Paul Walker Fans Warned Over 'Burning Rubber'

Police in Los Angeles have warned fans of the Fast And Furious star Paul Walker not to "burn rubber" near the spot where he was killed.

The caution was issued amid reports of people performing stunt manoeuvres on the stretch of road in Santa Clarita where the red Porsche the actor was in with his friend Roger Rodas crashed into a lamp post and tree.

A makeshift shrine has been created at the scene with both fans and Hollywood stars taking time to pay their tributes.

Officers said the crash happened in an area known as a "hot spot" for street racers.

Paul Walker with his co-stars in Fast & Furious 6

The street forms a loop amid commercial buildings that is isolated from traffic, especially on weekends.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is still investigating the collision, but has already said speed was a factor.

At least one witness has suggested that 40-year-old Walker and Rodas, 38, may have been drag-style racing at the time, according to CNN, although others have rejected such accounts.

One fan was apparently seen drifting, an illegal technique in which the driver intentionally oversteers, causing the rear wheels to skid and making the car slide sideways.

Firefighters at the scene of the crash

"We sent deputies to the accident location this morning after we started getting reports of drivers burning rubber and spinning tyres at the site," said Santa Clarita sheriff's office spokesman Richard Cohen.

"So far I haven't had any reports of any drivers being cited or arrested ... but we have deputies there to stop that behaviour if it happens again."

The first Fast And The Furious movie was released in 2001. The series, with its focus on fast cars driven by tough guys, is one of Hollywood's most lucrative global franchises.

Meanwhile, video has been released of an interview Walker gave in November as one of his final films hits the screens this month.

The Associated Press talked to him on November 14 about his role in Hours, a drama set in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.

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Cameron In China: Human Rights 'Discussed'

Prime Minister David Cameron has denied soft-pedalling on human rights in China to improve his chances of securing business deals for Britain.

On a three-day visit with six ministers and 100 business people, the largest-ever British mission of its kind, Mr Cameron said the UK was the Western country most open to Chinese investment and well-placed to take advantage of China's market liberalisation.

"China's transformation is one of the defining facts of our lifetime ... I see China's rise as an opportunity, not just for the people of this country but for Britain and the world," Mr Cameron told reporters after meeting Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Mr Li also indicated that China is interested in investment opportunities in Britain, particularly the HS2 rail link and nuclear power stations in the UK.

Mr Cameron championed a China-EU trade deal, which could be worth £1.8bn to the UK alone.

But as business deals took centre stage, Mr Cameron came under pressure in a round of TV interviews over the low profile he has given to Beijing's poor human-rights record.

Mr Cameron visited a Jaguar Land Rover plant in China

It was in stark contrast to the spotlight shone on Sri Lanka's alleged abuses when the Prime Minster attended the Commonwealth summit there last month.

China is widely thought to have blocked a visit by Mr Cameron earlier this year in retaliation for him meeting the Dalai Lama in London in 2012, relenting only after the PM told the House of Commons that Britain does not support Tibetan independence.

Neither Mr Cameron nor Mr Li mentioned Tibet directly in public statements following the talks, but Mr Li said he "appreciated" the Mr Cameron's confirmation that the UK respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Mr Cameron later insisted that he had raised human rights during talks with both Mr Li and President Xi Jinping, pointing to an "important" agreement to restart the human rights discussion next year.

Neither Mr Cameron nor Mr Li mentioned Tibet directly in public statements

"I don't believe there is a choice between raising growth and investment issues or raising human rights issues. I raised them both," he said.

"That's what a policy of engagement is all about.

"There are some huge opportunities here in China for British jobs, British growth, British investment, and I want to make the most of them, and that is right for our country to compete and succeed in the global race."

Asked if he had specifically mentioned Tibet or China's imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo in the talks, Mr Cameron said: "We spoke about all those issues as I always do. Whenever I come to China, I always raise human rights issues and I continue to do that on this visit."

He added: "The British policy towards Tibet is unchanged. I have met the Dalai Lama as leader of the opposition, I have met him as Prime Minister, I don't have plans to meet him again.

