LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – Germany and Slovenia will be shooting for history with a spot in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 Final on the line in an all-European Semi-Final.
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Who will be crowned U19 World Cup 2025 champions?
Slovenia have reached the top four for the first time ever while Germany’s only previous Semi-Finals appearance dates back to 1987. One of the two teams will lock up their maiden podium finish while the losers will have a second chance in the Third Place Game.
These two teams faced off in their first game of the tournament with Germany winning 75-68 after coming back from 13 points down. Will this boost the Germans’ confidence or fuel Slovenia’s motivation?
Key matchup
Lovro Lapajne vs Hannes Steinbach
Lovro Lapajne will be needed against Germany
Slovenia were ambushed on the glass in the opening game 46-24 with the Germans grabbing 15 offensive rebounds. Hannes Steinbach snatched 7 of his 19 rebounds at the offensive end and he also picked up 19 points.
Slovenia had no answer for the German big man. Lovro Lapajne is one of the few bigs on a Slovenian side altogether lacking size and he will need to someone keep Steinbach as well as German center Eric Reibe in check.
Let us know what you think and vote:
Who will be named FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 TISSOT MVP?
X-factors
There is the revenge factor for Slovenia. Not only revenge for the loss in the group stage but also after Slovenia were beaten 88-68 in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024.
Nearly all of the players from both teams from last summer are back. It’s never easy to beat a team twice in the same competition – not to mention three times in the span of two summers.
Stats don’t lie
Germany rank third in the competition in scoring with 88.2 points per game while Slovenia do not have the offensive firepower with only 78.0 points scored – good for 10th place. That is also because Slovenia connect on only 25.5% three-points – good for 13th. Slovenia also rank second to last in offensive rebounds with 12.2 per game.
Past matchups
Slovenia and Germany have squared off 30 times in FIBA youth events including the matchup on Day 1. The Germans have won 16 of them – including the U18 EuroBasket 2024 Semi-Final, which was the only knockout game between them.
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English amateur Lottie Woad carded a superb six-under 67 to hold a three-shot lead at the halfway stage of the 2025 KPMG Women’s Irish Open, with Charley Hull tied for third four strokes back.
Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini sits in solo second place on eight under after a second-round 71 on the O’Meara Course at Carton House, while Hull is joined by Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley, Sweden’s Madelene Sagström and New Zealand’s Amelia Garvey in a share of third one shot further back.
The 21-year-old Woad, starting her second round on the 10th tee, made her first birdie on the 13th hole before gaining further strokes on the 15th, 17th, first, fifth and seventh.
The world No 1 amateur carded her only bogey of the day at the eighth, but bounced back immediately with a birdie at nine to lead with a score of 11-under-par.
Image: Charley Hull is still firmly in the mix at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, trailing by four strokes in a tie for third
“The wind was pretty strong on the final few holes around seven, eight, nine. It was quite a tough stretch, and I was trying to get in as quickly as possible,” Woad said after her table-topping second round.
“I’m happy with the first two days. I’m playing pretty solidly, and everything is feeling pretty good. It’s definitely a bit different in a professional tournament, but I’ve had a lot of experience.
“I’ve played in a lot of majors, so I know how to deal with it and I’m trying to look at staying in contention and I’ll see where it puts me.”
Adding further English interest on the top page of the leaderboard is Hannah Screen, who sits six under tied for seventh with Alexandra Swayne of the US Virgin Islands.
Image: England’s Mimi Rhodes slipped off the pace a touch on Friday after posting a 75 for her second round
Screen had started the second round in a tie for third alongside Woad and Mimi Rhodes, who returned a disappointing round of 75 to fall behind her compatriots.
England’s Georgia Hall also found the going difficult on Friday, a round of 76 dropping her back to one over par for the week alongside, among others, her Solheim Cup team-mate and Irish star Leona Maguire.
The women’s major season continues next month at the Amundi Evian Championship, live from July 10-13 on Sky Sports Golf, where Ayaka Furue is defending champion. Not got Sky? Stream the PGA Tour and more with no contract.
