Foreign News
Trump backs Cuomo for New York City mayor and threatens to cut funding if Mamdani wins
US President Donald Trump has endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayor’s race, urging voters not to elect left-wing front-runner Zohran Mamdani.
“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday evening. “He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”
The president earlier said he would be reluctant to send more than “the very minimum” level of federal funding to his hometown of New York if Mamdani was elected.
This echoed comments he made in a television interview on Sunday, during which he referred to Mamdani as a communist – a label that Mamdani rejects.
“It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York,” Trump said in the interview. “Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there”.
Responding to Trump’s comments about funding, Mamdani said he would “address that threat for what it is: it is a threat. It is not the law.”
He describes himself as a democratic socialist, and has rejected accusations he is a communist, joking in one television interview that he was “kind of like a Scandinavian politician”, only browner.
The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to cut federal grants and funding for projects primarily located in Democratic-run areas. New York City received $7.4bn (£5.7bn) in federal funding this fiscal year.
Independent candidate Cuomo, a long-term Trump critic who was formerly a Democratic governor for New York state, responded to the tepid backing from the president: “He’s not endorsing me. He’s opposing Mamdani.”
Opinion polls suggest Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, is ahead of Cuomo, who is running as an Independent after Mamdani bested him in the Democratic primary. The Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, trails behind.
Trump, also a Republican, declined to endorse Sliwa in Monday’s social media post, saying: “A vote for Curtis Sliwa … is a vote for Mamdani.”
Mamdani said that “the MAGA movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him”.
“Not the best mayor for New York City, not the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration,” Mamdani said.
In his wide-ranging interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump said that Mamdani in office would make left-wing former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio “look great”.
“I got to see de Blasio, how bad a mayor he was, and this man will do a worse job than de Blasio by far,” the president said.
Trump grew up in the New York borough of Queens and still owns property in the city.
“I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you,” the Republican president told CBS.
If Mamdani wins, he will become the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in more than 100 years.
[BBC]
Foreign News
USA midfielder sues doctors after on-pitch cardiac arrest
United States women’s national team player Savannah DeMelo is suing a hospital and two doctors after she suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch last year.
Midfielder DeMelo, who has seven senior caps for the USA, has filed a lawsuit against University of Louisville Health (UofL Health) for negligence.
The 28-year-old, who plays for Racing Louisville, collapsed in the first half of a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) match on 14 September 2025.
According to documents seen by BBC Sport, the case was filed on Tuesday morning with Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky, where her club is based – a year and a day after her on-field collapse.
DeMelo’s filing claims UofL Health and two doctors, Dr Sarabjeet Suri and Dr Jennifer Daily, “failed to act as a reasonably prudent and competent medical practice, and such negligence was a substantial factor in causing DeMelo to suffer severe physical injuries, including, but not limited to, her cardiac arrest”.
Dr Daily, according to her online UofL biography, is Racing Louisville’s chief medical officer. The lawsuit states DeMelo was under the care of Dr Daily from January 2024 to July 2026.
It states that in March 2025, Dr Daily referred DeMelo to Dr Suri for “evaluation and treatment” after she had been complaining of chest pain, dizziness and shortness of air; Dr Suri obtained a history, performed a physical examination and ordered diagnostic tests.
Nearly six months later, DeMelo suffered the cardiac arrest.
“She was subsequently diagnosed and treated for ventricular tachycardia [an abnormal heart rhythm],” the suit states.
DeMelo, who has spent her entire professional career with Racing Louisville, has not played since her collapse.
In a post to her instagram page on Tuesday, De Melo – who was picked in the USA squad for the 2023 Women’s World Cup and started their first two games – marked the anniversary of the incident.
“A year ago today, while playing soccer, I collapsed due to an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia, that caused me to go into cardiac arrest,” she wrote.
“I respect and appreciate the privacy everyone has met me with while going through everything I have this year. I’ll never be able to fully put into words how emotionally hard this year has been. There has been a lot of uncertainty and emotions intertwined with it all.”
