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New York City – For Zohran Mamdani, it starts and ends in Astoria, the Queens neighbourhood he has represented as a state assemblyman for five years, and where he made his first public address following a shock victory in the June Democratic primary for mayor.

On Monday, the 34-year-old made his final appearance before Tuesday’s election day, standing at a playground at dusk, with children laughing in the background.

His message to his army of volunteers, which the campaign has said is made up of more than 100,000: “Leave everything out there on the field”.

“These are the hands that have brought us to this point of making history in this city”, he said, “making history to show that when you focus and fight for working people, you can, in fact, remake the politics of the place that you call home”.

While US President Donald Trump may have gained from deep disquiet over an affordability crisis in the country to win the 2024 presidential vote, Mamdani has argued that it is he and his mayoral campaign that can actually address those challenges in the biggest city of the United States.

Indeed, Trump loomed large on Monday as Mamdani stood before a cadre of cheering canvassers, some clad in the campaign’s ubiquitous yellow beanies, and an equally large horde of local, national and international media.

Just hours earlier, the US president had explicitly endorsed former Governor Andrew Cuomo, saying New Yorkers must choose the “bad democrat” over the “communist”, a false label he has repeatedly applied to democratic socialist Mamdani.

Soon after, billionaire Elon Musk also threw his support behind Cuomo, a Democrat who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic Party’s primary.

The most recent polls showed Mamdani maintaining a commanding, if shrinking, lead over Cuomo. The late endorsements for the former governor, who has explicitly called on conservatives to jump ship from Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and support him instead, could also further destabilise an already volatile race.

Still, Mamdani’s supporters on Monday said they hoped their candidate’s speech will be a coda on a campaign that has been widely considered as a rebuke to the entrenched, donor-dominated Democratic establishment that Cuomo is seen to represent.

“I feel amazing right now,” said Tasnuva Khan, who was among the canvassers on Monday, adding that the race had revealed both the power of Muslim voters and the city’s fast-growing Bangladeshi community.

Mamdani would be the first Muslim, first person of South Asian descent, and the first person born in Africa to lead the city, if he wins.

“But I’m trying to stay balanced. What wins elections are votes. As long as we kind of stay focused and reach out to our community members, keep canvassing, knocking on doors, then I think we can definitely deliver,” she told Al Jazeera.

But Shabnam Salehezadehi, a dentist from Long Island City, Queens, and a Mamdani supporter, said she feared the mayoral candidate’s real challenges would begin after the election.

Winning is just the bare minimum, she noted, but for Mamdani to enact many of his sweeping pledges – free buses, universal childcare, rent freezes for a large portion of city apartments, paid for by increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthy – he must win buy-in from a coalition of both state and city lawmakers.

“I’m really anxious – not so much whether he’ll win or not,” said Salehezadehi, who added she was first drawn to Mamdani for his staunch support of Palestinian rights, a break from the traditional Democratic mainstream.

“I just really hope we have the mandate to show that Zohran Mamdani is the candidate the city vehemently voted for,” she said.

Election day looms

Cuomo also spent the final day of the race cutting across the city, visiting the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn.

In the Fordham neighbourhood of the Bronx, a community representative of some of the minority-dominated working-class areas Cuomo carried in the primary, the former governor stood on a park bench overlooking nearby street vendors.

He decried the “socialist city” New York would become if Mamdani were to win.

“Socialism did not work in Venezuela. Socialism did not work in Cuba. Socialism will not work in New York City,” he said, in what has become a mantra in the final days of the race.

At a subsequent stop in Washington Heights, Manhattan, he replied to a question about the nod from Trump, which comes as Cuomo has already faced scrutiny for sharing many of the same billionaire donors as the Republican president.

“He called me a bad Democrat. First of all, I happen to be a good Democrat and a proud Democrat, and I’m going to stay a proud Democrat. Mamdani is not a communist,” Cuomo said. “He’s a socialist. But we don’t need a socialist mayor either.”

But for Gwendolyn Paige, a 69-year-old special educator from the Bronx, the “socialist label” is not what’s deterring her from voting for Mamdani.

Instead, she pointed to the Cuomo legacy. Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, had also served as governor of the state. The younger Cuomo left his post in 2021 amid sexual misconduct allegations.

“Cuomo is the only person who will stand up to the Trump administration,” Paige told Al Jazeera from the Fordham neighbourhood, even as she dismissed Trump’s endorsement.

