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David Haye’s trainer and manager Adam Booth claims he has agreed a 50-50 split in an attempt to make a match with Wladimir Klitschko next year.
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There were high levels of smoke at the scene About 60 firefighters are tackling a blaze affecting two tour buses at the The O2 arena in south-east London.
A London Fire Brigade (LFB) spokesman said firefighters were called to the scene in Greenwich at 0818 GMT.
Ambulance crews have treated six people at the scene for smoke inhalation, a spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for The O2 said the venue had been evacuated and a decision on whether Tuesday’s Kings of Leon show would go ahead would be made later.
A spokesman for the LFB said the fire, which is now under control, was in a loading bay area and not in the seating or stage area.
He added both coaches had been completely burnt out.
LFB station manager Sally Cartwright, who is at the scene, said: “Our crews are doing a fantastic job, especially given the levels of smoke down here which has led to quite challenging conditions.”
A spokeswoman for The O2 said the fire started in a tour bus “related to tonight’s show” and spread to another tour bus in the loading bay.
She added: “Assessments are currently under way and we expect to make a decision in the next couple of hours as to whether tonight’s Kings of Leon show will go ahead.
“We will keep our website updated.”
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US population predicted to grow, while Europe’s stagnates
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Russia has supplied India with military hardware for years The Russian president is expected to sign nuclear and defence deals worth billions of dollars during a two-day visit to India.
The highlight of Dmitry Medvedev’s trip will be a $30bn agreement for the development of a so-called “fifth generation” stealth fighter jet.
Agreement is also expected on the supply of Russian nuclear power generating reactors to India.
Ahead of his visit Mr Medvedev said India and Russia had a strong bond.
“We can rightfully call it a privileged partnership,” the Russian prime minister said in an interview with the Times of India newspaper published on Monday.
A foreign ministry spokesman said there was “robust defence co-operation” between the two countries, allies since the Cold War
“It is not a mere buyer-seller relationship, but the two sides are looking at joint research and development and joint production,” Vishnu Prakash said.
India has long been a major market for Russian-produced weapons but, says the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus, the country’s relationship with Russia is now changing.
India – now one of the world’s largest buyers of fighter jets, tanks, submarines and other defence equipment – expects not just to buy weaponry off the shelf but also to share in the technology that it contains.
In the past six months, India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already welcomed the leaders of China, France, the US and the UK to Delhi.
Each has been accompanied by a large business delegation, and each has gone home boasting of billions of dollars of extra trade with one of the world’s fastest growing economies, the BBC’s Mark Dummett in Delhi reports.
Observers say Mr Medvedev will be keen to ensure that Russian firms do not lose out to foreign competitors.
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More than 300 people are in intensive care with flu, official figures reveal as experts urge at-risk individuals to get immunised.
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The couples have had to postpone their attempt to submit the challenge A bid by eight British couples to challenge the UK’s ban on gay marriages and heterosexual civil partnerships has been postponed, campaigners have said.
Campaign group Equal Love postponed the legal challenge at the European Court of Human Rights to next month.
The couples needed the right paperwork proving they had been rejected for a marriage or civil service licence.
The group had wanted the court in Strasbourg to extend the rights of gay couples to full marriage.
Equal Love is also arguing that heterosexual couples should be entitled to form civil partnerships.
Campaigner Peter Tatchell said the delay was due to London’s Camden Council mistakenly treating Stephanie Munro and Andrew O’Neil’s application for a civil partnership as if they were a gay couple.
More than 40,000 same-sex couples have had their relationships recognised in law since civil partnerships were introduced in 2005.
The couples, four heterosexual and four same-sex, have all recently tried to marry or form a legally recognised civil partnership and been refused for various reasons.
Civil partnerships give same-sex couples mostly the same legal rights as married couples, but some campaigners believe the arrangement lacks the status enjoyed by marriage.
The four same-sex couples argue that they are being discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.
Legally recognised union between a same-sex coupleEqual legal treatment in matters including inheritance and next-of-kin arrangementsMarriage ceremonies must be public and can be conducted by clergyPartnership can occur in privateFailed partnerships require a legal dissolution, like divorcePolitical, religious and social considerations influenced legal title of the unionMost campaigners accepted title because they had secured the underlying rights
At the same time the four heterosexual couples, who have attempted to form civil partnerships and been turned down, will do the same.
