World Briefs

An ancient burial pit containing 45 severed skulls, that could be a mass war grave dating back to Roman times, has been found under a road being built for the 2012 British Olympics.

Archaeologists, say they do not yet know who the bones might belong to.

"We think that these dismembered bodies are likely to be native Iron Age Britons. Were they fighting amongst themselves? Were they executed by the Romans? Did they die in a battle with the Romans?" said dig head, David Score, of Oxford Archaeology.

When the main Roman invasion force landed in Britain in AD 43, Claudius' legions moved swiftly through western England to subdue fierce Celtic tribes. The grave site is close to Maiden Castle - Europe's largest Iron Age hill fort where local tribes are said to have staged a last stand against the Roman legions after the invasion.

Some historians believe the Romans sacked the site, butchering its population including women and children, before burning it to the ground.

A tangle of torsos, arms and legs have also been found in the six-metre wide pit. (Reuters)

All-white flashmob dine in Paris square

A glam flashmob of 5,000 clad all in white invaded Paris' Concorde square late Thursday for a surprise sit-down dinner on the street.

Within minutes of arriving at the square at the bottom end of the Champs Elysees, the crowd had set up tables, chairs and china plates for a meal washed down with wine and champagne.

"We do this for a laugh every year in June, and always on a Thursday," said Nicolas Godard, adding that the location was texted to participants at the last moment.

"It's an elegant rendez-vous aimed at enjoying French art de vivre", said another diner.

The organisation, she added, "is very military. We come with rubbish-bags, clean up at midnight and leave everything spotless, as if we'd never been here."

Last year's event took place on the Champs Elysees and the 2007 dinner party at the landmark Arc de Triomphe. (AFP)

Fox steals over 100 shoes

A fox has been unmasked as the mystery thief of more than 100 shoes in the German town of Foehren, authorities said yesterday.

A forest worker stumbled upon shoes strewn near the fox's den and found a trove of footwear down the hole which had recently been stolen overnight from outside locals' front doors.

"There was everything from ladies' shoes to trainers," said a local police spokesman. "We've found between 110 and 120 so far. It seems a vixen stole them for her cubs to play with."

Although many were missing laces, the shoes were in good condition and their owners were delighted to reclaim them. (Reuters)

Residents fight burglars with flowers

A Tokyo district plagued with burglaries has turned to planting flowers to beautify its streets and help stamp out crime.

"Operation Flower began about three years ago. By planting flowers facing the street, more people will be keeping an eye out while taking care of the flowers or watering them," a Suginami City official said, adding, "The best way to prevent crime is to have more people on the lookout." Suginami, with a population of 528,800, saw a record 1,710 break-ins in 2002.

When a neighbourhood watch group found that there were fewer burglaries in buildings on flower-lined streets, Suginami decided to kick off Operation Flower and asked volunteers to plant seeds on side streets and in front of their homes. The district also has 9,600 volunteer patrollers and 200 security cameras in areas where there are frequent break-ins. (Reuters)

Banksy exhibition

Anonymous graffiti artist Banksy, who enjoys a cult following around the world, has returned to his home town of Bristol in England to launch his biggest exhibition to date.

Typical for a man who keeps his identity secret, the whole project has been shrouded in mystery, with media, local councillors and staff at the museum only finding out about the project yesterday. One of the pieces is a sculpture designed to convey a mother bird and two chicks in a nest but using three CCTV cameras instead to symbolise Britain's surveillance society.

Many of Banksy's works are hidden amongst the art museum's more traditional paintings, mimicking a 2003 stunt when he smuggled a work into the Tate Britain gallery in London and stuck it to the wall. It went undiscovered for hours. (Reuters)