Namibia plans nuclear plant

Namibia wants to use its rich uranium resources to develop a nuclear power plant that would fuel economic development in the world's fourth-largest uranium producer, officials said on Monday.

"It is the expressed decision of the Namibian government to seriously consider the development of nuclear power in order to complete the national energy mix and provide sufficient energy for our development," said Mining Minister Isak Katali.

"The uranium and nuclear energy policy to be developed will cover the entire nuclear fuel cycle," Katali told the country's first-ever stakeholder meeting on plans for a new policy on uranium mining and nuclear energy, convened with the help of Finland's nuclear authority.

The policy document and draft legislation are expected to be finished by the middle of next year, said Mining Commissioner Erasmus Shivolo.

"Nuclear waste will have to be stored in Namibia," Shivolo told participants at the meeting.

Finding a "convenient storage sight" would be part of the policy development process, he said.

Namibia has previously floated the idea of building a nuclear plant by 2018, but analysts say it would be difficult for the southern African country to finish a reactor by then given the long lead-time to build a plant and the massive investment required.

The government first tabled plans for a nuclear power plant in 2007.

Shivolo presented a rough outline of the new nuclear policy that included sections on setting up a nuclear waste management fund, increasing black Namibians' participation in the uranium sector and limiting the use of the country's uranium to peaceful purposes.

Namibia produced 4 626 tonnes of uranium in 2009, making it the world's fourth-largest producer, according to the World Nuclear Association.

The government put a moratorium on issuing uranium exploration licences in 2007 because it did not have a nuclear policy in place.

Four uranium companies currently hold uranium mining licences, two mines are operational and two new mines are under construction, including one being developed by French energy giant Areva that plans to start production next year.

Namibia's uranium deposits have drawn growing interest from France, Russia and other countries amid reviving global enthusiasm for nuclear power.

But Namibia has no nuclear power of its own and relies on imports from neighbouring South Africa for about half its electricity.

WikiLeaks Revelations Feed Anti-U.S. Sentiment in Pakistan

In this land of conspiracy theories, roiling suspicions and rumors have long been rife that the U.S., while publicly pledging confidence in Pakistan's ability to keep its much-prized nuclear arsenal out of the hands of al-Qaeda sympathizers, secretly plans to seize the Islamic A-bombs. The latest WikiLeaks document dump will do little to change that prevailing view.

In the wake of WikiLeaks' disclosure on Sunday of some quarter-million U.S. diplomatic cables, Pakistan's oft-sensationalist television talk shows latched on to a May 2009 dispatch purportedly revealing a classified American effort dating back to 2007 to secretly move highly enriched uranium out of a Pakistani research reactor. The contents of the cable were first reported by the New York Times and other media outlets that were given advanced access to the diplomatic deluge.

Some in Pakistan have dismissed the disclosure as old news. "It only confirms that Pakistan's nuclear assets can only be safeguarded by Pakistan," former Pakistani ambassador to the U.S Tariq Fatemi told the English-language Express 24/7 news channel on Monday. "So while it's not going to help the cause of America in Pakistan, and the anti-Americanism, there is really nothing new that has not been known to many people in the know."

According to the cable, then U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson reportedly said that Pakistani officials were denying American requests to visit the unnamed facility, citing the concerns of an anonymous Pakistani official that if the local media caught wind of the story, "they certainly would portray it as the United States taking Pakistan's nuclear weapons."

By Monday morning, much of Pakistan's print media had done just that. Reactions to the Sunday-night WikiLeaks revelations were perhaps too late to make it onto the opinion pages, but front-page headlines screamed the news. "U.S. Trying to Remove Enriched Pak Uranium: WikiLeaks," read the relatively moderate Dawnnewspaper, an English daily. The best-selling News International took it one step further: "U.S. Failed in Removing Enriched Uranium from Pak Facility: Report."

(See the top 10 leaks.)

It's no secret that the U.S. has long had deep misgivings that Islamic extremists in insurgency-riven Pakistan could steal nuclear material to make a weapon. A November 2009 New Yorker article by veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh said there were ongoing consultations on nuclear security between the two capitals and that the U.S. wanted specially trained units to be called in to help secure the Pakistani arsenal in case of trouble. The allies have a decades-long history of distrust, harking back to the days of the Afghan jihad against Soviet occupation.

