Arrests Over Deaths Linked To Bad Drugs Batch

Three men have been arrested by police investigating a series of suspected drugs-related deaths in Suffolk.

They were held after the recent deaths of two young men in Ipswich on Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, which are thought to be related to a "dangerous batch" of ecstasy tablets.

The death of a third man in Rendlesham is also under investigation, and it emerged on Friday that the death of a fourth man in Telford, Shropshire, was also being linked to the drugs.

The three arrested men - aged 19, 20 and 26 - are all from Ipswich and were detained on Friday on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs.

The drugs linked to the deaths in Suffolk have been described as red and triangular with a Superman 'S' logo.

John Hocking, 20, was a labourer

Police in Shropshire said they were not officially linking the death of the 27-year-old man in Telford on New Year's Day with the fatalities in Suffolk, but admitted there "appear to be similarities".

One of the men thought to have died from taking an ecstasy pill linked to the "dangerous" Suffolk batch has been named as 20-year-old labourer John Hocking.

The girlfriend of another man, Lithuanian Gediminas Kulokas, has told how she fought to save his life after he stopped breathing on New Year's Day, his 24th birthday.

Natasha Mumby told how she had checked on him in their lounge during the night and found him "breathing in a funny way" at the flat they shared in Provan Court, Ipswich.

"I propped him up and went back to bed. I then came back in the lounge because he was not making the breathing noise any more. He was just sitting there not breathing."

Another man from the same address, also thought to be from Lithuania, was in hospital in a serious condition, but is said to be "improving".

Justas Ropas was found dead at a house in Ipswich on Christmas Eve

The death of the third man, Justas Ropas, in Ipswich on 24 December could also be linked to the drug, according to officers.

Mr Ropas was a 22-year-old machine operator.

Suffolk Police have drawn a link between these latest drugs and dangerous pills with a similar appearance found in the Netherlands last month.

The tablets in the Netherlands had a large concentration of PMMA, which acts more slowly than ecstasy's MDMA.

This means people take more pills because they think they are not working.

Following the three deaths in Suffolk, police appealed for people to hand the drugs in at a police station, A&E department or fire station.

Officers promised those surrendering the drugs would not face prosecution and that they simply wanted to remove them from circulation.

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Palace Denies Prince Andrew Sex Claims

Buckingham Palace has issued a strongly worded denial of allegations that Prince Andrew was involved in "impropriety with underage minors".

The statement was released after the Duke of York was named in a US lawsuit.

The woman who has made the allegations claims the disgraced US banker Jeffrey Epstein loaned her out to his friends, including Prince Andrew.

Papers filed by her lawyers say she was held as a "sex slave" by Epstein from 1999 through 2002 after he "became enamoured" with her.

In the motion filed in a court in Florida, she claims she was "forced to have sexual relations with this prince when she was a minor" in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island. She is believed to have been 17 at the time - underage according to US law.

The document continues: "Epstein instructed Jane Doe #3 that she was to give the Prince whatever he demanded and required Jane Doe #3 to report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse."

Epstein spent 13 months in jail after admitting sex with a 14-year-old

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous and is referred to as Jane Doe 3 in documents, says Epstein, who has been jailed for having sex with a 14-year-old, forced her to have sexual encounters against her will between 1999 and 2002.

In the papers, she claims she was effectively recruited for Epstein's use by Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell, when she was 15 years old.

And it is claimed in the court document that Ms Maxwell "was one of the main women whom Epstein used to procure under-aged girls for sexual activities".

The document also claims Epstein's "purposes in 'lending' Jane Doe to such powerful people were to ingratiate himself with them for business, personal, political and financial gain, as well as to obtain potential blackmail information".

Buckingham Palace said: "This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party. As such we would not comment in detail. However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue."

Prince Andrew's friendship with Epstein is well-documented and in an interview in 2011 he denied any sexual contact with any of the young women connected to the multi-millionaire banker.

The Prince visited Epstein in New York in 2010 after he was released

Sky News Correspondent Rhiannon Mills said: "It's important to point out that we have in the past seen Prince Andrew criticised for spending time with Epstein, including in December 2010 after he was released from prison."

Epstein was jailed in 2008 and spent 13 months in jail after admitting to having sex with a 14-year-old.

He had been investigated for paying underage girls to have sex with him at his luxury Palm Beach home - and 40 women had come forward as victims.

However, he cut a deal with federal prosecutors and the charges were not progressed.

