welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm lebo diseko. our top stories: george michael, one of the biggest pop—stars of the last 30 years, has died at the age of 53. the music world is paying tribute. elton john describes him as the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist. a major search operation pinpoints a russian military plane that crashed into the water with 92 people on board. it's been announced that the british singer george michael has died. he was 53. police say they were called to his home in oxfordshire shortly

before 2pm on christmas day. they've confirmed he was found dead at the scene. it's being treated as unexplained but not suspicious. george michael shot to fame in the 1980s with the group wham, and then went on to have a hugely successful solo career. andy moore looks back at his life. # well, i hadn't seen your face around town a while, so i greeted you, with a knowing smile... he burst onto the scene in the early 1980s when he formed wham with andrew ridgeley. the duo had number one singles around the world. they even conquered china, becoming the first western pop band to perform there. george michael loved fame but never became used to it. to be obviously a part of people's lives as an artist, that's what i dreamed of and that's what i'm still grateful for. but my god, i wish i could cope with the other stuff the way other people do. i wish i'd been born with that particular suit of armour,

you know, because i wasn't. # you know not everybody has got a body like you. but i gotta think twice before i give my heart away... as his career waned, he hit the headlines for other reasons. he was stopped for a series of traffic offences leading to a spell in jail. he was cautioned and fined for drug possession and received treatment for addiction. # time can never mend the careless whispers... in 2011, he suffered a life—threatening bout of pneumonia while on tour in austria. police said his death was unexplained but not suspicious. his family said he had died peacefully at home. they called him a beloved son, brother and friend. john covach is the director of the institute for popular music at the university of rochester in new york.

just explain to us why george michael was such a cultural icon. well, it really comes down to those two big albums in the second half of the 1980s, wham's make it big and his first solo album, faith, those established george michael as one of the biggest performers of the 1980s. i was surprised to see people in their 20s tweeting condolences and saying how sad they were to hear he had passed away. he obviously appealed to a broad range of people. that's true. of your course today's young people are so connected via the web that they are almost a make by generation that grabs stuff from all different generations —— of course “— all different generations —— of course —— magpie. many of them are

still beatles fans. his rise coincided with the rise of mtv. how did he use that to propel his career forward 7 did he use that to propel his career forward? the early years of mtv saw record companies having to be convinced in america at least that there was value investing in these videos. but by the time wham came along, the record companies were already willing to invest and you had to look good and george michael was an extremely talented man, a man who wrote and produced and performed and played instrumentally on a lot of his hit records but he was a very attractive man, and that may day lot of difference in those early years of difference in those early years of mtv. i had no idea that he also produced and wrote. he was an incredible talent, why is it that so many weren't a aware of his range? because that's not really what you fro ntload because that's not really what you

frontload the image with. he was such a charismatic man with a fantastic voice, those were really the things the fans were focused on an little did they know behind—the—scenes that he was such a creative master of such a lot of other things, not unlike prince who in many ways was a similar kind of artist who played all the instruments and wrote everything on a lot of those big hits. you'd never know it but that's the way it worked out. were there any particularly well—known people he produced for or impacted on? the whole rise of blue—eyed soul in the 80s with not just george michael but hall and 0ates and lot of other artists rekindled an interest in a lot of younger artists in that soulful singing, and boy we heard a lot of that singing in the 90s and in the last ten or 15 years. what do you think his legacy will be? we music historians tend to look at that

moment when an artist made his or her first really moment when an artist made his or herfirst really big moment when an artist made his or her first really big impact. moment when an artist made his or herfirst really big impact. for george michael that will be the second half of the 80s. it will be make it big, faith and after that he continued to be productive and do a lot of great things. that first big splash and the golden period for him will be the one most music historians will really highlight. john covach, thank you so much for teaching me some things. thank you. my teaching me some things. thank you. my pleasure. many have expressed their grief on social media, including a lot of the singer's celebrity friends. television host james gordon wrote on twitter: —— james cordon. former supermodel christy turlington burns, who starred in george michael's freedom music video, posted on instagram: and the actor george tokai wrote:

thom geier is managing editor of the entertainment magazine, the wrap, i spoke to him in the last hour in new york and asked him why george michael was such a significant musician? i think george michael came of age as a pop star in the early 1980s just as the music video phenomenon was really beginning to take off. it was the early days of mtv and he was really one of the pioneers that helped launch that format as a vehicle of expression for music and for pop music in particular. you think back to some of his early hits like careless whisper, faith, wake me up before you go—go, whether with wham or as a solo artist, he was really on the cutting edge of that whole phenomenon. he also managed to make the transition that a lot of people don't quite make from boy band pinup to actual serious, respected artist.