It is the largest ever British mission of its kind to China

"But my diary is for me to decide."

Sky's China Correspondent Mark Stone, in Beijing, said: "Mr Cameron knows that open criticism of China or endorsement of its opponents is fatal for political co-operation. For British business to fully harness the opportunities in China, political harmony is vital.

"British investment into China is a necessity for David Cameron. That's why he won't lecture them about their human-rights record."

Mr Cameron spent much of the day championing a multibillion-dollar free-trade agreement between the European Union and China, casting Britain as far more progressive on trade than other EU member states.

"Some in Europe and elsewhere see the world changing and want to shut China off behind a bamboo curtain of trade barriers. Britain wants to tear those barriers down," Mr Cameron told reporters.

Mr Cameron and Nick Clegg met the Dalai Lama last year

His approach irritated the European Commission, which is privately understood to oppose a trade deal on the grounds that it risks flooding the 28-nation bloc with cheap Chinese imports.

Mr Li characterised the talks as "highly productive" and said the countries had become "indispensable partners for each other's development".

Some of the business deals struck on the first day of the trip included a £4.5bn order for 100,000 Jaguar Land Rover vehicles and a £200m Sino-British innovation and research fund for science.

And a raft of co-operation agreements were signed, covering issues ranging from tackling cross-border crime to healthcare and patents, as well as a digital and media alliance which Downing Street believes could open up £2bn of opportunities for British companies.

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Thailand: Protesters Enter Govt Headquarters

Violence Blights Thailand's Image

Updated: 8:27am UK, Tuesday 03 December 2013

By Jonathan Samuels, Sky Correspondent, Bangkok

Outside Government House, in the centre of Bangkok, as another round of teargas is fired at protesters, a monk adjusts his gas mask. It is an arresting image, and the irony is lost on no one.

This Buddhist country likes to project an image of peace, a place to enjoy a relaxing holiday, to escape from the world's problems.

And yet for the last few years, it has been rocked by periods of violence as it struggles with a merry-go-round of political turmoil.

So who are the latest demonstrators, and what are their demands?

The protesters are mainly made up of Thailand's "better off" - the elite, the educated, royalists.

For the large part, they have been peaceful demonstrations - a huge group of people, including children and grandparents, all joining what has often been a carnival atmosphere.

They listen to speeches, blow whistles and enjoy the food from the many stalls (Thais rarely pass up a business opportunity like this.)

But now a hardcore group of mainly young men is determined to take a path of more violent protest, attacking government ministries and buildings.

Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been democratically elected, which makes it hard for many to understand the protesters' desire for a "people's coup".

But they say she is controlled by her brother Thaksin Shinawatra - himself kicked out of office in 2006.

The man who divided opinion in his own country now lives in Dubai, escaping corruption charges. The protesters accuse him of widespread corruption and abuse of power.

He was popular with a different section of Thai society, those from the country, farmers, the working class. For these people, Thaksin's healthcare reforms and access to cheap finance were vote winners.

His sister wanted to bring in an Amnesty Bill which would have effectively paved his way to return to Thailand. That was the spark to this upheaval.

So, the protesters are calling for their own, rather vague, form of government. A "people's council". Vague and undemocratic, say the critics.

"This is quite a bold and blatant demand to replace the government in the streets," says Thitinan Pongsudhirak, professor and director of Chulalongkorn University's Institute of Security and International Studies.

"But Khun Suthep's (anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban) demands go down very well with the people who hate corruption in Thailand, who think that the electoral system can no longer be trusted and therefore they have to set up their own government and rewrite the rules."

So there is a stalemate, and the threat of weeks of protest just as the peak holiday season approaches.

A season which could be blighted as people think maybe this isn't the oasis of calm and serenity the brochures would lead us to believe.

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Train Derails In New York: Four Killed

Four people have been killed and 63 injured in a train crash north of New York city.

A seven-carriage passenger Metro-North train travelling from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central derailed at 7.20am on Sunday, stopping just feet from the mouth of the Harlem River where it flows into the Hudson.

Three of the four people killed in the accident were found outside the train, which left the track 100 yards north of Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx.