Two of his victims have now brought a case against the prosecutors claiming their rights were violated because they were not consulted on the secret deal.

Jane Doe 3 has applied to the court to be included in the lawsuit against the federal prosecutor and it is in the legal document to join the case that she makes the allegations against the Duke of York.

Sky News has attempted to reach Ms Maxwell for a response to the latest allegations.

When claims about the nature of her relationship with Epstein were reported in 2011, her lawyers issued a statement describing them as "entirely false".

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Hamza Too Disabled For Jail, Lawyers Claim

London hate preacher Abu Hamza should be sent to a prison hospital because he is too disabled to spend life at a high-security US jail for terror offences, lawyers have claimed.

Attorneys for the one-eyed, handless, radical Egyptian cleric also claim by sentencing him to life in prison, the US would breach assurances given to judges in the UK, to secure his 2012 extradition to America.

Hamza used his sermons in London to incite murder and racial hatred

But this is disputed by federal prosecutors, who argue Hamza should be held accountable for his role as a "global terrorist leader who orchestrated plots around the world to further his deadly mission".

The 56-year-old was convicted in May of 11 charges, including conspiring to set up a terror training camp in Oregon, conspiring to kidnap Americans in Yemen and providing support to terrorist organisations.

Video: May 20: Hamza Faces Life In Jail

Hamza, whose real name is Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, has already served a UK prison sentence for using his sermons at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London to incite murder and racial hatred.

He was extradited to the US to face trial after a protracted legal battle lasting almost a decade.

In court papers, Hamza's lawyers said he would face unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment if his amputated forearms, psoriasis, diabetes and high blood pressure were not taken into account at his sentencing on 9 January.

They argue a non-life sentence would be "appropriate" in light of mitigating circumstances, and that he should have specially adapted accommodation to ensure he receives fair treatment while in custody.

But a letter submitted by Jeffery Allen, chief of health programs for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said Hamza would be given a full medical evaluation and assessed by a prosthetic specialist after he was sentenced.

Mr Allen also said there were special cells for those with disabilities and if the prison could not address Hamza's health needs, he would be moved to a prison hospital.

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Man Killed At Waterloo Station Bus Stop

A man has been killed at a bus stop outside one of London's main railway stations.

Police were called to reports that a man had been attacked near London's Waterloo station at around 2.45am.

Officers and London Ambulance Service found a man in his 40s with serious head injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 29-year-old man was arrested nearby on suspicion of murder. He is in custody at a south London police station.

Scotland Yard said they are not looking for anyone else.

The victim has not yet been formally identified but police are in the process of informing next of kin.

Road closures and police cordons are in place around the scene of the killing, police said.

Detective Chief Inspector Diane Tudway, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "This is a very busy part of London frequented by both commuters and those on a night out.

"My team is keen to hear from anyone who was in the area or passing by at the time of this incident and may have witnessed what occurred or seen something that could assist the investigation.

"I would urge all witnesses and anyone with information to contact the incident room on 0208 721 4005 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."

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Hospital Calls To Police 'A Major Problem'

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

There are calls for drunks and others who commit offences on NHS premises to be dealt with more severely after a Sky News investigation found the police are being called about crimes every 10 minutes.

Figures show officers deal with more than 60,000 crimes in hospitals across the UK every year - and the number has risen in the last 12 months.

The number of offences is so high that several police forces, including Greater Manchester and Lancashire, have started basing liaison officers at some of the busier A&E departments.

Hospital staff deal with a drunken patient

The true scale of the problem is likely to be much higher as the figures only represent two-thirds of Britain's police forces and do not include the biggest, the Metropolitan Police.

A total of 30 forces responded to a Freedom of Information request from Sky News, which shows they attended 64,728 calls to hospitals and other NHS premises in 2013 - a rise of almost 1,700 on the previous year. 

Greater Manchester Police attended 12,726 incidents on NHS premises last year - an increase of 320 on the year before.

Officers in another of the UK's larger forces, West Midlands, attended 7,132 calls to hospitals and other health premises in 2013 - up 249 on the 2012 figure.

Police chiefs are warning that those who threaten or assault NHS staff will be dealt with robustly.

Dr Peter Carter: 'It's a major national probem'

Northampton Police Chief Constable Adrian Lee, the national lead on alcohol harm reduction at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), told Sky News that many of the incidents are drink-related.