In addition to the nuclear bombshell, the documents revealed other embarrassing tidbits. In one cable, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, a close ally of Pakistan, reportedly called embattled and deeply unpopular Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari the main cause of his country's woes. "When the head is rotten," the document quoted him as saying, "it affects the whole body." The President's office responded on Monday that the leaks were "no more than an attempt to create misperceptions between two important and brotherly Muslim countries," Reuters quoted spokesman Farhatullah Babar as saying.

Islamabad's Foreign Ministry, which called WikiLeaks "irresponsible," said on Monday that the U.S. had warned it in advance about the release of the sensitive documents and that it was still examining them. Interior Minister Rehman Malik refused to comment on any of the allegations. "I do not go by whatever is in the media," Malik told reporters in the Pakistani capital. "I will give my point of view only once I've seen the documents."

The U.S. embassy, meanwhile, was in damage-control mode. The new ambassador, Cameron Munter, had already penned an opinion piece that was published in both the Urdu- and English-language press in which he lambasted the WikiLeaks deluge. "I cannot vouch for the authenticity of any one of these documents," the ambassador wrote. "But I can say that the United States deeply regrets the disclosure of any information that was intended to be confidential," he added. "Diplomats must engage in frank discussions with their colleagues, and they must be assured that these discussions will remain private ... I'm sure that Pakistan's ambassadors to the United States would say the same thing." Perhaps, but the Pakistani street largely views the revelations as confirmation of their long-held beliefs.

Tehran Bombings Kill Nuclear-Program Scientist, Injure Another

A scientist involved in Iran’s nuclear program was killed and another injured in bombings the government blamed on the U.S. and Israel.

Majid Shahriari died today as he was heading to his teaching job at Shahid Beheshti University, said state-run news agencies including Mehr. He is the second Iranian physicist killed in the capital in less than a year. Fereydoun Abasi, another university employee, was hurt along with his wife, Mehr said. Abasi, also known as Abasi-Davani, was linked to atomic work in a 2007 United Nations resolution that imposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The UN said he was a senior Defense Ministry and Armed Forces Logistics scientist.

Iran is under international pressure over its nuclear program, which the U.S. and allies say is a cover for building atomic weapons. Iran rejects the allegation and says it needs nuclear technology for civilian purposes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this month that Iran should know that “all options are on the table” to halt the program.

“Majid Shahriari was one of my students for years and had good cooperation with the organization,” Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency, told the official Islamic Republic News Agency. “He was involved in one of the great projects of the organization.”

Shahriari was a member of a regional scientific program known as Sesame, which includes Israel as a member, according to the project’s website. He succeeded Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, an Iranian scientist who died in an attack in January, the Tehran- based Asre-Iran website, which is close to the government, said today. Ali-Mohammadi, a professor of elementary particle physics, was killed by a bomb outside his Tehran home.

CIA, Mossad

Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar accused the U.S. and Israeli intelligence services of being behind the attack on Shahriari. Iran had also blamed Ali-Mohammadi’s killing on the U.S. and Israel.

“The CIA and Mossad are enemies of the Iranian nation and always sought to harm it as they want to prevent our scientific progress,” Mohammad-Najjar said, according to state television. “The enemy is resorting to such actions because it didn’t succeed by threatening and imposing sanctions on Iran.”

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said today that Israel has a longstanding policy of not commenting on such allegations.

The bombs were attached to the men’s cars by magnets, Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia was cited as saying by IRNA.

Salehi, who visited Abasi at a hospital, warned Iran’s enemies not to “play with fire” and said that “the patience of Iranian people is limited,” according to IRNA.

Shahriari, a professor of nuclear engineering, acted as an Iranian adviser to the Sesame council, which includes Israel, Egypt, Bahrain, Pakistan, Jordan, Turkey and Palestinians, according to the program’s website.

WikiLeaks: world press justifies publication of cables

The newspapers that led the controversial publication of details contained within 250,000 US state department cables, leaked by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, have justified their decision amid consternation from governments around the world.

U.S. warns India about possible WikiLeaks release

The United States has warned India and other key governments across the world about a new potentially embarrassing release of classified documents by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks which may harm the American interests and create tension in its ties with its “friends“.