that is true. he started out as this kind of teenybopper star with andrew ridgeley and wham and transitioned very quickly to be this kind of new male sex symbol that we hadn't really seen before, a guy who goes from being the teenybopper pinup idol to the stubbornly guy wearing the levi jeans end the faith video. it was really a remarkable transition. that faith video was interesting, we saw him bringing in models and he went on to work with a number of other people from different types of music, collaborating with people from r&b, now that's quite a common thing to do but it was quite ahead of its time at the time, wasn't it? absolutely. for him to work with artists of different genres, whether r&b artists or simply walk is true is more recently in 2014 in his collaboration with symphonica.

the other thing too to remember is he was one of the early stars to come out as gay, first as bisexual and then as gay, so that whole evolution that we've seen in terms of the public acceptance of gay artists, he was really at the cutting edge of that phenomenon as well. i mean, it wasn't in the circumstances that he may have chosen. but as you said, it was hugely significant, wasn't it? absolutely. he became a face for that phenomenon somewhat reluctantly in some cases but his advocate interview in 1999 was really one of the seminal coming out moments that we saw in terms of a public figure of that stature accepting and embracing his status as a gay man. how was that reflected in his music and how did it go on to influence his career? there was a new openness that you saw in the 1990s. his output at that point was not nearly as popular as his earlier stuff in the 1980s and yet

there seemed to be a kind of legacy attachment and certainly among the gay community, he continued to be embraced as this seminalfigure. how do you think he will be remembered? one of the things that is remarkable is he died on christmas day and he's also associated with two of the biggest pockets also associated with two of the biggest pop hits associated with christmas. last christmas, one of the last singles he did with wham, and do they know it's christmas?, the band aid phenomenon from 1984, he was one of the singers on the bob geldof hit. those two songs on this day is a kind of carol that calls to mind everything that made him successful and popular. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has held talks with the us ambassador after summoning him to explain why the united states cleared the way for a un security council resolution criticising israel.

at his weekly cabinet meeting, mr netanyahu criticised the us but praised the incoming trump administration. 0ver decades, american administrations and israeli governments have disagreed about settlements but we agreed that the security council was not the place to resolve this issue. we knew that going there would make negotiations harder and drive peace further away and, as i told john kerry on thursday, friends do not take friends to the security council. russian authorities say the location where a military plane with ninety—two people on board crashed into the black sea with 92 people on board crashed into the black sea has been pinpointed. more than 100 divers have been exploring the seabed. so far they have recovered 11 bodies. vigils have been held to remember those who died in the crash. most of the passengers were members of the russian army's famous band, formerly known as the red army choir. the transport minister says investigators aren't ruling out any possible reasons for the crash,

that includes terrorism. steve rosenberg reports from moscow. this is one of the final images of the tupolev 154 jet. it was taken by a journalist before he boarded the plane. the flight would end in tragedy. the aircraft crashed into the black sea. the russians scrambled helicopters and ships, but the search became a recovery operation. there were no survivors. the plane had taken off from a military airfield near moscow. it flew south, stopping in sochi to refuel. the final destination was syria and russia's airbase near latakia, but minutes after leaving sochi it crashed. president putin offered his condolences to the families of the victims and promised them his full support. on board were more than 60 members of the russian army's famous song and dance ensemble once known as the red army choir.

they'd been due to give a concert at the russian airbase in syria. translation: we all loved this ensemble, we value them. they're our brothers, friends, colleagues. may they rest in peace. also killed in the crash, the prominent humanitarian activist and medic elizaveta glinka, known to millions of russians as dr liza. most civilian airlines have stopped using the tupolev154, once the workhorse of the russian aviation industry. in 2010, the tupolev carrying the polish president crashed in russia while trying to land. the following year a similar plane caught fire in siberia before takeoff. throughout the day, muscovites brought flowers to the headquarters of the russian army choir. this disaster has left russia stunned and silent. the kremlin has promised a thorough

investigation into this tragedy. it's also declared tomorrow a day of national mourning. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: more on our top story, the death of the singer george michael at the age of 53. we saw this enormous tidal wave approaching the beach, and people started to run, and suddenly it was complete chaos. united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon said the operation had been 90% successful, but it's failed in its principal objective, to capture general noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. the russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. day broke slowly over

