Wednesday, October 29, 2025

News from October 27, 2025

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Mercadona confirms new opening hours for All Saints’ Day holiday
Technology

Mercadona confirms new opening hours for All Saints’ Day holiday

Shoppers are advised to plan ahead this All Saints’ Day as Mercadona confirms shorter opening hours across Spain – with several regions keeping stores closed altogether. Mercadona has officially announced a special schedule for Saturday, November 1, when Spain celebrates All Saints’ Day, a national public holiday. While most of the supermarket chain’s stores will remain open, the retailer will operate with reduced hours – from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. only. This means customers will have just the morning to do their shopping, as all Mercadona stores will close in the afternoon. Mercadona adapts to the national holiday The company, led by Juan Roig, shared the update through its official channels and in-store notices displayed near checkout areas and aisles. The change, it explained, is part of its ongoing policy of balancing customer service with employee well-being, especially during major national holidays. While the shortened schedule applies to most of Spain, not all regions will open. According to Mercadona, stores in Galicia, Navarra, and the Basque Country will remain closed throughout the day, along with some supermarkets in Huesca (Aragón). For customers unsure about their local store’s hours, Mercadona recommends using the supermarket locator tool on its official website, which provides real-time information by region. Why Mercadona changes its hours on public holidays Mercadona traditionally closes on Sundays and public holidays, except in special cases – such as when a national holiday falls on a Saturday or during the busy summer tourist season, when demand is higher in coastal and holiday areas. This All Saints’ Day adjustment allows the company to maintain service during the morning while ensuring staff still enjoy part of the festive weekend. The retailer’s approach has long been praised by both customers and employees for offering a fair balance between accessibility and rest, a principle Mercadona has repeatedly highlighted as part of its corporate culture. Customers encouraged to shop early With shorter hours expected to create a busier-than-usual morning rush, Mercadona suggests that shoppers plan their visits early to avoid queues or empty shelves. The chain remains one of Spain’s most trusted supermarkets, serving millions of customers each week. However, public holiday timetables like this one remind shoppers that even large national chains adjust their pace when tradition and celebration take centre stage. So, whether you’re planning a big family lunch or a quiet weekend at home, remember: Mercadona will be open only from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 1 – and completely closed in certain regions. Stay tuned with Euro Weekly News for more news from Spain

Washington to Host Central Asian Leaders on November 6
Technology

Washington to Host Central Asian Leaders on November 6

On November 6, the five Central Asian presidents will reportedly gather in Washington, D.C. for a summit of the C5+1. Presumably U.S. President Donald Trump will join them. The C5+1 format, launched in 2015 under the Obama administration, marks its 10th anniversary on November 1. This is likely to be the second presidential level summit for the C5+1, after a 2023 gathering with then-U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. And it could be the first time all five Central Asian presidents will meet together with their U.S. counterpart in the U.S. capital. Central Asian presidents rarely get the red carpet treatment in Washington, with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev the only sitting Central Asian president to have been received at the White House for a working visit back in 2018. Last week, when The Diplomat inquired with the U.S. State Department whether there would be a meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of the C5+1, a State Department Official replied: We look forward to recognizing ten years of U.S.-Central Asian partnership through the C5+1 diplomatic platform and enhancing cooperation between our countries. The official added, “We will let you know of any confirmed diplomatic engagements. The news of the C5+1 summit was broken on October 26 in a post to X by the Press Office of the President of Kazakhstan. The post stated that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had replied positively to Trump regarding his apparent invitation to participate in the Washington summit. “President Tokayev regarded the initiative of the American leader as both timely and important,” the post stated, adding that Tokayev “shares the key principles of President Trump’s domestic and foreign policy, in particular the advocacy of traditional values based on common sense, as well as dedication to safeguarding peace and security.” On October 27, Uzbek and Kyrgyz media confirmed that their presidents would also be making their way to Washington for the November 6 gathering. Tajik outlet Asia-Plus reported on October 27 that “[t]he Tajik President's press service has not yet reported whether Emomali Rahmon has received such an invitation.” Turkmen state media have also not, as of writing, reported on the summit. Earlier, on October 20, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) and Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), the ranking member and chair, respectively, of the South & Central Asia Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, penned a letter urging the Trump administration to “host and personally attend a C5+1 Leaders’ Summit in Washington, D.C. this year.” News of the summit broke as U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor and and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau were visiting Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Gor, who was born in Soviet Uzbekistan (although for a while he seemed to dodge that question), served as director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, prompting the Washington Post to label him in December 2024 as “maybe the most powerful man you’ve never heard of.” In August, Gor was nominated by Trump to take up the post of ambassador to India (he was confirmed in early October) and also named a special envoy for South and Central Asia. The C5+1 has come to frame much of U.S. engagement with the region. Launched in 2015 with a foreign minister-level summit attended by then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on November 1, it was a format run primarily out of the State Department. In dealing with Central Asia collectively, rather than just bilaterally, the U.S. sought to amplify its influence in the region at a time when the war in Afghanistan was drawing down but both Russia and China were becoming more active. The C5+1 fit nicely into the multivector foreign policies of most Central Asian states and dovetailed, especially after the 2016 death of Uzbekistan’s isolationist first President Islam Karimov, with increased commitment to regional cooperation. Many of the foreign ministers’ level meetings, and the one presidential summit to date, had taken place on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. But not in 2025. UNGA came and went without a peep about the C5+1. And indeed, until Kazakhstan's presidency broke the news, it wasn't clear that anything would come together to mark the 10th anniversary of the format at all, especially given the ongoing U.S. government shutdown and Trump's known preference for bilateral, rather than multilateral, engagement. That said, if there is any region that reflects Trump's other preferences – for top-down decision-making, cults of personality, and grand structures – it's Central Asia. The odd unveiling of what is, truly, a major milestone for the region in its relationship with the United States underscores the shifting nature of U.S. diplomacy as it is practiced under the Trump administration and the unique opportunities that opens up.