“We have reached out to India to warn them about a possible release of documents,” State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

“We do not know precisely what WikiLeaks has or what it plans to do. We have made our position clear. These documents should not be released,” Mr. Crowley said, ahead of the expected release by the website of millions of sensitive diplomatic cables.

It is not known yet what is contained in these documents about India-related issues.

The WikiLeaks has said there would be “seven times” as many secret documents as the 400,000 Iraq war logs it published last month.

On his Twitter account, Mr. Crowley said the State Department officials have also contacted leaders in Germany, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Britain, France and Afghanistan.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton too reached out to Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, as the WikiLeaks, the whistle-blower website, is expected to release some three million classified U.S. cables involving some of its key allies including Australia, Britain, Israel, Russia, Turkey and India.

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged WikiLeaks to stop “dangerous” leaks.

“I would hope that those who are responsible for this would, at some point in time, think about the responsibility that they have for lives that they’re exposing... and stop leaking this information,” Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CNN.

“It continues to be extremely dangerous,” he said. “We are very mindful of the announcement that WikiLeaks made earlier this week, that there is a release of documents pending at some point in the future.”

If the past is prologue, that would mean that certain news organisations may well already be in possession of specific documents, Mr. Crowley told reporters early this week.

“So we continue to work through, as we have throughout this process, evaluating both the material that we think was previously leaked from government sources to WikiLeaks and we continue to make clear that this is harmful to our national security. It does put lives at risk. It does put national interests at risk,” he said.

“Inherent in this day-to-day action is trust that we can convey our perspective to other governments in confidence and that they can convey their perspective on events to us,” Mr. Crowley said. “And when this confidence is betrayed and ends up on the front pages of newspapers or lead stories on television and radio it has an impact.”

Pak cops force women to perform 'Munni'

Officers at a police station in Pakistan's Gujranwala district had to pay a heavy price for being enamoured with the " Dabangg" super-hit song " Munni Badnam Hui" when they were suspended Friday for forcing three female dancers to perform it at the police station. 

Three dancers of a musical troupe in Lahore were on their way to Gujranwala to perform at a marriage ceremony, but officers of the Sadhoki police station stopped them at a checkpost midway and took them to the police station, Dunya TV reported. 

Having arrested the dancers, the policemen were not ready to let go the opportunity to have some fun. 

They asked the dancers to perform to the Malaika Arora song "Munni Badnam Hui" one by one. After having his wish fulfilled, the police station in-charge registered an FIR against the three dancers and detained them in lock-up. 

The dancers, who could not go home even after entertaining the police officers, were only released on bail after two days. 

They filed a writ petition before the session judge who ordered an inquiry after listening to their plight. 

The Regional Police Officer (RPO) Gujranwala, Tariq Masood Yaseen, after conducting an inquiry, has suspended the police station in-charge Abid Farooq and the entire staff. 

All of them have been detained in the same lock-up where they kept the dancers for two days while further investigation is underway. 

Asian Games: Pakistan reaches Asian Games cricket semi-final

GUANGZHOU: Pakistan captain Khalid Latif smashed the first century of the Asian Games cricket tournament on Monday as the favourites crushed China by 128 runs to reach the semi-finals.

The 24-year-old opener hit an unbeaten 103 in 69 balls which featured eight fours and five sixes as Pakistan made 183-1 off their 20 overs with Sharieel Khan making 46.

It was China's second successive defeat in the tournament, having lost to Malaysia by 89 runs, and ended their brief, first flirtation with international cricket.

China never recovered from their precarious position of 11-4 when they started their reply while five of their batsmen were bowled as they failed to cope with Pakistan pace and direction.

Only Li Jian reached double figures, making 14 with three confident fours.

Raza Hassan took 3-10 while Aizaz Cheema finished with figures of 3-15 for Pakistan.

Latif said he hoped success at the Games would help resurrect his international career with the 2011 World Cup starting in South Asia in February.

"I wasn't expecting this. I played well in domestic matches and now here with the national team," said the skipper, who has played in five one-day and five Twenty20 matches.

"I did well because the Chinese bowling was not good. I definitely hope that my performance here will help me get back into the national team."

China captain Wang Lei described Pakistan as a "champion" team.

"We did our best, but we really need time. That will enable us to get better in cricket. Hopefully, we will have more opportunities to play against top teams," said Wang.