He said: "There was a time when NHS staff, through good motivations and a sense of vocation, didn't want to report crimes against people who were there to receive the service, but actually that's not appropriate because it gets the message across that you can go to a hospital and behave inappropriately - well you can't."

Latest Health Service figures in England also point to worsening safety for hospital staff.

NHS Protect say that in the period 2013-2014, 68,683 members of staff were assaulted, a rise of almost 5,500 on the previous 12 months.

Some forces are to trial 'drunk tanks' like this one in London

Royal College of Nursing chief executive Dr Peter Carter has called for a tougher approach from both the police and hospital trusts towards offenders.

He said: "Against 68,000 reported assaults last year, there were just 1,600 prosecutions. That's lamentable. This is a major national problem and something needs to be done about it."

As well as stationing officers in A&E units, some forces are also beginning trials of special "drunk tanks" as a way of keeping potentially disruptive patients with more minor ailments out of emergency departments.

Chief Constable Lee, who is overseeing the pilot for ACPO, said: "These facilities don't just help reduce the demand on A&E departments at peak times, but can also have an impact on the atmosphere in emergency departments.

"A long wait in A&E because other people are more seriously injured is one thing, but a long wait surrounded by people who are behaving badly because they are drunk is a completely different experience."

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Rail Fares: Anger Over New Year Price Hike

Commuters face rail fare rises by an average of 2.2%, with the latest annual increase meaning some fares have increased over 20% in the last five years.

Although the average increase is the lowest average rise for five years, the rise for regulated fares, including season tickets, will be up to 2.5%.

The rise - announced by rail industry body the Rail Delivery Group - will see more rail passengers than ever before paying £5,000 for season tickets.

Passengers endure London travel chaos over festive period

While the hike is limited to a maximum of 2.5%, unregulated fares, such as off-peak leisure tickets, can go up by as much as the train companies decide.

It follows weeks of disruption to rush-hour services with problems for travellers compounded by over-running festive engineering work.

Video: Rail Boss On Christmas Rail Chaos

Last Saturday's chaos caused King's Cross and Paddington stations in London to close and resulted in Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne announcing he would forego his bonus.

Rail Delivery Group director general Michael Roberts said: "At 2.2%, the average increase in fares in 2015 is the lowest for five years. We understand no one likes to pay more, especially to go to work.

"For every £1 spent on fares, 97p goes on track, train, staff and other costs while 3p goes in profits earned by train companies for running services on Europe's fastest growing railway."

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "We are investing in the biggest rail modernisation since the Victorian era and fares have a crucial role to play in funding these improvements. This is because building better infrastructure helps create jobs, building a stronger economy for us all."

Video: No Bonus For Rail Boss

But campaign groups and trade unions say the latest annual rise in fares far outstrip the rises in wages and that Britons pay some of the highest rail fares in Europe.

Those commuting to London from Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, for example, are from today having to pay 2.43% more, with their 2015 ticket going up to £4,888.

According to the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), the cost of a Milton Keynes season ticket has risen 23.5%, or £930, since January 2010 and is one of a number of fares that have increased around four times more than average wages over this five-year period.

The CBT also highlighted the cost of a Newcastle to Middlesbrough season ticket, which will be £2,324 from today and which has risen 26.3% since January 2010.

Video: 'We Got It Badly Wrong Today'

According to TUC figures, UK commuters spend more than twice as much of their salary on rail fares than some European passengers.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "This year's fare hike will hit passengers particularly hard because wages are rising so slowly.

"Rail fares are now consuming a huge proportion of people's wages, leaving precious little for other bread and butter expenses. On average passengers are now paying £600 more for a season ticket and yet seeing no change in their pay packets."

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Children Aged Just 7 And 8 Accused Of Rape

Two children, aged seven and eight, were suspected of rape by police last year, figures show.

Their alleged victims were both children themselves, according to the data released by Greater Manchester Police.

Neither of the boys can be charged or taken to court because they are under 10 years old - the age of criminal responsibility.

The seven-year-old was suspected of raping a girl under 13, while the eight-year-old was suspected of raping a girl under 16.

Both alleged incidents happened in the Greater Manchester area.

Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick told the Manchester Evening News: "It can be upsetting for the victims of these crimes because the normal situation of a court case, most of the time, cannot happen."

He added: "It is always upsetting when very young children are involved in crime and that is why there is a communal responsibility for all agencies to respond, not just to the needs of the victim, but also the offender.

