this is bbc news, i'm ben brown, the headlines at 10pm. tributes to the singer george michael, one of the biggest names in british music, who's died at the age of 53. i have never met a star who did not come from the same kind of insecurity. you know, it is the things that are missing that make you a star, not the things that you have. fans travel to the singer's homes in london and oxfordshire to pay their last respects as others around the world remember him. also tonight — russia recovers some of the fragments of a military plane which crashed into the black sea, with 92 people on board. at least four people are killed in the manila area as a powerful typhoon crosses the philippines‘ capital. bargain hunters turn out for boxing day sales but it's thought many have stayed home after already splurging on pre—christmas discounts. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the music world has been paying

tribute to george michael, who died yesterday, from heart failure, at the age of 53. the singer sold more than 100 million albums in a career spanning nearly four decades. he rose to fame with the pop duo, wham, enjoying global success in the 80s, before leaving to forge a successful solo career. but he struggled with the pressures of fame and press attention. his former band—mate andrew ridgeley said he was "heartbroken at the loss of a beloved friend". our arts editor will gompertz looks back at his life. # wham bam, i am a man #. wearing a bikerjacket and a white tee, george michael takes his first steps into the limelight as one half of the pop duo, wham.

back then, he had big hair and a perma—tan — it was his idea of early ‘80s glam. the reality was a little different. so they stuck us in this hotel that couldn't have hotel that couldn't have been more than 80p a night. i was sleeping the night before my first top of the pops in polystyrene sheets and it was a childsize bed! i was sat with my feet over the end, thinking, this is not how it's supposed to be! no matter. he continued to live the dream with feel—good chart hits. # but don't worry, you can suntan #. then came a change of tone and direction. # i'm never gonna dance again.

guilty feet have got no rhythm #. leading to a career as a soulful solo artist. his first album, faith, sold over 25 million copies, garnered awards galore, and sealed his reputation as a major international artist. it was, oh my god, i'm a massive star. it was like, oh my god, i'm a massive star. and i think i may be a poof, what am i going to do?! this is not going to end well! i would just like to say... that was the turning point for me. that was the point at which i had to negotiate some new relationship with celebrity that was not going to destroy me, you know? on stage, that was no problem.

his talents were widely admired. but his private life was a different matter. the homophobia was just flying! they were loving it! to be able to say that this man who had hidden from them for the best part of six years, by then, or seven years, the idea that he had been this tragic, old—fashioned, stereotypical cottager, they just loved it! the whole experience led to this song, and its ironic, cheeky video, too. there were other problems with drugs, addiction and a spell in prison after crashing his car into a shop in london. his sense of humour remained, however. what you get up to in your spare time is up to you.

then why can't i come to comic relief? because you are a joke, george! it's embarrassing. i can't walk into comic relief with you. comic relief is about helping people like you! he collaborated with many other singers, including elton john, who today wrote, i have lost the kindest, most generous soul and brilliant artist. madonna also bade him farewell. his old wham partner, andrew ridgely, said he was heartbroken at the loss of his beloved friend. that george michael was one of britain's biggest pop stars is without question. the hundred million—plus albums he sold and the continual presence of his music on our radios and the sold—out arena tours stands out as testaments to his talent. he made life—affirming music that touched, and continues to touch millions of fans the world over.

george michael collaborated with many artists throughout his career. one of them was motown legend aretha franklin, with whom he sang ‘i knew you were waiting for me‘ in 1986. the single reached number one both in the uk and in the us and won a grammy award. in a moment, we'll speak to simon climie, who wrote the song, but first here's a reminder. # somehow i made it through the heartache. yes, i did. i escaped. # i found my way out of the darkness, i kept my faith.|j # i found my way out of the darkness, i kept my faith. i know you did. kept my faith. when the river was deep, i didn't falter.

