Anger over Algeria airline strike

13 July 2011 Last updated at 14:30 GMT Passengers screamed "thieves, liars" at an airline official There have been angry scenes at Orly airport in France after passengers were left stranded by a strike by Algeria's state-run airline.

Police tried to calm tempers after dozens of flights were cancelled by the industrial action that began on Monday.

Air Algerie's cabin crew are demanding a 106% increase in their salary.

French Transport Minister Thierry Mariani has summoned representatives of the airline for discussion, AFP news agency reports.

'Exhausted'

Stranded passengers yelled at an Air Algerie official at Orly airport in Paris as he arrived on Wednesday to talk to the passengers.

They screamed "thieves, liars" when he tried to explain what was being done to get them to their destinations, AFP reports.

The strike began on Monday at a time when passengers from North Africa plan to go on holiday.

"We're really exhausted, morally, physically; my wife is completely exhausted," one man told French television EVN at Orly airport.

Other airports affected by the strike in France include Marseilles and Nice, where passengers slept overnight.

On Tuesday, Algerian state radio quoted the airline chief, Mohamed Salah Boultif, as saying that Air Algerie was not in a financial position to fulfil the demand of the cabin crew.

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Russia anger over French arms

30 June 2011 Last updated at 14:35 GMT Libyan rebels have been battling government forces for months Russia has strongly criticised France for dropping weapons to Libyan rebels and demanded an explanation from Paris.

"If this is confirmed, it is a very crude violation of UN Security Council resolution 1970," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

The African Union has also criticised the move, saying it risks causing a "Somalia-sation" of Libya.

The French military says it has dropped arms to Berber tribal fighters in the mountains south-west of the capital.

Mr Lavrov said Russia had formally requested information from France about the move, to check that it "corresponds with reality".

Mr Lavrov is due to meet French counterpart Alain Juppe in Moscow on Friday.

'Somalia-sation'

Moscow abstained from the UN Security Council vote in March that authorised an international mission in Libya to protect civilians.

Russia and China have both criticised the Nato campaign in recent weeks, saying it had gone beyond the remit of UN resolution 1973.

Another resolution, 1970, had imposed an arms embargo on Libya.

But US and UK officials have argued that resolution 1973 could nonetheless allow weapons to be supplied to rebels fighting to topple Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

French officials have said the arms dropped to rebels earlier this month were supplied for the protection of civilians threatened at the time by pro-Gaddafi forces.

The French ambassador to the UN said they only included "self-defence weapons".

France is also said to have been concerned at the stalemate in the Libyan conflict, which began in February.

Libyan rebels have recently been making gains and hope to advance on Tripoli from the existing front line on the other side of the Nafusa mountains about 65km (40 miles) from the capital.

A report in Le Figaro newspaper said the French-supplied weapons included rocket launchers and anti-tank missiles, and that France had not informed its allies about the move.

Earlier, African Union chief Jean Ping listed a number of "problems" linked to France's decision to air-drop weapons to the rebels.

"The risk of civil war, risk of partition of the country, the risk of 'Somalia-sation' of the country, risk of having arms everywhere... with terrorism.

"These risks will concern the neighbouring countries," said Mr Ping, speaking at an African Union summit in Equatorial Guinea.

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Egypt anger at Mickey Mouse tweet

28 June 2011 Last updated at 12:40 GMT Naguib Sawiris is a leading secularist and recently formed a political party One of Egypt's richest men has been accused of mocking Islam after tweeting cartoons of Mickey and Minnie Mouse wearing conservative Muslim attire.

Telecoms mogul and Coptic Christian Naguib Sawiris apologised for re-posting the images on Twitter a few days ago, saying he meant no offence.

But several Islamic lawyers have filed a formal complaint and there are calls for a boycott of his businesses.

The outcry comes at a time of tension between Egypt's Christians and Muslims.

There are also concerns about the growing influence of the ultra-conservative Salafists in Egypt. Salafists take their inspiration from the early generations of Muslims who were close to the Prophet Muhammad and his message.

The tweeted images showed Mickey Mouse wearing a traditional Islamic robe with a full beard, while Minnie Mouse is wearing a niqab - a full-body veil - with just her eyes showing.

She is identifiable by her large ears and trademark pink hair ribbon.

The cartoons were already widely circulating online, but when Mr Sawiris re-posted them last week, he received an immediate angry reaction from people who said they were offended.

On Friday, he tweeted: "I apologise for those who don't take this as a joke, I just thought it was a funny picture; no disrespect meant. I am sorry."

But tens of thousands of people have joined groups on Facebook and other social media condemning him.

"There's a fine line between expressing your opinion/freedom of speech and being flat out disrespectful," said one woman.

Secular champion

Shares in Mr Sawiris' telecoms company, Orascom - Egypt's largest private employer - have already fallen as a result of the row and subsequent calls for a boycott.

Cairo has seen violent clashes between Christians and Muslims in recent months

The prosecutor general's office said a group of Salafist Muslim lawyers had filed a complaint accusing Mr Sawiris of religious contempt.

"How can a man like this make fun of Muslims, in a country on the brink of sectarian discord," Muslim cleric Mazen el-Sersawi said in a television interview.

"If this is just joking, why don't you depict Mickey Mouse as a monk or a nun?"

Mr Sawiris, whose father is the richest man in Egypt, is a champion of secularism and has spoken out against the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the country, including the increasing number of women wearing full-face veils.

He was a leading voice in the anti-government protests that ousted Hosni Mubarak from power in February and recently started a new political party, The Free Egyptians.

But many have questioned his wisdom in sharing the cartoons at a time of tensions between Coptic Christians and conservative Muslims.

Scores of people have been wounded and several killed in clashes between the two communities in recent months, and there are fears this row will increase the chances of more sectarian clashes in the run up to post-revolution elections in September.

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Height of cheek: Anger as Austrian peaks go on sale

11 June 2011 Last updated at 03:44 GMT Austria's scenic beauty is world-famous Two mountain peaks in the Austrian Alps have been put up for sale for 121,000 euros (?107,000; $170,000).

Austrian federal real estate company Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft is offering the two 2,600m (6,500ft) peaks in eastern Tyrol.

The firm says the Grosse Kinigat and Rosskopf summits offer the most stunning views over the Carnic Alps.

However, potential buyers have been told they would not be allowed to fence off the mountains or deny right of way.

Local residents are unhappy about the sale of the peaks, one of which is the site of a memorial to battles in World War I.

"It's a mystery to me why they're wanting to sell the peaks right now," the mayor of the village of Kartitsch, Josef Ausserlechner, told Austrian news agency APA.

"In Greece, they're selling off islands. In Austria, it's the mountains."

Interested buyers have until 8 July to place their bids, and 20 people have already done so, according to the regional daily Kleine Zeitung.

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