"A child does not just go out and commit a crime; there are a whole host of influences that can lead to an incident occurring."

The two cases were among nearly 1,000 incidents in which children were suspected of committing crimes over the last three years, all released by police under the Freedom of Information Act.

Other significant cases included a nine-year-old girl with a blade at school and a six-year-old caught with cannabis.

Eighty-eight of the cases, involving 119 suspects, were race or religious hate crimes, the figures showed.

Police and crime commissioner for Greater Manchester Tony Lloyd said: "We are all rightly shocked when young children are involved in any criminal behaviour, all the more so when the crimes are serious.

"But what we cannot do is walk away and abandon those children and the community they live in to more crime and more victims."

Between 2011 and 2014, Greater Manchester Police recorded 956 suspects under 10 years old in 764 cases.

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Plane Blown Off Runway At Stornoway Airport

A plane carrying 28 people has been blown off the runway at Stornoway airport in the Isle of Lewis.

The Loganair Saab 340 aircraft had been trying to take-off for Glasgow when its wheel collapsed in heavy winds and it veered off the runway.

Two passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries, according to the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Stornoway Airport management issued a statement saying: "Efforts to remove the aircraft from the runway are ongoing and investigations into the cause of the incident are under way.

"It is it our intention to resume normal operations as soon as the aircraft is safely removed from the runway. There are no scheduled arrivals or departures at Stornoway until later this afternoon."

Meanwhile, a Blue Island Airways plane had to be diverted from London City Airport to Southend Airport in Essex this morning after an engine fire.

The plane had been travelling from Jersey.

The fire was put out by the plane's automatic systems before it landed safely around 8.30am.

There were no injuries to the 28 passengers and three crew on board, according to Essex Fire and Rescue.

Divisional officer Neil Fenwick, who attended the incident, said: "This had the potential to be an extremely serious incident but everything which should happen in a situation like this did and the plane was able to land safely."

More follows...

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Patient Assessed For Ebola Symptoms In Truro

A patient is being assessed for possible symptoms of Ebola at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

The person is being kept in isolation and the result will be known in around 24 hours.

The patient had recently been in a high-risk Ebola area, although the exact location has not been revealed.

The tests are thought to be precautionary - more than 100 patients have tested negative in similar circumstances over the last few months.

Symptoms of Ebola are very similar to other tropical diseases, such as malaria.

Video: How UK Medics Will Treat Patients

It comes as the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the UK - a Scottish nurse - arrives in London for specialist medical care.

In a joint statement, the hospital and Public Health England said: "A patient has been admitted to Royal Cornwall Hospital and is currently undergoing a series of tests - one of which is for Ebola.

"We do not expect the results to be known for at least 24 hours and in the meantime the patient is being looked after in isolation, following nationally agreed guidelines and protocols to protect the health of our staff and other patients.

"Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust has been following national guidance around Ebola and made plans in line with advice from Public Health England and NHS England."

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Ebola Patient Being Treated London Hospital

Video: Ebola Patient Arrives In London

A nurse who fell ill after returning from Sierra Leone has arrived at a specialist infectious diseases unit in London.

Meanwhile, a second person in Scotland is being tested for Ebola, although the healthcare worker recently returned from West Africa is said to be "at low risk" of having the virus.

It is understood that worker had been staying at a youth hostel at Torridon in the Highlands and was being transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Another patient at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, has been placed in isolation and is also being tested for Ebola. 

The Scottish Ebola patient is taken into the Royal Free Hospital

The Scottish nurse who has become the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the UK is receiving specialist medical care at the Royal Free Hospital.

The woman returned to Scotland after a spell working in Sierra Leone and arrived at Glasgow Airport on a British Airways flight at around 11.30pm on Sunday. She was showing no symptoms at the time.

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1. Gallery: Ebola Patient's Route To Glasgow

   Freetown, Sierra Leone to Casablanca, Morocco

Casablanca to Heathrow, UK

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Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the risk to the general public is "extremely low to the point of negligible".

Apart from the other passengers on the flight and hospital staff the patient is thought to have had contact with only one other person in Scotland - her partner. All those contacts are being traced and will be closely monitored.

The patient, who had been working with Save The Children at the Ebola Treatment Centre at Kerry Town, Sierra Leone, was admitted to hospital early on Monday after feeling unwell and was placed into isolation at 7.50am. She is in a stable condition.

