Odd News Roundup: Bees in the Netherlands trained to detect COVID-19 infections; Belgian farmer moves border with France by 2 metres and more

They hope the cunning and strategy they learn on the chess board will help them make the leap out of their homes in the slum. How scientists are using a 'romantic solution' to save endangered white abalone White abalone - whose flesh is a delicacy and polished shell is prized as mother of pearl - are threatened with extinction.

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.

Frontier flap: Belgian farmer moves border with France by 2 metres

A Belgian farmer unwittingly extended his country's territory by moving an ancient stone marking the border with France that was on his land, a group of local history enthusiasts discovered on a walk in a wooded area on the French side. The discovery of the stone, now sitting 2.20 metres (7.2 feet) away from where it was placed in accordance with a border agreement two centuries ago, has caused a flap in a normally sleepy rural area.

Bees in the Netherlands trained to detect COVID-19 infections

Dutch researchers have trained bees, which have an unusually keen sense of smell, to identify samples infected with COVID-19, a finding they said could cut waiting times for test results to just seconds. To train the bees, scientists in the bio-veterinary research laboratory at Wageningen University gave them sugary water as a reward after showing them samples infected with COVID-19. They would get no reward after being shown a non-infected sample.

Bare-knuckle fight nights take off online in Russia during pandemic

A brutal boxing tournament in Russia that pits bare-knuckle fighters against each other in short, bloody bouts has surged in popularity on social networks during the coronavirus pandemic. The "Top Dog" tournament began broadcasting fights in parking lots in early 2020, but now rents out a Moscow sports arena for bare-knuckle bouts that are viewed online by millions.

Fresh pizza vending machine prompts curiosity and horror in Rome

Raffaele Esposito, the 19th century Neapolitan credited with inventing Italy's most famous type of pizza, may be turning in his grave: Rome has a new vending machine which slides out freshly cooked pizzas in just three minutes. Buyers using the flaming red "Mr. Go Pizza" machine can choose from four different kinds of pizzas costing from 4.50 to 6 euros ($5.2-7.2). The machine kneads and tops the dough and customers can watch the pizza cook behind a small glass window.

Art attack: Israeli ex-sniper blasts paint in mental health message

Former Israeli army sniper David Roytman has turned his hand to action painting, using guns and live-fire ranges instead of brushes and studios to blast colours onto canvases. In Israel, Roytman uses a pistol to shoot bags filled with paint, which then splatter onto a wood-board canvas, creating the artwork. In his native Ukraine, he creates paintings in a similar way by using the cannon of a World War Two-era tank.

French stunt school's 'badass' women snapped up by film industry

Valeriane Michelini trained as a dancer before opting to tap into the growing demand for stuntwomen and a career of jumping out of helicopters, leaping from buildings and brawling.

Michelini is one of a growing number of women passing through the Campus Univers Cascade (CUC), which bills itself as the world's biggest stunt school, and looking to break into European cinema and Hollywood as a stunt double.

Kings of Lagos: children learn chess to seek escape from Nigeria's slums

A dozen children crowd around plastic tables in the Majidun neighbourhood of Lagos. Intently focused on plastic mats printed with chess boards, the children thoughtfully move pieces on the board as supervisors observe their moves. The waterside shanty town is just across the lagoon from the mansions and towering office blocks of Nigeria's commercial capital. They hope the cunning and strategy they learn on the chess board will help them make the leap out of their homes in the slum.

How scientists are using a 'romantic solution' to save endangered white abalone

White abalone - whose flesh is a delicacy and polished shell is prized as mother of pearl - are threatened with extinction. But scientists are looking to turn the tide for these unique sea snails by playing Cupid. "White abalone are on the brink of extinction. They cannot come back without our help," said Kristin Aquilino, lead scientist for the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program, based at the University of California, Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory.

(With inputs from agencies.)