Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 26 Dec 2016

1. George Michael dies at age of 53

Singer George Michael died on Christmas Day at the age of 53. His manager gave the cause of death as heart failure and his family said he had "passed away peacefully" at his home in Goring, Oxfordshire. Michael found fame with his band Wham! in the 1980s and achieved global success as a solo artist with songs including Faith.

2. Snow and gales forecast for Boxing Day

Just days after Storm Barbara, Storm Conor is expected to bring snow and gales on Boxing Day. Amber 'be prepared' alerts for high winds have been issued by the Met Office for northern Scotland and yellow 'be aware' warnings of snow are in place for much of Scotland. The storm will end the exceptionally mild weather across the UK.

3. Major floods 'likely every year'

The government's lead adviser on climate change, Professor John Krebs, says major flooding is now likely to happen in the UK every year – but the government has no coherent plan to deal with it. The Boxing Day floods of 2015, in Lancashire and Yorkshire, prompted a review which predicts a 20 to 30% increase in extreme rainfall.

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4. Local councils used powers to spy on public

Local authorities have used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to spy on the public with secret listening devices, cameras and private detectives. A Freedom of Information request found that 186 councils, from Midlothian to Slough, have used the act to monitor dog fouling or find out who was guilty of feeding pigeons.

5. Tories accused of hypocrisy over rail shutdown

Labour has accused the Tories of hypocrisy because much of the rail network is at a standstill on Boxing Day, something the Conservatives attacked while in opposition. Large parts of the UK are without any rail service today, while other areas have only limited numbers of trains. Shadow transport minister Andy McDonald led the criticism.

6. Russian plane crash: 92 dead

All 92 people on board a Russian military plane which crashed into the Black Sea on Christmas Day are feared dead. Debris and 11 bodies have been found, says the BBC, with no reports of survivors. As well as soldiers and reporters, the Tu-154 plane was taking 64 members of a famous military choir to perform for Russian troops in Syria.

7. Fake news story prompts diplomatic incident

A story which appeared on a 'fake news' site last week prompted a diplomatic incident. Israel's defence ministry tweeted that the story, which said Israel threatened to destroy Pakistan, was "entirely false" on Saturday. The denial came after Pakistan's defence minister warned Israel not to forget that "Pakistan is a nuclear state too".

8. Carrie Fisher 'in stable condition'

The actor Carrie Fisher is now in a "stable condition" in intensive care in a Los Angeles hospital, her mother has said, after suffering a cardiac arrest on a plane on Friday as she returned from the UK where she was promoting her new book. The 60-year-old Star Wars stalwart was given CPR on the flight about 15 minutes before it landed.

9. Arrests after 100-strong brawl in Woking

Four people have been arrested after a fight between as many as 100 people on the streets of Woking in the early hours of Christmas Day. Surrey police said coins were thrown at officers and several taxi drivers were "intimidated". Those arrested were held on suspicion of public order offences committed in the town's Chertsey Road.

10. Briefing: Best movies of 2016

As the year draws to a close, it's time to look back on the films that have delighted, charmed and intrigued us throughout 2016. While critics' lists can vary widely, and there are some omissions, these are the films that tend to appear on almost all Best Of lists: Arrival, Zootropolis, Deadpool, Manchester by the Sea, Hell or Highwater, Eight Days a Week, The Nice Guys, I, Daniel Blake, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fire at Sea.

The best films of 2016