when the mountain was high, i stood beneath. when the valley was lower, you didn't stop me. i knew you were waiting, i knew you were waiting for me. # such a great song. let's speak to the man who wrote it, singer and songwriter, simon climie, whojoins us one songwriter, simon climie, whojoins us one webcam from santa monica, california. thank you for being with us california. thank you for being with us ata california. thank you for being with us at a sad time. you wrote that song, did you have george and you —— riether franklin in mind when you wrote it? funnily enough, i had aretha franklin in mind when i wrote it and aretha franklin in mind when i wrote itandi aretha franklin in mind when i wrote it and i never knew it could be a j. clive davis at the record company headed immediately as a j, but strangely he thought it was for whitney houston and george michael.

george who i later met, was an incredible visionary and a great gentleman, he said i love whitney but i would prefer to do with aretha franklin, if you did not mind. they we re franklin, if you did not mind. they were quite surprised by that, but when you heard the two voices blending together, it was a com pletely blending together, it was a completely magical blend and i could not have wished for more for that son. this song is as good as the singer, they say. it was a different career move for george michael, that kind ofj. it was, -- that kind of do it. radioi kind ofj. it was, -- that kind of do it. radio i was was the biggest thing, top of the pops and radio i, so we thing, top of the pops and radio i, so we always had a complete spectrum of music available to us at the time, but in america it was very much rock radio, or black radio, or this kind of radio. with that one song, george not only broke his pop career in america, but he crossed over to the r&b and i think he won a grammy as well for that, for r&b

radio or something. when you met him, after he had that song, what was his reaction when he met you?m is strange, because it was about a year after he recorded it that it that it was released, so within that yeari that it was released, so within that year i met him, at one of the clubs in london, and i said, hey, george, i wrote a song for you, i think you did it with aretha. he could not believe it. he said i thought you we re believe it. he said i thought you were from atlanta or something. i said no, i live in chiswick. he said "come if i had known that, i never would have recorded it. one of the high points of that career was to sing with aretha, and who wouldn't feel that at any time in their lives? their two voices combine wonderfully in that song, don't they? it is a wonderful thing. wonderfully in that song, don't they? it is a wonderfulthing. i remember hearing it on the radio. when he sings # sometime i made it through the

heartache, yes i did, i my way out of the darkness. when he is in that area, and they come together, # when the river was deep, i didn't falter, when the mountain was high, i still believed. a much more gospel thing, and the flavour of that, the mixture of those voices, it may be made the ultimate crossover r&b duet. i was overwhelmed at the time. i couldn't believe, it was like the third song i had ever had recorded, so third song i had ever had recorded, soi third song i had ever had recorded, so i was so grateful to george and aretha, and to this day, it was very sad yesterday to hear this news, because you always believe these people had many more albums to give. just thinking back on the career of george michael, as a british musician yourself, where do you rank him in the hall of fame of british p0p him in the hall of fame of british pop music? it is so hard to say this, but, for example, ithink

adele is a once in a decade artist. i think really george was one of those. the beatles of course. very, very high up that ladder. one thing i will say, though, very high up that ladder. one thing iwill say, though, is very high up that ladder. one thing i will say, though, is that people never seemed to have just enough talent, they have either got so much talent, they have either got so much talent it is in abundance, or not quite enough. when you have got that much talent, it is really hard to turn off, you know, the switch. someone like elton john turn off, you know, the switch. someone like eltonjohn was probably writing a song right now, you know. i think that is one of the issues. people turn to all sorts of ways to relax, and it is a very challenging life, if your mind is on all the time. fantastic to talk to you, thank you so much sharing your memories and singing the song for us, which was wonderful itself. simon climie, many thanks to you, thank you for your memories. just to say there is much more for you

online, looking back at george michael's life in pictures, in the music that defined his career and of course all the celebrity tributes coming in as well. russia is holding a day of national mourning for the 92 people who were killed when a military plane crashed in the black sea. pilot error or a technical fault are being blamed for the plane coming down just moments after it left sochi airport after refuelling. from moscow 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. this may 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, to recover bodies and wreckage of the plane. 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, which grows bigger by the hour. as well as bringing flowers, and icons and candles here, 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". natalia'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.