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Type 5 diabetes is no longer a footnote. On April 9, 2025 the International Diabetes Federation confirmed that chronic undernutrition can seed a very different form of blood‑sugar trouble, giving the condition its own place in the global classification system.
“Malnutrition‑related diabetes has historically been vastly under‑diagnosed and poorly understood,” said Dr. Meredith Hawkins as the vote was announced.
Hawkins is an endocrinologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and founding director of the Global Diabetes Institute (GDI).
Why a fifth type matters
Nearly one in nine adults worldwide now lives with some form of diabetes, and more than 250 million people remain unaware of their status, according to the 11th edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas.
Most public campaigns focus on type 2 diabetes, yet an estimated 20 to 25 million lean adolescents and young adults in Asia and Africa carry the new diagnosis of type 5, a burden comparable in size to HIV infection in the same regions.
Unlike type 2, type 5 takes hold where food is scarce, not plentiful. That reality undercuts a long‑standing public narrative that ties diabetes exclusively to over‑nutrition.
For governments counting every healthcare dollar, a distinct label matters. Budgets follow labels, and without one, entire populations have slipped through screening and treatment programs designed for very different metabolic problems.
“This is about equity, science, and saving lives,” said Professor Peter Schwarz, president of the IDF, summing up the stakes during the Bangkok congress.
Early hunger leaves a lasting mark
Decades of animal work show that a low‑protein diet during gestation or adolescence stunts pancreatic growth and the formation of beta cells, the tiny factories that make insulin.
Human epidemiology echoes that biology, linking low birth weight and recurring childhood malnutrition to impaired glucose control later on.
Researchers now group type 5 under severe insulin‑deficient diabetes, a label that captures the core defect: the pancreas never learned to keep up with sugar loads, even though the rest of the body remains sensitive to insulin.
In South India, investigators tracked adults whose body‑mass index averaged just 18.3 kg/m² yet whose blood sugar routinely soared; birth‑weight records, where available, pointed to under‑nutrition in the womb.
Community nutrition programs are therefore viewed not only as anti‑hunger measures but also as long‑range diabetes prevention.
Public‑health economists note a secondary benefit. Feed a girl properly before and during pregnancy, and her children may avoid the same metabolic trap, breaking an expensive inter‑generational cycle of disease.
State‑of‑the‑art euglycemic clamp studies, published in 2022, confirmed that type 5 patients secrete dramatically less insulin than matched controls while showing normal or even heightened insulin sensitivity.
The same work found little visceral fat and modest liver fat, a stark contrast to type 2 profiles. In practical terms, these young adults do not carry the metabolic baggage that fuels insulin resistance in obesity‑driven diabetes.
Autoantibody screens stay negative, ruling out the immune‑mediated beta‑cell destruction that defines type 1 diabetes.
The numbers therefore line up: glucose levels look dangerous, C‑peptide looks scant, but inflammatory markers typical of autoimmunity are absent.
Because the pancreas is small, many experts suspect that oral drugs that nudge the remaining beta cells may help more than high‑dose insulin injections, a strategy that could lower costs and reduce dangerous hypoglycemia in food‑insecure settings.
Diabetes type causes clinical confusion
“Doctors are still unsure how to treat these patients, who often don’t live for more than a year after diagnosis,” Dr. Hawkins warned.
Younger clinicians, trained on the obesity paradigm, may reach for large insulin doses that push already fragile patients into ulcerating hypoglycemia.
Misclassification also skews surveillance data. When a thin teenager in rural Uganda shows up with elevated glucose but no ketosis, the chart often reads “type 1,” obscuring the true epidemiology and directing precious insulin supplies away from those who need them.
A 2025 commentary in the Bangladesh Journal of Endocrinology emphasized the threat: standard insulin regimens carry “potentially fatal consequences” for type 5 patients who are mis‑typed as type 1, because even small dosing errors provoke sharp glucose crashes.
Simple screening cues can help. A BMI below 19 kg/m² in the absence of autoantibodies should prompt consideration of type 5, especially when the history includes prolonged childhood hunger.
