Amid a global pandemic, deadly clashes, political crises and other bleak news, light-hearted stories are as necessary as ever. Here is a pick of the week's best funny, silly and quirky news from around the world.

Radioactive cocktail

Want a drink with a little more oomph? Reports emerged this week that Ukrainian authorities had seized a shipment of alcohol made from apples that came from Chernobyl, the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster.

The apple spirit, called Atomik, was developed by scientists studying whether grain and other crops grown in the exclusion zone around the former nuclear plant can be safe to eat.

Since 1986, a 2,600-square-kilometer zone around the plant has been off limits due to its high levels of radioactivity.

Atomik's producers have said, however, that the distillation process makes their product radiation-free.

If put on the market, Atomik would be the first consumer product to come from Chernobyl since 1986, according to its makers.

But this might have to wait after a first shipment of 1,500 bottles was confiscated at a distillery.

The Chernobyl Spirit Company said it had "no idea" why the shipment, which was meant for the UK, was seized, the BBC reported.

A jab at Dracula's castle

COVID-19 vaccination centers are being set up left, right and center these days, but true amateurs of gore might want to head to Dracula's own Transylvanian castle for a shot… and a dose of horror.

Romania's Bran Castle, which reportedly inspired the setting for Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula," is offering free shots of the COVID-19 vaccine every weekend of May in a bid to fight the pandemic and boost tourism numbers.

Visitors do not need an appointment but get treated to a truly ghoulish experience at the menacing 14th-century castle, with free entrance to the museum's exhibit of medieval torture instruments.

"The idea... was to show how people got jabbed 500-600 years ago in Europe," the castle's marketing director Alexandru Priscu told Reuters, tongue in cheek.

Sadly, only Romanian residents are eligible to get jabbed at Dracula's own home. Hundreds have already taken advantage of this opportunity.

A sweet mugshot

A bakery in the U.S. city of Milwaukee had a sweet – and crumbly – response to being robbed last month: after the suspect made off with cash and equipment, Canfora Bakery put the man's mugshot on cookies and started handing them out to customers for free.

The robbery occurred last month, but the media only picked up the story this week.

In a May 1 post on Facebook, the bakery called on all sweet-toothed crime fighters to "Come Take a Bite Out Of Crime."

"The bakery was robbed of cash and equipment on Monday April 19th. So, we made delicious sugar cookies with his image on them! We invite the Bay View community to come on in and take a bite out of the thief while supplies last - one per family," it wrote, alongside the phone number for the police tip line.

The thief's image was taken from the bakery's security camera. Within minutes of posting the pictures online, the bakery said it began receiving tips.

Milwaukee police later announced a 45-year-old man had been arrested for the robbery.

Not what the doctor ordered

Everyone is chasing COVID-19 vaccines these days, but one Italian woman inadvertently got more than she bargained for when she went to get a shot on Sunday.

Rather than giving her the usual dose, the nurse mistakenly injected the 23-year-old with the entire vial of the Pfizer vaccine, or the equivalent of six doses.

Studies into vaccine overdoses had so far only looked at patients receiving four doses.

The woman was placed under observation in the hospital and given fluids and paracetamol, but media reports said she was in good condition.

Read more:

ICYMI: The week's quirky news from around the world – April 30, 2021

ICYMI: The week's quirky news from around the world – April 23, 2021