--- src/gui/qgisapp.cpp (revision 5500)
+++ src/gui/qgisapp.cpp (working copy)
@@ -2669,7 +2669,7 @@
     qDebug( "%s:%d BAD LAYERS FOUND", __FILE__, __LINE__ );

     QMessageBox::critical( 0x0,
-        tr("Unable to open project"), e.what(), QMessageBox::Ok,
+        tr("Unable to open project"), QString::fromLocal8Bit(e.what()), QMessageBox::Ok,
         Qt::NoButton );

     mMapCanvas->freeze(false);
Index: src/composer/qgscomposervectorlegend.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/composer/qgscomposervectorlegend.cpp    (revision 5500)
+++ src/composer/qgscomposervectorlegend.cpp    (working copy)
@@ -827,7 +827,7 @@
     if ( !layer->visible() ) continue;

     QString id = layer->getLayerID();
-                path.sprintf("/composition_%d/vectorlegend_%d/layers/layer_%s/", mComposition->id(), mId, (const char *)id.toLocal8Bit().data() );
+                path.sprintf("/composition_%d/vectorlegend_%d/layers/layer_%s/", mComposition->id(), mId, id );
     QgsProject::instance()->writeEntry( "Compositions", path+"on", layerOn(id) );
     QgsProject::instance()->writeEntry( "Compositions", path+"group", layerGroup(id) );
       }
@@ -871,7 +871,7 @@

   QString id = (*it).right( (*it).length() - (idx+1) );

-  path.sprintf("/composition_%d/vectorlegend_%d/layers/layer_%s/", mComposition->id(), mId, (const char *)id.toLocal8Bit().data() );
+  path.sprintf("/composition_%d/vectorlegend_%d/layers/layer_%s/", mComposition->id(), mId, id );
   bool on = QgsProject::instance()->readBoolEntry("Compositions", path+"on", true, &ok);
   int group = QgsProject::instance()->readNumEntry("Compositions", path+"group", 0, &ok);
   setLayerOn ( id , on );