Steps for care of diabetes type 5
Two weeks after the Bangkok vote, the IDF launched a dedicated working group to write diagnostic criteria, compile treatment algorithms, and build an international patient registry by 2027.
The panel, co‑chaired by Hawkins and Dr. Nihal Thomas of Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, will test low‑dose insulin, sulfonylureas, and structured nutrition programs in multi‑site trials. Results could reshape essential‑medicine lists in low‑income countries.
Public‑health agencies are already modeling the economic impact. Analysts predict that shifting even half of misdiagnosed cases from insulin vials to oral drugs could save tens of millions of dollars each year, funds that might be redirected to maternal nutrition.
Advocates also press for the inclusion of pancreas‑focused imaging in major nutrition cohorts. Measuring organ size early could identify high‑risk children before glucose spirals out of control.
“We are taking decisive steps to correct this,” said Schwarz, insisting that momentum will continue. Policies built on that momentum will decide whether type 5 becomes another silent killer or a preventable relic of poverty.
The study is published in Diabetes Care.
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For the first time, an international team of scientists has experimentally simulated spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) at zero temperature using a superconducting quantum processor. This achievement, which was accomplished with over 80% fidelity, represents a milestone for quantum computing and condensed matter physics.
The system began in a classical antiferromagnetic state, in which particles have spins that alternate between one direction and the opposite direction. It then evolved into a ferromagnetic quantum state, in which all particles have spins that point in the same direction and establish quantum correlations.
“The system began with a flip-flop configuration of alternating spins and evolved spontaneously, reconfiguring itself with spins aligned in the same direction. This phase transition is due to symmetry breaking,” summarizes Alan Santos, a physicist currently researching at the Institute of Fundamental Physics of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and co-organizer of the theoretical team involved in the study. At the time the work was developed, Santos was a FAPESP postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Physics of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
The research was conducted by scientists from the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China; Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark; and UFSCar. The results were published in the journal Nature Communications.
“The crucial point was simulating dynamics at zero temperature. There had already been previous studies on this type of transition, but always at temperatures other than zero. What we showed was that, by setting the temperature to zero, it’s possible to observe symmetry breaking even in local particle interactions, between first neighbors,” says Santos.
It is worth remembering that absolute zero cannot be physically achieved because it is equivalent to the total immobility of a material system. The researchers simulated what would happen to the system at zero temperature through quantum computing. The experiment used a quantum circuit of seven qubits arranged in a configuration that allows interactions only between immediate neighbors. They applied an algorithm to simulate adiabatic evolution at zero temperature. “We designed the circuit, and the experimenters in China implemented it physically,” says Santos.
The phase transition was identified using correlation functions and Rényi entropy, which revealed the formation of ordered patterns and quantum entanglement. Entanglement is one of the most important and distinctive properties of quantum mechanics. It refers to a situation in which two sets of particles are correlated such that the state of one particle instantly determines the state of another, even if they are separated by large distances. Introduced by Hungarian mathematician Alfréd Rényi (1921-1970) in the 1960s, Rényi entropy is used to quantify the degree of entanglement and its distribution among parts of a quantum system. It allows us to measure the degree to which the subsystems are entangled.
Santos points out that entanglement and superposition are two central features of quantum computing: “Superposition allows a system to exist in multiple states simultaneously, called quantum parallelism. Entanglement is a type of correlation that cannot be reproduced on classical computers. To give you an intuitive idea, imagine you have a bunch of keys and need to find out which one opens the lock. A classical computer tests the keys one by one. A quantum computer, on the other hand, can test several of them at the same time, which speeds up processing,” compares Santos.
In practical terms, the difference between a classical computer and a quantum computer comes down to performance. Both can solve the same mathematically formulable problems in theory. The question is how long it takes them to do so. Some calculations, such as factoring huge numbers into two prime numbers, would take classical computers millions of years but can be performed much faster on quantum computers.
It would be counterintuitive to use a classical computer to simulate quantum systems. Sometimes it is an impossible task. The study in question showed that it is possible to use quantum computing resources for such simulations. The experiment was conducted at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen. Shenzhen is currently one of the most advanced scientific, technological, and industrial hubs on the planet. Selected in 1980 as China’s first “special economic zone,” the city has evolved from a fishing village of about 30,000 people into a metropolis of over 17 million. It is home to giant companies that lead the global market.