Each group wants the rights afforded to the other and insists the government has an obligation to consistency.
Ms Munro, 27, and Mr O’Neill, 31, said they wanted to be equal partners in the relationship.
”We want to have a legal partnership instead of the baggage of marriage,” she said. ”It (marriage) just doesn’t sit well with us. It’s got such a patriarchal history.”
The challenge has had to be taken to Europe as courts in the UK do not have the power under the Human Rights Act to force the UK government to change the law.
Mr Tatchell, who is co-ordinating the campaign, said he believed the couples would be successful in their bid.
The case could take three years, but campaigners are hoping government policy may change before that.
“We are hopeful it will be sooner, and we are even more hopeful that, having filed the application, the British Government will recognise that it is going to lose, and will therefore bring forward legislation promptly and efficiently, to end this discrimination,” Mr Tatchell said.
He added: “In a democratic society, everyone should be equal before the law. Any law that discriminates on the grounds of race, gender or sexual orientation is fundamentally flawed and contrary to both Britain’s Human Rights Act and to the European convention on human rights.”
In a statement the Government Equalities Office said: “We are currently considering the next steps for civil partnerships.
“Earlier this year ministers met with people and organisations holding a range of views on the issue and we are now looking at the best way to take those views forward.”
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The disruption in England has caused delays at Scottish airports Air passengers in Scotland have been hit by the knock-on effect of airport closures at major hubs in England, despite Scottish runways staying open.
Aberdeen Airport said about a quarter of its flights were cancelled because of the weather disrupting Heathrow.
Glasgow and Edinburgh airports also had many delays and cancellations.
Despite heavy snow falls, particularly in the north east, Scotland has not been as badly affected as it was by the weather two weeks ago.
Officials at Heathrow airport in London said no more than a third of all flights would operate until 0600 GMT on Wednesday and warned passengers to expect delays and cancellations, possibly until Christmas Day.
Aberdeen Airport warned passengers that severe disruption would continue on Tuesday.
It said passengers should check with their airline before leaving home.
Weather forecasters said temperatures in Scotland would again drop overnight to -5C across most of Scotland.
But Scotland was set to avoid heavy snow in most areas, with Tuesday forecast to be dry, though still bitterly cold.
The Met Office did issue a warning of heavy snow in Moray.
Most councils opened their schools on Monday but there were closures in the Aberdeenshire, Moray and Orkney areas.
Tuesday looks to be an improving picture but some councils were waiting until the morning before making a decision.
On the trains, Scotrail said that most services were running.
The Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street service remains half-hourly in both directions and the Edinburgh to Perth services has been suspended.
A number of other services, such as Glasgow Central to Ayr and Ardrossan, have also been badly affected.
Train operator East Coast said it was running a “normal” timetable for Anglo-Scottish services.
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The abuse claims relate to the period after the 2003 invasion of Iraq More than 200 Iraqi civilians have lost a High Court bid for a public inquiry into claims they were mistreated by British forces in Iraq.
Two judges upheld Defence Secretary Liam Fox’s refusal to order a wide-ranging investigation, but said one could be “required in due course”.
Mr Fox argued one was unnecessary as any abuse had been carried out by “a few bad apples” and was not systemic.
The group claim they were abused between 2003 and 2008.
The lead claimant, Ali Zaki Mousa, alleges he endured months of beatings and other abuse in the custody of British soldiers in 2006-07.
In an interview in 2006, he told the BBC World Service he had been blindfolded and beaten by UK troops after being arrested in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on suspicion of being affiliated with militias.
The Ministry of Defence has argued that a public inquiry would be “costly” and would be neither “necessary or appropriate”.
“It is possible that a public inquiry will be required in due course”
Lord Justice Richards and Mr Justice Silber
It has set up a dedicated Iraq historic allegations team to look into claims of abuse by British soldiers.
Two other investigations are also under way into specific allegations of ill-treatment.
One concerns Baha Mousa, an Iraqi man who died in British custody in 2003, and the other centres on claims that 20 Iraqis were killed and nine others mistreated at UK bases in 2004.
