And finally… good manners cost nothing

A man was fined €70 after burping near a policeman while visiting a fun park in Vienna.

Bartender Edin Mehic, 27, belched after eating a kebab, prompting swift action from the officer, who said he was in breach of the peace.

The incident went viral in Austria after Mehic uploaded a copy of the police report to his Facebook page, saying: “I know that in these times of policing to be very present on the streets to tackle crime, but surely tackling a burper is a bit too much.

“It was a Sunday and I was enjoying a walk in the park, and I suddenly felt hungry. I ordered one the way I like it, spicy with a lot of onion.”

Referring to the officer, he added: “I didn’t even know he was there until I felt his arm on my shoulder.

“I guess things can’t be as bad in the area as we read in the papers, because if they have time to chase up burping, it means there isn’t anything more serious worry about.”

Mehic’s lawyer, Heinz Robathin, said: “It is all a question of perspective. If my client had done it in the opera or theatre, I could probably understand somebody complaining.

“But not in the Praterstern, where there are drug dealers and other people of dubious character on a daily basis. People burping a hardly rare here. This is such an abuse of police authority that it borders on misconduct.”

Following a debate online, a group agreed to meet up on February 27 to stage a mass burping in which they will eat kebabs and facilitate belching by drinking cola.