:00:29. > :00:29.Hello, good afternoon and a very Happy Christmas.
:00:30. > :00:32.For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Queen has missed
:00:33. > :00:34.the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham.
:00:35. > :00:36.Buckingham Palace say she's still recovering from a heavy cold.
:00:37. > :00:38.Shortly, in her pre-recorded Christmas broadcast,
:00:39. > :00:40.the Queen will speak of drawing strength from meeting ordinary
:00:41. > :00:51.Our Royal correspondent, Nicholas Witchell, reports.
:00:52. > :00:53.Morning service at Sandringham, part of the Royal family's
:00:54. > :00:55.Christmas Day routine but with one significant absentee
:00:56. > :01:01.While other members of her family, including the Duke of Edinburgh
:01:02. > :01:05.gathered at the church, the Queen remained at Sandringham
:01:06. > :01:11.from what Buckingham Palace has described as a heavy cold.
:01:12. > :01:14.In a short statement, the palace said that she would take part
:01:15. > :01:16.in the Christmas celebrations, her absence from the church service,
:01:17. > :01:19.the first time in many years that she has not attended,
:01:20. > :01:21.is understood to be a precautionary measure,
:01:22. > :01:25.Also absent from Sandringham, the Duke and Duchess
:01:26. > :01:27.of Cambridge and their children, George and Charlotte.
:01:28. > :01:31.They attended church in the Berkshire village
:01:32. > :01:33.of Bucklebury, where they are spending Christmas Day
:01:34. > :01:43.with the Duchess's family, the Middletons.
:01:44. > :01:46.In her Christmas Day broadcast, accorded at Buckingham Palace
:01:47. > :01:49.several weeks ago, the Queen talks about inspiration.
:01:50. > :01:54.She reflects on the achievement of Olympic and Paralympic athletes
:01:55. > :01:57.from Britain and the Commonwealth, when even she met at a palace
:01:58. > :02:00.reception in October, and this year, when the Queen has marked her 90th
:02:01. > :02:02.birthday, she will refer to the inspirational work
:02:03. > :02:04.of the many charities with which she has been
:02:05. > :02:08.She will talk also about the work of the many unsung heroes
:02:09. > :02:11.carers, community leaders and good neighbours,
:02:12. > :02:13."ordinary people", as she puts it, "doing extraordinary things."
:02:14. > :02:15.Back at Sandringham, the Royal family, minus the Queen,
:02:16. > :02:18.left church, led by the Duke of Edinburgh, to return
:02:19. > :02:20.to Sandringham house for Christmas lunch and then to settle down
:02:21. > :02:35.President Putin of Russia has ordered an inquiry after a military
:02:36. > :02:37.plane heading for Syria crashed into the Black Sea killing
:02:38. > :02:40.There will be a national day of mourning tomorrow.
:02:41. > :02:42.Among the 92 people on board were members
:02:43. > :02:50.From Moscow, Steve Rosenberg sent this report.
:02:51. > :02:53.VOICEOVER: This is one of the final images of the Tupolev 154 jet.
:02:54. > :02:55.It was taken by a journalist before he boarded the 'plane.
:02:56. > :02:59.The aircraft crashed into the Black Sea.
:03:00. > :03:02.The Russians scrambled helicopters and ships
:03:03. > :03:04.but the search became a recovery operation.
:03:05. > :03:15.The 'plane had taken off from a military airfield
:03:16. > :03:19.stopping in Sochi to refuel and the final destination was Syria,
:03:20. > :03:28.But minutes after leaving Sochi, it crashed.
:03:29. > :03:33.President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the families of the
:03:34. > :03:37.victims and promised him their full support.
:03:38. > :03:41.On board were more than 60 members of the Russian army's famous
:03:42. > :03:44.song and dance ensemble, once known as the Red Army choir.
:03:45. > :03:48.They had been due to give a concert at the Russian airbase in Syria.
:03:49. > :03:51.Most civilian airlines have stopped using the Tupolev 154,
:03:52. > :03:55.once the workhorse of the Russian aviation industry.
:03:56. > :03:57.In 2010, a Tupolev 154 carrying the Polish president crashed
:03:58. > :04:08.a similar plane caught fire in Siberia before take-off.
:04:09. > :04:12.Throughout the day, the people of Moscow brought flowers to the
:04:13. > :04:19.headquarters of the Russian Army choir. This disaster has left Russia
:04:20. > :04:21.stunned and silent. The Kremlin has promised a thorough investigation
:04:22. > :04:23.into this tragedy. It has also declared tomorrow a day of national
:04:24. > :04:30.mourning. There's been a powerful earthquake
:04:31. > :04:39.in southern chilly. The US Geological Survey says it
:04:40. > :04:42.struck 140 miles southwest of the city of Puerto Montt and had
:04:43. > :04:45.a magnitude of 7.7. but so far there are no details
:04:46. > :04:50.of damage or casualties. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin
:04:51. > :04:57.Welby says 2016 has left the world He was speaking during his Christmas
:04:58. > :05:01.sermon at Canterbury Cathedral. And Pope Francis has
:05:02. > :05:03.called for an end Our Religious Affairs Correspondent
:05:04. > :05:10.Martin Bashir reports. VOICEOVER: Entering
:05:11. > :05:11.Canterbury Cathedral Justin Welby focused
:05:12. > :05:21.his Christmas Day and division that has marked both
:05:22. > :05:24.domestic and international politics The end of 2016 finds us
:05:25. > :05:29.all in a different kind of world. which feels more awash
:05:30. > :05:36.with fear and division. He went on to suggest
:05:37. > :05:39.that our anxiety is a clear sign that placing our trust in material
:05:40. > :05:41.prosperity has failed. The uncertainty of our world,
:05:42. > :05:43.of our feelings, tells us that our values
:05:44. > :05:51.are in the wrong place. In Rome, where additional
:05:52. > :05:53.security was in place Pope Francis focused
:05:54. > :05:56.on the plight of children, pleading with all parties to end
:05:57. > :06:08.the conflict in Syria. TRANSLATION: It is time for weapons
:06:09. > :06:13.to be still forever, to actively seek a negotiated
:06:14. > :06:19.solution so that civil coexistence
:06:20. > :06:21.can be restored in the country. Pope Francis concluded
:06:22. > :06:23.by appealing for Christians to stand out as people
:06:24. > :06:46.of compassion and self-sacrifice. That is all from me for now. I will
:06:47. > :06:54.be back with the main news at half past 11.
:06:55. > :06:57.From everybody here, have a very merry Christmas.
:06:58. > :07:08.While you have been tucking into your Christmas lunch, temperature
:07:09. > :07:10.shooting up outside, we are not going to beat any records this
:07:11. > :07:12.Christmas but