There are 'multiple injuries' at the scene. Pic: Naomi Fink

The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) said 135 firefighters were at the scene, with 11 of those injured said to be in a critical condition and another six in a serious condition.

The Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) said five of the carriages on the diesel train had derailed on a curved section of track, but none entered the adjacent Hudson or Harlem rivers.

Spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said the accident occurred in a slow speed area. She added the train black box would reveal how fast the train was travelling.

The crash was reported by an engineer, but it was unclear if any of the train crew were injured.

Emergency workers examine one of the carriages

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said four people had been killed and 63 injured. Among the injured was the train operator. There were between 100 and 150 passengers on board.

He added that authorities believe everyone at the site has been accounted for and that the National Transportation Safety Board was on the way to carry out an investigation.

Witnesses had reported the train appeared to be going too fast as it reached the bend.

Witness Edwin Valero was in an apartment building above the scene when the train derailed.

The crash occurred close to the Hudson and Harlem rivers

He said at least one carriage stopped just feet from the edge of the water. Initial reports had suggested some of the carriages may have been submerged.

Footage of the crash scene showed divers in the water after some passengers were thrown clear of the train.

Eyewitness Rebecca Schwartz told Sky News: "I was walking in the park across the water from the train station, and I saw multiple-cars derailed, at least one very close to if not in the water, and many, many emergency vehicles pouring onto the scene."

Joel Zaritsky woke up as his carriage rolled off the track.

He said: "I was asleep and I woke up when the car started rolling several times. Then I saw the gravel coming at me, and I heard people screaming.

"There was smoke everywhere and debris. People were thrown to the other side of the train."

He added that passengers were taken off the train, with dozens bloodied and scratched and holding ice packs to their heads.

A statement from Metro-North said: "Rescuers are ascertaining the extent of injuries, and we will update information throughout the day."

President Barack Obama said his thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families of the victims of the fatal train derailment.

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Ukraine: Protesters Block Government Offices

Protesters in Ukraine have blocked streets leading to government offices in their ongoing bid to topple the administration of President Viktor Yanukovich.

In response to an opposition call for a nationwide strike over Mr Yanukovich's U-turn on Europe, protesters gathered outside the cabinet building in the capital Kiev.

They lined the street with obstacles, including flower pots and rubbish bins, to prevent government workers from getting inside.

"We have to block entire street, the streets behind us also, to be sure that not even one official will get to the Cabinet of Ministers office," said one protester, as he gave directions to a group.

"We were told to go back home and await further instructions. We simply could not get to work. All the doors are blocked," said a government employee who tried to enter the building.

A flare is thrown near the Interior Ministry

Witnesses said a pro-Europe rally in Kiev on Sunday attracted about 350,000 people, the biggest protest in the capital since the "Orange Revolution" of nine years ago.

The protesters have vowed to stage round the clock protests in capital Kiev, demanding the resignation of the government and the president.

They are seeking early elections over Mr Yankovych's failure to sign a deal with the European Union.

Thousands of supporters of the ex-Soviet state's closer alliance with Brussels and opposed to closer links with Russia camped out overnight in the capital's Independence Square.

The energetic crowd had first defied a ban on protests on Sunday by driving lines of helmeted police off the expansive square in scenes reminiscent of the 2004 pro-democracy Orange Revolution.

Protesters try to break through lines of riot police in Kiev

Some of the protesters also steered a yellow bulldozer within striking distance of barricades protecting the nearby office of the president.

Security forces outside the president's office fired dozens of stun grenades and smoke bombs at masked demonstrators who were pelting police with stones and Molotov cocktails.

Kiev police spokeswoman Olga Bilyk said that around 100 officers were injured in Sunday's clashes.

A mayor's office official said nearly 50 demonstrators had also been treated by doctors for various injuries.

The nation of 46 million people, which is struggling economically, was thrown into its deepest crisis in nearly a decade when Mr Yanukovych snubbed EU leaders at a summit on Friday.

A demonstrator waves a flag at riot police protecting presidential offices

EU leaders primarily blame the decision on the stinging economic punishments Russia had threatened should Ukraine move towards closer links with the West.