“Listen, tomorrow, Trump will say something else,” she said. “So, I don’t put much stock in it”.

At least 735,000 voters have already cast their ballots in early voting, just a portion of the 4.7 million registered voters in the city.

Polls will be open from 6am to 9pm on Tuesday (11:00 GMT, Tuesday to 02:00 GMT, Wednesday), with a winner expected to emerge in the hours after. The victor will take office in January.

With just hours until election day, some votes are still up for grabs.

Lisa Gonzalez, a retired Army veteran, pointed to dire times for low-income residents of the US, including restrictions on food assistance benefits (SNAP) included in a bill passed by Trump and Republicans earlier this year.

Trump has further threatened to cut federal funding for New York City and deploy the National Guard if Mamdani is elected.

“I’m still deciding. The stakes feel really high,” she said. “So I’m just gonna be very careful tomorrow when I vote”.

India take all the way by Sri Lanka in final Super Fours match before Sunday’s Asia Cup final against Pakistan.

Defending champions India survived Pathum Nissanka’s blistering hundred and some intense Super Over drama before beating Sri Lanka in a dead rubber to maintain their unbeaten run in the Asia Cup on Friday.

With India having already secured their place in Sunday’s final against Pakistan and Sri Lanka eliminated, the Super Fours clash was of merely academic interest, but it turned out to be the most exciting game of this year’s tournament.

Sri Lanka gave a good account of themselves and matched India’s 202-5 to force the Super Over after Nissanka (107) smashed the first individual hundred of this year’s tournament.

Sri Lanka, however, managed only two runs in the Super Over before losing both the wickets in five deliveries from Arshdeep Singh.

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav took three runs from the first delivery from Wanindu Hasaranga to seal their victory matter-of-factly.

Earlier, put into bat, 20-overs world champions India racked up the tournament’s first 200-plus total riding opener Abhishek Sharma’s third consecutive fifty in the tournament.

Abhishek, the world’s top-ranked T20 batter, maintained his red-hot form with a sizzling 61 off 31 balls.

Opening partner Shubman Gill fell for four,

and skipper Suryakumar’s (12) slump in form continued, but India did not really suffer as Abhishek raced to a 22-ball fifty.

Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka removed Abhishek, but Tilak Varma, who made 49 not out, and Sanju Samson (39) maintained the pressure on the Sri Lankan bowlers.

In their chase, Sri Lanka lost Kusal Mendis for a duck in the first over, but cruised to 72-1 after the six powerplay overs.

India rested pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, while Hardik Pandya bowled just one over before leaving the field.

Nissanka needed 25 balls to bring up his fifty, and Kusal Perera (58) could not be denied his half-century either.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy broke the 127-run stand when he dismissed Perera.

Nissanka raced to a 52-ball hundred, but fell in the first ball of the last over, which ended with Sri Lanka also on 202-5, forcing the Super Over.

The BBC is set to release a brand-new drama called The Guest, which follows the complex and dangerous friendship between two women.

At the end of last year, the BBC revealed a brand-new drama was in the pipeline called The Guest.

Now, the wait is nearly finished as the four-part series is scheduled to launch on September 1, with another BBC drama in the works to drop next year.

The programme centres on two women, a thriving business owner, Fran (portrayed by Eve Myles), and a woman she hires as her cleaner, Ria (Gabrielle Creevy).

As Ria rapidly develops an unlikely bond with Fran, she becomes captivated by her self-assurance and poise.

Yet, when an unforeseen incident takes a dramatic twist, their lives become entangled through perilous schemes and mutual secrets, reports Wales Online.

A synopsis hints: “What follows is a compelling and manipulative game of cat and mouse. But just who is playing who?”

Prior to the series launch, Reach Plc chatted to Eve and Gabrielle about their roles in the programme and why they think audiences are drawn to intense female bonds.

Eve, 47, remarked: “Because it’s complex, it’s not easy, it’s not actually an easy thing to talk about or to try and describe or explain, it’s about something very, very intoxicating. It’s about two women sharing something very important.

“Like myself and Gabby, Fran and Ria are also incredibly vulnerable, never mind the strengths you see from both of them, they both have great strengths, but they both have great weaknesses.”

Eve detailed the unlikely bond between Fran and Ria, explaining that their contrasting backgrounds add a layer of intrigue and mystery for some.

She further elaborated: “It’s not about a boss and a cleaner it’s about two women who share this part of their lives together, they share secrets together, they go through something very traumatic together then they’ve got to fix that, or not and what that does to them.