She was isolated and received treatment in the specialist Brownlee Unit for Infectious Diseases on the Gartnavel Hospital campus, before the operation to move her by plane and RAF ambulance to the Royal Free Hospital in London began in the early hours.

Video: How UK Medics Will Treat Patients

Workers in full protection suits were seen loading her quarantine tent on to an RAF C-130 plane at Glasgow airport soon after a convoy of ambulances and police cars left Gartnavel.

The north London hospital's infectious diseases unit is run by a dedicated team of doctors and laboratory staff and access is restricted to trained medical staff.

A specially designed tent is set up around the patient's bed so the infection can be contained while they are treated.

The unit successfully treated another British nurse, William Pooley, who was flown home from Sierra Leone in August after being diagnosed with Ebola.

Video: How Ebola Attacks The Human Body

Ms Sturgeon has chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Committee and has also spoken to Prime Minister David Cameron.

She said: "Our first thoughts at this time must be with the patient diagnosed with Ebola and their friends and family. I wish them a speedy recovery.

"Scotland has been preparing for this possibility from the beginning of the outbreak in West Africa and I am confident that we are well prepared."

The woman travelled home via Casablanca and London Heathrow, spending around six hours in each airport before catching connecting flights.

Video: Training To Combat Ebola

She was vetted twice, in Sierra Leone and at Heathrow, without any signs of Ebola being detected.

Anyone who was on the Heathrow to Glasgow flight last night is asked to call 08000 858531.

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Network Rail Boss Mark Carne To Turn Down Bonus

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Video: No Bonus For Rail Boss

Network Rail's Mark Carne has told Sky News he will not take his bonus after travellers endured travel chaos at Christmas.

The chief executive was criticised after travellers were left stranded when engineering works over-ran.

London King's Cross had to shut and all trains to and from the station were cancelled.

Travellers then complaining of "being locked" in by overcrowding when diverted to Finsbury Park station. Other people were left waiting for hours - even after the station reopened.

Paddington station also closed for several hours on Saturday.

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1. Gallery: Travel Chaos Hits London

This was the scene at Finsbury Park station

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Thousands of people had been diverted from London King's Cross which was closed due to overrunning engineering works

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All trains to and from the station were cancelled

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The engineering works also forced the closure of Paddington station

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Mr Carne said: "I'm accountable for the performance of the railway. In my view, the performance over the Christmas and New Year period was not acceptable."

"And I've decided I should not take the bonus for this year."

He insisted he had been dealing with the situation, despite being on holiday in Cornwall at the time.

Network Rail admitted to Sky News at the weekend that things had gone "very badly wrong" at the two London sites.

Rail watchdog the Office of Rail Regulation is launching an investigation into the chaos.

The Department of Transport also said it was "extremely disappointed" and that it would be demanding an explanation.

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Police Make Appeal Over Christmas Eve Murder

Police have launched a murder investigation after the body of a 51-year-old man was found in Bath city centre on Christmas Eve.

A member of the public discovered Thomas Downey under a railway arch on Lower Bristol Road, near Bath railway station just after 1.30pm on Wednesday.

The area was cordoned off and a detailed search of the area continues.

A post mortem examination has been carried out and confirmed that Mr Downey died from significant head injuries.

His family have travelled down from Manchester and are helping investigating officers with the inquiry.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: "They are being supported by a police family liaison officer and our thoughts are with them at this sad time."

Mr Downey is known locally as "Manchester Tommy".

Officers have urged anyone with information to share it with police to help them piece together what happened on Christmas Eve.

Two men in their thirties have been arrested on suspicion of murder and continue to be questioned.

The spokesman added: "The neighbourhood policing team are working with the local community to provide support and reassurance and to assist with the investigation.

"However, we are still keen to speak to anyone who was in the area near to the station in Lower Bristol Road around lunchtime on Christmas Eve.

"We believe the area would have been busy with shoppers and people leaving work early."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Crime Investigation Team on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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Sheffield Shooting Suspect Charged With Murder

A man has been charged over the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man in Sheffield.

Asif Yousaf, 32, has been charged with the murder of Jordan Thomas and with the attempted murder of a 27-year-old who was seriously injured in the shooting last Sunday.

The 27-year-old man has since been released from hospital.

Mr Thomas was sitting in the passenger seat of a Ford Mondeo when he was shot in what detectives believe could have been a targeted attack. 

The silver Mondeo was shot at while stationary at traffic lights on the A61 Derek Dooley Way about 10.15pm last Sunday.