lockerbie, over the cockpit of the pan—am's maid of the seas, nose—down in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide, falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a communist ban lasting more than 20 years. thousands went to midnight mass in the town of shkoder where there were anti—communist riots ten days ago. this is bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. the latest headlines: the british singer, george michael, who shot to fame in the 1980s with the pop group wham!, has died. he was 53. tributes have been paid — elton john described him as a beloved friend and a brilliant artist. well staying with our top story and the death of george michael. the news of his death has shocked many people around the world. tanya hart, is the host

of hollywood live spoke to me a little earlier from los angeles. she says george michael's death comes on a long list of talented musicians that the world has lost in 2016. i've got to tell you, when i heard about george michael today, my stomach started hurting. i can't imagine losing another person. i was thinking yesterday, it's almost the end of the year, can we get through without losing anyone else? apparently not. he was such an important person in the world of music, especially during the 80s and 90s and was really one of those transition people that made the world of pop music, he made that big transition leading into where we are now with the musical world and with a lot of the alternative music that they now call alternative music, and a lot of the real club music we hear, george michael was at the forefront of that. some incredible collaborations with maryj blige and aretha

franklin and he was doing it at a time others weren't. that's right, he was a leader in a lot of genres. you met him during his wham! days, tell us about that. i did, it was a long time ago. it was in the 80s when he and andrew was starting out. i was a reporter in boston and everybody came through boston in those days and they were so energetic and adorable. he was a handsome guy, let's face it, they both were, they lit up the stage and i got a chance to indicate them both were, they lit up the stage and i got a chance to interview them and both of them but george was always the electric guy, there was something and electric about him. i've got to tell you, i feel today like it is like the soundtrack of my life seems to be

leaving, you know? he said that he loved being famous but he also struggled with being in the public eye and he wished he could do it like other people. tell us a bit about how he battled with that. it was a big battle for him. when i first met him he was very young and it was before the whole addiction thing took over his life. people have no idea how hard it is to be on the road like these guys are on the road constantly. you had no life of your own and everybody says that's what you get, if you're famous that's what you want and that's what you get and you do what you want to do and that's what they do. but we are now learning sleep deprivation is a really serious problem, nobody sleeps in the music business. you drink too much and you do other things too much and after a while it gets to you unless you have the right people around and most of the time celebrities don't.

he was planning a comeback of sorts, he was about to work with a producer in a documentary coming out next year, what are your memories of him and how would you want him to be remembered? i think he should be remembered as first of all a very important artist. an important artist of our time and the 21st—century because of the way he crossed the bridge and led the way to the new music that we have now and literally let the way to the digital world. and literally led the way to the digital world. he came out of the analogue world and took us into the digital world, and i think that's very important. younger people don't exactly understand that now but i think they will when they start listening to the original music that george michael and wham! were doing and how they

crossed over and how everybody else, or many people did at least, followed them in the digital world. paul lester is a freelance music journalist who's written for the guardian, and sunday times newspapers here in the uk. he explained how george michael also used his celebrity status as singer songwriter to focus on other causes that he cared about. i think he was like prince, one of those artists that really wanted to be taken more seriously and he did try to make moves into the political arena and he did espouse causes, so i think it wasn'tjust about songwriting and singing, there was more to him than that and i think that's what he wanted to do latterly. it was of course what he had done by his mid—20s, was absolutely achieve everything you could possibly achieve as a songwriter and musician. he was one of the biggest stars in britain, he made the move to become a global superstar, he played in china, he did everything you could do,

there was really nothing left for him to do in the musical world and so he was looking outside of that to espouse causes that were dear to his heart. for the first time in nearly 30 years, queen elizabeth has missed the christmas day church service at sandringham. buckingham palace says she's still recovering from a heavy cold. 0ur royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, reports. morning service at sandringham, part of the royal family's christmas day routine but with one significant absentee this year — the queen. while other members of her family, including the duke of edinburgh, gathered at the church, the queen remained at sandringham house, continuing to recover from what buckingham palace has described as a heavy cold. in a short statement the palace said that she would take part in the family's christmas celebrations. her absence from the church service — the first time in many years she hasn't attended — is understood to be a precautionary measure — there is no sense of undue concern. also absent from sandringham

are the duke and duchess of cambridge and their children, george and charlotte. they attended church in the berkshire village bucklebury, where they're spending christmas day with the duchess's family, the middletons. in her christmas day broadcast, recorded at buckingham palace several weeks ago, the queen talks about inspiration. she reflects on the achievements of olympic and paralympic athletes from britain and the commonwealth, many of whom she met at a palace reception in october. and in this year when the queen she marked her 90th birthday, she'll refers to the inspirational work of the many charities with which she has been associated during her reign, and she will talk also about the work of the many unsung heroes she meets around the country. carers, community leaders and good neighbours — "ordinary people," as she puts it, doing extraordinary things. back at sandringham, the royal family, minus the queen, left church led by the duke of edinburgh, to return to sandringham house for christmas lunch and then to settle down to watch the queen's broadcast.