The implementation used superconducting qubits based on aluminum and niobium alloys that operate at temperatures around one millikelvin. “The advantage of superconducting qubits is their scalability. It’s technically possible to build chips with hundreds of them,” says Santos.
The concept of symmetry breaking is present in all areas of physics. All of physics is structured around symmetries and their breaking. “Symmetry gives us the laws of conservation. Symmetry breaking allows complex structures to emerge,” summarizes Santos.
Impact craters exist on every continent on Earth. While many have eroded away or been buried by geologic activity, some remain visible from the ground and from above. This week, we revisit stories featuring some of our most captivating satellite images of impact sites around the planet. The images and text on this page were excerpted from content originally published on April 22, 2024.
In the Kutch district of northwest India, a vast desert where salt is harvested in colorful rectangular ponds stretches to the Arabian Sea. In a neighboring grassland, a less conspicuous circular feature has attracted curiosity in recent decades. Scientists in India had suspected, but not confirmed, that an object from outer space made this mark on the landscape. Now, a geochemical analysis of the structure has revealed it contains the characteristic signatures of a meteorite impact.
Impact craters on our planet are a relative rarity; fewer than 200 structures from around the world are confirmed in the Earth Impact Database. The number of craters is so modest in part because many of the meteorites that survive the trip through Earth’s atmosphere ultimately splash down into water. Of the meteorites that do fall on land, evidence of their impact may be erased by forces such as wind, water, and plate tectonics.
The footprint of the newly studied Luna impact crater—named for its proximity to a village of the same name—is visible in this image, acquired by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the Landsat 8 satellite on February 24, 2024. The crater measures approximately 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) across, and its outer rim rises about 6 meters (20 feet) above the crater floor.
The Luna structure is situated in India’s Gujarat state in a grassland called the Banni Plains. The Great Rann of Kutch, an expansive white salt desert, lies just to the north. Parts of these low-lying areas are submerged for much of the year, and the Luna crater often contains water. Researchers took advantage of a dry period in May 2022 to collect samples from throughout the structure.
In the rocks and sediments, scientists detected several minerals that are uncommon in natural settings on Earth. These rare minerals form under the extremely high temperatures and pressures generated when a meteorite hits the ground. The researchers also measured anomalously high concentrations of the rare element iridium, consistent with findings at other impact craters.
Based on the radiocarbon dating of plant remnants contained in silt at the site, the team determined the impact occurred about 6,900 years ago. The crater is near the remains of an ancient Harappan settlement, but it is uncertain whether the impact predates the arrival of humans.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.
A new study has found that leprosy was circulating in Chile some 4,000 years ago, meaning the disease arrived in the Americas much earlier than previously thought.
That’s based on an analysis of ancient bones and teeth by researchers from institutions in Germany, Argentina, and Chile, and it challenges the conventional wisdom that leprosy was a disease introduced by European settlers from the 16th century onwards.
Through a comprehensive study of DNA fragments found in two human skeletons, the researchers were able to match the genetic material to the Mycobacterium lepromatosis pathogen – the less common of two bacteria known to cause leprosy.
“We were initially suspicious, since leprosy is regarded as a colonial-era disease, but more careful evaluation of the DNA revealed the pathogen to be of the lepromatosis form,” says anthropologist Darío Ramirez, from the National University of Córdoba in Argentina.
Related: Experts Warn Leprosy Isn’t Ancient History as Cases Surge in The US
Scientists are still learning about M. lepromatosis, which has only recently been identified. Another bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae, is the dominant strain behind leprosy, and its history and spread has been more clearly mapped to date.
While there’s a scarcity of samples in the Americas, M. leprae has been tracked back for thousands of years across Eurasia, which is part of the reason why researchers have long thought it traveled from Europe across the Atlantic.
The researchers found tiny traces of bacteria in human remains. (José Castelleti-Dellepiane/Anna Brizuela)
Another recent study found traces of M. lepromatosis in remains from Canada and Argentina, stretching back at least a thousand years – again before European settlers showed up. This new find, pushing its arrival back millennia earlier, adds further evidence that we need to rethink the history of leprosy.
