this is bbc news. i'm chris rogers. the headlines at 1:00pm: tributes to the singer george michael — one of the biggest stars in british music — who has died at the age of 53. his death has shocked fans around the world, as flowers and candles are left outside his home. those who worked with him honour his talent. he passed away peacefully yesterday. he always had that incredible pop sensibility and he had the voice that could touch people there are some people who have a voice and you hear it and it seems to cut through your heart and he seemed to have that ability. today's other stories, flags fly at half massed in russia. that is after a military plane crashed and killed 92 people. also this hour — the tills start

jingling as shoppers head to the high street for the boxing day sales. these were the scenes in london as bargain hunters turned out to bag cut—price deals — but footfall may be down due to pre—christmas discounts. and it's been such an intense year in british politics is enough to make you want to escape to a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. i'm going to review it all in half an hour. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the music world has been paying tribute to george michael who died last arrived from suspected heart failure at the age ofjust 53. his

career spanned four decades. he left to fame with wham!, enjoyed global success to fame with wham!, enjoyed global success in the 1980s and then forged a successful solo career. he struggled with presentation and his band members said that he was bereft at the loss of his friend. george michael doing what we did best. even then, he was potentially a music superstar. he and his school formed one in the 1980s. —— formed wham!. their brand of breezy pop ca ptu red wham!. their brand of breezy pop captured a generation. a string of number one hits followed. as a solo artist, he enjoyed perhaps even greater success. artist, he enjoyed perhaps even

greater success. faith sold millions on both sides of the atlantic. his popularity was not limited to his fans. fellow musicians were equally overwhelmed by his talents. he is rehearsing for the 1992 freddie mercury tribute concert. according to his publicist, he passed away peacefully on christmas day. his manager said he died of heart failure. andrew ridgely said he was heartbroken at the loss of his beloved friend. madonna said, farewell my friend, another great artist leaves us. eltonjohn said, i am in deep shock, i have lost a beloved friend, the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist. paul young duetted

with george michael. he paid tribute today. he always had an incredible pop sensibility and a voice that could touch people. some people have a voice that cuts straight to your heart. he had that ability. as well as success over the years, he also had brushes with the law. his car collided with a high street shop, leading to a spell in prison. he was cautioned and fined for drugs possession and received treatment for addiction. to be a part of people's lives as an artist, that is what i dreamed of and what i'm still grateful for. but, my god, i wish i could cope with the other stuff the way others do. i wish i had been born with that particular suit of armour. cos i wasn't. when george michael revealed he was gay comic he said —— gay he said he had kept it

secret to stop his mother worrying about hiv. in 2011, he said he had nearly died in vienna after a bout of pneumonia. more music was on the way, a collaboration with producer naughty boy and a documentary was due next march. when it came to pop, george michael had it all — the looks, the voice and the ability to write hit after hit, again and again. 0ur news correspondent ben ando reports from goring—on—thames, in 0xfordshire, where george michael lived. this is his home and it is what george michael would have considered his bottle. it was a way for him to get away from the intensity and the treasures, perhaps impatiens of the life and love it. it was here that

the alarm was raised yesterday. he was found in his bed. he was confirmed to be dead. villagers here are the kind of people who wouldn't have troubled him for photographs or autographs when he was walking around the village. we have been told by people that you would often go into the local pop for a pint. 0ne go into the local pop for a pint. one man side that you saw him as recently as six weeks ago. he did say that he thought that george michael was looking on well. people have been coming here to lay flowers and candles. they said that they we re and candles. they said that they were always aware that despite the fa ct were always aware that despite the fact that he was just another villager he was also an international superstar. just completely surprised. i knew he was around the village quite a lot and really shocking to hear that he has passed away. he was a very private person and we do know that he used to go to the local pub quite frequently but very private person. i was quite shocked.

