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From Our Own Correspondent

Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Party fightback

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.41.3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 November 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kate Adie presents stories from the USA, Jamaica, Uganda, Kazakhstan and Germany.

Zohran Mamdani won New York City's race for mayor in a contest that rallied young voters and sparked debate about the future direction of the US Democratic Party. BBC North America editor Sarah Smith considers the political choices and challenges ahead.

The world watched last week as Hurricane Melissa slowly crashed into Jamaica, causing extensive damage across the island – and killing at least 75 people across the region. Nada Tawfik witnessed the damage caused on Jamaica’s West coast.

The glaciers in Uganda's Rwenzori mountains sustain unique ecosystems, but are rapidly reaching the point of no return as they continue to shrink. Hugh Kinsella Cunningham joined local community groups trying to mitigate the effects of climate changes in the region's foothills.

Kazakhstan's economy is very much on the up, as it forges closer ties with China. Tim Hartley recently returned to the country after a hiatus of some two decades – as he followed the Wales football team, which was playing there - and saw up-close how the country has changed.

The Berlin Wall became a concrete manifestation of the Cold War division between East and West – but it was by no means the only barrier built during this era. John Kampfner travelled to a small village in south Germany that was once divided by a wall of its own, which radically changed the lives of locals living there.

Producer: Serena Tarling Production coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello. Today we head to Jamaica's West Coast to see the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

0:12.1

In the mountains of Uganda, we go tree planting with locals trying to combat the effects of the region's shrinking glaciers.

0:20.2

Kazakhstan is experiencing an economic boom,

0:23.9

wherein the capital dubbed a mini-dubigh,

0:26.6

with its shiny array of skyscrapers.

0:29.6

And in Germany, it's 36 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall,

0:34.3

but it wasn't the only wall that fell.

0:37.1

We see how the Cold War once divided a small

0:39.9

village community. But first, Suran Mandani swept victory this week as the first Muslim and

0:46.9

South Asian mayor of New York, and the city's youngest in more than a century. The 34-year-old was quick

0:53.9

to tell his most vocal critic,

0:56.0

President Donald Trump, to turn the volume up as the Democratic Party celebrated two other wins

1:02.6

in New Jersey and Virginia. The question now is whether the party can carry the momentum

1:08.5

of these wins over to the national stage.

1:11.8

Our North America editor Sarah Smith has been following the democratic fight back.

1:17.1

It is almost impossible to define what makes a truly gifted politician, but you certainly

1:22.0

know it when you see it in action. When you encounter someone who has an almost unique ability

1:26.7

to connect with voters in a way that feels genuine and authentic, while delivering a clear, simple, yet also inspirational message.

1:34.5

And you can see it in the intense devotion of their supporters.

1:39.1

That's what was on display in New York City on Tuesday night, as fans of Zoran Mamdami crammed into bars and venues across the

1:45.5

five boroughs to watch the election results come in and to celebrate his win. There were

1:50.0

queues around the block to get into the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden and Queens, far more people

...

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