In a statement, Mr Thomas' family had described the shooting as an "act of cowardice" and appealed to anyone with information to come forward.

"Jordan was such a likeable, caring, loving individual with a larger-than-life personality who really did brighten up any room he entered," they said.

"He truly was full of life, with his cheeky grin and quick wit, he was a charmer, anyone lucky enough to have met Jordan will attest to this and those that have met him truly did love him."

A statement released by South Yorkshire Police said: "Jordan, from the Waterthorpe area of Sheffield, was a passenger in a silver Ford Mondeo, when the car was shot at while stationary on Derek Dooley Way.

"He was taken to hospital but died a short time later. A post-mortem examination revealed he died from gunshot injuries."

Yousaf has been remanded in custody and will appear before magistrates on Monday.

A 25-year-old who was also arrested on Thursday has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

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King's Cross Station Hit By More Problems

London's King's Cross station was hit by more problems today as an investigation was launched into disruption caused by overrunning engineering work.

A number of trains out of King's Cross were cancelled and other services delayed after a signalling failure this afternoon.

The failure meant that some Great Northern services from the station were cancelled, while incoming trains ended their journeys at Finsbury Park.  

A Great Northern spokeswoman said: "At approximately 13.30 this afternoon signalling problems were experienced in the Finsbury Park area, resulting in no trains being able to run in and out of London King's Cross.

"Several trains terminated at Finsbury Park and Welwyn Garden City. Rail replacement buses were organised for passengers to transport them across to the Thameslink route, where ticket acceptance was in place.

Video: Probe Launched Into Travel Chaos

"Signalling was restored at 14.15. Customers may have been affected by residual delays of up to 60 minutes whilst the service recovered.

"We would like to apologise for any inconvenience that Great Northern's customers may have experienced."

Today's problems follow major disruption yesterday when King's Cross and Paddington stations were closed because engineering works ran over schedule.

Both stations have since reopened and services from Paddington were running as planned, a Network Rail spokeswoman said. 

Network Rail's Robin Gisby, managing director of network operations, apologised for yesterday's disruption which led to extra police being brought in to control crowds.

"I'm deeply sorry for the delays, upset and upheaval caused... to passengers impacted by our overrunning improvement work outside King's Cross," he said.

"We've had an army of 11,000 engineers out over Christmas Day and Boxing Day at 2,000 locations nationwide.

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1. Gallery: Travel Chaos Hits London

This was the scene at Finsbury Park station

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City Link Owner 'Disappointed' By Collapse

The investment firm behind collapsed parcel delivery service City Link has said it is "disappointed" staff found out over Christmas that they may lose their jobs.

Better Capital issued its first public statement as administrators Ernst & Young (EY) continued efforts to save some of the 2,760 jobs threatened by City Link's demise - revealed by Sky News on Christmas Day.

The RMT union has claimed that EY plan to make more than 2,000 staff redundant on New Year's Eve, with the rest being kept on to help wind down the company.

City Link depots opened today to allow customers and those expecting deliveries to collect parcels.

Better Capital's statement said: "The board of Better Capital PCC Limited is disappointed to report that it was advised ... that the City Link group ... has been placed into administration.

"This statement is being released at the first available opportunity following the Market closure.

"Unfortunately the appointment of an administrator was leaked to the media ahead of the intended announcement.

"The directors very much regret the impact on the employees of City Link receiving such bad news on Christmas Day.

"In the Company's Interim Financial Report as at 30 September 2014, the Board reported that City Link was experiencing a continued lack of profitability and that various options to maximise the value of the investment were being considered.

"At this time, the investment was written down by 50% from £40m to £20m, such value being determined on an estimated liquidation valuation basis.

"Following a very detailed review of City Link's strategy and prospects, including unsuccessful discussions with a number of counter-parties to effect a sale on a going concern basis ...(it was) concluded that it was inappropriate to commit further capital.

"Accordingly, in light of continued substantial losses, City Link could not continue as a going concern."

Sky News reported on Saturday that rival delivery companies Royal Mail and DX Group were two firms approached about a pre-Christmas rescue but neither was able to agree a deal.

The founder of Better Capital, the veteran venture capitalist Jon Moulton, told the Financial Times on Monday he had lost "several million pounds" of his own money in City Link and had explored "every possible way" to save it.

The newspaper added that taxpayers were set to foot the looming redundancy bill because City Link was insolvent.

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