Lawyers for the Iraqis had argued that those investigations were insufficient to meet the UK’s obligations under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits inhuman and degrading treatment.
But Lord Justice Richards and Mr Justice Silber ruled on Tuesday that another inquiry was not necessary at this stage.
“It is possible that a public inquiry will be required in due course, but the need for an inquiry and precise scope of the issues that any such inquiry should cover can lawfully be left for decision at a future date,” they said.
The judges said the defence secretary had “made clear that he is very concerned about the allegations and extremely anxious to establish whether they are well founded and, if they are, to ensure that lessons are learned for the future.
“He does not seek to defend Article 3 ill-treatment of detainees.”
The judges added that Mr Fox’s “wait and see” approach was influenced in part by the “heavy resource implications” of establishing another inquiry now.
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Mr Bryant suggested the chancellor enjoyed playing a pantomime villain Labour MPs have criticised George Osborne after he likened a gay shadow minister to a “pantomime dame”.
The comment came after Chris Bryant accused the chancellor of delighting in playing “Baron Hardup” and suggested he “play Prince Charming instead”.
Writing on the micro-blogging site Twitter, Mr Bryant said the response was either “homophobic or just nasty”.
Mr Osborne’s aides said it was just a “Christmas joke” in the pantomime theme begun by Mr Bryant – not homophobic.
The exchange came in the Commons chamber on Tuesday, in the last Treasury questions before Christmas.
Mr Bryant, Labour MP for the Rhondda and a shadow justice minister, said: “The chancellor of the exchequer takes a particular delight, it seems, in playing the role of Baron Hardup.
“But can I just say to him in the nicest, Christmassy way possible, that all his austerity talk does provide real anxiety for many of my constituents who worry about their winter fuel allowance, who worry about VAT increasing in January, who worry about major losses in construction jobs in the new year.
“So can I please just encourage him, just sometimes, to play Prince Charming instead?”
Mr Osborne instantly quipped “at least I’m not the pantomime dame” – to protests from Labour MPs – before going on to say the government was dealing with the “economic inheritance that the previous government, of which he was a minister, left this country”.
Mr Bryant wrote on Twitter later: “So George Osborne clearly doesn’t know how to be charming with his jibe at me as a pantomime dame. Homophobic or just nasty?”
Fellow Labour MP Kerry McCarthy wrote on Twitter that it was a “nasty little homophobic jibe from Osborne”.
Mr Bryant said later: “I don’t think he would have said that phrase if I was not gay. I think when he gets back to the office he will probably think to himself ‘I should send a little note saying sorry, I didn’t mean to offend’. We all get it wrong sometimes and I think he got it wrong this time.”
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Prime Minister David Cameron were asked about the exchange at a joint press conference on Tuesday afternoon but both said they had not seen it.
Mr Clegg said: “Surely it wasn’t intended as a homophobic remark – of course not.”
He added: “I’ve been in a pantomime myself.”
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A US National Guard helicopter crashes off the coast of Puerto Rico, with all six members aboard feared dead.
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Vince Cable insists he has no intention of bringing down the government
Vince Cable has “every reason to be apologetic” over comments suggesting he may quit and bring the government down, David Cameron has said.
The business secretary was recorded saying serving in the coalition was like “fighting a war”, likening some policies to a “Maoist revolution”.
But the prime minister said he “got on” with Mr Cable, who was “embarrassed”.
Labour said the comments showed the government was “paralysed” by strains between the Tories and Lib Dems.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Mr Cable – one of the most senior Lib Dems in the cabinet – said he could “bring the government down” if he resigned, adding that this remained a “nuclear option” of last resort.
He was recorded telling the two female reporters, who were posing as voters at a constituency surgery, that he had been involved in a “big argument” with “our Conservative friends” over dealing with the bank bonuses and regulation.
Vince Cable may well feel a little bit shame faced and embarrassed by his belligerent boasts about “using the nuclear option” and bringing the government down.
And yet, once the kafuffle has died down, he may well conclude that the whole episode has played to his advantage.
For the talk of “fighting a war” within the Coalition surely shows the seriousness with which Mr Cable is prepared to go toe-to-toe to stand up for Lib Dem views.
Indeed Mr Cable even claims some significant victories over his Tory colleagues on issues like Europe and civil liberties. And he underlines his determination to get his way on bank bonuses.