Was Fabio Wardley and Joseph Parker’s heavyweight thriller stopped too early?
Technology

Was Fabio Wardley and Joseph Parker’s heavyweight thriller stopped too early?

Fabio Wardley pulled off a major upset as he beat Joseph Parker on Saturday night to put himself in line to face undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Wardley and Parker battled for 11 rounds before the former finally forced a stoppage to seal the biggest victory of his career. But the ending to the fight was controversial. Referee Howard Foster, who famously waved off Carl Froch’s first fight with George Groves, decided Parker had taken enough punishment and stepped in, but some have questioned the timing of the stoppage. So, was it too early or did Foster get it spot on? Let’s look back at Saturday’s heavyweight thriller to try and answer that question. Most heavyweight contests see both men start cautiously as they are wary of the other man’s power and want to feel their way into the fight. But Parker and Wardley got straight down to work on Saturday. Parker looked in control in the opening round and appeared to briefly stun Wardley just before the bell, but the Brit came out firing in the second. He landed a big uppercut that hurt Parker and went in for the kill as he sensed an early night was on the cards. Parker managed to ride the storm, but the tone had been set in the opening two rounds. It was going to be a toe-to-toe war. The Kiwi’s superior boxing skills came to the fore at times as he built a lead on two of the judges’ scorecards, but Wardley was always dangerous. The two men traded leather round after round and landed some brutal blows. Some of the punches would have put most heavyweights down but Parker and Wardley demonstrated that they have two of the best chins in the business as they shook off any punishment and kept marching forwards. The 10th round was arguably the best of the fight as Parker landed a series of right hooks around the side of Wardley’s guard and seemed to have his opponent in trouble, only for Wardley to catch Parker with his own left hook as he piled on the pressure before the bell rang. With two rounds to go, Parker was winning but appeared to have less left in the tank, leaving the fight firmly in the balance. The penultimate round exploded into life just before the midway point when Wardley caught Parker with a big right hand over the top after feinting to throw a jab. The shot landed flush, and Parker was sent backpedalling towards the ropes as Wardley rushed forward to try and deliver a fight-ending punch. He threw everything at Parker who was in pure survival mode as he attempted to slip and dodge punches on the ropes. There was not a lot coming back from Parker who was clearly in trouble, but Wardley was not landing with everything by any means. Some punches were grazing the target while others whistled past Parker’s head as Wardley went into all-out attack mode. Having hardly thrown a punch for the best part of 30 seconds, Parker finally pushed off the ropes to launch a brief assault of his own. However, he failed to land anything of note and Wardley quickly went back on the offensive. He just missed with an uppercut before connecting with a left hook. One final right hand missed Parker, but Foster felt the New Zealander had shown enough signs of distress and brought the fight to an end with just over a minute of the round to go. A referee will always utter the instructions “protect yourselves at all times” to both boxers before a fight begins. This is what Foster would have been keeping a close eye on in the 11th round: was Parker still able to defend himself? Once Wardley had landed his initial thunderous blow, there was some concerning body language displayed by Parker. At one point, his upper body slumped forwards as he dipped down to waist height. It could be argued that this was just a defensive technique, and he was keeping low to try and avoid Wardley’s barrage, but it may also be interpreted that he was in deep trouble. Parker tried to launch himself forwards to give himself some respite, but his attack was a short-lived one and Wardley quickly got back on top. As Parker was pushed back to the ropes, he looked defensively disorganised and Wardley was throwing punches with bad intentions from all angles. Parker was still defending himself, but he was shipping more punishment than at any other stage in the fight and Foster jumped in to call a halt to proceedings. Parker had put a lot into the 10th round as he briefly hurt Wardley before getting caught himself by multiple big shots. When the bell rang for the end of the round, he looked very tired. The 11th round then saw Wardley connect cleanly with a right hand and Parker retreated to the ropes. It seemed clear he was hurt, but he was still able to avoid most of the follow-up punches that came his way. The moment that his body briefly slumped was not a good sign, and it was also worrying that his defence appeared all over the place as Wardley charged in for his final assault. However, rather than being badly hurt it seemed to be that Parker was simply exhausted after a gruelling back-and-forth battle. This was backed up by his reaction to the stoppage. Parker was visibly frustrated by Foster stepping in and appeared to have his wits about him, but he did not have the energy to argue with the referee for long. He quickly accepted the decision as he walked back to his corner and sat on his stool following his devastating loss. Given how the fight had played out over the previous 10 rounds, Parker has every right to feel hard done by. He had wobbled Wardley multiple times, but the Brit was given the chance to get back into the fight every time. Parker himself had been forced to come through some difficult moments and had been able to do so. He will argue that he would have done the same in the 11th round. The 33-year-old may also believe he was simply fatigued rather than significantly hurt and that he could have used his experience to navigate his way through the final four minutes of the fight. He was within touching distance of an undisputed title shot against Usyk, but that was ripped away from him in brutal fashion. Parker has always been a classy operator, and he gave full credit to Wardley while keeping his complaints to a minimum in the aftermath. But he will undoubtedly be hurting. Parker will need to show all of his mental resilience to come to terms with the manner of the defeat before deciding what he wants to do next after his title dreams went up in smoke at a raucous O2 Arena. DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.

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