A Briton, an Australian and a South African arrested and jailed for trampling a flag flying outside an Argentine Falklands war veteran's bar were released on bail, officials said on Monday. David Fleming, 20, Benjamin Sargent, 28, and Darren Redden, 28, were arrested Jan. 6 in Ushuaia, the most southerly city in Argentina, and held on federal charges of desecrating the national flag. The trio had been heavily drinking at a wine bar owned by Pablo Vina -- who fought in the 1982 war when Britain ejected an Argentine force that invaded the remote South Atlantic islands -- when they noticed the flag flying outside. The tourists opened a window to tear the flag down, then walked outside, trampled it and threw it in a waste bin, witnesses said.
■ Germany
Soldier faces abuse charges
The first British soldier to be charged with abuse of Iraqi prisoners appeared before a court martial in Germany on Monday, but the judge imposed a news blackout. Three other British soldiers are due to appear before a similar military court in Osnabrueck today. The four members of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers are alleged to have abused Iraqi civilians who they were temporarily holding near the southern city of Basra. British media reports said the soldiers are alleged to have stripped and humiliated their prisoners and taken photographs of the incident, which took place in a warehouse in May 2003.
■ Israel
Flying jets bad for teeth
Flying fighter jets isn't good for your teeth. About 70 percent of Israel's air force pilots suffer from "bruxism," or jaw clenching and teeth grinding, according the soldier's weekly, Bamahane. The results were based on a study of 57 young, healthy pilots by the Israeli air force medical branch, the weekly reported in its current edition. Bruxism, which can cause pain and permanent dental damage, can be triggered by tension, and flying military planes is a tense business, the weekly said.
■ Hungary
Rare bird smuggler busted
Hungarian customs guards discovered the carcasses of 511 rare birds hidden in the car of an Italian man about to cross the border into Austria, police said on Monday. The guards found the birds in two coolers in the trunk of the man's car during a routine check near Ronok, 250km west of Budapest on Sunday, police spokeswoman Gyorgyi Natkai said in a statement. Among the birds -- valued at 5.1 million forints (US$27,000) -- were yellow wagtails, field larks, sparrows and pipits. Customs guards regularly seize the carcasses of protected birds bound for Italy, where smugglers can sell them at high prices to restaurants.
■ France
Priest charged with fondling
French prosecutors on Monday demanded a six-month prison term for a former Orthodox priest charged with fondling a British boy who spent Christmas with him in 1999. Monsignor Paul, born Peter Alderson, denied accusations he abused the British boy, then 11, saying he only "helped him undress" and "rubbed his back a little" when the boy was bathing. The boy, who lost his parents and was under the care of his grandmother who had made the acquaintance of Paul, was not present at the trial and was "on the run" according to his lawyer.
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