Week of October, 4 2025

CANADA

They were crying in their beer. A funeral was held for a town’s only beer store on the day it closed its doors after 75 years in business. The town of Bala, in Ontario, hosted the bittersweet ceremony for the shop — aptly named The Beer Store — in its parking lot, where gatherers gave it “one final cheers for all the beers.”

MEXICO

The anti-narco culture reality show “México Canta” will host its final episode live on Sunday night at Esperanza Iris City Theater in Mexico City. The new singing competition series, which attracts 4 million viewers in Mexico alone, has one rule: any tunes that glorify cartels, violence or drug trafficking are prohibited.

CHINA

Robotic exoskeletons are helping climbers on Mount Tai, the daunting 5,000-foot-high Shandong peak, with over 7,000 steps. Tourism officials introduced robotic legs, which cost hikers $8 to $11, to assist them in scaling the scary summit — infamous on social media — where videos show hikers shaking, collapsing or on all fours.

ZIMBABWE

It may be coming to fruit-ion. Zimbabwe is making steps to become the largest producer of blueberries in all of Africa. The country, which is currently the biggest tobacco importer in the continent, has been in trade talks with China to import Zimbabwean blueberries and exempt them from tariffs. The current leader in African blueberry production is Morocco.

AUSTRALIA

FIFA announced this week that they are introducing an Afghan women’s refugee soccer team and 13 Australian-based players are part of the 23-player squad. Exiled female athletes have been fighting for the right to play for their country ever since they fled Afghanistan when the Taliban took over four years ago. The team, made up of displaced players from around the world, will play in a round-robin friendly tournament in Dubai at the end of the month.

With Wires