• Mamdani leads Cuomo in polls, backed by endorsements and small donors.
• Cuomo’s campaign could gain from Adams’s exit, attracting business donors.
• Trump’s attacks on Mamdani may boost his appeal among New Yorkers.

NEW YORK: The decision by New York City Mayor Eric Adams to suspend his sputtering reelection bid is unlikely to slow the upstart candidacy of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, political analysts said on Monday.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old Uganda-born state assembly member, has polled well ahead of his main rival, former New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo, with five weeks to go before Election Day, and persistent attacks by President Donald Trump may only serve to burnish Mamdani’s image with New Yorkers opposed to the president’s policies.

Since he scored a stunning upset in the June primary to become the Democratic Party’s standard bearer in the November 4 general election, Mamdani’s candidacy has been on a roll, winning endorsements from party holdouts such as former Vice President Kamala Harris and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and a steady stream of financial backing from small donors.

Adams confirmed weeks of speculation on Sunday by announcing he was suspending his independent bid for a second term. He had decided against seeking the Democratic nomination in June.

His departure creates what is essentially a two-candidate race between Mamdani and Cuomo, a veteran of New York politics attempting to make a comeback after his 2021 resignation as governor amid sexual harassment allegations. Cuomo is running as an independent after his loss in the June Democratic primary.

Mamdani “is well ahead of Cuomo and something would have to dramatically change the narrative of the race for there to be a shift in the polling to suggest Mamdani could lose, and I don’t see that happening right now,” said Basil Smikle, political analyst and professor at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies.

Mamdani on Monday said he was not interested in commenting on what Adams’ departure meant for his campaign.

“A lot of the focus has been on the question of the impact it may have on Election Day, what it means for the horse race,” he told reporters at a campaign event in uptown Manhattan. “What it loses sight of is that for New Yorkers who are struggling to afford the most expensive city in the United States of America, nothing has changed.”

Before Sunday’s news, a Marist University poll showed Mamdani leading with 45% support, compared with around 24% for Cuomo. Adams, who withdrew too late to remove his name from the ballot, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa trailed with 9% and 17%, respectively.

While no new polls have been conducted since Adams dropped out, a Marist poll released September 16 asked potential voters to consider that possibility. It showed Mamdani would receive the support of 46% of likely voters compared with 30% for Cuomo and 18% for Sliwa. That suggests the benefits to Cuomo from Adams’ departure would help the former governor, but not enough to narrow Mamdani’s lead significantly.

Trump attacks Mamdani again

Adams’ bid for reelection had been plagued from the start. 

Elected during the pandemic, his popularity withered amid a steady drumbeat of corruption allegations involving himself and his associates. He became the first sitting mayor in New York history to be indicted on federal bribery charges.

The mayor pleaded not guilty, but Trump’s Justice Department dropped the case, saying it interfered with the mayor’s ability to support the president’s aggressive deportation agenda. That angered many New Yorkers, who overwhelmingly say they oppose the president’s policies.

On Sunday, Trump welcomed the mayor’s move, saying it gave Cuomo a “much better chance” by concentrating the anti-Mamdani vote.

On Monday, Trump then reacted with another attack on Mamdani. In a social media post, he said Mamdani “needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his FAKE Communist promises. He won’t be getting any of it, so what’s the point of voting for him?”

Christina Greer, a political science professor at Fordham University in New York, says such threats may backfire, giving an unintended boost to Mamdani.

“The president makes miscalculations,” she said. “The more he tries to meddle in this race, the more it highlights the fact that actually we do want this type of representation because there’s such a draconian backlash coming from Washington, DC.”

Mamdani maintained his solid edge on Cuomo in fund-raising over the summer, having collected some $15 million versus $9 million for the former governor on the strength of a record number of small donations, according to the most recent data, which included August disclosures.

To be sure, Cuomo’s campaign could benefit from Adams’ departure if donations pick up again from powerful business interests concerned about Mamdani’s progressive agenda, which focuses on affordability issues at the expense of wealthy New Yorkers.

Before the primary, big donors poured millions of dollars into the pro-Cuomo political action committee Fix the City, which operates independently of direct campaign funding.

“We have seen an uptick in interest from donors and supporters over the past 24 hours and will be working to maximise our resources to ensure that Andrew Cuomo is elected in November,” said a source familiar with the PAC’s planning but unauthorised to speak on the record.

• PM Modi’s govt directed Bishnoi group to target Sikh activist: police.
• Terror designation empowers Canada to confront Indian gang.
• Ottawa terms group transnational criminal operating out of India.

MONTREAL: Canada has declared India’s Bishnoi gang a “terrorist entity,” targeting a group linked to a murder that triggered a breakdown in relations between Ottawa and New Delhi last year.

Canada has accused the notorious syndicate — known for assassinations and extortion in India — of possible involvement in the murder of prominent Sikh activist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver.

Nijjar, who had advocated for a separate Sikh state carved out of India, was shot dead in a parking lot in 2023.

Following the incident, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have alleged that members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government worked with the “Bishnoi Group” to target Sikh activists in Canada.

India furiously rejected those charges, sparking a diplomatic fallout that saw both countries expel top diplomats.

Canada’s Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said terrorism designation gave Ottawa “more powerful and effective tools to confront” the Bishnoi group.

A statement from his office called the Bishnoi gang “a transnational criminal organisation operating primarily out of India, with a presence in Canada, that generates terror through extortion and intimidation”.

The move comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney, who took office in March, seeks to repair ties with India that collapsed under his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.

Carney has courted India as part of an effort to deepen Canada’s trade ties in Asia, which the prime minister says is essential to offset the impact of the trade war with the United States.

Carney met one-on-one with Modi at the Canada-hosted G7 meeting in June, stressing “the significant commercial links between Canada and India.”

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates has announced sweeping changes to its visa rules, introducing new categories aimed at attracting talent and supporting people in need.

A special visa for artificial intelligence (AI) specialists has been launched, alongside a new event visa for those attending festivals, exhibitions, conferences and sporting activities.

Tourists arriving via cruise ships or leisure boats will now be eligible for a multiple-entry maritime visa.

In a major humanitarian move, the UAE will grant one-year residence permits to people fleeing wars or natural disasters – without requiring a sponsor. Widows and divorced women will also be able to obtain residency without sponsorship.

For visit visas, sponsors must meet minimum income thresholds: AED 4,000 for first-degree relatives, AED 8,000 for second or third-degree relatives, and AED 15,000 to sponsor a friend.

Business visas will require proof of financial solvency or ownership of a company abroad, while foreign lorry drivers will be eligible for visas only under the sponsorship of licensed freight or transport companies.

Officials said the reforms are part of the UAE’s wider strategy to attract global talent, enhance technology sectors, and expand its role as a hub for trade, tourism and innovation.