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. 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 suspected 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 eighties, before leaving to forge a successful solo career. but he struggled with the pressures of fame and press attention. his bandmate andrew ridgeley said he was "heartbroken at the loss of a beloved friend". 0ur 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, whami. 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 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! 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 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. tonight he is a former partner,

kenny goss released a statement. 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 was a generous man who made anonymous contributions. he made life—affirming music that touched, and will continue 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. (music playing). i have been

speaking to simon climbing. he shed for me the story behind that song. what is strange is that clive davis at the record company sought it was for whitney houston. george, who i later met, was an incredible gentlemen, a visionary and he immediately said i love whitney but i would prefer to do it with aretha franklin if you would not mind. they we re franklin if you would not mind. they were quite surprised but when you had the two voices playing together, it was a logical blend and i could not have wished for more for that song. the song is as good as a singer, as they say. it was a different career move? it really was. apart from everything, in

england, radio one and top of the p°p5 england, radio one and top of the pops was the biggest thing so we had a complete spectrum of music available but in america it was a very much rock radio, black radio, and with that one song not only did george break his pop career crossing over to our n.b., i think even won a grammyfor over to our n.b., i think even won a grammy for that. —— rhythm and blues. it was about a year after he recorded it that it was released and within that year i met him at a club in london. i told him within that year i met him at a club in london. itold him i within that year i met him at a club in london. i told him i wrote a song for you. he said, i thought you were from atalanta. and i told him i lived in chiswick and he said, if i had known that i would never have

recorded it! but treacly, he thanked me saying it was a great song. —— truthfully. they are two voices which you might think of as quite different but they combined wonderfully in that song? it is a magical thing. i remember wonderfully in that song? it is a magicalthing. i remember hearing it on the radio and when he sings i made it through the heartache, i escaped, i find my made it through the heartache, i escaped, ifind my way made it through the heartache, i escaped, i find my way out not make it is great. and then they come together, when the river was deep, i didn't together, when the river was deep, i didn‘t fight together, when the river was deep, i didn't fight it, when the mountain was high, i still believe it... and the mixture of those two voices was an ultimate crossover of rhythm and blues. i was overwhelmed at the time. it was the third time i ever

heard it recorded and i was so grateful to george and aretha. i was very sad yesterday to hear this news because you believe these people have many more albums to give. thinking back on george michael's career as a british musician, where do you rank him? well, it is so hard to say this but, for example, a dell isa to say this but, for example, a dell is a once in a decade artist and i think george was one of those. —— adele. the beatles. he was very high on that later. people never seem to have just enough talent. they either have just enough talent. they either have so much talent and in abundance but when you have that much talent, it is really hard to turn off, to switch off. someone like eltonjohn is probably writing a song right

now. that is one of the issues that people turn to all sorts of different ways to relax and it is a very challenging life. 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 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 tupolev154. 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 disaster risk and reduction 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. joy maluyo from the world vision charity in the philippines. the headlines on bbc news: tributes continue to the singer george michael, one of the biggest names in british music, who has died at the age of 53. russia recovers fragments of a military plane which crashed into the black sea with 92 people on board. bargain hunters turn out for boxing day sales but it's thought many have stayed home after already splurging on pre—christmas discounts.

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 colombian authorities investigating the plane crash last month in which 71 people died have concluded the aircraft ran out of fuel. the plane, which was carrying brazil's chapecoense football club, crashed near the city of medellin. six people survived. on a leaked tape, the pilot who died was heard warning of a total electric failure and lack of fuel. the japanese prime minister, shinzo abe, has begun an historic visit to hawaii.

it's 75 years since the japanese attack on us battleships at pearl harbour brought america into the second world war. prime minister abe and president 0bama are due to go to a memorial that honours the sailors and marines killed in the attack. after paying a visit to the ehime maru memorial in honolulu, abe is due pay tribute to pearl harbour victims on tuesday. 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 since the brexit vote has also provided 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, 1a million of us are expected to hit the shops today, drawn in by the theory that goods were significantly cheaper than they were two days ago. from birmingham to belfast, £3 billion was 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? i just love sale shopping. i'm normallyjust looking for a really good deal, like half price sort of thing. we were here last february and the exchange rate was 1.5 and it's much less now. we really 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 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. 0ne 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 i think we should look at it ina much more self—confident way than either side is approaching it at the moment. i think that being out of what is a rather 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.

the actress liz smith has died at the age of 95, a spokeswoman for her family has said. does this thing play cassettes as well? no, no, it'sjust cds. why, have you got cassettes? eloped no. “ no. the bafta award winner, who was known for her role as nana in the royle family, died on christmas eve. herformer co—star ralf little has paid tribute to her describing her death as devastating. smith also had parts in the vicar of dibley, lark rise to candleford and 2 point 4 children. she retired from acting in 2009 at the age of 87. it's 25 years since the soviet union collapsed, following the resignation

of mikhail gorbachev. admired in the west for ending the cold war without bloodshed, many russians still blame mr gorbachev for the loss ofan empire. a quarter of a century after he stepped down, sarah rainsford has been to the hometown of the former soviet leader. with a gorbachev impression and a song, we're welcomed to privolnoye. this is the southern russian village where the former soviet leader grew up. the child from a family of farmers who went on from here to end the cold war. to this woman, he was just a boy, called misha. we met at her home, down the street from the school that she and mikhail gorbachev went to. she remembers him as a star pupil, who climbed to the communist party ranks to launch the reforms that changed their lives. translation: he was a simple,