The move now threatens to backfire on Mr Yanukovych as his political foes try to build momentum amid existing discontent with state corruption and disappearing jobs.

About 50,000 protesters also rallied on Sunday in the western city of Lviv, while another 250 EU supporters ignored a court ban in the president's native region of Donetsk.

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Thailand: Police Fire Rubber Bullets At Protesters

Police have fired rubber bullets at protesters trying to get into the compound housing the prime minister's office in Bangkok.

It happened after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said in a televised address police would not use force against the demonstrators.

She said her immediate aim was to restore "peace" to the capital's streets and vowed police "will not use force against the people."

But shortly after Thailand's security chief said polcie were "alternating between the use of water cannons, teargas and rubber bullets" to contain the protesters.

Paradorn Pattanathabutr added: "Rubber bullets are being used in one area only and that is the bridge near Government House."

The protesters are attempting to remove the government, which they say is corrupt, and replace it with a 'People's Council'.

A bus that was set on fire during the protests

But Ms Shinawatra rejected their demands in her address.

"Anything I can do to make people happy, I am willing to do ... but as prime minister what i can do must be under the constitution," she said.

Ms Shinawatra was speaking for the first time since violence broke out on Saturday after weeks of peaceful protest.

On Sunday opposition leader Suthep Thaugsuban gave her two days to stand down 

Thailand has seen 18 actual or attempted coups since 1932, most recently in 2006 when Ms Shinawatra's brother, Taksin Shinawatra, was overthrown.

More follows...

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Sacred Shrines Become 'Ticking Time Bomb'

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent in Jerusalem

The supreme leader of the Palestinian Muslims and guardian of Islam's most sacred shrine in the Old City of Jerusalem has warned of an uprising and regional war if Jews attempt to take greater control of the al Aqsa Mosque complex.

The warning came amid advancing efforts in the Israeli parliament to try to take administrative control of the sacred Islamic site which Jews also lay claim to as it sits on the remains of their Second Temple.

For now "sovereignty" of the Haram al Sharif, as the complex is traditionally known, lies with Jordan.

But several Knesset members, led by deputy speaker Moshe Feiglin, a member of the Likud Party, are pressing for greater access to Jews for prayer on the site and administrative control of it.

"It is the hard core of our identity ... those places that represent the basis for our existence here altogether. Should we insist on [access to] these places or not?" Mr Feiglin told Sky News.

"Because if we cannot insist on our legitimacy on our basic rights to pray in the most holiest place for the Jews in the land of Israel -  under Israeli sovereignty in the middle of Jerusalem - then we're losing our legitimacy not just in Jerusalem, in Tel Aviv, but everywhere else."

The Dome of the Rock is part of the al Aqsa complex under Muslim control

The Knesset member is a forceful rejectionist of talks with the Palestinians aimed at establishing an independent state on the West Bank and in Gaza.

He believes that Israel is a threat to itself by ceding territory it captured in 1967 and has occupied since then. On the issue of what Jews call the Temple Mount, he is equally unbending.

"I don't need to prove anything, history says it all. Any honest person who learned a bit of history knows the truth - Jerusalem belongs to the Jews and to the Jews only, that's a fact. And by the way the Temple Mount never really interested Muslims before the Israelis came back."

The Mohammed Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, issued a stark warning against any attempts to replace the Muslim administration of the Haram al Shari/Temple Mount in an exclusive interview with Sky News.

The Grand Mufti says if Israelis push the issue the region will be at war

"If the Israelis come here it will be more than an intifada," he said.

What do you mean more than an intifada?

"The whole region will be engulfed by war," the Grand Mufti insisted.

Such threats are not idle.

In 2000, Ariel Sharon triggered the Second or "al Aqsa" Intifada which led to the deaths of 4,000 people and many more wounded over the next half decade by insisting on his right to visit the shrine.

He did so at a time of heightened tension when 10 years of talks aimed at ending the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza appeared to Palestinians to be going nowhere - and when they were also frustrated at the ineptitude and corruption of their own leadership.