Pakistan will likely to be joined in the semi-finals by Bangladesh and Afghanistan with Malaysia, Hong Kong, Maldives and Nepal all hoping to grab the final last-four place.

The Heart Attack Grill where customers eat free

Afast food restaurant in the U.S. has provoked outrage by offering free food to morbidly obese customers. The Heart Attack Grill will pick up the bill for any of their customers who weigh more than 25 stone. The restaurant sells calorie laden fare with names such as Quadruple Bypass Burgers and Flatline Fries. Waitresses dressed as nurses deliver the food to the restaurant in Chandler, Arizona. 

hey have hired a 46 stone man Blair Rivers to star in a tongue-in-cheek advert promoting the special offer. 'Other diets don't deliver results,' River says in a new YouTube ad for the restaurant. But I've made incredible progress on the Heart Attack Grill diet. A couple months ago, I was wearing these,' he adds, holding up a small-waisted pair of pants.

The restaurant is run by a former nutrionist Jon Basso who used to run a Jenny Craig weight loss diet centre. Basso is also featured in the YouTube ad, in which he wears a lab coat and identifies himself as 'Dr Jon, Founder of the Heart Attack Grill Diet.'

'I personally guarantee a stable upward progression of body weight while you're enjoying great tasting foods," he says with a smile.

'Along with a cold beer and cigarette, it's a diet you can stick to for life.'

The cheeky advert then lists the side affects from eating their food.

Side effects may include sudden weight gain, repeated increase of wardrobe size, back pain, male breast growth, loss of sexual partners, lung cancer, tooth decay and liver sclerosis stroke. In some cases mild death may occur.'

Two out of three adults in the U.S. is either over weight or obese according to the latest figures. 

The restaurant does warn customers they will not be getting off lightly when they chose from the menu which includes French fries cooked lard.

A sign at the entrance reads. 'Go away. If you come in this place, it’s going to kill you.'

U.S. Stocks Fluctuate as Energy Producers, Banks Advance

 U.S. stocks fluctuated as a bigger- than-forecast decrease in jobless claims and a rally in oil prices offset concerns about Ireland’s debt load and China’s steps to quell inflation.

Chevron Corp. gained 1 percent, the biggest advance in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, as oil prices climbed following an Energy Department report showing an unexpected decreased in crude stockpiles. Boeing Co. slid 3.3 percent after a blaze broke out during a test of the 787 Dreamliner, forcing it to make an emergency landing. Invesco Ltd. sank 4.3 percent after Morgan Stanley said it will sell its $717 million stake in the investment management company.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped 0.1 percent to 1,212.39 at 12:13 p.m. in New York, paring declines of as much as 0.8 percent. The Dow average lost 0.2 percent to 11,322.64. Benchmark indexes reached two-yeah highs last week after the Federal Reserve expanded its program of asset purchases to stimulate growth, a tactic known as quantitative easing.

“The market is taking a breather as we need to see more fundamental economic advances before we can continue the gains,” said Eric Teal, chief investment officer at First Citizens Bancshares Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina, which manages $5 billion. “Quantitative easing has been priced in, the sovereign debt crisis is a long-term problem which resurfaces, and the soft landing of the Chinese economy will be tricky to maintain going forward.”

Irish Bonds

Irish 10-year bonds tumbled for a 12th day, the longest slump since at least 2007. Irish debt has plunged on concern that the cost of bailing out the nation’s banks has made the government debt load unsustainable.

China’s central bank raised lenders’ reserve requirements as cash from October’s larger-than-forecast $27.1 billion trade surplus threatened to add to the risk of asset bubbles and accelerating inflation.

Stock futures erased losses after the Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment benefits decreased to 435,000 last week from 459,000, the lowest level in four months. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast claims would decline to 450,000.

“We’re seeing some positive jobs numbers,” said Thomas Nyheim, a Greenville, Delaware-based portfolio manager for Christiana Bank & Trust Co., which oversees $6.8 billion. “For a sound economic recovery, you need growth in gross domestic product, a stock market doing reasonably well and job creation. That third part has been the problem, but we’re getting a minimal growth trendline.”