a typhoon has hit the philippines, forcing tens of thousands to seek refuge in emergency shelters. typhoon nock—ten, with gusts of more than one hundred miles per hour, has killed several people and damaged homes. it's also caused flooding in coastal communities and disrupted air and sea travel. joy maluyo is from the world vision charity in the philippines. it has caused significant damage. as of today, the national disasters

management council has reported that about 25,000 families have been affected by the typhoon, and a lot of houses made of light materials have been reduced to the ground. as early as two days before the landfall, a lot of people have already been evacuated. provincial governments have declared a state of imminent danger, so that's why there have been mandatory evacuations. so it's good that people have learned a lot, especially during the typhoon in 2013. so we can say that even the national government has been prepared, and has been more proactive in providing alerts to the communities. as of now, the department of social welfare and development is giving out relief items to the affected communities. world vision, a few hours from now, our assessment team will be going to the region to check

on the extent of damage caused by the typhoon, and if needed we are ready to assist initially 4000 families with emergency relief items. a british man is in a critical condition in hospital in antigua after being shot in the head. 37—year—old christopher tester from torquay was injured during an attempted robbery at his parent's restaurant on christmas day. he is being kept in an induced coma and friends have launched an appeal to fly him back to the uk for treatment. the japanese prime minister, shinzo abe, has arrived in hawaii where he will visit pearl harbour, seventy—five years after it was bombed by japanese warplanes in a surprise attack. he'll be the first japanese prime minister to visit the memorial that honours sailors and marines killed in the 194! attack. mr abe will be accompanied by president obama who is holidaying in hawaii with his family. bargain hunters were up early this morning for the boxing day sales —

despite analysts suggesting cheaper prices in the run up to christmas would mean the shops being a little less busy than last year. the fall in the value of the pound since brexit is also providing an incentive for tourists looking for a bargain. the former governor of the bank of england lord king suggested today that britain would be better off leaving the single market completely, if it wants to strike trade deals outside the eu. here's our economics correspondent, andy verity. after one day's respite, 11! million of us are expected to hit the shops today, drawn in by the theory that goods are significantly cheaper than they were two days ago. from birmingham to belfast, £3 billion is expected to be spent in shopping centres in the high street, with up to another billion online. i always do it every boxing day morning. why? ijust love sale shopping. i'm normallyjust looking for a really good deal, like half price. we were here last february and the exchange rate was 1.5

and it is much less now. we get a lot more for our money this year than last. the international visitors joining the crowds in london's west end aren'tjust coming for the boxing day sales. the brexit vote has weakened the pound and that means that their money buys about a fifth more here than it did a year ago. it's effects like that that create the hope that the brexit vote could lift exports and provide, at least in the short term, a positive economic effect. one legacy of the credit boom of the last decade and the bust that followed it was consumers borrowing unprecedented amounts to buy imported goods, while exports trailed behind. today, the man who presided over that boom and bust was hoping brexit might throw that into reverse. there are many opportunities and we should look at it in a much more self—confident way than either side is approaching it at the moment. i think that being out of what has been an unsuccessful european union, particularly in the economic sense, brings us opportunities as well as obviously great political difficulties.

to the incoming us commerce secretary, though, brexit is an opportunity not for us but for other countries to benefit from the confusion. billionaire businessman wilbur ross has called it a god—given opportunity for cities from dublin to frankfurt to take business away from london. and that's the man chosen by donald trump to lead trade negotiations with theresa may's government. andy verity, bbc news. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are the political commentator, jo phillips, and the political editor of the sunday mirror and sunday people, nigel nelson. a warm welcome to you both this