All of which can only be music to the ears of apprehensive Lib Dem activists concerned they’ve been rolled over by David Cameron.
So, don’t expect Nick Clegg to be too upset by Mr Cable’s unguarded comments.
He added: “If they push me too far then I can walk out and bring the government down and they know that.”
The business secretary also criticised the speed at which the coalition was trying to push through changes in the health service, local government and other areas, which he described as a “kind of Maoist revolution”, and said it was “in danger of getting out of control”.
The axing of child benefit for higher earners had been carried out in a “rather cack-handed way”, Mr Cable said.
At a joint Downing Street press conference with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Mr Cameron said: “What he said was obviously wrong. He’s apologised for that. He was very apologetic at cabinet this morning and we should leave it at that.
“He has every reason to be apologetic. But in a coalition you do have private disagreements on policy. If we all agreed we would be in the same party and we’re not. We have to work these things out.”
He added: “Personally, I get on with Vince very well. After cabinet we had a discussion about some other issues we were resolving between us.”
Mr Cameron also said: “I find him a perfectly reasonable colleague to work with.”
Mr Clegg announced that security at Mr Cable’s constituency surgeries would be tightened up, telling reporters: “As far as Vince is concerned, he’s embarrassed by what’s happened and he’s right to be embarrassed.
“My view and his view is that coalition government can only work effectively if disagreements, where they exist, are thrashed out in private and we come to a common solution.”
Questioned about Mr Cable’s description of some of the administration’s agenda as “Maoist”, Mr Clegg said: “I fully disagree with Vince on that.”
In a statement following the Telegraph’s revelations, Mr Cable said: “Naturally I am embarrassed by these comments and I regret them.
“I have no intention of leaving the government. I am proud of what it is achieving and will continue to play my full part in delivering the priorities I and my party believe in, which are enshrined in the coalition agreement.”
At a robust Commons Treasury questions session earlier on Tuesday, Labour’s shadow chancellor, Alan Johnson, asked George Osborne: “Does the chancellor recognise himself in the business secretary’s description of ‘cack-handed Tories’?”
Mr Osborne replied: “The business secretary is a powerful ally in the government and in promoting growth and, frankly, he’s forgotten more about economics than the shadow chancellor ever knew.”
The BBC understands that several other leading Lib Dems, including health minister Paul Burstow, have also been approached by undercover reporters.
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Any old iron? This sculpture by Eduardo Chillida, worth 800,000 euros, was offered to a scrapyard Spanish police have recovered stolen art worth millions of euros after one of the thieves tried to sell a sculpture to a scrap dealer.
Thirty-five works by Pablo Picasso, Eduardo Chillida and others were stolen from a warehouse in a Madrid suburb on 27 November.
Police were tipped off that Chillida’s bench-like ‘Topos IV’, worth 800,000 euros (£675,000), had been offered to a scrapyard for 30 euros (£25).
The haul was found in a nearby suburb.
When the heist happened last month, the art works had just been brought back from an exhibition in Germany and were all still in the truck in a warehouse in Getafe, a suburb of Madrid.
Thieves broke into the warehouse and drove off with the lorry-load of art, with a combined value thought to be more than 5m euros (£4.2m).
At the time, detectives said the robbery looked like “an inside job”.
But given the discovery of the haul just a few miles away, and the attempt to offload a sculpture for scrap, a police spokesman said “it now appears more likely that we are dealing with amateurs”.
No arrests have been made yet in connection with the heist.
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Hundreds slept in airports as they waited for cancelled flights to be rescheduled
The EU has heavily criticised European airports for failing to deal with recent freezing weather, which has left thousands of travellers stranded.
European transport commissioner Siim Kallas urged airports to “get serious” about planning, and labelled them a “weak link” in the infrastructure.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled in recent days, as snow and ice have disrupted travel across Europe.
London’s Heathrow has been the one of the hardest-hit airports.
Mr Kallas said in a statement that airports in western Europe needed to learn from their counterparts in northern Europe.
“In recent days, I have become increasingly concerned about the problems relating to the infrastructure available to airlines – airports and ground handling – during this severe period of snow,” he said.
“It seems at this stage that this is a ‘weak link’ in a chain which, under pressure, is contributing to severe disruption.”