Trade Gap Shrinks

Separate data from the Commerce Department showed the U.S. trade deficit shrank to $44 billion in September from a revised $46.5 billion in August, as a weaker dollar pushed exports to the highest in two years. The gap was smaller than the median estimate of economists surveyed that called for a shortfall of $45 billion. Exports rose 0.3 percent on foreign demand for aircraft, generators and foods, while imports fell.

Boeing declined 3.3 percent to $66.98. A 787 Dreamliner had to stage an emergency landing in Texas, following a fire that knocked out some of the all-electric jet’s systems during its test flight, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

Sarah Palin's Alaska: Good Branding, Bad TV

Sarah Palin seems to be out for a fresh start with her new reality show,Sarah Palin’s Alaska. “In this well-staged reboot, the less you know about her—or, in some cases, shuddered to think about her—then the better the show gets, writes Hank Stuever of the Washington Post. Then it’s just a weird outdoors show, about a busy mom with a bunch of kids and a Fox News TV studio in her driveway.

The show does manage to make Palin “about a thousand times more relatable and likable than any previous effort, which is, after all, the goal.” This is just about branding, reinforcing Palin’s “brave frontier woman” persona—even if she looks like she’s “counting the seconds until she’s back at the truck and has enough signal bars to tweet about how pretty the sky is.” But ultimately, “it's still pretty blah and rarely rises above a relative's chatty slide show of vacation pictures.”

Sales tag on bride’s dress? The marriage is a fake, church wardens warned after diocese is targeted

A church diocese has given its vicars a vigilance check-list for weddings - over fears it is being specifically targeted by foreign marriage sham gangs.

As three more people involved in bogus marriages in the Lancashire town of Accrington face jail, church officials have vowed to step up the fight against the Nigerian and East-European immigration gangs.

Last month a special police unit was set up to tackle the problem in Accrington, already identifying around 40 sham ceremonies in the small town - with mainly Nigerian grooms paying up to £10,000 to marry cash-strapped East-European women legally living here.

Detectives in the newly formed Lancashire Immigration Crime Team believe crime gangs have targeted Accrington because its clergy 'are not as alive to this kind of abuse'.

Now the Blackburn Diocese has put it's priests on red alert for telltale signs such as: 'no intimacy between the couple', 'not speaking the same language', 'cultural and religious differences' and other indicators such as 'tags still in suits and wedding dresses' - as the crooks intend to return them to the store the next day.

Cops: Florida Woman Tried to Sell Grandson for $30K

A Florida woman and her boyfriend have been charged with trying to sell her infant grandson for $30,000. Cops arrested 45-year-old Patty Bigbee and 42-year-old Lawrence Works yesterday in Daytona Beach after they met with an agent posing as a buyer. Both were charged with illegal sale or surrender of a child, and Bigbee was also charged with communication fraud.

Authorities said an investigation began last month after an informant told them the woman was trying to sell the baby. She reportedly wanted $75,000 but was talked down to $30,000. The child's mother is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges, and the infant has been turned over to child welfare officials.

Canada ranked top brand in the world

Canada has taken over from the United States as the most respected country brand in the world, the Canadian Tourism Commission said Friday, thanks to an aggressive $26-million ad campaign focused on the Vancouver Winter Olympics earlier this year.

The ranking is based on the annual Country Brand Index from New York-based branding consultancy and research firm FutureBrand, which includes a survey of more than 3,000 international business and leisure travellers.

Canada, in 12th place in 2006, had leapfrogged to second place by 2008 before getting a shot at the top spot.

Michele McKenzie, chief executive with the Canadian Tourism Commission, will pick up the award at an awards ceremony on Nov. 11 in London, England.

"Several years ago, CTC set out to refresh Canada's tourism brand in anticipation of being on the world stage in 2010," Ms. McKenzie said in a release. "We believed that, with the right strategy, a legacy of the Games could be more interest in Canada as a travel destination, and ultimately more visitors."

The CTC's Olympic strategy runs to the end of 2012, and was funded by $26-million from the federal government.

Pakistan beat south africa by one wicket

Pakistan beatu south africa by one wicket

Pakistan vs South africa 4th ODI

Pakistan beat south africa by 1 one wicket. In the last over 4 runs needed. Pakistani batsman wahab riaz is run out in the last over, very hot match. South africa made 274 runs in the first innings. Pakistan make 275 runs in the last over in 4th ODI, only last ball and one wicket remaining. Now series is level 2-2.