i didn't hear until late last night. he was just so young. people are coming here to lay flowers a nd people are coming here to lay flowers and show their respects. we are still waiting to sure what happened exactly. we know from george michael's manager that the cause of death was initially given as heart failure. perhaps a little more will emerge with the next few days. the landlady of george michael's local pub in his home village of goring in 0xfordshire, said he would be much missed by people there. mary gayler said she got a surprise when the singerfirst started coming to the pub. it was slightly surreal to begin with. you don't expect that such a music legend will walk through europe. but he never wanted any kind of special treatment. he was so respectful of others around them. ——

will walk through your door. his music speaks volumes and that will a lwa ys music speaks volumes and that will always be remembered. we are all very fond of him and have memorabilia. the fact that he was in the village and supported the village and was a local and spent time here and was a very, very lovely man that people recollect with fond memories. it is a sad day. george michael was a inspiration to many musicians including the member of blue. i knew his cousins well and they lived down the road from others. when blue came out in 2001 he was a follower of the band. my brother met him and he said that he was very happy that another english group were doing well in the music

business. when i met him a few years later in 2005, he was nothing but lovely. i went into his dressing room and we had a chat. we are both from the north—west of london. we just had a laugh and he was so, so lovely. i met him a year later outside the radio buildings that he was supporting his single and he gave me the first single that nobody else had. he wasjust lovely. he a lwa ys else had. he wasjust lovely. he always said thank you for the things that i said about him. he said that it was nice the things that i said and that he was an inspiration to me. i grew up with his music and i am devastated. i think crying all morning. ifeel like i've lost a family member. a really sad loss and somebody that i hope people will

remember his music for the talented artist he really was. it's very hard for singers like yourself when you area for singers like yourself when you are a teen idol to keep the career going and become a respected artist with an older audience. very few boy bands make that great. yet he did it. he broke away from wham! and had perhaps an even more successful career perhaps an even more successful career as perhaps an even more successful career as a perhaps an even more successful career as a solo artist. how much should we appreciate how difficult that is? it's very difficult and as you said, very few have done it. one is george and the other is robbie williams. robbie williams‘s first song was a cover of george michael. when you listen to the song, you think, that is what it was like to be in the band. it was mental and for him to break away from that and come outwith... a lot of people

think that careless whisper was his first solo song but it wasn't it was face. a little earlier i also spoke to the reverend who was once a member of a pop group. my favourite memory of him was at elton john's 40th birthday party. there was a disco with a lone dj quietly paying re cord disco with a lone dj quietly paying record all night long. i went over to say hello and discovered it was george michael. he played one of apple records. that was typical of him. he was self—effacing and unassuming. easy company. a nice quy- unassuming. easy company. a nice guy. it's clear to me that he has inspired a lord of your talent. i interviewed robbie williams when he got the solo contract. he said that he wanted to have the same solo

career he wanted to have the same solo career that george michael has. and he got it. he's hugely inspirational, george michael, to a lot of people. in an era when pop stars are often very glossy and sleek, george managed to retain a full humanity. he never became a shrinkage in self. he remained for honourable and —— retained has of vulnerability. do you think he inspired the likes of robbie williams and other pop stars because he made the break from teen williams and other pop stars because he made the breakfrom teen nigel to adult, credible slick performer. he made the breakfrom teen nigel to adult, credible slick performerlj think adult, credible slick performer.” think that there has been changes in technology. these are opportunities for him. he had a very businesslike

relationship with record companies. notjust executives relationship with record companies. not just executives but also people who worked on reception and secretaries and they said that he would say hello and take the time to get through them. he was thoughtful about what he did. he was also very ambitious. but that wasn't untethered to pragmatics. he was able to activate his ambition and get stuck in at all levels. while george michael will be remembered for his chart—topping hits he was also able to make fun of himself and appeared on the bbc‘s comic relief programme in 2011 with james corden. love this one, don't you? # call me good, ah—ha. # call me bad. # call me anything you want to, baby. george! # and i know, ah—ha. # that you're sad. come on! # and i know i made you happy. # with the one thing that you never had. # baby, i'm your man. i love it!

