicholas Witchell reports. It is not the Christmassy

she could have expected. The Queen went this morning by helicopter to

Papworth Hospital from Sandringham. She was accompanied by three of

their children, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex and the Princess

Royal. The fact that the immediate family went so promptly to the

Duke's bedside indicated that this was a moment of real anxiety,

albeit one which seems to have passed. A short time later, 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 a minimally invasive

procedure was carried out under local anaesthetic. Up until now,

the Duke has been continuing with an active programme of engagements,

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

Australia, doing what he has done for nearly 60 years, supporting the

Queen in every way he can. Sometimes it is small things, like

guiding a child through the crowds to meet her. Beneath the gruff

exterior is a surprisingly sensitive man. Earlier this year,

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

admitted that it might be time to ease up. I reckon I have 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, I cannot

remember names and things. Just sort of winding down. For the Queen

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

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

broadcast this year is that of families and wider community is

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

blood relatives, but it is often a description of a community,

organisation or nation. Every Christmas morning, the Queen is

used to going 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 last night was to ease a

blocked artery, it is a fairly common treatment in Britain, but

the age of the Duke does make it more risky. Jane Hughes reports. It

is a treatment which is carried out tens of thousands of tonnes a year

across the UK. It is usually done under local anaesthetic, the

surgeon being guided by X-ray while inserting a flexible tube into the

artery. The aim is to get blood flowing back to the heart as

quickly as possible. Problems arise when an artery gets narrower or

blocked because fatty deposits gradually build up, reducing blood

supply to the heart. Surgeons unblocked it by inserting a narrow

tube along the artery, to insert a stent. Once in place, a balloon

expands, forcing out the walls, and widening the artery. The balloon is

removed, but the stent stays in place. In many cases it releases

drugs to help reduce the risk of the artery never win again.

Papworth Hospital, where the Duke of Edinburgh is being treated, is

very used to carrying out the procedure. It is the biggest

specialist heart and Lung Hospital in the UK. They put stents into the

arteries of around 2000 patients every year. Coronary heart disease

affects 2.6 million people in the UK. More than 80,000 a year of

treatment to unblock an artery or fit a stent, with a success rate of

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

few %. Whilst they must be a little bit higher with somebody in their

90s, if that somebody is motivated and otherwise fit and well, and has

looked after themselves, then I think the chances of a complete

recovery are very high. The Duke of Edinburgh may be anxious to resume

his normal activities, but doctors are keeping him under observation

for now. But experts say there is no reason why he should not make a

speedy recovery. Tens of thousands of protesters

took to the streets of Moscow today, demonstrating against alleged

electoral fraud. They were demanding a re-run of the

parliamentary elections which Vladimir Putin's party won earlier

this month. A number of opposition figures, including the former

leader Mikhail Gorbachev, have called for Mr Putin to step down.

This report from Daniel Sandford. The temperature never got above

zero, but it became clear today that Moscow's newly militant voters

will not give up easily. They feel that they were cheated in the

elections, and they can sense that the freedoms that a won at the end

of the Communist era are slipping away. We believe that we can change

something. We changed it 20 years ago, and I'm sure that we can

change things 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 main

complaint was still about cheating at the polls. New elections, they

cry. It is 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 that this crowd represents

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

is. But Moscow has not seen defiance like this for decades, and

now it is happening again and again, and the protesters are in a

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

waiting for honesty. I think it is very, very important to be honest

with your people. To add to Vladimir Putin's troubles, his

long-term Finance Minister, who only left three months ago, also

called for new elections, though not straightaway. First we need to

change the laws on registering political parties, he said, then

have a new political campaign and fresh elections to get the

government we need. Russia is already a democracy, of a kind. The

government has made concessions to help opposition parties already

this week. But without overturning the whole political system, the

protesters want more than just cosmetic changes. Nobody wants a

revolution, we just want fair elections and a government that

actually represents our interests. The once all-powerful Vladimir

Putin runs for president again in March. You will probably still win,

but it is not going to be uneasy 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 happened to the south of Kabul. The serviceman was flown