In 2000, 4,000 people died in the Second or 'al Aqsa' Intifada

Today, peace talks are going nowhere. The Palestinians have been letting Jewish settlements chew into their lands on the West Bank. Their leadership remains corrupt and incompetent - and are increasingly being seen as collaborators.

The tinder box that Mr Sharon, then leader of the Israeli opposition, lit in 2000 is just as dry now.

"It's a huge and dangerous issue - taking the place from Muslims where they believe they have the right to pray is very dangerous," Grand Mufti Hussein said.

Jews are banned from praying on the holy site by the Israeli police, although the courts have found that they should be able to exercise this right.

They are also forbidden, when they do visit, from removing so much as a leaf or a grain of soil.

Sky News joined a small group who were escorted by an Israeli policeman, who monitored their progress on a pre-set route around the outer edge of the 35-acre complex.

Religious tensions are high

They prayed by talking to themselves as they walked, or by pretending to be in conversations and instead reciting invocations.

They were led by Rabbi Yitzchak Reuven, assistant director of The Temple Institute which is dedicated to restoring the temple to its third incarnation and is collecting the sacred vessels that one day it hopes will be used there.

A model of the Third Temple has pride of place in the Temple Institute Museum just 100 yards from the Western Wall - all that remains of the Second Temple since its destruction by Rome in 70AD.

Rabbi Reuven said: "It's not a fantasy at all because we have the instructions of what needs to be done, we have the information, we have the technology to achieve all these things.

"In terms of arriving at the moment that's a historical process, we don't expect a metaphysical change in the world, we don't expect a divine intervention that's going to set things right."

His ambition may have a purely theological intent, but it also poses an explosive political reality.

He is sanguine.

"We're hoping by increasing awareness we will be closer to achieving the dream of the Jewish people and one that we have for the entire world because as Isaiah says this shall be a house of prayer for all nations."

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Thai PM Flees Building During Violent Protests

Thailand's Prime Minister has been moved to a secret location after protesters forced their way into a police sports club in Bangkok where she was staying.

The anti-government mob broke into the building where Yingluck Shinawatra had been during the morning, but she was able to leave the premises and go to an undisclosed location, an aide said.

In another area of the city, police have fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters near Government House, where Ms Yingluck's office is located.

It is the first time police have used force against protesters who have occupied government offices for the past week in an attempt to topple the PM.

The violence flared near Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium which was hosting a rally by thousands of Red Shirts, who support the embattled premier.

A Red Shirt is attacked by anti-government protesters

The Red Shirts - who also back Ms Yingluck's brother, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - had gathered en masse to ward off any coup attempt against the government.

Police said a 21-year-old had been shot dead. At least five other people were also wounded by gunshots and five more were injured by knives or rocks, officials at the nearby Dr Panya General Hospital said.

It was not immediately known who fired the shots or whether the victims were supporters or opponents of the government.

Those seeking to topple the government also attacked several people they believed were going to the rally.

Yingluck Shinawatra is accused of being a puppet for her brother

Two people were badly beaten and two buses attacked, their windows smashed.

One protester used an iron rod with a Thai flag wrapped around it to smash the driver's side window of one bus.

The buses and one taxi appeared to have been targeted because they carried people wearing red shirts.

Police claimed soon afterwards they had the situation under control, but attacks continued overnight on individual Red Shirts, and the crowds on both sides grew.

Police called for military backup to protect parliament and Ms Yingluck's office.

Protesters tear down barricades outside Government House

Protesters there tore down stone and razor-wire barriers ahead of a planned move to occupy it.

Demonstrators briefly occupied the headquarters of the army on Friday, urging it to join them in a complex power struggle centred on the enduring political influence of Ms Yingluck's billionaire brother.

The tension heightens a nearly decade-long conflict that broadly pits Thailand's traditional establishment of top generals, royalists and the urban middle class against the mostly rural, northern supporters of Mr Thaksin.

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North Korea: Detained American 'Admits Crimes'

An American veteran of the Korean War who was detained for "hostile acts" against the communist North has released an apology supposedly confessing to his alleged crimes.

