BBC News Briefing

4 November, 2025

Jules has short black hair and brown eyes. He has a beard and is wearing glasses and a white shirt.

Jules Darmanin

Hello. Today we're taking a look at the New York City mayoral race, as US President Donald Trump makes his feelings on the candidates clear. We also learn more about the warlord who controls half of Sudan, and get the latest on a deadly avalanche in Nepal. Finally, see why a football mascot in England was rebuked for being "erratic".

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Trump endorses Cuomo against Mamdani in NYC mayoral race

Dual image showing portraits of Zohran Mamdani and Donald Trump.

Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary and is leading in the polls for the race to lead Trump's hometown. Credit: Getty Images

President Trump has backed Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayor's race, while threatening to cut federal funding to the city if Zohran Mamdani, the left-wing front-runner who beat Cuomo in the Democratic primary, wins the election on Tuesday night. "Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not ... You must vote for him," Trump said in an online post on Monday evening. Cuomo, a long-time Trump critic who is running as an independent after his primary loss, rejected the backing. "He's not endorsing me. He's opposing Mamdani," he said. Trump accused the 34-year-old newcomer, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, of being a "communist".

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Watch: Mamdani, Cuomo, or the Republican Curtis Sliwa? New Yorkers speak to the BBC about their choice for the city.

The context: The mayoral campaign has touched on rent freezes, policing, and Gaza. Find out more.

The other races: Trump's shadow looms large over elections across the US, including gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia.

WORLD HEADLINES

A man is holding a sheet of paper showing a life-size doll representing a small child holding a teddy bear, during a protest.

Shein bans sex dolls after outrage at childlike figures

The French consumer watchdog accused the retail giant of selling "sex dolls with a childlike appearance" on its website.

Read the story >

Two Italian police officers are standing in front of a partially collapsed medieval tower.

Worker dies in Rome after medieval tower collapse

Octav Stroici, 66, was freed 12 hours after the Torre dei Conti partially collapsed. His heart stopped on the way to the hospital.

Read more >

A barren landscape made of an icy plateau behind the frozen sea.

The mystery behind an Antarctic glacier retreat

The Hektoria glacier retreated about 25km (16 miles) between 2022 and 2023, but scientists are still arguing about why.

More on the debate >

Seven climbers dead after Nepal avalanche

Seven people, including two Nepali guides and five foreigners, have died on a Himalayan peak in north-eastern Nepal.

Read the story >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Budget: Chancellor Rachel Reeves refused to rule out tax rises during a press conference ahead of her upcoming Budget. Here's the latest.

Train stabbings: Police investigate whether a man accused of stabbing 10 people on Saturday is linked to an attack on a teenage boy.

Choking pornography: The government plans to criminalise strangulation or suffocation scenes in online pornography.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

The warlord controlling half of Sudan

RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in a tan and golden military uniform and wearing a baseball-style cap and sunglasses. Two people behind him are wearing flatcaps.

Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, known as "Hemedti", stems from a humble camel-herding community. Credit: Getty Images

Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, known as "Hemedti", has emerged as a dominant figure on Sudan's political stage. Leading the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, he is feared and loathed by his adversaries and admired by his followers for tenacity and ruthlessness. Africa analyst Alex de Waal explores what we know about the man who now controls half of Sudan.