back to the UK but died in hospital in Birmingham. His family has been

informed. The head of the British Army, General Sir Peter Wall, has

been visiting troops in Afghanistan to thank them for their work. He

met up with servicemen and women in Helmand province. From there, our

defence correspondent, Caroline Wyatt, reports. The band of the

Royal Regiment of Scotland, bringing a little Christmas cheer

to dining rooms across Helmand. They will travel on to the

frontline bases to offer some festive cheer to the troops. For a

family man like me, it is quite hard to be a way, but because of

the commitment that we have in Afghanistan, we have to live with

it. At Camp Bastion, the Head of the Army, General Sir Peter Wall,

came to thank the troops in person and pay tribute to their families

for their support. It is tough, one thing about the military is that

you do not get to decide where you spend Christmas yourself. We are

conscious that we make big demands on our soldiers, sailors and airmen

- and marines - and that we depend on the support that they receive

from their families in order to make sure that we can prosecute our

operation out here alongside our Afghan partners. For the men and

women serving out here, it is very much business as usual. People will

still be going out on patrol, still be fixing these vehicles, although

they will be given extra time to ring home. And they do know that

the army chefs are preparing a very special Christmas lunch. The

preparations for the fading of the 10,000 are well under way. The

forces here will be served a proper Christmas meal, with Turkey and all

the trimmings. We will be feeding around 4,500 troops here, plus 500

at the forward bases. And there will be a few thousand more who

will all receive a Christmas dinner at some stage over the festive

period. In Kabul, it has also been a season for giving, as British

forces distributed blankets and cooking oil to some of the poorest

in the city, in what remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

The guys walk around and look at things and they want to change them.

They do not often get the opportunity. This is one time when

they can get out amongst the people and try and give something back.

operations continue here this weekend, many will be hoping for a

crisp -- for a peaceful Christmas Day in Helmand, just as their

families back home will be thinking of their loved ones on the front

lines. Reports from Yemen say at least nine people have been killed

by security forces, were opened fire on protesters in the capital,

Sanaa. Tens of thousands of demonstrators were taking part in a

march in a southern city to demand that the outgoing President should

be put on trial for his part in a violent crackdown on anti-

government protests. Tens of thousands of tourists and Christian

pilgrims have gathered in Bethlehem for the Christmas Eve celebrations.

Palestinian officials say the number of visitors to the

traditional birthplace of Jesus was at its highest for a decade.

Christmas in the Holy Land. Pilgrims from around the world

gathered in Bethlehem's Manger Square. We're here to celebrate the

birth of Jesus. We know that this is a country with several religions,

and everything is mixed up here, but we believe in the birth of

Jesus on this day, so this is why we are here. Just to be around

these people, to celebrate the birth of Jesus with them, it is an

amazing experience. Christmas is a chance for Palestinians to

celebrate their biggest tourist attraction. The centre of Bethlehem

is open to be able to come and visit. It is secure, Palestine is

celebrating Christmas with hope. lucky few were able to attend

Midnight Mass in the Church of the Nativity, which was built 1,700

years ago, on the spot Christians believe Jesus was born. This

Christmas, many people here will be reflecting on a year of momentous

change. But for Palestinians, not much has shifted. There has been

zero progress in terms of talks with Israel. Many here will be

hoping, but not necessarily expecting, that that might change

in 2012. This evening, Pope Benedict has been celebrating

Christmas Eve Mass at Vatican City. He spoke out about the increasing

commercialisation of Christmas, urging people to look beyond what

he called the "superficial glitter", to discover its true meaning.

Football now, and in the Scottish Premier League, the leaders,

Rangers, suffered only their second defeat of the season, losing 2-1 at

St Mirren. Rangers 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. And Rangers were not clocking off early,

Neil Wallis got his first Rangers goal. St Mirren were being squeezed

out, but a swing of the elbow from Lee McCulloch swung things back

their way. Rangers were left with 10 men with more than an hour to go.

It was not 20 minutes before Aaron Mooy got the equaliser for St

Mirren. The hosts were expertly finding holes in the defence of the

champions. And Paul McGowan went through one of those holes. Rangers

tried to equalise after the break, but they missed their best chance.

The afternoon ended disastrously, when Dorin Goian got a second

booking. So, a Christmas Eve to forget for Rangers, but at least

the big day is nearly here - Celtic away on Wednesday. An Indonesian

girl who was feared dead after being swept from her mother's arms

during the tsunami seven years ago has been found alive. Meri Yulanda

was reunited with the couple she believes are her parents this week.

She was just eight years old when the disaster struck her village on

Boxing Day in 2004. She has been living as a street beggar since