Pakistan also lost 3rd ODI by only 2 runs.

Pakistani plane crash kills 21

KARACHI, Pakistan — A chartered plane crashed after taking off from Pakistan's Karachi airport on Friday, killing all 21 people aboard.

NBC News reported the plane was chartered by an oil company and was en route to the Bit oil fields in interior Sindh Province.

Citing local media, BNO News service said all passengers aboard worked for the oil firm.

Reuters said the plane was chartered by Italy-based ENI.

The Beech aircraft that crashed Friday morning belonged to the JS Air company and had just taken off from the southern city of Karachi. The pilot told the control tower minutes before the crash that there appeared to be some fault with the engine, said Pervez George, a spokesman for the country's Civil Aviation Authority.

The plane took off at 7:13 a.m. local time, and a minute later, the pilot reported an engine on fire, NBC News said. The pilot tried to turn back but crashed almost immediately.

The plane caught on fire after the crash. TV footage from the scene showed it had broken into pieces, with the tail completely separated from the otherwise charred body.

"The plane has been destroyed," said Lt. Colonel Noor Agha, an army official supervising rescue operations. "The dead bodies are burned beyond recognition. It could not be recognized whether they are men or women. We don't know nationalities."

JS Air spokesman Nadeem Hanif said the plane was capable of carrying 19 passengers and two crew members, and that it had been checked before taking off Friday. JS Air is based in Karachi.

"It was a fit aircraft, which was cleared to fly," Hanif said. "Absolutely, there should not be any ambiguity in anybody's mind that it was fit to carry out operations."

The relatives of the dead were being notified, Hanif said.

The crash was the second in less than four months in Pakistan, which has struggled with numerous crises this year, including massive floods that have left millions homeless and ongoing Islamist militant attacks. The previous crash killed 152 people.

Karachi is a mega-city of more than 16 million people and its airport hosts flights from all over the world.

The July 28 flight by Pakistani carrier Airblue crashed into hills overlooking the capital, Islamabad, during stormy weather, killing all 152 people aboard in the worst-ever crash on the country's soil. Initial reports said a few people had survived that crash, but later it was confirmed everyone onboard had died.

Lawmaker: Leaked video shows crash that led to China-Japan dispute

A leaked video is circulating in cyberspace, showing a boat collision that sparked a recent diplomatic battle between China and Japan.

The YouTube video shows the same collision that Japanese lawmakers watched on video last week, said legislator Hiroshi Kawauchi, of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.

The Japanese Coast Guard shot the video, which is authentic and not doctored, said Kawauchi, who is a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet, Japan's legislature.

"The fact that the video was leaked is a big mistake for the government," he added. "It is totally different from presenting it to the public in an official manner, and it leads the people's further erosion of faith in Japan's government."

In September, Japan detained the crew of a Chinese fishing boat off disputed islands in the East China Sea. China calls the islands the Diaoyu; Japan calls them the Senkaku.

In response to the detainments, China made increasingly aggressive diplomatic threats. Beijing also halted ministerial-level talks with Tokyo, and both sides canceled trips to each other's nations.

Japan has since released the fishing crew, who China says were stopped illegally. Japan initially accused the captain of obstructing Japanese public officers while they performed duties. But authorities later said that releasing him was in the interest of maintaining relations with China.

The crash video that Japanese lawmakers saw has not been released to the public.

The video, posted on YouTube, shows what is thought to be the Chinese fishing trawler ramming into a ship, thought to be a Japanese Coast Guard vessel.

The Chinese government dismissed the video after Japanese lawmakers saw it, saying it had been edited and that it did not change the ownership of the islands.

On Friday, China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Cui Tiankai said: "I think the China-Japanese relationship has to overcome the current difficulties and move forward. This will serve the fundamental interests of both countries. So [we] hope [the] Japanese side will do everything possible to make sure that there's no further disruptions of the relationship."

The Chinese Embassy in Tokyo has contacted the office of Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan about the leaked video, making an "official inquiry," Kan's office said. No official protest was lodged.

Kan's office is investigating the leaking of the video, which has been shown on Japanese television.

The man apparently doing the videotaping says on the video that the date is September 7, 2010. That matches the detaining of the fishing crew.

