Hamburg  - One of Germany's main broadcasters admitted Friday that it had inadvertently altered the US flag in a news show about the inauguration of a new US embassy in the capital Berlin.

Sources said the Thursday blunder, a day before the embassy opened on US Independence Day, cost two staff their jobs at the ARD news centre in the northern city of Hamburg. ARD is one of Germany's two national public networks.

Apologizing, deputy editor in chief Thomas Hinrichs said a background image Thursday evening had shown seven white stripes on the flag. The US flag has seven red and six white stripes.

The same news show blundered two weeks ago with Germany's flag, which comprises, from the top, black, red and gold stripes. Reporting on the Euro football championship, ARD news showed the stripes in the wrong order: red, black and gold. (dpa)