Small steps can bring change, says Queen

The Queen says she’s been struck by the ‘‘sense of purpose’’ younger generations have shown in tackling issues like climate change.

Her Christmas Day message follows a year that has seen young people inspired by activist Greta Thunberg to become environmental campaigners.

During her annual address, the Queen, 93, acknowledged the ‘‘bumpy’’ path her family and the country has faced during the past 12 months, but mentioned some of the positives — such as the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan’s first child.

She highlighted how often ‘‘small steps, not the giant leaps’’ bring about lasting change in the world – the theme of her Christmas Day broadcast.

The Queen said the Christmas message of peace and goodwill still has relevance today – a comment which follows a year of bitter debates in Parliament and the country over Brexit.

The message was a reminder of what can be achieved when people abandon their differences and ‘‘come together in the spirit of friendship and reconciliation‘‘, she said.

Her words are likely to be interpreted as an appeal for the healing of divisions in the country as Britain leaves the EU.

‘‘The challenges many people face today may be different to those once faced by my generation, but I have been struck by how new generations have brought a similar sense of purpose to issues such as protecting our environment and our climate,’’ she said.

The Queen also spoke about personal joy, describing how she and Prince Philip were ‘‘delighted’’ to welcome an eighth great-grandchild to their family – Harry and Meghan’s son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-windsor – born 200 years after Queen Victoria.

The Christmas message, produced by the BBC, was recorded in Windsor Castle’s green drawing room after Britain’s general election, but before Philip was admitted to a private London hospital for treatment for a preexisting but undisclosed condition. The Duke of Edinburgh spent four nights being treated before he was discharged on Christmas Eve morning, in time to join the royal family celebrations at Sandringham.

In her message to the country and Commonwealth, the Queen mentioned the carol It Came Upon The Midnight Clear – performed at the end of the broadcast.

‘‘It’s a timely reminder of what positive things can be achieved when people set aside past differences and come together in the spirit of friendship and reconciliation,’’ she said.

‘‘And, as we all look forward to the start of a new decade, it’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.’’ –PA

At least 11 people died and hundreds more were sickened by methanol-poisoned coconut wine in the Philippines, the state-run Philippine News Agency said.

Known as lambanog, the wine is a favourite drink during the holidays.

According to the Philippine government, the nation’s Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly issued warnings to lambanog brewers over its high methanol content and advised the public to exercise extreme caution in purchasing and consuming the alcohol beverage and to buy only those registered by the agency.

‘‘Lambanog poisoning is caused by residual methanol, which in high levels becomes highly toxic for humans,’’ health secretary Francisco T. Duque III explained in a statement. ‘‘Methanol is a naturally occurring substance present during the distilling process, that should be separated and removed thereafter.’’ The wine is a potent palm liquor distilled from coconut sap with an alcohol content of up to 40 per cent to 45 per cent by volume.

The poisonings occurred in the Laguna and Quezon provinces of Luzon, the country’s main island, with people complaining of symptoms such as stomach ache, dizziness and vomiting after drinking the generic brand of the coconut wine, CNN said. Some 265 people were hospitalised in the town of Rizal alone.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the palace was ‘‘alarmed’’ over the reported cases of suspected poisoning, especially during the holidays where alcohol is usually present in parties. He cautioned the public against purchasing alcohol not approved by the FDA.

Fred Rey, the owner of a local distillery who had a permit to operate, surrendered to police on Monday and could face multiple homicide and physical injuries charges, CNN Philippines reported.

The sale of lambanog has been temporarily banned in Laguna, and Rizal declared a state of emergency. – USA Today