The man also says on the video, in Japanese: "We've ordered them to stop, in Chinese language, but they didn't stop."

As the Chinese boat approaches, shouting is heard in Japanese. Unidentified voices shout: "Back off! Back off!"

Wash. Dem Sen. Patty Murray beats GOP's Dino Rossi

Washington U.S. Sen. Patty Murray seized a fourth term Thursday, surviving voters' backlash against Democrats nationally and weeks of relentless GOP campaign attacks on her voting and federal spending record.

Murray's victory over Republican Dino Rossi, after three days of tallying, preserves breathing room for the Senate's shrunken Democratic majority. Republicans made inroads there Tuesday and took control of the House for the rest of President Barack Obama's first term.

Her win was secured Thursday as tallies pushed her lead to about 46,000 votes out of more than 1.8 million counted, or about 51 percent to 49 percent. About three-quarters of the expected ballots had been counted in unofficial returns.

Hundreds of thousands of ballots still await processing, but an Associated Press analysis determined Murray's lead would be insurmountable.

At a Thursday night news conference, Murray thanked Rossi and his family, saying he had been gracious in defeat. Murray said her priorities in a fourth term will include securing tax cuts for the middle class and helping the Boeing Co. win a lucrative Air Force refueling tanker contract.

"Now we have to get to work," Murray said. "I want to make sure Washington state has what it needs to get its economy back on its feet."

Rossi conceded defeat in a statement issued Thursday evening. He also called on the new-look Congress to focus on the economy and strive for cooperation.

"The lesson I leave you with is one we learned as kids: We're all in this together. If Washington, D.C., doesn't act to help the economy grow and solve this massive spending and debt, it's going to hurt us all," Rossi said.

Murray's campaign offered a strong defense of her ability to win federal spending, even in a year when economic jitters threatened to derail that traditional strength for sitting senators. The list of projects she touted was seemingly endless: Bridges, highways, veterans' hospitals, dams, port construction and more.

Murray also sought to paint Rossi as a friend of big business, pointing to his call to repeal the Democrats' new Wall Street regulations.

Rossi's campaign was relentlessly focused on Murray's spending record, including the sometimes intertwining paths of Murray's campaign contributors and her "earmarks" for pet projects. He argued that the one-time underdog candidate had changed over 18 years in Washington, D.C., and had to be replaced to secure the nation's economic future.

The campaign was expensive and smothered Washington airwaves with advertising - much of it sharply negative in tone. Murray spent nearly $15 million through September to Rossi's roughly $2.5 million, but a flood of outside money helped Rossi keep up.

It was Rossi's third statewide loss in six years. He nearly won the 2004 governor's race, losing by just 133 votes after a long court fight. Rossi lost a second gubernatorial race in 2008.

Associated Press exit polling showed Murray won strong support from women, suburban voters and those who considered themselves moderates.

Rossi chipped away at Murray's base of independents, urbanites, people aged 30-49 and white male voters, but the Democrat gained some ground with rural voters and people whose family income is between $30,000 and less than $50,000, compared to 2004 when she ran for re-election.

The poll results showed Murray did well among voters who had a more positive view of the federal government, who felt better about their financial situation compared to two years ago and who wanted Congress to work on spending to create jobs over reducing the budget deficit or cutting taxes.

Sparky Anderson, Hall of Fame Manager, Dies at 76

Sparky Anderson, the first manager to win World Series championships with teams from both the National and American leagues, died on Thursday in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He was 76.

His death was announced by Dan Ewald, a family spokesman, The Associated Press reported. Anderson had been placed in hospice care in Thousand Oaks because of complications of dementia, his family said in a statement on Wednesday.

Anderson managed the Cincinnati Reds to four pennants and two World Series titles in the 1970s, a memorable seven-game victory over the Boston Red Sox in 1975 and a sweep of the Yankees in 1976. Called the Big Red Machine, they had one of the most talented lineups in baseball history.

After nine years in Cincinnati, he managed Detroit for 16 ½ seasons, capturing his third World Series championship in 1984, when the Tigers defeated the San Diego Padres in five games.

Drawing on his keen sense of baseball strategy, his ability to deal with his players as individuals and his obsession with winning, Anderson handled those clubs deftly. He was sometimes called Captain Hook for removing his starting pitchers at the first signs of trouble, but his maneuvering previewed the accepted wisdom in today’s game.

