In brief: Copter crash kills three in Germany

BERLIN – A U.S. military helicopter crashed in western Germany on Wednesday, killing all three people aboard, according to a spokesman for U.S. Army Europe.

The UH-60 Black Hawk aircraft went down about 6:20 p.m. in woods near the A67 highway between Viernheim and Lorsch, south of Frankfurt, Hesse state police said.

Iraq court lifts ban on candidates

BAGHDAD – An Iraqi appeals court Wednesday set aside a ban on hundreds of candidates for suspected ties to Saddam Hussein’s regime, allowing them to run in next month’s parliamentary election and offering a chance to ease political showdowns that had deeply worried the White House.

Also Wednesday, a blast tore through a crowd of Shiite pilgrims just outside the holy city of Karbala south of Baghdad, killing at least 23 people and injuring 120 in the second attack this week on the processions.

Copyright law nails Men at Work

SYDNEY, Australia – Australian band Men at Work copied a well-known children’s campfire song for the flute melody in its 1980s hit “Down Under” and owes the owner years of royalties, a court ruled today.

“Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” was written more than 70 years ago by Australian teacher Marion Sinclair for a Girl Guides competition, and the song has been a favorite around campfires from New Zealand to Canada.

The teacher died in 1988, and publishing company Larrikin Music owns the copyright.