“Ancient DNA has become a great tool that allows us to dig deeper into diseases that have had a long history in the Americas,” says anthropologist Kirsten Bos, from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany.
“The advanced techniques now used to study ancient pathogen DNA allows us to look beyond the suspects and into other diseases that might not be expected from the context.”
Trying to pick apart this history of disease isn’t easy. Indigenous American peoples would certainly have had afflictions of their own, but they would have also been hit hard by infections imported by colonists – infections their bodies were poorly prepared for.
The researchers are confident that there’s more to the story, in terms of both modern and ancient forms of the disease – especially in regards to M. lepromatosis. Each archaeological dig and clinical test gives experts more genomes to work with, which then further helps our understanding of disease history, spread, and diversification.
Part of the skill needed by researchers is knowing what to look for, which is highlighted by this study – previous work in this area may have missed ancient markers of leprosy, simply because no one thought to look for it.
“This disease was present in Chile as early as 4,000 years ago, and now that we know it was there, we can specifically look for it in other contexts,” says anthropologist Rodrigo Nores, from the National University of Córdoba.
The research has been published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
From office flirtation to bestselling romance novel, the journey of author Patricia Dlamini captures the imagination of readers and aspiring writers alike. Her latest book, ‘The Competitor’s Kiss: When Rivalry Turns to Romance, Who Really Wins?,’ takes inspiration from her own experiences in the corporate world, intertwining personal anecdotes with imaginative storytelling to create a captivating narrative that resonates with many.
CAPE TOWN, ZA / ACCESS Newswire / July 4, 2025 / The story follows two colleagues who develop a romantic relationship amidst the challenges of office politics and career aspirations. As the protagonists navigate their feelings and professional lives, readers are treated to an engaging exploration of love, ambition, and the complexities of workplace dynamics. Dlamini’s ability to blend humor with heartfelt moments allows the narrative to stand out in a crowded genre.
Amazon.com: The Competitor’s Kiss: When Rivalry Turns to Romance, Who Really Wins? Checkout Book Availability On Amazon.com
Dlamini’s background in marketing and her experiences in various corporate environments provided a rich foundation for her writing. The author draws on real-life scenarios to craft relatable characters and situations, making the themes of her book accessible to a wide audience. Readers will find themselves immersed in the ups and downs of office romance, reflecting on their own experiences as they turn the pages.
Prior to the release of ‘The Competitor’s Kiss: When Rivalry Turns to Romance, Who Really Wins?,’ Dlamini self-published several short stories online, gaining a dedicated following through her relatable writing style and authentic voice. The success of these stories paved the way for her transition to a full-length novel, showcasing her growth as an author and her commitment to storytelling. Her journey from a corporate employee to a bestselling author serves as an inspiration for many who dream of writing and publishing their own work.
The launch of ‘The Competitor’s Kiss: When Rivalry Turns to Romance, Who Really Wins?’ marks a significant milestone in Dlamini’s career, with pre-orders already exceeding expectations. The book has garnered interest from both readers and publishers, leading to discussions about potential adaptations for visual media. Dlamini aims to reach an even broader audience, sharing her insights on love and relationships in the modern workplace.
In conjunction with the book launch, Dlamini will engage with her readers through various platforms, including virtual book signings, social media discussions, and writing workshops. These events aim to foster a sense of community among readers and aspiring writers, providing a space for sharing experiences and insights about writing and love in the workplace.
‘The Competitor’s Kiss: When Rivalry Turns to Romance, Who Really Wins?’ is set to be released on July 15, 2025, and promises to offer an engaging read for those who appreciate romance intertwined with relatable workplace scenarios. As Dlamini continues to develop her craft, her debut novel stands as a testament to her journey and the power of storytelling.
Ariana Madix’s glam team shares what it takes to get her ready to host season 7 of Love Island USA
Madix’s hairstylist Carl Bembridge brought 70 pounds of hair to Fiji for shooting
The host’s makeup artist and stylist share the inspiration behind her versatile and sexy looks
Ariana Madix’s fashion and beauty moments on Love Island USA deserve a show of their own.
