Entertainment
Long-shot socialist and Trump foe: Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York mayor caps an extraordinary rise for the leftist local lawmaker who emerged from relative obscurity to lead a supercharged campaign for the US megacity’s top job.
Since his surprise victory in the Democratic Party primary in June, New Yorkers have become used to seeing his bearded, smiling face on television — and on badges proudly worn by his supporters.
The 34-year-old election winner was born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin and has lived in the United States since he was seven, becoming a naturalized US citizen in 2018.
He is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding,” “Mississippi Masala”) and Mahmood Mamdani, a professor and respected Africa expert — leading some of his detractors to call him a “nepo baby.”
He followed a path paved by other youngsters from elite liberal families, attending the elite Bronx High School of Science followed by Bowdoin College in Maine, a university seen as a bastion of progressive thought.
Under the alias “Young Cardamom,” he ventured into the world of rap in 2015, influenced by hip-hop group “Das Racist,” which had two members of Indian origin who played with references and tropes from the subcontinent.
Mamdani’s attempt to break into the competitive world of professional music did not last, with the performer-turned-politician calling himself a second-rate artist.
He took an interest into politics when he learned that rapper Himanshu Suri, who performed under the alias Heems, was supporting a candidate for city council — and joined that campaign as an activist.
Mamdani went on to become a foreclosure prevention counselor, helping financially struggling homeowners avoid losing their homes.
He was elected in 2018 as a lawmaker from Queens, a melting pot of predominantly poor and migrant communities, representing the area in the New York State Assembly.
‘Disaffected voters’
The self-proclaimed socialist, who has been re-elected three times, put the goal of making the city affordable for everyone who are not wealthy, the majority of its approximately 8.5 million residents, at the heart of his campaign.
He has promised more rent control, free day care and buses, and city-run neighborhood grocery stores.
Mamdani is also a long-standing supporter of the Palestinian cause, although his positions on Israel — which he has called an “apartheid regime” while branding the war in Gaza a “genocide” — have drawn the ire of some in the Jewish community.
In recent months he has made a point of vocally denouncing antisemitism — as well as the Islamophobia he has suffered.
Playing the race card, President Donald Trump, who calls Mamdani a “little communist,” denounced him as a “a proven and self professed JEW HATER” Tuesday as New Yorkers were heading to the polls.
Mamdani is something of an establishment “outsider,” according to Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University.
“He has managed to galvanize support from disaffected voters and others in New York City who are dissatisfied with the status quo and with an establishment that they perceive to be overlooking their needs and policy preferences,” he said.
Mamdani, a keen soccer and cricket fan, recently married US illustrator Rama Duwaji, and put his experience of activism to work in a strategically coordinated canvassing and leaflet campaign that he has paired with an extensive and often humorous use of social media.
“He really is a kind of an hybrid of a great 1970s campaign and a great 2025 campaign,” said Lincoln Mitchell, a Columbia University professor.
Ariana Grande is marking the first anniversary of Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead.
To celebrate one year of the final deluxe reissue of her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, the Wicked star shared unseen footage from the Brighter Days Ahead short film making on social media.
Taking to Instagram on March 28, the 7 Rings hitmaker shared a one-minute and eight-second video, featuring a montage of scenes from the Brighter Days Ahead short film and behind-the-scenes clips.
She captioned it, writing, “happy one year anniversary, brighter days ahead“, expressing gratitude to her fans for their support of the project.
The first anniversary of the deluxe edition served as a final milestone before her return to the stage with The Eternal Sunshine World Tour, scheduled to kick off on June 6 at the Oakland Arena in California.
It will be her first tour in seven years, celebrating both the original Eternal Sunshine and the Brighter Days Ahead expansion.
Released on March 28, 2025, Brighter Days Ahead came exactly one year after the original.
It includes six additional tracks and an accompanying short film that serves as a sequel to her we can’t be friends (wait for your love) music video.
The project is described as the official “conclusion” to the Eternal Sunshine era.
Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are currently struggling through a tough phase as reports about their marriage cause major concerns.
While there are many royal reporters who have claimed that the couple is having a rocky marriage in the wake of the Epstein scandal, other reports have cited close friends that there is no trouble in paradise.
In one of The Mail reports, Edo was reached out where he denied the claims of marital woes. Although that did not do much to settle the discourse surrounding Beatrice’s marriage.
Now, in a new Daily Mail report, it was revealed that the couple are planning to move to the US in a bid to avoid all the drama that has caused them a massive headache. Sources have said that Beatrice is “mortified” and unable to sleep and eat due to the scandal.
Even though there is no wrongdoing associated to their names, her father Andrew and mum Fergie’s involvement with paedophile Jeffery Epstein has cause enough issues.
In a discussion on the Royalist podcast, journalist Paula Froelich believes that it could be a good idea to move to Florida where the couple can stay under radar since many of the people associated with Epstein live there. Hence, they would prefer not to bring it up got their own sake.
Meanwhile, Daily Beast editor Tom Sykes, Beatrice appears to be more “emotionally dependant” on her mother and she is “very British” to adjust in the US.
Kerry Katona has broken her silence over the Dubai row with Katie Price in a bombshell interview on Saturday, confessing she is ‘so over the drama.’
It comes after Kerry and Katie’s 22-year friendship was reportedly strained following the fight between their partners.
The punch-up reportedly occurred when Paolo believed Lee was speaking to Katie in an ‘aggressive manner,’ and he reportedly unfollowed Katie’s new husband.
Now, Kerry has made her clear stance, saying she has no ‘interest in revisiting the alleged fallout. She insisted she is in a ‘good place’ and that Katie can do as she pleases.
Speaking to The Sun, Kerry rolled her eyes as she said: ‘I don’t wanna talk about Kate. I don’t wanna talk about Lee.
‘I’m not interested in this saga. I’m not gonna be pulled in. I’m not gonna give it any oxygen. I’m in a good place. Kate can do what she wants.
‘She’s a grown-a** woman. That’s all I have to say. It’s boring now. I am so over it. Can we have a new drama?’
Last month, it was reported that Kerry had ‘quietly unfollowed’ Lee following their trip to Dubai, which allegedly ended in chaos.
‘Kerry quietly unfollowed Lee a few days ago,’ a source claimed to The Sun.
‘She is still upset about what happened when they were all in Dubai together, and at the end of the day, her loyalties are with Paolo, not Katie and her new man.’
At the time, the source said Kerry is speaking again to Katie but does not want anymore contact with Lee.
It comes after Kerry recently showed off the results of her lymphatic drainage massage, designed to remove waste, excess fluid, and toxins from her body by sharing before and after images.
Kerry’s stomach and torso appeared more defined as lay wrapped in a towel in the photos.
Lymphatic drainage is a specialised massage technique that is performed by a trained professional which stimulates the natural movement of lymph fluid.
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