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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...illegal. The proposed walkout - over cuts to staff numbers and a freeze on pay imposed by the airline last month - can now no longer go ahead. The court's decision marked a "disgraceful day for democracy," the trade union behind the strike, Unite, said in response. But the 1 million passengers that could have been affected were undoubtedly relieved by the decision. And BA, for its part, said it was "delighted." (See pictures of Heathrow Airport...
...Little wonder. Industrial action could have cost Europe's third biggest airline as much as $50 million each day had the strike gone ahead as planned on Dec. 22. That's cash - and cachet - the struggling carrier can ill-afford to lose. Tumbling first-class passenger numbers and a ballooning fuel bill left the airline with a $656 million pretax loss in the 12 months ending March 31. It lost plenty more in the first half of this year too. The airline's $6 billion pension deficit, meanwhile, is among the biggest...
...Both sides, then, have an interest in resolving the spat. Airline and union bosses resumed a second day of talks Thursday aimed at finding a middle ground. Unite's biggest gripe: the cuts, part of BA's plan to pare staff costs by $230 million, were imposed on employees without proper consultation. "It may be that an enforced calling off of the strike will lead to some tough but serious negotiation around the table," says John Strickland, an aviation consultant and a former BA executive. But "it still doesn't mean it's going to be an easy ride...
...while both sides say they want to reunite Cyprus as a bicommunal federation, sticking points range from how power sharing would work to property grievances of tens of thousands of people who lost their homes in the conflict. About a quarter of Cyprus' population of around 1 million is internally displaced. Talks on the sensitive issues of property and security have barely inched forward since last year, despite twice-weekly meetings. The problem now is that time is running out for the Turkish Cypriot side. A deal, or at least a concrete roadmap, would have to be agreed by late...
...About 20 million Muslims live in the European Union, mostly in capital cities and large industrial towns; they already make up 25% of the population in Marseilles, France, and Rotterdam in the Netherlands; 20% in Malmö, Sweden; 15% in Brussels and Birmingham, England; and 10% in London, Paris and Copenhagen. The report, published on Dec. 15, surveyed Muslims in 11 cities across the E.U. and found that 55% of respondents believed religious discrimination had risen in the past five years. And while many Muslims are a long-standing and integral part of the fabric of their cities, the report...