On the current seventh season of the popular reality dating show, Madix, 40, seriously stepped up her game for her second round as host. Her looks have been more wide-ranging than ever, shocking fans with jaw-dropping hair color transformations and super-sexy ensembles.
Hairstylist Carl Bembridge tells PEOPLE that he knew Madix would be a “chameleon” this season.
“The main goal was to make it completely different from last year. Every episode had to feel fresh,” he says of preparing for filming the series in Fiji.
“We injected a bit of edge, some ‘90s references, girly vibes, high-fashion moments and sexy looks,” Bembridge explains. “One thing I’ve noticed is that we’ve played with a lot more curly and wavy hairstyles this time around, especially that mermaid texture. I actually told Ariana, ‘This is giving Splash, [the 1984 film] with Daryl Hannah,’ so I nicknamed her Mer-Madix.”
In order to achieve the roster of looks he’d dreamed up, the hairstylist packed accordingly. “I brought three suitcases and one of them was completely full of hairpieces: wigs, clip-ins, bangs, different lengths, different shades,” he shares. “So in total, around 70 pounds of hair came with me. My girls have to have options!”
Ariana Madix.
Carl Bembridge Celebrity Hair/Instagram
Aside from Madix’s beachy, mermaid-inspired waves, the star has rocked a dramatic brunette wig, a Rapunzel-like braid and piece-y bangs — and the season is not over yet.
For makeup artist Krystal Dawn, her creations are a collaborative effort between other members of the glam team and Madix herself.
“Most of it came together on the day,” Dawn tells PEOPLE. “We’d see what [Ariana] was wearing, chat about what vibe she felt like. Sometimes she’d have inspo pics, and then we’d match it up with the hair look, too. If her hair was pulled back, we might do a winged eye; if she had a fringe, we’d keep it fresh and focus more on blush and lips.”
Ariana Madix.
Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty
When it comes to preserving Madix’s makeup in the scorching island heat, Dawn says good skin prep and a solid base are crucial.
“I’ve been using the Milk Hydro Grip Primer, sometimes the original and sometimes the illuminating one for extra glow. For foundation, NARS and Haus Labs have been real heroes — they hold up way better on Ariana’s skin than what we used last year. Huda Beauty’s new setting spray is a game-changer too.”
Surprisingly, Dawn doesn’t use a lot of powder to combat sweat and shine.
“We don’t like her skin to look overly matte or cakey, so I keep powder really minimal,” she explains. “Just a light dusting near the end, and then a final mist of setting spray right before she goes on. There’s no heavy baking. Once she’s out there for hours, you sometimes just have to trust the prep — so far, so good!”
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Ariana Madix.
Ben Symons/Peacock
Because stylist Emily Men isn’t on set with Madix in Fiji, she has to be bit more meticulous about her planning (she says she sent the host off with three checked suitcases full of clothes!).
“We have a big fitting in the week before she leaves to try everything on and decide what we like and don’t like,” she explains. “Then, I accessorize everything and pair each outfit with jewelry, shoes, undergarments — all the things! I try to consider every detail and angle for each outfit, even down to her nails.” The stylist has been loving press-ons for their versatility, and so she can switch Madix’s nails with every look.
Men adds that she personally tailors all of Madix’s clothes and ensures everything fits perfectly at a second fitting before she leaves for filming. “If any last-minute adjustments need to be made, we are so lucky to have the on-set wardrobe team of Kim Hurwitz, Emily Abbey and Karissa Loveday, who are amazing and able to sort out any last-minute issues! “
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While she and Madix always prepare mood boards based on what’s inspiring them, Men says that confidence is always an underlying theme.
“Ariana and I work so well together because she is open to trying anything and everything,” says the stylist. “She is so comfortable in her own skin that she can effortlessly pull off so many different looks, and that confidence really shines through.”
“Also, you have to give a lot of credit to her amazing glam team, Carl Bembridge and Krystal Dawn — we all work together on these looks and make sure each component complements the others!”