“They open up to each other when they don’t expect to, and that’s thrilling, that’s dynamic. There’s something really poignant and dangerous about these two women.”

Matthew Barry, the writer of The Guest, expressed his excitement about the project: “I’m beyond excited to be re-teaming with Nicola, Davina and the whole team at Quay Street Productions and the BBC to bring The Guest to life.

“As well as being an exciting thriller, at its core this is an examination of class, social mobility and the growing disparity between those at the top and bottom of our society.”

The Guest, will premiere on BBC One at 9:00 PM on Monday, September 1.

Global trade markets remained on edge Thursday as the United States prepared to implement reciprocal tariffs, with the deadline for negotiating a trade deal with Washington fast approaching.

US President Donald Trump has already announced steep trade tariffs for many of the country’s largest trading partners, even as dozens of countries scramble to secure last-minute deals or extensions for negotiations beyond the Friday, August 1 deadline.

Friday’s deadline comes more than 120 days after President Trump’s administration first announced a barrage of tariffs on the world, on the so-called “Liberation Day”.

Despite several delays in imposing tariffs since Trump took office in January this year, his administration looks set to roll out new tariff rates for those countries that fail to clinch a trade deal by the end of today.

So, what will happen tomorrow? Which countries already have deals in the bag? And who is hoping to rescue a last-minute deal?

What will happen on August 1?

As the clock ticks down to August 1, the US’s imposition of a significant round of reciprocal tariffs on imports from various countries marks a pivotal moment in global trade dynamics, experts say.

Trump is adamant he will not be extending this deadline. “THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE IS THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE – IT STANDS STRONG, AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED. A BIG DAY FOR AMERICA!!!” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Wednesday.

At midnight Eastern Time tonight, therefore, US Customs and Border Protection will begin enforcing these new duties, which will range from 15 percent to 50 percent – or even higher in some cases – depending on the trading partner, the nature of the goods being traded and whether the trading partner and the US have specific agreements in place.

Additional sectoral tariffs will be applied to certain industries. For example, a 50 percent tariff will be applied to copper, steel and aluminium for most countries, while a 20 percent levy will be applied to pharmaceutical products.

The White House confirmed that Trump will sign new executive orders on Thursday, formally imposing all these higher tariffs. Recipients are likely to include some of the US’s biggest trading partners, like Mexico, Taiwan and Canada.

Many nations facing sweeping new tariffs on all exports to the US are likely to incur immediate economic repercussions along with potential shifts in diplomatic relations.

Tariffs may also cost the US economy. The Yale Budget Lab, a non-partisan policy research centre, noted in its most recent analysis that overseas trade tariffs could cost US households on average an extra $2,400 in 2025, because of higher prices of imported goods.

Meanwhile, industries reliant on imports, such as electronics, pharmaceuticals and clothing, may have to contend with new supply chain disruptions as companies scramble to absorb costs or pass them on to consumers.

Why is Trump launching all these new tariffs?

In April, Trump declared a “national emergency” when he announced his “Liberation Day” tariff strategy and imposed an across-the-board 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports, followed by higher, country-specific “reciprocal” tariffs.

The US has large trading deficits with many countries, which Trump believes are deeply unfair.

The Trump administration, therefore, has justified these new rates as being necessary to redress these trade imbalances in order to boost US manufacturing and jobs, even though economists point out that deficits are not direct evidence of unfair trade practices.

Beyond trade, experts note that the Trump administration is leveraging these tariff threats to broader agendas of curbing immigration, combating the opioid and fentanyl crisis, and pressing allies and partners on geopolitical issues, including India’s energy ties with Russia or Brazil’s legal action against Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro.

In the last-minute run-up to the August 1 deadline, Trump’s administration has strong-armed trading partners, including Japan, the European Union, Indonesia and the Philippines, into new deals under which they accept higher US tariffs in exchange for continued market access and investment commitments – and in most cases, a promise not to levy counter-tariffs of their own.

Who already has deals in the bag with the US?

European Union

The EU has agreed to a 15 percent tariff on most of its exports to the US, including cars and pharmaceuticals, in exchange for zero tariffs on select US exports and commitments to buy US gas and increase investments. Initially, Trump had threatened a 30 percent rate.

Japan

Japan has secured a 15 percent reciprocal tariff on its goods exported to the US, reduced from a threatened 25 percent, with Japan promising to invest $550bn in the US economy.