boxing day evening. but first a look at some of tomorrow's front pages... a picture of george michael dominates the front page of the i — with the paper focusing on the charitable donations made by the pop superstar. meanwhile — the mirror has speculation about how the musician died. the former wham frontman is also pictured in the telegraph. but the paper's main story, is a warning from england's chief nursing officer that the nhs should spend more money looking after patients in their own homes. and finally the express leads with a report from a pro—brexit campaign group which claims that the uk will be at least £450 £450 million a week better off, after leaving the european union. so those are the papers that we have in safe. because it is still relatively early. george michael, very sad news, were you a george michael fan? i thinking was absolutely an extraordinary fan. the chap you were just talking to who was singing tom i think that demonstrated, that duet he did with

aretha franklin demonstrated his fantastic vocal range because he could go from wham, which was pop boy band stuff to that fantastic almost gospel sound. he was very talented, and 53 is now age. so i think everybody is terribly shocked. but this coverage in the i is not so much about his music but the fact he was incredibly generous, to charities and the individual people, but did not seek any sort of fame from it. he didn't want the george michael trust all the george michael foundation. i mean come he gave millions of royalties to child line from the single, jesus to a child, and apparently paid for a woman's ivf treatment after seeing her trying to win the money on a daytime tv show. he did a free concert for nhs nurses after his mother was so ill. so it is nice to see this, and

very pleasant to see somebody who actually wasn't seeking their name in lights. and his life of course, nigel, the newspapers were not too kind to him, there were some pretty nasty headlines. and what seems that i'iow nasty headlines. and what seems that now is that you find these things out after someone has died. one appreciates that george michael was an incredibly private person, so these acts of generosity he wanted to keep secret, that as far as he was concerned was a private matter, but wouldn't it have been lovely as an antidote to some of the full headlines he got over the years to have learned that he happened to be watching telly one afternoon and he saw that somebody needed money for ivf and just donated the money? 0k, his wishes were adhered to, we never got to find out, but itjust seems a pity, after someone dies, we find out so much more about them, and a completely different side of them that we never knew. but that is the nature of the media. in fairness it is the nature of the individual that he doesn't want to publicise these

things. as a musician, notjust a great thing but a terrific songwriter. careless whisper, which he wrote at 17 years of age, a beautifully constructed pop single. he was really talented. it is only the last 24 hours when you hear that whole range of what he wrote and what he sang, that you realise just how much mother was to him.|j what he sang, that you realise just how much mother was to him. i bet you were a wham fan?|j how much mother was to him. i bet you were a wham fan? i wasn't, actually, i preferred him in his order years. i wasn't a fan, but i did like careless whisper, because other such a bad dancer that i could shuffle along to it without looking like a completed yet. are you looking for the next edition of strictly in the new year? spare us that, jo. let's pretend you did not say that and move on to the daily telegraph, a story about the nhs needing to cut beds for better care.

an article written by professorjane cummings, the chief nursing officer for nhs england, and she is saying we have got to stop focusing on hospital care and we have got to increasingly look at caring for patients in their own homes, particularly elderly people. but of course the problem is that people expect hospitals, and this is a story we have discussed many times and has been written about, but of course at the moment the nhs has been more or less divided up into 44 areas. and local managers have been told to get on with thinking about how you might organise services better, working with local councils as well. it is called the sustainability and transformation plan, and you can bet your life there are a number of people unlock more money than nurses running yet. but it is actually how do you deal with buildings and then the people who need to be looked after at home?