If he wins the general election in November, Zohran Mamdani could become New York City’s first South Asian mayor and the first of Indian origin.
But the same identity that makes him a trailblazer in United States politics has also exposed him to public outcry in India and within its diaspora.
Ever since Mamdani achieved a thumping win in the Democratic mayoral primary on June 24, his campaign has weathered a flood of vitriol – some of it coming from the Hindu right.
Experts say the attacks are a reflection of the tensions that have arisen between supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and critics of the human rights abuses under his leadership, particularly against religious minorities.
A number of those attacks have fixated on Mamdani’s religion: The 33-year-old is Muslim. Some commenters have accused the mayoral hopeful of being a “jihadi” and “Islamist”. Others have called him anti-Hindu and anti-India.
Kayla Bassett, the director of research at the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), a Washington-based think tank, believes the attacks against Mamdani are a vehicle to attack the Muslim community more broadly.
“This isn’t just about one individual,” she said. “It’s about promoting a narrative that casts Muslims as inherently suspect or un-American.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced criticism for the treatment of religious minorities in India [Jermaine Cruickshank/AP Photo]
Backlash from Modi’s party
That narrative could potentially have consequences for Mamdani’s campaign, as he works to increase his support among New York voters.
Mamdani will face competition in November from more established names in politics. He is expected to face incumbent mayor Eric Adams in the final vote. His rival in the Democratic primary, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, has also not yet ruled out an independent run.
The mayoral hopeful has vocally denounced human rights abuses, including in places like Gaza and India.
That unabashed stance has not only earned him criticism from his rival candidates but also from overseas.
Members of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for example, have been among the voices slamming Mamdani’s remarks and questioning his fitness for the mayor’s seat.
BJP Member of Parliament Kangana Ranaut posted on social media, for example, that Mamdani “sounds more Pakistani than Indian”.
“Whatever happened to his Hindu identity or bloodline,” she asked, pointing to the Hindu roots of his mother, director Mira Nair. “Now he is ready to wipe out Hinduism.”
Soon after Mamdani’s primary win, a prominent pro-BJP news channel in India, Aaj Tak, also aired a segment claiming that he had received funding from organisations that promote an “anti-India” agenda.
It also warned of a growing Muslim population in New York City, an assertion it coupled with footage of women wearing hijabs.
But some of the backlash has come from sources closer to home.
A New Jersey-based group named Indian Americans for Cuomo spent $3,570 for a plane to fly a banner over New York City with the message: “Save NYC from Global Intifada. Reject Mamdani.”
Mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo, Michael Blake, Zohran Mamdani and Whitney Tilson participate in a Democratic mayoral primary debate on June 4 in New York [Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo]
A critic of human rights abuses
Much of the pushback can be linked to Mamdani’s vocal criticism of Hindu nationalism and Modi in particular.
In 2020, Mamdani participated in a Times Square demonstration against a temple built on the site of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya that was destroyed by Hindu extremists in 1992. He called out the BJP’s participation in and normalisation of that violence.
“I am here today to protest against the BJP government in India and the demolition of the Babri masjid,” he said.
Then, in 2023, Mamdani read aloud notes from an imprisoned Indian activist ahead of Modi’s visit to New York City.
That activist, Umar Khalid, has been imprisoned since 2020 without trial on terrorism charges after making speeches criticising Modi’s government.
More recently, during a town hall for mayoral candidates in May, Mamdani was asked if he would meet with Modi if the prime minister were to visit the city again. Mamdani said he wouldn’t.
“This is a war criminal,” he replied.
Mamdani pointed to Modi’s leadership in the Indian state of Gujarat during a period of religious riots in 2002. Modi has been criticised for turning a blind eye to the violence, which killed more than a thousand people, many of them Muslim.
In the aftermath, Modi was denied a US visa for “severe violations of religious freedom”.
“Narendra Modi helped to orchestrate what was a mass slaughter of Muslims in Gujarat, to the extent that we don’t even believe that there are Gujarati Muslims any more,” Mamdani told the town hall. “When I tell someone that I am, it’s a shock to them that that’s even the case.”
