A farmer in Belgium has caused a stir after inadvertently redrawing the country’s border with France. A local history enthusiast was walking in the forest when he noticed the stone marking the boundary between the two countries had moved 2.29m (7.5ft). The Belgian farmer, apparently annoyed by the stone in his tractor’s path, had moved it inside French territory. Instead of causing international uproar, the incident has been met with smiles on both sides of the border. “He made Belgium bigger and France smaller, it’s not a good idea,” David Lavaux, mayor of the Belgian village of Erquelinnes, told French TV channel TF1. That sort of move caused a headache between private landowners, he pointed out, let alone neighbouring states.(BBC)…[+]

A seaside town in Japan has raised eyebrows after it used funding from an emergency Covid-19 relief grant to build a giant statue of a squid. The 13m-long (43ft) sea creature lies in the port of Noto, where flying squid is the town’s delicacy. It reportedly used 25m yen ($228,500; £164,700) of the emergency funding to build the statue. Noto officials have told local media it is part of a long term plan to lure tourists back after the pandemic. Japan is battling another surge in coronavirus cases, and Tokyo is currently under a state of emergency – the third for the country since the pandemic began. The fishing town of Noto – which is located in Ishikawa prefecture on Japan’s central-west coast – has had a very low number of cases, but it has been impacted by the significant drop in tourists.(BBC)…[+]

The Duke of Sussex has called for vaccines to be “distributed to everyone everywhere” at a star-studded charity concert in Los Angeles. Prince Harry appeared alongside dozens of celebrities at the Vax Live event, a charity performance in aid of the international Covid vaccination effort. Hosted by the singer Selena Gomez, the concert – to be aired on Saturday – featured performances from artists Jennifer Lopez and Foo Fighters.

US President Joe Biden also spoke. Addressing thousands of fully vaccinated guests at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Prince Harry praised the efforts of front line workers during the pandemic. “Tonight is a celebration of each of you here, the vaccinated frontline workers in the audience and the millions of frontline heroes around the world,” he said.(BBC)…[+]

A leading Cuban dissident was forcibly taken to hospital by security forces after seven days on hunger strike, activists say, raising concerns over his health. Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara began his protest after police stormed his home in the capital Havana last month, seizing or destroying some of his art.

The hospital said he was in a stable condition. But relatives and friends say they have not been able to communicate with him. Mr Otero Alcántara, 33, is the leader of the San Isidro Movement (SIM), a group of artists, journalists and intellectuals who campaign for freedom of speech and democracy in the communist country. The authorities allege the group is funded by Washington and has been used to subvert the state, claims the movement denies. But many members say they have been constantly targeted by the security forces, including with arbitrary detentions.(BBC)…[+]

The EU Commission has recommended easing restrictions on non-essential travel from overseas. Under the plans, anyone who has received the last dose of an EU-approved vaccine at least two weeks beforehand will be permitted to travel. “Time to revive EU tourism industry and for cross-border friendships to rekindle – safely,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted. The EU currently only allows non-essential travel from seven countries. But the proposals will also contain an “emergency brake” allowing member states to limit travel quickly in response to new variants or a deteriorating health situation in non-EU countries. This would be reviewed every two weeks.  Discussions on the plans will begin on Tuesday.(BBC)…[+]

South Africa has revealed plans to clamp down on breeding lions for hunting or so tourists can pet cubs. The move comes after the results were published from a two-year study into the controversial practice of captive lion breeding. It found that the practice risked conservation efforts and harmed wild animals. South Africa’s government accepted the panel’s recommendations which could anger the hunting industry. “What the majority report says, with regards to captive breeding of lions: it says we must halt and reverse the domestication of lions through captive breeding and keeping,” environment minister Barbara Creecy said. “We don’t want captive breeding, captive hunting, captive petting, captive use of lions and their derivative.”(BBC)…[+]

The Italian government has approved a plan to furnish Rome’s ancient Colosseum with a new floor, giving visitors the chance to stand where gladiators once fought. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced the project to build the wooden, retractable floor on Sunday. Italian engineering firm Milan Ingegneria won the 18.5m euro (£16.1; $22.2m) contract to design the floor. The floor is expected to be finished by 2023.

At present, the 2,000-year-old monument has no floor. It was removed by archaeologists in the 19th Century, exposing the underground network of tunnels where gladiators and animals were held before the Roman blood sports began. Mr Franceschini said the “extraordinary” new floor would allow visitors to “see the majesty of the Colosseum” from its centre.(BBC)…[+]

Colombia’s President Iván Duque has withdrawn a controversial tax reform bill following four days of huge protests across the country. In a televised statement, he said his government  would work to produce new proposals and seek consensus with other parties and organisations. He had previously insisted tax rises were needed to respond to the economic crisis generated by the pandemic. But tens of thousands of people took to the streets in anger at the bill. Unions, who organised the protests, said it would disproportionately impact on the poorest people who were already struggling with the economic impact of Covid-19. President Duque, in his statement, acknowledged “it is a moment for the protection of the most vulnerable, an invitation to build and not to hate and destroy”.(BBC)…[+]

Ecuador’s high court has decriminalised abortion in cases of rape, a major step in the traditionally Catholic country. The Constitutional Court voted 7-2 in favour of declaring two articles of the penal code unconstitutional. The decision came in response to a petition from women’s rights groups, and paves the way for parts of the legislation to be changed. Abortion remains a deeply divisive issue in Latin America, where countries have strict laws banning terminations. The only places where abortions are currently legal in the region are Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Guyana and parts of Mexico. But terminations are allowed in cases of rape in several countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Panama, according to the advocacy group Center for Reproductive Rights.Ecuador’s current legislation allows abortion only when the mother’s life is in danger or after the rape of a woman with a mental disability. With the court ruling, abortion in all cases of pregnancy resulted from rape has been decriminalised.(BBC)…[+]

Spanish comedian Juan Joya Borja, whose infectious laughter brought him global fame, has passed away aged 65. Better known by his nickname El Risitas, meaning Giggles, the comedian became known on the internet as “Spanish laughing guy”. Following appearances on national television, Borja went viral in 2014 when people started dubbing subtitles over him laughing recounting a story. He died on Wednesday in hospital, according to local media. Borja was admitted for health issues last year. In March he thanked fans for organising a fundraising campaign to buy him an electric mobility scooter after one of his legs was amputated.