World Briefs

A druid “battle chieftain” has lost the latest round of a fight to force scientists to return ancient “royal” remains to their original resting place at Stonehenge.

The Rev. King Arthur Uther Pendragon, who styles himself the Battle Chieftain of the Council of British Druid Orders and Titular Head and Chosen Chief of the Loyal Arthurian Warband Druid Order, failed to persuade the High Court to intervene in the row.

King Arthur – a 57-year-old former soldier from Salisbury, Wiltshire, who changed his name by deed poll – wanted the High Court to review a government decision to allow experts to keep the remains for testing. But Mr Justice Wyn Williams refused to give King Arthur permission to launch a judicial review action – ruling at a High Court hearing in London that there was insufficient evidence to show that the Ministry of Justice might have acted unreasonably.

The judge heard that the cremated remains of more than 40 bodies – thought to be at least 5,000 years old – were removed from a burial site at Stonehenge in 2008 and ministers gave researchers from Sheffield University permission to keep the bones until 2015. (PA)

Dirty business

A man is selling soil from a serial killer’s home in Cleveland, Ohio, outraging victims’ families.

Eric Gein filled two bags with dirt from Anthony Sowell’s house two weeks ago and put it on the internet for $25 a gram.

Mr Sowell was convicted last month of murdering 11 women and dumping their remains around his property. Mr Gein says the soil is valuable to people because Mr Sowell’s victims were buried in it.

No relief

A party goer who passed out in a limousine bus toilet woke up and drove the 40ft-long vehicle home, but left his wallet in it.

Police in Lincoln, Nebraska, said the £60,000 vehicle was found near Steven Hunter’s home – but he does not remember driving it. He has been charged with criminal mischief and unauthorised vehicle use.

Heads up

Builders renovating a Bavarian school have found more than 20 Nazi-era uniform hats stuffed into a ventilation shaft.

The school was used as a hospital in the final days of the Second World War and there is speculation the owners hid the hats, not wanting to be identified as Nazis as the Allies approached.

The badly damaged hats were part of Nazi party uniforms, and uniforms of the SA “storm troopers” – an early Nazi paramilitary force.

Commuting stress

Commuting is a lot more stressful for women than for men, research suggests.

The daily grind of travelling to and from work has a negative effect on the mental health of women, a study has found. Men, on the other hand, are generally unaffected, even though commuting more.

Widow shot

A 92-year-old widow was shot while trying to confront a gunman who opened fire on his estranged wife, it has emerged.

The widow got out of her chair, kicking over a table, when 45-year-old Darren Williams burst into Carol-Ann’s salon in Newport, South Wales, brandishing a shotgun.

Police said he blasted estranged wife Rachel Williams, 37, in the knee during the incident last week – with rebounding shots injuring the pensioner and another customer. Following a six-hour search, Mr Williams’s body was found in nearby woods.

Living memorial

The UK’s only plum festival has teamed up with a male cancer charity to create a living memorial orchard.

It is hoped the orchard, near the festival’s base in Pershore, Worcestershire, will help raise awareness of testicular cancer and how to detect it.

Traditional varieties of plum tree will be planted in November in memory of those who have died from men’s cancers. The fruit produced will be sold to support the cancer charity, Orchid, and Vale Landscape Heritage Trust, which will manage the orchard.

Sand recycled

The sand that was used at the Olympic beach volleyball test competition is being re-used on seven new courts, London 2012 has said.

Earlier this month the 2,274 tonnes of donated sand was laid in Horse Guards Parade for the Visa FIVB Beach Volleyball International.

Now it has been split between Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, the Score Sports Centre in Waltham Forest, and Westminster Academy Sports Centre.