Anderson was only 35 when he was named manager of theReds after the 1969 season, having spent nearly his entire baseball career in the minor leagues.

“Everybody knows the story about how the headline in the paper the day I was hired read, ‘Sparky Who?’” Anderson once told The Cincinnati Enquirer. But he soon began to look the part of a grizzled veteran manager, his hair turning prematurely white soon afterward and his craggy features suggesting a budding Casey Stengel.

When he retired after the 1995 season, Anderson had won the most games of any manager in both Reds and Tigers history, and his 2,194 victories over all placed him third on the career list, behind Connie Mack and John McGraw. He is now No. 6.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2000.

George Lee Anderson was born in Bridgewater, S.D., where his father, LeRoy, painted farmhouses and silos. When he was 8 his family moved to Los Angeles, and he became a batboy for the University of Southern California teams coached by Rod Dedeaux, one of the best-known figures in college baseball.

Anderson played the infield for his high school team, then signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers’ minor league system in 1953. While with the Dodgers’ Fort Worth farm team, he became known as Sparky for his fiery style.

After being traded to the Phillies’ organization, he made it to the major leagues in 1959, a 5-foot-9-inch, 170-pound second baseman who hit .218 with no home runs for a last place Philadelphia team. Then it was back to the minors, where Anderson played the infield once more and managed.

Anderson was a coach for the expansion San Diego Padres in 1969. Then came the stunning decision by Bob Howsam, the Reds’ general manager, to give him the Cincinnati managing job. Anderson was virtually unknown to Reds fans, but Howsam, while previously serving as the St. Louis Cardinals’ general manager, had been impressed by his managing skills with their Rock Hill, S.C., farm team.

Anderson managed the Reds to pennants in 1970 and 1972, though they were beaten both times in the World Series.

”My rookie year was his first year,” Don Gullett, a Reds pitching ace of the 1970s, told The Cincinnati Post in 2000. “Here was a guy coming right out of the minor leagues, and when that happens there’s always a question whether he can handle major leaguers.

“But I knew from spring training on that he could do it, and he proved it when he won 102 games his first year. He knew his personnel, knew how to motivate, how to discipline, how to push all the right buttons.”

By the mid-1970s, when they won two consecutive World Series titles, the Reds had amassed a powerful lineup featuring Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Ken Griffey Sr., Tony Perez, George Foster, Dave Concepcion and Cesar Geronimo.

But the Reds finished second in the National League West to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977 and ’78. Dick Wagner, concluding his first year as general manager after taking over from Howsam, fired Anderson in November 1978.

Anderson became the Tigers’ manager in June 1979 and built on a foundation that included Alan Trammell at shortstop, Lou Whitaker at second base, Kirk Gibson in the outfield and Jack Morris on the pitching staff. His 1984 Tigers got off to a 35-5 start on their way to a World Series championship.

“I wanted to prove the Reds wrong for firing me,” Anderson said in his memoir, “They Call Me Sparky,” written with Ewald (Sleeping Bear Press, 1998). “When the Tigers won in ’84, I finally felt vindicated. It wasn’t until years after that, though, before I released all the bitterness I should never have allowed to creep into my mind in the first place.”

During spring training 1995, when the club owners brought in replacement players to take the spots of striking major leaguers, Anderson was the only manager who refused to take them on, citing the integrity of the game. He went on unpaid leave, then returned when the regular players came back before the delayed opening of the season. After the Tigers finished fourth in the A.L. East in 1995, Anderson resigned amid speculation he would be fired.

Anderson had a record of 2,194-1,834 for his 26 seasons as a manager. Tony La Russa, who won the World Series with the Oakland Athletics in 1989 and the Cardinals in 2006, is the only other manager to have captured World Series championships with teams from both leagues.

Anderson is survived by his wife, Carol; his sons Lee and Albert; his daughter, Shirlee Englebrecht, and nine grandchildren. When Anderson was voted into the Hall of Fame, he chose a Reds cap for his plaque to go with his Hall ring. That was a tribute to Howsam, the Cincinnati general manager who gave a career minor leaguer a chance at the big leagues.

“I never wore a World Series ring,” Anderson told The A.P. “I will wear this ring until I die.”