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Every now and then, I browse through the “world” section of the Associated Press website, just to see what’s going on elsewhere.

Many of the stories are about politics or conflicts, which are important to keep a check on occasionally, but they don’t really draw my attention like other stories do. There are some stories that are downright strange, while others just remind me of things closer to home. And then there are a few that make me just think “huh, I didn’t expect that.”

So, as I’ve regularly shared here before, here are some global news articles which did catch my eye this past week:

In happy news, wildlife rescuers were able to help free a lost whale off the coast of Poland recently. The whale ended up in the Baltic Sea after swimming through the Danish Straits from the Atlantic, and ended up stuck in a boat’s fishing nets near a beachside resort.

The rescuers had to work very carefully because whales are quite large – this one was estimated to be at least 20 feet long – and can do some damage to people if distressed. Getting knocked into the water by an upset whale isn’t going to help anyone, after all. And instead of knives, they used boathooks to loosen the nets since that was the safer option for the animal. After about an hour, the whale was freed and began his journey back towards the ocean.

You certainly don’t read about whale rescues in Poland every day!

In weirder news, a lady in the UK recently got arrested for taking citizenship tests on behalf of more than a dozen people. How’d she get away with the crime so many times? Well, in something that sounds like a silly movie plot, she donned different wigs and other disguises that made her look more like the real applicants who were supposed to take the test.

Officials believe she committed all that fraud for financial gain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she also just thought dressing up in disguises like a spy was fun too.

The article didn’t mention what happened to the applicants who had been seeking permanent residency or citizenship, but I assume they’re just going to have to take the tests themselves now and hope they’ve studied hard enough.

In “that’s an interesting way to protest” news, several British musicians recently got together to release a new album together. It’s call “Is This What We Want?” and is composed of 12 tracks of recordings from empty studios.

The artists, which include famous names like Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, and Cat Stevens, took part as a way to push back against new laws in the UK about artificial intelligence. The organizer of the album explained that artists will lose control over their copyrighted work if AI companies are allowed to take and exploit their music without permission.

I hope their silent album makes an impact, because I’m not a supporter of generative AI. These programs steal other artists’ work to create their own subpar versions of it. If you’re doing something creative – such as making artwork, making music, or writing – then you need to do the work yourself. Otherwise, it’s not art!

In “this sadly happens everywhere” news, firefighters in South Africa are working to contain a fire on Table Mountain, which is near the city of Cape Town. More than 100 firefighters have been working since the blaze started, and after several days, they have made progress in getting it under control. They don’t want a repeat of a 2021 fire on Table Mountain that destroyed historic buildings and caused several evacuations.

It’s summertime down in the southern hemisphere, so fires aren’t uncommon in that part of South Africa, particularly with the hot and dry conditions exacerbated by coastal winds too.

Reading this story reminded me of other recent fires, like the ones in and around Los Angeles at the beginning of this year as well as the fire that devastated part of Maui in Hawaii in 2023. No matter where you are, there’s almost always a chance that a wildfire could spark and spread. (Or any other fire too, for that matter). Thank goodness for firefighters, both locally and all around the world.

And lastly, in “that’s pretty cool” news, a woman from Ghana has triumphed over her opponents as well as the naysayers to become the country’s first female world boxing champion. She’s also the first woman to be a part of Ghana’s national team.

Abigail Kwartekaa Quartey wanted to be a professional boxer since she was a teenager, but it’s a sport that’s traditionally considered only for men. Not forbidden, but definitely frowned upon. Many of her family members disapproved when she started training several years ago.

Still, however, she persisted with support from her brother and her coach.

Now with her professional achievement, she hopes other young women will consider pursuing athletics, explaining, “I am a world title holder and that confirms that what a man can do, a woman can also do.”

I think that’s a great attitude to have.

Holly Taylor is a Staff Writer for Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact her at holly.taylor@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7206.