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A high-speed Japanese ferry has collided with what is thought to be a whale, leaving 49 people injured, 13 of whom in a serious condition. The two-deck ferry, carrying more than 100 passengers and crew, was near the city of Kagoshima on the southern island of Kyushu when it happened. Ships in the area often collide with whales, a ferry company spokesman said.

A recent BBC report tells of a British magazine, the New Scientist, that says Pentagon scientists are planning to turn sharks into “stealth spies” capable of tracking vessels undetected. Apparently, they aim to remotely control the sharks by implanting electrodes in their brains, “to exploit sharks' natural ability to glide through the water, sense delicate electrical gradients and follow chemical trails”. The next step for the Pentagon scientists will be the release of blue sharks with similar devices into the ocean off the coast of Florida.

At the end of 2005, the Beetle was diving around Sipadan, East Sabah, so she was particularly interested in an Australian travel issued 28th Feb warning to its nationals: “We strongly advise you not to travel to coastal resorts and other centres on and islands and dive sites off the east coast of Sabah because of the high threat of kidnapping by terrorists. Terrorists have, in the past, kidnapped foreigners from the eastern coast of mainland Sabah, and from the islands and sea off its east coast. If you are in these areas you should consider leaving. We cannot rule out the possibility of kidnappings.

Now at the beginning of March, the Malaysian authorities are a little upset by this warning and have asked Australia to retract its advisory to its nationals against visiting Sabah because of the risk of a terrorist threat. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the statement that Sabah was at risk of a terrorist threat was inaccurate. He said Malaysia had no knowledge of any report that might have been referred to by the Australian government for it to issue such a travel advisory.

“We can't do anything if a foreign country wants to issue travel advisories but, in the case of Sabah, we're sure the security situation there is under control, with many police and military personnel being deployed there. There are no untoward incidents happening in Sabah,” he said after receiving about 30 Umno Youth leaders led by Umno Youth Chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, at his office.

“Any travel advisory would cause worry among foreign tourists and, therefore, it's our responsibility to do something so that this will not continue.

“Though we don't agree, though we're not happy with what has been done by Australia, we've to do something so that they can withdraw the travel advisory as soon as possible,” he said.

CNN recently ran an article, spotted by Webmaster Paul about what do you do when you are on a plane and surrounded by people coughing and snuffling or you are the one with a cough and cold. A US doctor recommends these actions: as colds and the flu spread through droplets and close contact, it's important to wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water, particularly after touching surfaces others have recently touched or after shaking hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, because germs are easily spread that way. If you're coughing or sneezing, it use a tissue to cover your nose and mouth, if you want to go that extra mile, wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth.

The Chinese government is introducing a 5% tax on disposable wooden chopsticks in a bid to preserve its forests. It produces about 45 billion pairs of chopsticks a year, consuming millions of trees and bamboo plants.

According to the World Health Organisation, the number of people who have died from bird flu around the globe has reached 103 since late 2003. The latest deaths from the H5N1 strain occurred in Azerbaijan, where five have died since February, the WHO reported.

Confirmed human deaths:

• Vietnam – 42
• Indonesia – 22
• Thailand – 14
• China – 10
• Azerbaijan – 5
• Cambodia – 4
• Turkey – 4
• Iraq – 2

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against all but essential travel to Nepal. The political situation in Nepal remains tense and unpredictable following the end of the Maoist ceasefire and elections, which took place on 8 February 2006.

There is a possibility of further violence and disturbances with planned blockades in Kathmandu and other regional centres from 14 March 2006 onwards, and an indefinite nationwide bandh (shutdown) from 3 April 2006 onwards. Both of these events are likely to cause significant disruption. We advise you to take extreme caution if travelling in Nepal during this period.

There has been an escalation of Maoist violence throughout Nepal since they ended their unilateral ceasefire on 2 January 2006. Since then they have carried out a series of bombings and armed attacks on security forces and Government targets across Nepal.

On 1 March 2006, Maoist attacks in Palpa (south west of Pokhara) killed approximately 11 security personnel. On the same day in Palpa, one civilian was killed during a RNA air attack and another killed by a stray RNA bomb.

Mobile phone networks are partially operating, though pre-paid mobile phone services are still disrupted. Land-lines are working at present.

Countrywide and local bandhs are regularly called and have caused widespread disruption including to transport. You should avoid road travel during nationwide bandhs. Bandhs and political demonstrations can flare up quickly and with little warning and may turn violent, as they did several times in 2005, and most recently in February 2006. You are strongly advised to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings of people.

The majority of problems encountered by British tourists in Nepal are trekking accidents and drug-related incidents. If you travel to Nepal, you should use a reputable travel agent and only trek with an experienced guide and in a group. If you plan to travel to out-of-the way areas, please contact the British Embassy in Kathmandu on arrival for latest advice on the security situation in the area.

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Spotted by Globetrotter Steve: police in India’s Bihar state in northern India are so short of resources they are using a pack of stray dogs to protect themselves from Maoist rebels. A recent BBC report says that the 24 policemen are spending around 5% of their salaries to feed and keep the dogs who perform street patrols at night. “The dogs patrol and when they start barking we get alert and flash our torch” says one police officer. If you wondered what the newly adopted police dogs eat: the report goes on to say that usually, the dogs are served a mix of rice and pulses twice a day, but they are sometimes given chapattis and there are separate utensils and an open earthen oven kitchen for the dogs.

“We rely heavily on them and they’re very much part of our force to combat Maoists,” said assistant sub-inspector Mirza Matin Beg.