nicholas witchell, bbc news. now while it might be the festive season, not everyone is able to spend time at home with loved ones. some people of course have to work. tim allman takes a look at those who enjoyed a different kind of christmas this year. a long way from home but celebrating christmas as best they can. us soldiers at an iraqi army base near mosul. plenty of tinsel but thoughts are elsewhere. i feel a lot of people are getting homesick and i miss my family and i am sure eve ryo ne miss my family and i am sure everyone else does too. some people who are stuck even further out — the crew of the international space station, orbiting the earth gives

you a different perspective on this festive occasion. there is another important aspect of being on iss and thatis important aspect of being on iss and that is seeing the planet as a whole and it reinforces the fact that we should live as one people and strive for peace. we want to wish you a merry christmas and happy holidays. back on earth, christmas was celebrated in different ways — in macedonia a fun run were 300 people dressed as santa claus. 0rganisers said it brought a nice red and beyond is to the streets. in southern italy, these father christmas is talk to the water. a great way to cut loose after a long night delivering presents. a reminder of our top story: the british singer, george michael, has died at the age of 53. police, who were called to his house in oxfordshire shortly before 2pm on christmas day,

say his death is unexplained but not suspicious. he was one of the most successful recording artists of the past 30 years, selling more than 100 million records worldwide. in a statement his publicist said that: "it is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend, george passed away peacefully at home over the christmas period. the family would ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult and emotional time." lots on that on our website. a whole section — george michael in pictures and also an obituary and the world's reaction to use of his passing. stay with us on bbc news. for most of us christmas day

was very mild, due to south—westerly winds ahead of the next main storm. there's an amber warning ahead. storm force winds for the north and north—east of scotland, the northern isles and for a time the western isles, so they will cause some issues. stormy conditions out to sea and we've had reports of dangerously high waves, so those will affect some coastal areas. severe gales around the coasts, gales inland and some wintry weather. snow showers have been coming in thick and fast and they will even fall at lower levels. so it could be wintry, with as few centimetres of snow building up by daybreak and a little icy. coldest for all of us first thing, then the rain clears away and it is dry and bright in the south. further north it's a stormy day, even for this part of the world.

very windy and combined with the snow showers, plenty of them. but very few further south. with cloud with the sunshine. a bit of a breeze. not the teens we had on christmas day, 6—8 is the average. but, given the sunshine, pleasant enough. further north, there could be a few wintry showers on the hills of scotland. gale force winds here. then escalating further in the northern half of scotland. it will be a stormy day, even for this part of the world. then it goes on to batter scandinavia and the baltic sea. further south and in the mediterranean, some nasty weather, with heavy snowfall in land, courtesy of low pressure. the intense high pressure will be building through the latter part of monday, pushing that windy weather away into the north sea and scandinavia, where it will cause some potential power outages and travel disruption. dangerous conditions we've had

and enormous waves already reported out to sea. coastal waves will be pretty large. through tuesday things are coming down. wednesday, the calming process continues. a lot of sunshine on tuesday, will be getting contaminated with low cloud and fog. where the fog lingers it will feel much colder. some nasty conditions around at the moment, however the amber warning in force on boxing day. as ever the details on the website. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. the british pop singer george michael, who shot to fame in the 1980s with the pop group wham, has died. he was 53. his publicist said he died peacefully at home. wham achieved worldwide success with hits such as wake me up before you go—go and ‘careless whisper‘. a huge search operation

is continuing through the night off russia's black sea coast for victims of a military plane which crashed, killing all 92 people on board. more than 3,000 rescue workers are searching a wide area. vigils are being held in sochi and several other cities. queen elizabeth has missed her annual christmas day visit to church in sandringham because of a heavy cold. in her christmas message — she said she drew strength from ordinary people doing extraordinary things, like volunteers, carers, community workers and good neighbours who she described as ‘unsung heroes‘. now on bbc news it‘s time for the dateline london review of 2016 with gavin esler.