it has to be a combination of the two. the nhs and social care should notjust be two. the nhs and social care should not just be separate two. the nhs and social care should notjust be separate parts, i know it will gain that direction but it needs to get there is one kind of unit, one organisation. the telegraph also have a story involving our own political editor, laura kuenssberg. their headline is that the queen did back brexit, claims bbc editor, which is not quite watch said at all. explain it to anyone. what she actually said was, before this story came out in the sun, for which they were censored for afterwards, that somebody told her the same thing. she said herjaw literally dropped because she could not believe it. she had one source, and what we all do, whenever you have a contentious story like that, you try to double source it at the very least. not always possible. it depends who is telling you. laura did not find another source, and quite rightly then did not run the story until she

was satisfied it was true. difficult ina was satisfied it was true. difficult in a situation like that. sometimes a dozen sources are not good enough, because somebody tell somebody else and a rumour goes around. in a case like this, i think you would need two people independently verifying the information. and she is not saying that the queen did back brexit, just one source told her that. and she never run the story herself. finally, the express, we have got their story, eu exit to save billions. britain will be better off, says the express, by at least £450 million a week after brexit. considerably more than was plastered on the side of buses before the referendum injune. this is £100 million a week better off. the story comes from change britain, which is the reinvention of the leave britain campaign. gisela

stuart mp and various other people ci’oss stuart mp and various other people cross party. we didn't quite know where this has come from, because we have not got the rest of the story but maybe we will have a next time. do you believe those stories? we don't know whether figures have come from. if you take away britain's budget, —— contribution, yes, we will say that, but how much will it cost us elsewhere, you know, if we wa nt cost us elsewhere, you know, if we want to stay in the single market, that will cost us. you can't take these figures in isolation. we won't do that then! laughter 2017 will be a very interesting year on all of that but for the moment we will see you later, jo and nigel, thank you for that. coming up for you next, it's a look at the weather. good evening, cold out there,

already a frost developing in a good few places. further north, a bit more breeze and clouds are not as cold here, if you showers across the west of scotland mostly. at the other end of the uk though, in the suburbs and mauro areas, it could get as low as —4 minus five degrees. a sharp frost. for most of us, a solicitor to a sunny day across england and wales will stop some sunshine further north but a bit of a breeze, and the odd shower across the north west of scotland. sixes and sevens briefly but as soon as the sun sets, the temperatures will fall sharply. fogg is expected to be an issue in the middle of the week. scenes like this will stop with a lot plummer move between christmas and new year, i'm afraid some of that folk could cause some disruption. —— some of that for

guinness. hello and welcome to sportsday, i'm reshmin chowdhury. chelsea's winning streak continues — they're seven points clear at the top of the premier league. allardyce makes his point — the former england manager takes charge at crystal palace with a draw against watford. and thistlecrack beats cue card to win the king george at kempton. good evening and welcome to sportsday. chelsea are seven points clear at the top of the premier league after a club record 12th straight win. they beat bournemouth 3—0 at stamford bridge — the tenth clean sheet of that winning run. two goals from pedro, plus a penalty from eden hazard, leaves chelsea closing in on arsenal's14—game

winning record. it's important now to continue this run. in four days we have a tough game against stoke city, we have to prepare well. when you face the other teams, every team wants to beat you. manchester city are up to second in the table, after their 3—0 victory away at hull. all the goals came in the second half, as pep guardiola's men had to overcome a stubborn hull side, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table. drew savage reports. you don't always get what you want over the festive season, but manchester synergy. pep guardiola

was confident. the first half at hull did not go to plan. given time, this tale of two cities up and up. then hull began to gain confidence and a foothold in the game. there was hope of lifting of the art of the table but that only got them so far. this tackle allowed for this to happen. scoring on boxing day for the third year in a row. then it was 2-0. the the third year in a row. then it was 2—0. the final kick of the game was an own goal. manchester city got what they wanted, up to second in the table. hull city need something

to change direction of the season. we played well in the first half. in the second half we forgot the ball was there. especially our strikers, they saw more of the goal and after they saw more of the goal and after the first goal it was easy. arsenal left it late against west brom at the emirates. olivier giroud headed the only goal of the game in the 86th minute, on what was his first start of the premier league season. david moyes made his first return to old trafford since being sacked as manager, as sunderland took on manchester united. and it wasn't the happy boxing day trip he'd have hoped for — united's fourth straight win, as they beat sunderland 3—1. sam alla rdyce returned to football as the new manager of crystal palace, in their 1—1 draw at watford. it's three months since allardyce stood down as england manager, and three days since he was appointed as alan pardew‘s successor. ben croucher watched the action. if crystal palace'a 2016 form left