United Kingdom

The UK agreed to a 10 percent tariff rate on its exports to the US. It also received a 25 percent sectoral tariff on steel and aluminium – half the 50 percent being imposed on other countries.

South Korea

A lower 15 percent tariff will apply to South Korean imports to the US, in return for a $350bn investment pledge and zero tariffs on US exports like cars and agricultural products.

Indonesia

Indonesia has negotiated a 19 percent tariff on its exports to the US, down from a threatened 32 percent, by making a commitment to buy US Boeing aircraft and to remove or reduce trade barriers.

Vietnam

Vietnam has agreed to a 20 percent tariff on most exports to the US, with an additional 40 percent levy to be applied to “transshipped” goods – those entering the US via another location – while also agreeing to zero tariffs on US imports like large-engine automobiles.

Philippines

This Philippines has agreed to a 19 percent tariff on its exports to the US, with zero tariffs on US exports to the Philippines, alongside commitments for enhanced military cooperation.

Pakistan

Struck a deal to jointly develop oil reserves with the US, but specific tariff rates on goods remain unclear.

Which big US partners have no deal yet?

None of the US’s top three trading partners – Mexico, Canada, and China – have trade deals in place as of Thursday.

Mexico

Tops the list of trade partners of the US, with nearly $840bn in total trade, driven by sectors including vehicles, electronics and agriculture. With no new deal for August 1, existing tariffs of 25 percent on most imports will persist under earlier 2025 trade war measures, with some exemptions under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Canada

Ranks second in terms of size with about $700bn, primarily in energy, vehicles, and aerospace products, passing between the two countries. With no deal finalised by the August 1 deadline, Trump has threatened to impose a 35 percent tariff on goods that don’t comply with the USMCA.

China

Third among the top US trade partners, Beijing trades about $532bn with the US, focused on electronics, machinery and consumer goods. With no permanent deal in place, a 30 percent combined tariff will be applied, following an agreed pause until August 12. That followed an earlier escalation to a 145 percent tariff on imports.

Who is hoping for a last-minute deal?

India

Even a “very good friendship” with Washington could not save India, the world’s most populous nation and fourth-largest global economy, from Trump’s reciprocal tariffs.

On Wednesday, Trump announced a sweeping 25 percent tariff on all Indian goods exported to the US, plus an unspecified penalty for buying energy from Russia, as trade deal negotiations remain unresolved.

Total trade between the US and India was valued at about $130bn in 2024, with US exports to India worth $41.8bn and imports from India at $87.4bn – a trade deficit which Trump will not ignore.

“While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Later, in another post, Trump said he did not “care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.

“We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together,” he wrote. “Let’s keep it that way.”

In a statement, the Indian government said it was studying the implications of these new tariffs and added: “India and the US have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement over the last few months.”

The statement further noted that “we remain committed to that objective.” New Delhi signalled what it believes to be potential barriers to the deal by noting that the government “attaches the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of our farmers, entrepreneurs, and MSMEs”.

Pakistan

India’s neighbouring rival, Pakistan, has seen its stock rise with the Trump administration before and after the military conflict with New Delhi earlier this year.

Trump revealed that the US had concluded a deal with Pakistan, where they will work together on developing oil reserves, but did not announce tariffs. “Who knows, maybe they’ll be selling Oil to India some day!”

Taiwan

Taiwan is also facing a high-stakes deadline, with proposed tariffs set at 32 percent, excluding semiconductors, if no deal is struck by August 1.

Taiwanese officials have engaged in intense negotiations in Washington, spanning four high-level rounds led by Vice Premier Cheng Li‑chun and US counterparts, addressing not only tariff technicalities but also non‑tariff trade barriers, investments and market access. These talks are reportedly pending US approval.

Who has little hope of reaching a deal with the US?

Brazil

The country faces the most punishing tariffs among major US trading partners, with President Trump formally issuing a 50 percent reciprocal tariff on Brazilian imports.

The US actually runs a trade surplus with Brazil of nearly $7.4bn; however, Trump has been unhappy about the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing trial for allegedly attempting a coup to overturn his 2022 election loss.

Trump has publicly called the trial a “witch-hunt” and an “international disgrace”, tying his imposition of a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports, announced on July 10, directly to this issue.

Brazil’s government responded with alarm. President Lula decried Trump’s measures as “economic blackmail” and negotiations have stalled.