approachable lad, from an ordinary village. and in front of our eyes, he rose to become general secretary. he was very clever. so, 25 years ago, she remembers watching this broadcast and worrying, as gorbachev was forced to resign. it was the end of an empire. it's strange to think that gorbachev, such an important historical figure, came from this remote russian village. people here have told us they are very proud of that fact. and yet many russians have extremely mixed feelings about gorbachev‘s legacy, and particularly about the collapse of the ussr. some reminders of the old days remain intact here. lenin was restored only recently. but there's now a church alongside him. part—funded by the man who once led an atheist state. the right to worship was one change the villagers here welcomed. 0ver tea, they told me they liked gorbachev‘s economic reforms, too. but an increasing number of russians

now regret the loss of the ussr. and that's true even here. translation: germany is united now, but our country fell apart. that's a mistake of our leaders, they could have saved it. of course, gorbachev did a lot for our village, a lot. but as for the ussr, we are upset about that. at the village centre for patriotic education, there's a section devoted to gorbachev. but for the young generation here, the ussr now seems like ancient history. this boy tells me russia has democracy now. he can't even say socialism. mikhail gorbachev never meant his reforms to go so far. and, even in his own village, russians are still wrestling with the consequences of losing their status as a superpower overnight. sarah rainsford, bbc news, privolnoye. this time last year,

the west yorkshire town of hebden bridge was being hit by a deluge of floodwater. homes, shops, and schools were all affected and the recovery work in still going on. john maguire reported from hebden bridge last winter, and has returned to see how residents there are coping. boxing day, 2015. torrents of water smashed through hebden bridge with no respect for who, where or what they affected, nor indeed for the time of year. 12 months on and riverside school is receiving a visit from the children's laureate chris riddell, who has helped flooded communities before. sketching as we talk, he says he is impressed with the attitude here. one sort of comes into the communities and sees how

resilient they have been in the face of some very testing and trying times, and the way that often brings communities together. the head teacher has been forced to add construction project manager to her skill set. it's been a long return to normal. the heating system was running, but not untiljust before easter. so we were sat in hat, gloves, earmuffs. the children were fantastic. as were the parents. i emailed to ask them not to pull them out! some of the children saw damage both to their school and their home. everything was crashed and broken and we couldn't find any of our stuff and there was a massive canoe under our decking and we didn't know how that got there. it wasn't yours? no. everything was floating. we looked downstairs and it was one metre high. it was taking up a quarter of the staircase. an essential part of the recovery is prevention.

at this bookshop, a local mechanic has devised a way to keep the books high and hopefully dry. i absolutely think that we wouldn't have all survived on our own. we just all pulled together, we genuinely did. hopefully it's all behind us. fingers crossed. but it does feel like you're tempting fate to say that! whether you think flooding is caused by global warming or overdevelopment, one thing for certain — when it impacats a community like this, it's very much a human response. it's people that drag this town back up, that gets the businesses, the schools, the families back on their feet. the shops either side of us were flooded. the pub that we are walking towards was also flooded. and that sense of resilience, stoicism and community, that hebden bridge is renowned for, has been vital. the little things like none of the cash machines worked in town, so there was a regular series of somebody saying,

"well, i'll drive to the next town, i'll take a bunch of people, we can go to a cash machine and get some cash." when the flood sirens sounds, everyone stops and hopes not to be hit again, but if it does happen this place will deploy its best asset in the fightback, the town's people. john maguire, bbc news, hebden bridge. now it's time for the weather. things have been turning much colder through the course of boxing day after a very mild christmas day. the winds are easing down, we've had some snow in the highlands of scotland, this is a scene sent in by a weather watcher but further south we had sunny spells to see out the day in the isle of wight. as we head through the next few days this area of high pressure will dominate. the storms we have seen recently moving away to the east, high pressure

firmly in place. lots of dry weather on the cards at the moment but temperatures dipping down, so turning much colder than it has been and we're set to see some mist and fog. quite a frost is in the bulk of england and wales, especially in more rural spots. aj lee start at 8am tuesday. the odd pocket of mist and fog around but not everyone will see one. a bit milder with more cloud in northern england and northern ireland and in scotland, any pockets of frost are few and far between with one or two showers to the north—west. heading through the day we will keep the chance of a light shower or two in the far north—west of scotland, but elsewhere a dry story, mist and fog in england and wales should clear away to leave a good deal of some joe soap on tuesday afternoon a good day in prospect, colder than the last few days despite the sunshine with temperatures 6—8 for the most part. through tuesday evening we will see the mist and fog building quickly in parts of england and

wales. less in the way of mist and fog for northern ireland and scotland. with high pressure staying with us through the middle part of the week, no great changes in the forecast for the next few days. a front sitting out to the far north—west but for much of the country a scene like this one, some dense fog around, especially across central parts of england and wales. that could cause disruption if you have plans to travel by air or road, watch out, by wednesday morning, dense fog in england and wales in particular. further north—west, more cloud, less blog, but a few showers in the west of scotland where it will be breezy at times but light winds and plenty of sunshine on offer. where the fog lingers during the day in a few prone spots in england and wales, those temperatures will struggle at a few degrees above freezing, milder to the north—west.