them sliding towards the doom, optimism has now emerged. in sam allardyce they have a man with survival instincts, his players looked rejuvenated from the start. yohan cabaye's effort was not quite enough to get allardyce out of his seat, it turns out... palace opened watford up. allardyce had his ideal start. it looked like getting better when christian benteke had the chance to double the lead. what his boss would have made of this people penalty? watford had lost four in five so resorted to some old—fashioned lump it long football to get back into the game, it was still not working. they were handed their chance by damien delaney's penalty area wrestling. surely troy deeney would not be left wondering? no chance, his hundredth watford goal. wilfried zaha threw himself to the ground, lifting allardyce's heartrate through the roof. a better palace display,

with allardyce picking up a point. we missed a penalty, that was a big moment in the game. when we looked like we were going hold on the give a soft penalty away and we did not look in any danger again after that. we did not the dangerous in terms of the chances made by watford. it is a point and you always respect the point and you always respect the point of way from home, but in many ways it is encouraging for me to say that we dropped two points today. andre gray's goal gave burnley a 1—0 win over middlesbrough. champions leicester lost 2—0 at home to everton thanks to goals from kevin mirallas and romelu lukaku. and west ham are up to 11th after a 4—1 win over swansea. it's taken them until boxing day

but bristol rugby have their first win of the season — beating worcester 28 points to 20. the issue of head injuries was once again a talking point in the 13th minute — with bristol's tusi pisi sent off for this challenge on fly half jamie shillcock. despite being reduced to 14—men, tom varndell‘s hattrick gave bristol the victory — but they remain bottom of the premiership, two points behind worcester. all three matches in the pro12 on boxing day were derbies. glasgow beat scottish rivals edinburgh 25—12 at murrayfield to end a run of three straight defeats. these two contest the annual 1872 cup across the two matches they play in the domestic season, and glasgow went ahead towards the end of the first half whenjosh strauss bundled over. and the visitors sealed the victory with their third try of the game after the break, finished off byjosh dunbar. no bonus point for glasgow though so they remain in sixth in the table, a point behind ulster and scarlets. edinburgh stay third from bottom.

cardiff blues won their derby at home to newport gwent dragons. josh navidi scored their third try to make it 27—16 just before half—time, but the blues didn't go on to get the bonus point they might have expected — in fact neither side scored at all in the second half, 27—16 it stayed. munster extended their lead at the top of the table to five points with a 29—17 win over second placed leinster in the day's late game. ronan o'mahony‘s tryjust before half—time set munster on their way to a valuable bonus point victory. in horse racing, the highly—anticipated first meeting between the colin tizzard—trained stars cue card and thistlecrack took place, in the big race of the christmas period — the king george the sixth chase at kempton. bloodshot twice late on but they won

by seven wickets. —— stuart broad. rain cut short the second test. there was a milestone here with a half century, he went past the 1000 run mark for the year. that helped pakistan reach 142—4. day two will get underway earlier than planned at 11pm tonight. a french man has knocked 12 days of the world record for single—handedly sailing around the planet without stopping. it took him 49 days. the previous record was set by another frenchman who took it from a british person in 2008. he set off on the 6th of november and will have rarely have slept for more than three hours at a time. in horse racing, the

highly—anticipated first meeting between the colin tizzard—trained stars cue card and thistlecrack took place, in the big race of the christmas period — the king george the sixth chase at kempton. it was the younger of the two, the 11—to—10 favourite thistlecrack, with jockey tom scudamore on board who took it — ahead of last year's winner, cue card. john hunt describes the closing stages. he is over safely. a brilliant hurdler. here's a brilliant chaser. what a fabulous when. waving at the crowd. q card. they were the bit pa rt crowd. q card. they were the bit part players. an astonishing when on only his fourth start over fences for this horse. a wonderful moment. that's all from sportsday. tributes to george michael, who died