Protesters in 2014 gather to mark the anniversary of the violence in the Indian state of Gujarat [File: Ajit Solanki/AP Photo]
Barriers of class and religion
It’s that “fearless” and consistent criticism of Modi that has made Mamdani the target of outrage from the Hindu right, according to Rohit Chopra, a communications professor at Santa Clara University.
“Among the Hindu right, there is a project of the political management of the memory of 2002. There’s this silence around Modi being denied a visa to enter the US,” said Chopra.
The professor also said class fragmentation among Hindu Americans may also fuel scepticism towards Mamdani.
Hindu Americans are a relatively privileged minority in terms of socioeconomic status: The Pew Research Center estimates that 44 percent Asian American Hindus enjoy a family income of more than $150,000, and six in 10 have obtained postgraduate degrees.
That relative prosperity, Chopra said, can translate into social barriers.
“They don’t necessarily even identify with other Hindu Americans who may come from very different kinds of class backgrounds – people who might be working as cab drivers, or dishwashers, or other blue-collar jobs,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Suchitra Vijayan, a New York City-based writer and the founder of the digital magazine Polis Project, has noticed that many lines of attack against Mamdani centre on his identity.
“Mamdani is an elected leader who is unabashedly Muslim,” she said.
She pointed out that other Muslim politicians, including US Congress members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, have sparked similar backlash for reproaching Modi over the Gujarat violence.
But Mamdani’s family ties to the region make the scrutiny all the more intense.
“In Mamdani’s case, he’s Muslim, he’s African, but also his father is of Gujarati descent and has openly spoken about the pogrom in Gujarat,” Vijayan said.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani waves to supporters at an event on July 2 [David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Reuters]
A ‘seismic’ victory
Despite the online backlash, experts and local organisers believe Mamdani’s campaign can mobilise Indian American voters and other members of the South Asian diaspora who traditionally lean Democratic.
The Pew Research Center estimates that there are 710,000 Indians and Indian Americans living in the New York City area, the most of any metropolitan centre in the US.
Preliminary results from June’s mayoral primary show that Mamdani scored big in neighbourhoods with strong Asian populations, like Little Bangladesh, Jackson Heights and Parkchester.
A final tally of the ranked-choice ballots was released earlier this week, on July 1, showing Mamdani trounced his closest rival, Cuomo, 56 percent to 44.
“I’ve heard his win described as ‘seismic’,” said Arvind Rajagopal, a professor of media studies at New York University. “He can speak not only Spanish but Hindi, Urdu, and passable Bangla. A candidate with this level of depth and breadth is rare in recent times.”
Rajagopal added that Mamdani’s decision to own his Muslim identity became an asset for him on the campaign trail, particularly in the current political climate.
With President Donald Trump in office for a second term, many voters are bracing for the anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies that accompanied his first four years in the White House.
Back then, Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States”, saying they represented an “influx of hatred” and “danger”.
“The moment of Trump is something that Mamdani answers perfectly,” Rajagopal said. He called Mamdani’s success “a big reality check for the Hindu right”.
Whatever backlash Mamdani is facing from Hindu groups, Jagpreet Singh is sceptical about its influence over New York City.
“I can assure you – it’s not coming from within the city,” said Singh, the political director of DRUM Beats, a sister organisation to the social justice organisation Desis Rising Up and Moving.
That group was among the first in the city to endorse Mamdani’s candidacy for mayor.
Since early in his campaign, Singh pointed out that Mamdani has reached out to Hindu working-class communities “in an authentic way”.
This included visiting the Durga Temple and Nepalese Cultural Center in Ridgewood and speaking at events in the Guyanese and Trinidadian Hindu communities, Singh pointed out. During his time as a state assembly member, Mamdani also pushed for legislation that would recognise Diwali – the Hindu festival of lights – as a state holiday.
At a Diwali celebration last year, Singh said Mamdani “took part in lighting of the diyas, spoke on stage, and talked about his mother’s background as being somebody who is of Hindu faith”.
To Singh, the message was clear. South Asian groups in New York City, including Hindu Americans, “have adopted him as their own”.