He said he intended to meet airport officials from around Europe to take a “hard look” at how they can operate more effectively in the future.
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Snow ploughs have been used to clear roads The Roads Service NI network manager has said the recent cold spell is “the worst prolonged conditions I have experienced” in 25 years.
Temperatures in NI dipped to the lowest on record with -18C recorded at Castlederg, Co Tyrone, on Sunday night.
The Met Office has said the minimum temperature on Monday night is likely to be -15C.
The Roads Service’s Colin Brown said they have been facing “an enormous challenge” to keep main roads open.
“Forecasts are indicating the sub zero temperatures are set to continue until Christmas and we would appeal to drivers over the holiday period to slow down and drive carefully,” Mr Brown said.
“Staff will be continuing to work over the Christmas period to try and keep the main network open.”
Hundreds of schools were again closed in Northern Ireland on Monday after more snow overnight and more will be closed on Tuesday.
While the Met Office has said there is unlikely to be be much more snow overnight – except light showers across northern County Londonderry and northern County Antrim – “another widespread severe frost develops as well freezing fog patches becoming more extensive”.
Belfast’s two main airports are currently open but cancellations and delays are expected to continue. City of Derry Airport reopened at 1100 GMT.
More than 500 schools were recorded as having closed on Monday.
A number of train services were disrupted in Northern Ireland on Monday morning.
Ciaran Rogan of Translink said bus services were “sticking to main roads”, and some delays were expected on the Goldline service.
Ulsterbus services were suspended in a number of areas including Ballymena, Coleraine, Antrim and Downpatrick.
Belfast International Airport spokesperson, Deborah Harris, said on Monday it had been a frustrating weekend for passengers.
“Flights are taking off and landing this morning, albeit with delays,” she added.
“The Heathrow and London Stansted services this morning are cancelled because of issues in London.
“It is the busiest time of the year with people trying to get home for Christmas and people getting off for Christmas.”
George Best Belfast City Airport said on Monday morning it was operating, but was experiencing some cancellations and delays “as a knock-on effect from other airports on the UK mainland”.
City of Derry Airport was closed until 1100 GMT, but is now operating, although it said flights were subject to delay.
The three Northern Ireland airports have advised passengers to contact their airlines before travelling because of the impact of delays.
EasyJet said the vast majority of its flights to and from Belfast are operating.
“We have a small backlog of passengers returning to Northern Ireland, but are confident that these passengers will return home within the next day or two,” the company said.
SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie said the Northern Ireland Executive needed to set up an inter-departmental taskforce to review systems for dealing with extreme weather events.
However, Regional Development minister, Conor Murphy, has said he believes this is unnecessary.
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Mark Saunders died after a five-hour stand-off at his home in Chelsea in May 2008 No police officers will be charged over the death of a barrister shot by police marksmen in west London, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.
An inquest jury ruled Scotland Yard firearms officers acted lawfully when they killed Mark Saunders, 32, during an armed siege at his Chelsea home.
The CPS said it would review the inquest proceedings to see if significant new evidence emerged.
But after studying a full transcript, it said no action was needed.
Mr Saunders died in a hail of police bullets after a five-hour armed stand-off at his west London home on 6 May 2008.
The siege began after the high-flying divorce specialist fired shots from his home in Markham Square.
In October, a Westminster Coroner’s Court jury found the actions of the officers were lawful, proportionate and reasonable.
“Following the verdict at the inquest into the death of Mark Saunders, I have been considering whether any significant new evidence arose which would be capable of affecting my original decision,” said Sally Walsh, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
“Having considered a full transcript of the inquest hearing, and a report of the inquest submitted by the IPCC, I have concluded that my decision remains the same.
“There remains insufficient evidence to charge any officer in relation to the tragic death of Mark Saunders.”
Prosecutors have also decided not to bring charges against more senior officers for negligence, misconduct or breaches of health and safety laws.
One CO19 officer, known only as Alpha Zulu 8 (AZ8), faces a police inquiry into claims he inserted song lyrics into his testimony.
The officer is accused of littering his testimony with song titles by acts such as Duran Duran and George Michael.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) launched a fresh investigation after senior officers referred the allegations to the watchdog.
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