Yemen's tourist board has been forced to issue a warning against coming to the country to fish for salmon.
The alert has been prompted by the release of the film Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which stars Ewan McGregor and the Egyptian actor Amr Waked.
A Yemen Tourism Promotion Board spokesman said it had been "inundated" with requests for information about fishing trips to the country after the success of the film, which is based on a novel. He admitted: "One negative is that salmon fishing isn't that popular in Yemen." But he insisted that there were "excellent sea-fishing opportunities".
Disputing general warnings against visiting Yemen, he added: "Some places are very hospitable but I wouldn't advise people to go to certain places."
Bird-brain intruders
Two men who woke up with a hangover and a live penguin in their hotel room have been convicted of the bird's theft.
A court in Queensland, Australia, heard that Rhys Owen Jones and Keri Mules had broken into a local zoo and made off with a fairy penguin called Dirk after first swimming in the dolphin pool.
The two men, both from Wales, tried to care for Dirk the next day by putting the penguin in the shower and giving it bread.
Dirk was later found in a nearby estuary and was returned, exhausted, to Sea World. His kidnappers were fined Dh3,800 and told by the magistrate that "you could have found yourselves in a morgue" after they nearly went into the polar bear enclosure.
Branson on the rocks
First-class passengers on Virgin Atlantic will soon find themselves staring at the head of the airline's founder in their drinks.
Ice cubes in the shape of Sir Richard Branson's face will be served on selected flights this month to mark the airline's new in-flight services. The cubes are designed to scale using laser technology and feature Sir Richard's distinctive toothy grin and goatee beard.
A hairy situation
A plague of poisonous caterpillars is the latest threat to athletes and spectators at this summer's Olympic Games in London.
Experts are warning that a milder than expected winter has provided ideal breeding conditions for the caterpillars of the oak processionary moth, which have infested much of southern Britain after arriving from Holland.
Each caterpillar is covered in 63,000 microscopic toxic hairs that can trigger asthma attacks, vomiting, rashes and dizziness when inhaled.
Authorities have now started destroying the caterpillars before the start of the Games, but Tony Kirkham, the head of Kew Gardens Arboretum warned: "You can slow them down but we will never find them all."
Tale worth repeating
A lost budgerigar has been reunited with its owner after it was able to recite its own address.
The bird was found after it settled on the shoulder of a guest at a hotel in the Japanese city of Yokohama.
After being placed in a cage and taken to a police station, the budgie began repeating its home address down to the number of the house and block on which it stood.