# baby, i'm your man. # you better. # if you're gonna do it, do it right, right, do it with me. cheering and applause do it right, right, do it with me. right, i'm going in. do it right, right, do it with me. you wait here, 0k? do it right, right, do it with me. don't go wandering around looking for trouble. all right, where am i going to go? be back in a bit. love you. don't be long! and there's more online. you can look back at george michael's life in pictures, music that defined his career — and celebrity tributes — that's at bbc.co.uk/news. the headlines on bbc news: tributes continue to be paid to george michael,

one of the biggest stars of british music who has died. bargain hunters hit the high street for the boxing day sales. it is found that the uk economy grew in september. it's a really busy day for the colleagues at the bbc sports centre. merry christmas, good afternoon. a busy boxing day of premier league fixtures. the early kick off sees sam alla rdyce back in football management.

after standing down as england manager, in controversial circumstances, after just one match... he's taking charge of crystal palace for the first time. they've made the shortjourney to vicarage road to face watford — the match got underway at 12.30pm. yohan cabaye has given palace the lead as they look to pull away from the relegation places with what would be just a second win in 11 league games. christian benteke has missed a penalty for them though before half—time. later this afternoon, arsenal are at home to west brom where they'll be trying to avoid three league defeats in a row. burnley take on middlesbrough champions leicester are at home to everton relegation—threatened swansea host west ham. and in the late kick off manchester citygo to a hull side who are currently bottom of the table. as you saw there, chelsea, who have a six—point lead at the top of the premier league, are at home to bournemouth. victory would mean a new club record, of 12 straight league wins, although they'll have to do it without the influential diego costa and n'golo kante, who are both suspended. we are working very well this week to find a solution to play good

football and to continue to win. to ta ke football and to continue to win. to take the extra points. we know that against bournemouth it won't be easy because it is a very good team with great organisation. there are ten games in the championship today — the lunchtime kick off — sees brentford take on cardiff — cardiff have won just one of their last five championship games. they've played a quarter of an hour. it's currently goalless. england bowler stuart broad, has taken his first wickets in australia's big bash tournament, but couldn't stop his hobart hurricanes side, from losing to melbourne stars. broad saw his compatriot luke wright, hit 48 for melbourne as they overcame hobart‘s total of 188 for four. broad struck twice late on, but the stars outshone the hurricanes winning by seven wickets. a frenchman, has knocked 12 days off the world record, for singlehandedly sailing around the planet, without stopping.

it took him, 49 days, three hours, seven minutes and 38 seconds. the previous record was set by fellow frenchman francis joyon, who took it from britain's ellen macarthur in 2008. coville set off from brest in france on, the sixth november, and will rarely have slept for more than three hours at a time. it's one of the highlights of the racing calendar. steeplechasing's mid—season championship, the king george vi chase, at kempton starts at 3.15. last year's winner, cue card, one of the sport's long—term stars, faces his up and coming stablemate thistlecrack for the first time. that's all sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. you can keep up—to—date with football as well. go to final score. don't forget the football. i told

you there was a love of sport. russia is holding a day of national mourning for the 92 people who were killed when a military plane crashed in the black sea. authorities in russia say they've located the site where the plane came down yesterday, soon after it took off from sochi, heading to syria. the first of the bodies have this morning been airlifted to moscow. 0ur moscow correspondent, steve rosenberg reports. across russia they prayed for the dead — for the 92 victims of yesterday's plane crash. there was a special service today in every orthodox church in russia. this is a day of national mourning. as a sign of respect, russian flags were flown at half—mast. this is thought to be the last picture ever taken of the tupolev 154. a few hours later it

crashed into the black sea. the search operation continued today, not for survivors — there were none — but for the bodies and also for the plane's black box flight recorders. russia's transport minister said that technical failure or pilot error may have caused the crash. terrorism is thought less likely. killed in the crash, more than 60 members of the russian army's song and dance troupe. they'd been on their way to syria for a new year's concert. outside the musicians' headquarters in moscow, there is now a shrine that grows bigger by the hour. as well as bringing flowers, icons and candles, people have been leaving messages. this one says, you were killed on take—off, farewell, friends. you won't be returning, we couldn't save you.

