World Briefs

When Egypt’s state news agency announced that Prime Minister Essam Sharaf had appointed Maged Ilyas Ghattas as his environment minister, the name rang some bells – some of them alarm bells.

The environment ministry had been headed by one Maged George, a minister appointed by ousted leader Hosni Mubarak whose sacking protesters demanded. But it emerged that the official list published by the Mena news agency simply allocated another name to the same person when the new Cabinet was unveiled on Thursday.

“I mean, when they tell us the environment minister is called Maged Ilyas Ghattas, we’ll think it’s a new face and not the same Maged George?” wrote one contributor on the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper’s website yesterday. (AFP)

Burqa challenge

A Belgian law banning the wearing of burqa-style Islamic dress in public goes into effect today, but a lawyer hopes to get the law suspended next week pending a hearing.

Belgian MPs approved the ban on grounds of security. But Ines Wouters, a lawyer representing two women who sometimes wear the burqa, said yesterday she had taken the case to the country’s constitutional court, and would request a suspension.

Ms Wouters said the law conflicted with freedom of religion, the right to privacy, freedom of expression and equality between men and women. She said police officers can ask people for their identification. But, she added:“Security in Europe does not mean you can be identified and controlled by anybody at any time.” (AP)

Mistaken identity

A woman whose car was rammed as she drove away from a convenience story where she works says she was mistaken for Casey Anthony, a woman notorious in the US after she was tried and cleared for the murder of her daughter.

Sammay Blackwell, 26, said the incident happened in Chouteau, Oklahoma, days after Ms Anthony was cleared of murdering her two-year-old daughter, Caylee, last week.

A woman who had been in the store earlier said Ms Blackwell looked like Ms Anthony and began insulting her and Ms Blackwell’s truck was rammed by a van as she left work. (PA)

Final bid

Authorities in the US said a burglary suspect travelling in a police car used his head to break a window and escape on a bridge – before jumping to his death.

Dayton police spokesman Kim Hill told the Dayton Daily News in western Ohio that the officer transporting the suspect pulled over after the man began banging his head on a rear window.

He said the suspect went head-first out of the window and dived over the side of the bridge. (PA)

Bird trapped

A missing bird of prey was spotted stuck in a tree by its eagle- eyed owner who launched a rescue to get it back.

The Harris Hawk escaped and became trapped in a large tree 20 metres above the ground after the rope around its foot became entangled in the branches.

The owner called Gloucestershire fire and rescue service who attended the scene in Moorend, Hartbury, and a specially trained rope rescue crew and the RSPCA released the uninjured bird. (PA)

Rude Russian

A senior Russian police officer, dubbed “the pissing policeman” after a video of him urinating in the office corridor became an internet sensation, has quit.

Thousands of people have watched the video posted on YouTube of how the police officer, dressed only in a pair of underpants and socks, calmly walks out of an office and relieves himself in the corridor. Leaving a conspicuous puddle on the floor, he then nonchalantly strolls back into the office. A fellow employee then discovers the mishap and other staff gradually emerge from their offices to gaze in disbelief.

The video – shot by closed-circuit camera – identified the policeman as Alexei Isakov, the head of personnel of the police force of the Lomonosov district outside Saint Petersburg. The police force for Saint Petersburg and its surrounding region established that Mr Isakov was “in a state of alcoholic intoxication”. It said in a statement that Mr Isakov had now handed in his resignation. (AFP)

Owl jam

An owl brought traffic to a halt on a busy German motorway.

Police in Feucht, outside Nuremberg, said officers patrolling the A73 autobahn spotted what at first appeared to be rubbish on the road – but at second glance turned out to be a cowering owl.

They closed the road briefly to allow rescuers to retrieve the apparently injured bird. Police contacted an animal shelter, which handed the owl to a specialist. They say it appears to have only light injuries and has good chances of surviving. (PA)

Cross customer

A US customer was so angry that a car dealer would not take back the van he had bought, he returned to the dealership and deliberately crashed into six other vehicles.

David Cross went to the Portsmouth Used Car Superstore in New Hampshire to return the van after a mechanic had spotted a number of problems with the vehicle.

His demands for a refund were ignored by the dealer, and Mr Cross returned in the middle of the night and drove into the other vehicles, causing about £13,000 in damage. (PA)