Merrill Newman, an 85-year-old from California, was held in October after entering North Korea "under the guise of a tourist", the country's official KCNA news agency said.

The alleged four-page confession with thumb prints

It is the first time the reclusive state has officially admitted holding Mr Newman, whose family said he was detained on October 26 shortly before take-off from Pyongyang following a 10-day tour.

KCNA said Mr Newman had committed crimes both as a tourist and during his participation in the Korean War six decades ago, and published an apology running to nearly 600 words in which the American allegedly confessed to his crimes.

Mr Newman reading the alleged apology

Pyongyang has been accused of previously coercing statements from detainees, but it was riddled with stilted English and grammatical errors, such as "I want not punish me".

Mr Newman, a retired financial executive who served three years during the war, has been accused of infringing upon the "dignity and sovereignty" of the secretive state and "slandering its socialist system, quite contrary to the purpose of the tour", the report said.

The American had also masterminded espionage and subversive activities during the 1950-53 Korean War and was involved in the killing of North Korean soldiers and innocent civilians, it said.

"I realise that I cannot be forgiven for my offensives but I beg for pardon on my knees by apologising for my offensives sincerely toward the (North Korean) government and the Korean people and I want not punish me," Mr Newman was quoted as saying by KCNA.

The Korean War veteran had intended to meet surviving soldiers and pray for the souls of the dead, KCNA said, adding he had asked his guide for help.

He had also criticised North Korea during his trip, it said.

North Korean released an undated photo of lleader Kim Jong Un on Saturday

"I will never commit the offensive act against the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) government and the Korean people again," Mr Newman said in his apology.

North Korea released video showing Mr Newman reading his apology, which was dated November 9.

Officials also showed an email printout dated April 19 which allegedly showed Mr Newman was formerly a military adviser to a special forces unit known as Donkey 6 who tried to meet survivors of the guerrilla United Nations Partisan Forces-Korea (UNPFK).

According to the US Special Operations Forces Handbook, the so-called Donkeys - nicknamed after the Korean word for liberty - operated behind enemy lines on missions that remained classified for 30 years.

North Korea issued an alleged email from Mr Newman dated April

It said: "From tiny islands off the Korean coast, the Donkeys conducted raids, rescued downed airmen and maintained electronic facilities.

"Under the guidance of the special forces and other US cadre, (UNPFK) eventually numbered 22,000 and claimed 69,000 enemy casualties."

According to Mr Newman's son Jeff, his father had been on an organised tour and was detained due to a "misunderstanding".

"My father is a veteran, and wanted to see the country and culture he has been interested in for years," he said.

North Korea is also holding US national Kenneth Bae, a 45-year-old tour operator arrested a year ago who was sentenced to 15 years' hard labour on charges of seeking to topple the government.

The State Department recently issued an updated travel advisory urging Americans to avoid North Korea, which was reportedly "arbitrarily detaining US citizens and not allowing them to depart the country".

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China Scrambles Fighter Jets In Islands Row

Chinese fighter jets have reportedly been sent to patrol disputed air space over the East China Sea after Japanese and South Korean planes flew into the region.

The move, described as a "defensive measure" by an air force spokesman quoted by a state news agency, raises the stakes in the long-running row over a string of tiny islands.

The military is on "high alert and will take measures to deal with diverse air threats to firmly protect the security of the country's airspace", Xinhua reported.

The warning comes days after China laid claim to the islands, which it calls the Diaoyu but are known as the Senkaku in Japan.

It previously threatened "emergency" action would be taken against aircraft which do not comply with new identification rules.

The islands cover an area of just seven square kilometres - roughly 2% of the size of the Isle of Wight.

However, they are thought to be surrounded by energy-rich waters.

Chinese and Japanese boats have been patrolling the coastline and there have been several reports of military aircraft flying too close to each other.

In October, Chinese military aircraft flew near Japan for three days in a row.

Japan scrambled fighter jets each time in response.

Earlier this week, the US sent two unarmed B-52 bombers to the disputed region without telling China first.

US Vice President Joe Biden is visiting China, Japan and South Korea next month, when he is expected to attempt to diffuse tensions over the islands.

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