suddenly at the age of 53. the singer died at his oxfordshire home from suspected heart failure. a national day of mourning in russia for the victims of the black sea air crash. after heavy pre—christmas discounts, have the boxing day sales delivered for retailers? good evening. the world of music has been paying tribute to george michael has died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold over 100 million albums in a

career spanning sold over 100 million albums in a career spanning three decades. he let to fame as one part of the pop jule lamb, before a successful solo career. his former bandmates said he was heartbroken at the loss of a beloved friend. our editor looks back at his career. wearing a bikerjacket and a white t—shirt, george michael takes his first steps into the alarm light as one half of wham! back then he had big hairand a one half of wham! back then he had big hair and a permanent tan. it was early 80s glam. the reality was different. they stuck us in a hotel they could not have been more 80p an night and they could not have been more 80p an nightandi they could not have been more 80p an night and i was sleeping the night before my first top of the pops on polystyrene sheets and a child sized

bed. i was sitting with my feet over the end thinking, this is not how it's meant to be. he continued to live the dream with feel—good chart hits. and then came a change of tone and direction. leading to a career asa and direction. leading to a career as a soulful solo artist. his first album, faith, sold over 25 millions copies and won awards and sealed his reputation as a major international artists. it was, or my gods a

massive star. it was like, oh my god, i'm a massive star. and i think i may be a poof, what am i going to do?! this is not going to end well! i would just like to say... that was the turning point for me. that was the point at which i had to negotiate some new relationship with celebrity that was not going to destroy me, you know? on stage, that was no problem. his talents were widely admired. but his private life was a different matter. the homophobia was just flying! they were loving it! to be able to say that this man who had hidden from them for the best part of six years, by then, or seven years, the idea that he had been this tragic, old—fashioned, stereotypical cottager, they just loved it! the whole experience led to this

song, and its ironic, cheeky video, too. there were other problems with drugs, addiction and a spell in prison after crashing his car into a shop in london. his sense of humour remained, however. what you get up to in your spare time is up to you. then why can't i come to comic relief? because you are a joke, george! it's embarrassing. i can't walk into comic relief with you. comic relief is about helping people like you! he collaborated with many other singers, including elton john, who today wrote, i have lost the kindest, most generous soul and brilliant artist. madonna also bade him farewell. his old wham partner,

andrew ridgely, said he was heartbroken at the loss of his beloved friend. that george michael was one of britain's biggest pop stars is without question. the hundred million—plus albums he sold and the continual presence of his music on our radios and the sold—out arena tours stands out as testaments to his talent. he made life—affirming music that touched, and will continue to touch, millions of fans the world over. george michael who has died at the

age of 53. as a tribute, bbc one will be broadcasting one of his concerts from 2012 tomorrow evening at10pm. russia has been holding a day of national mourning for the 92 people who were killed in a military plane crashed into the black sea. pilot error 01’ a crashed into the black sea. pilot error or a technical fault are being blamed for the plane coming down just moments after it left the airport after refuelling. from moscow correspondent reports. across russia they prayed for the dead. for the 92 victims that died in the plane crash yesterday. there was a special service today in every

orthodox church in russia. this is a day of national mourning. this may be the last ever picture of the aeroplane, a few hours later it crashed into the black sea. the search operation continued to recover bodies and wreckage of the plane. russia's transport minister said technicalfailure plane. russia's transport minister said technical failure or pilot error may have caused the crash, terrorism is less likely. killed in the crash, more than 60 members of the crash, more than 60 members of the russian's army song troupe who we re the russian's army song troupe who were heading to syria for a concert. outside the headquarters in moscow, there is now a shrine that grows bigger every hour. as well as bringing flowers and icons and candles, people have been leaving messages. this one says, you were killed on take—off, farewell