this woman's son used to work in the ensemble but left. we mourn with everybody else, she says, there is pain deep in my soul. officially, there is one day of national mourning but for many russians the sense of loss from this disaster will last much longer. millions of shoppers will hit the high street today as the boxing day sales get under way. the numbers are expected to be down from last year, with analysts saying that earlier discount events like black friday and cyber monday will affect post—christmas sales. a former bank of england governor says the uk should leave the european single market when it exits the eu. the uk should leave the european single market when it exits the eu, the former governor of the bank of england has said. after one day's respite, a0 million

people are respected to fit the shops today. there are just so many bargains. from birmingham to belfast, £3 billion is expected to be spent in shopping centres in the high street. another billion online. i always do it, every boxing modelling. ijust love still sobbing. we brush your last february and the exchange rate was 1.5 and it is much less now. we get a lots more for our money this year. the international visitors joining the crowds in london's west end. the brexit vote has weakened the pound and that means that your money buys about a fifth more here than it did year ago. this is what is creating the hope that brexit could lift exports and could create a short time positive economic effect.

consumers borrowed unprecedented amounts to buy imported goods while experts are close behind. today, the man that presided over the boom and bust was hoping that brexit might throw that into reverse. there are many opportunities and we should look at it in a much more self—confident way down either side is putting it at the moment. it has been an unsuccessful european union. being out of that will present opportunities. there will also be difficulties. to the incoming, this secretary n. 0ther difficulties. to the incoming, this secretary n. other it has been said to bea secretary n. other it has been said to be a god given opportunity for businesses like frankfurt to take businesses like frankfurt to take business away from the uk. 50,000 people in england at risk of type 2 diabetes could be helped by an nhs programme that's

being extended from today. the advice on better nutrition and exercise had already helped 20,000 people. it forms part of a package of new measures to curb type 2 diabetes, including funding for more specialist nurses. let's go back to the news about george michael. let's listen back to some of george michael's greatest hits — starting with his first appearance with wham on top of the pops. # see me, single and free # no tears, no fears, what i want to be # one, two, take a look at you # death by matrimony! # wham! # bam! #iam! # a man! #job or nojob, you can't tell me that i'm not # do! # you! # enjoy what you do? # if not, just stop! # don't stay there and rot! # you put the boom—boom into my heart # you send my soul sky high when your lovin' starts #jitterbug into my brain

# goes a bang—bang—bang till my feet do the same. # club tropicana, drinks are free # fun and sunshine, there's enough for everyone. # all that's missing is the sea but don't worry, you can suntan! # last christmas, i gave you my heart # but the very next day, you gave it away # this year, to save me from tears # i'll give it to someone special. # oh, when that love comes down without devotion # well, it takes a strong man, baby # but i'm showing you the door # cos i gotta have faith # i gotta have faith # cos i gotta have faith, faith # i gotta have faith, faith, faith.

# to the heart and mind # ignorance is kind # there's no comfort in the truth # pain is all you'll find # i'm never gonna dance again. # but if you're looking for fast love # if that's love in your eyes. # let's go outside # in the sunshine # i know you want to but you can't say yes # let's go outside. # you smiled at me # likejesus to a child #. central and southern parts of the uk, today is shaping up nicely with some spells of sunshine. there are a

lot of shoppers further north. the showers are being driven in by storm corner there will be wintry showers across scotland. there has already been a wind gust of 95 mph per the shetland. further south, lighter winds but some sunshine. the temperatures are well further down than the rate yesterday. most of the showers will fade away into tuesday. some will continue across the north of scotland. the winds are lightest across the south. there will be some frost in the countryside there. a cold start tomorrow and by wednesday another frost. quite a cold start tomorrow and by wednesday anotherfrost. quite a load of cold start tomorrow and by wednesday another frost. quite a load of folk by that stage. this is bbc news. the headlines at 1:30pm. musicians and fans have been

paying tribute to the singer george michael. he died in 0xfordshire from suspected heart failure. russia is observing a day of mourning for the 92 passengers and crew that had died when a military plane crashed into the black sea. it is said that there is no sign of a temperature attack. the former governor of the bank of england said that britain should be more self confident about leaving the eu. the suggested that britain would be better off if out com pletely would be better off if out completely from the single market. the traditional boxing day sales get underwear. a further 900 million pounds will be sent online. —— gets underway. there was the resignation of one panellist and the arrival of

another. adam fleming looks pike at another. adam fleming looks pike at a year in british politics. ever feel you need to get away from it all? music: come all ye faithful. especially when ten years worth of politics has been squeezed into just one. i believe that this thursday can be our country's independence day. applause.