[BBC]
Foreign News
Death toll from Philippines ferry fire rises to 76, with more still missing
The Philippine Coast Guard says it has recovered 41 bodies from the wreckage of a ferry that caught fire this week, bringing the total death toll to 76.
More than 130 people were on board the MV June Aster when the blaze erupted on Wednesday as it neared its destination at the tourist hotspot of Coron, after departing from Manila.
The coast guard said on Saturday the number of survivors remained 43, with many receiving treatment in hospital, but 13 people remain unaccounted for.
Recovery of bodies had been hampered due to toxic fumes and lingering heat, which meant authorities were unable to board until Friday.
Geronimo Tuvilla, an official for the Philippine Coast Guard, said the priority was identifying victims and determining the cause of the blaze.
Kristine Ablana, a tourism official in Coron, said relatives were being asked to help identify family members through personal items and DNA testing.
“Once someone is able to verify that this photo or these belongings are indeed those of their relative, they will be asked to provide a DNA sample,” she said.
Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said the fire began in a cargo hold before spreading.
She said survivors had described hearing a loud explosion, “the appearance of smoke and then fire. It spread very quickly”. She added that those who had made it off the ship did not have time to put on lifejackets.
A survivor who was hauled to safety on a rescue boat told the BBC he had heard frantic cries onboard when the fire erupted, and was trampled by panicked people as he tried to escape.
The ferry, built in 2002, held valid safety certificates and passed an enforcement inspection in March, but investigators are looking into potential manifest discrepancies, cargo loading integrity, and crew emergency response protocols, the Palawan Daily reported.
The vessel was carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members.
Atienza Interisland Ferries, the vessel’s operator, has pledged full co-operation with the inquiry.
[BBC]
Foreign News
Princess Diana’s ‘revenge dress’ goes up for auction on 9th December
A dress worn by Princess Diana to a party in London hours after a documentary was televised in which the then-Prince Charles admitted to committing adultery during their marriage is going up for auction.
Her dramatic arrival at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994 in a custom-made black silk evening dress by designer Christina Stambolian became an iconic pop-culture moment.
The media dubbed her outfit the “revenge dress”.
Auction house Sotheby’s expects the dress to sell for up to £220,000 ($300,000) when it goes under the hammer on 9 December.
A press release from Sotheby’s said it is the first time the dress has been offered at auction since 1997, when the late princess sold 79 of her dresses to raise money for charities.
Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, said in a statement that Princess Diana “understood instinctively” that fashion can be a language in its own right.
“On her own terms, Princess Diana turned the dress into one of the most powerful messages she ever made, during one of the most scrutinised and emotionally charged episodes of her life,” Halimi said.
“She walked into a moment in which so much of her story was being told for her and, through what she chose to wear, reclaimed the narrative for herself.”

According to Sotheby’s, Anna Harvey, her stylist at the time, said Diana “wanted to look a million dollars”.
The princess made a last-minute wardrobe change for the fundraising dinner and chose the strapless evening dress by the Greek designer Christina Stambolian – which she accessorised with a royal jewel, a black clutch and black heels.
The vintage Jaguar XJ40 car that Diana arrived in at the event was sold at auction earlier this year for £66,250.
The revenge dress is expected to fetch a considerably higher price.
If it does, it will not be the first time an item from the princess’s wardrobe has sold for a significant sum.
Princess Diana’s sweater featuring a black sheep among rows of white ones was sold for £920,000 at an auction by Sotheby’s in New York in 2023.
[BBC]
-
Sports7 days agoDDS set to lose Test captaincy
-
News7 days agoSri Lanka faces new grid challenge as rooftop solar surges: former CEB GM
-
Latest News7 days agoShafali, Deepti power India into sixth T20 Asia Cup final
-
News5 days agoGnanasara Thero absconding after SC ruling
-
Latest News6 days agoSri Lanka thwart Fatima Sana challenge to secure Asia Cup final spot
-
News6 days agoAmmunition cache found in old Kandy bungalow
-
Editorial7 days agoA flight of fancy
-
News6 days agoGreen Climate Fund (GCF) Regional Dialogue for East and South Asia will be held from 14 to 17 September 2026 at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Hotel, Colombo