friends. we could not save you. this woman's son used to work with the ensemble that he left. we mourn with eve ryo ne ensemble that he left. we mourn with everyone else, there is pain in mysore. officially there is one day of national mourning but for many russians the sense of loss will last for much longer. the colombian authorities investigating the plane crash last month in which 71 people died had concluded that the aircraft ran out of fuel. the plane, which was carrying result‘s the bulk crashed and only six people survived. the pilot was heard warning of a failure and lack of fuel. the japanese prime minister has began a historic visit to hawaii. it

is 75 years since the japanese attack on pearl harbor brought america into the second world war. the prime minister and the president are going to a memorial that honours the sailors and marines killed in the sailors and marines killed in the attack. bargain hunters were up early this morning for the boxing day sales, despite discounting in the run—up to christmas. the fall in the value of the pound has also provided an incentive for two and is looking for bargains. meanwhile the former governor of the bank of england suggested that britain would be better leaving the single market if it wants to strike trade deals outside the eu. here is our economic correspondent. after one day of respite, 14 million we re after one day of respite, 14 million were expected to hit the shops today drawn in by the theory that goods we re drawn in by the theory that goods were cheaper than two days ago. from birmingham to belfast, £3 billion

was expected to be spent with another billion spent online. was expected to be spent with another billion spent onlinelj a lwa ys another billion spent onlinelj always come out on boxing day. i love sale shopping. normally i'm looking for a half—price deal. love sale shopping. normally i'm looking for a half-price deal. we right hear last february and i think the exchange rate was 1.5. it is less now. we get more for our money this year than last year. the international visitors join the crowds in london's west end or not is coming for the sales. the brexit vote we the pound which means their money buys one fifth more than it did a year ago. it is affects like that decorate the hope that the brexit vote could lift experts and provide, in the short—term, a positive economic affect. one legacy of the boom and bust is consumers borrowing money to buy imported goods. today the man who presided

over that boom and bust was hoping that brexit might reverse that. there are many opportunities and then we should look at it in a more self—confident way than either side is at the moment. i think that being out of what is a rather unsuccessful european union, particularly economically, gives its opportunities and article difficulties. to the incoming us congress secretary, brexit is not an opportunity for us but for other countries to benefit from the confusion. he has said it is a god—given opportunity for cities to ta ke god—given opportunity for cities to take business away from london. that is the man appointed by donald trump to lead trade negotiations with theresa may. that is all from us. we will leave you with some images of george michael, who died at the age of 53. from all others here, good night. you're watching bbc news. time to go

back to our main news. george michael has died at the age of 53. we will be remembered for his music during a career that spanned more than three decades in one generations of fans. we can now listen to some of his greatest hits, starting with his first appearance with wham! on top of the pops. singing just some of the songs of george michael, who has the age of 53. we are going to poll is now. we will look at the weather prospects. it is cold out there and there is a

frost and a number of places. it is cold us across the central and southern parts of england and wales. and the north that is more breeze and cloud. some showers across the west of scotland. at the other end of the uk and in more rural areas it could get as low as minus four. one or two freezing fog patches but for most of us a sunny start to a sunny day across england and wales. rather more cloud. the breeze will continue to bring the odd shower across the north west of scotland. it is not very warm out there. 6—7 degrees, but the temperatures will fall sharply and we are expecting fog to be an issue in the middle of the week. many people on the move between christmas and new year, some of that fall could cost reduction. —— some of that fog.

this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at 11:00: tributes to the singer george michael, one of the biggest names in british music, who's died at the age of 53. i have never met a star who did not come from the same kind of insecurity. it is of the things that are missing it make you a star, it is not the things you have.. fans travel to the singer's homes in london and oxfordshire to pay their last respects as others around the world remember him. also tonight: russia recovers some of the fragments of a military plane

which crashed into the black sea, with 92 people on board. at least four people are killed in the manila area as a powerful typhoon crosses the philippines‘ capital.