Protester Says Whalers Shot Him

An anti-whaling campaigner says he has been shot by Japanese sailors while protesting over their hunting activities in the Antarctic.

Paul Watson, of the Sea Shepherd group, said his colleagues had been throwing stink bombs, but the Japanese responded with "flash grenades" and gunfire.

He said he felt a thud in his chest and found a bullet in his Kevlar vest.

But Tokyo denied any bullets had been fired, saying "warning devices" were thrown after their ship was attacked.

The foreign ministry said the Japanese coastguard on board the Nisshin Maru ship had thrown a baseball-sized device, which exploded near the activists' ship emitting a loud noise.

The device was not designed to hurt people, and the ministry said it was not aware of any injuries...