Speaking at a news conference in Washington this week, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, the IMF’s chief economist, called for an end to the trade war.

“Restoring stability in trade policy is essential to reduce policy uncertainty. We urge all parties to settle trade disputes and agree on clear and predictable frameworks. Collective efforts should be made to restore and improve the global trading system,” Gourinchas said, indirectly referring to the Trump administration.

There has been speculation over the succession plan for the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader.

The Dalai Lama has said that he hopes to live for another 40 years until he is 130 years old, on the eve of his 90th birthday, days after he sought to assuage rife speculation over his succession by saying he would reincarnate upon his death.

The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader was speaking on Saturday during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday.

Leading thousands in the prayers as the sound of chanting, drums, horns rang out, he said: “So far, I have done my best and with the continued blessings of Avalokiteshvara (a Buddhist spiritual protector), I hope to live another 30 or 40 years, continuing to serve sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma”, he said, referring to the teachings of the Buddha.

The Dalai Lama previously told the Reuters news agency in December he might live to 110.

The Dalai Lama has confirmed that he will have a successor chosen in accordance with “past tradition”, ending years of speculation about the centuries-old office.

In a video message on Wednesday, he said the Gaden Phodrang Foundation, which he established to preserve the institution, will have the power to recognise his future reincarnation.

Tibetan Buddhist leaders will search for his successor, he added, stressing that “no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter”.

The 14th Dalai Lama said he had received many messages in recent years from Buddhists calling for the office’s continuation.

“In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” he added.

He made the comments on Wednesday during a three-day religious conference in Dharamshala, the northern Indian town where he has been based since 1959, when he fled Tibet for India after a failed uprising against China.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, the Tibetan writer and activist Tenzin Tsundue described the Dalai Lama’s announcement on Wednesday as a “punch in the face” for China, which governs the Tibet Autonomous Region and which has claimed that it has the power to appoint his successor.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama, whom China brands a “separatist”, has previously warned Beijing not “to meddle in the system of reincarnation of lamas, let alone that of the Dalai Lama”.

In response to his comments on Wednesday, China said the Dalai Lama’s succession must be approved by the central government in Beijing and that it would be carried out “by drawing lots from a golden urn”, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.

That urn is held by China, and the Dalai Lama has already warned that, when used dishonestly, it lacks “any spiritual quality”.

Renowned Irish actress Fiona Shaw stars in Hot Milk, an adaptation of Deborah Levy’s 2016 novel, as a mother with a mysterious illness, who is taken to a seaside Spanish town in search of a cure

The distinguished Irish actress and TV Bafta laureate, Fiona Shaw, speaks about her immersion in her latest character, Rose, a mother beleaguered by an enigmatic illness, in the movie adaptation of Deborah Levy‘s critically acclaimed 2016 novel ‘Hot Milk’.

Against the vivid setting of a sun-drenched Spanish summer, the plot unfolds as Rose and her daughter Sofia, portrayed by ‘Sex Education’ star Emma Mackey, journey to Almeria’s picturesque seaside town seeking healing from a quirky local remedy man.

Rose’s life is dominated by an immobilising ailment, confining her to a wheelchair and riddled with unrelenting pain, rendering her utterly reliant on Sofia for even the simplest tasks such as venturing outside or fetching a drink. A growing sense of exasperation seeps into Sofia’s character who pins her hopes on the exotic clinic to rejuvenate her mum’s vigour, thus liberating her own aspirations for autonomy and independence.

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Shaw, celebrated for her portrayal of Carolyn Martens in the hit series ‘Killing Eve’, lauded her youthful co-star Emma Mackey, age 29, for crafting their characters’ poignant relationship amidst strenuous circumstances. “I had the easier job – it’s much easier to play the selfish person,” Fiona Shaw candidly admits.

“Emma had to decide, in each scene, how she would cope with her mother’s behaviour – but the mother just continues on. She isn’t thinking about the effects, and that’s the problem,” Shaw adds.

She says: “They’re not two people at loggerheads. I don’t think the mother is at odds at all. She adores her daughter, wishes she wouldn’t visit her father, and wants her to focus on her studies.

“She can’t see that she’s the reason none of those things can happen properly. And that blindness is a nightmare for the other person – but Emma had to carry that. We would laugh about it, but she had to play the scenes. I just had to play Rose – she had to play the reception.”

As Sofia’s story unfolds, her fascination with the adventurous Ingrid, portrayed by Phantom Thread star Vicky Krieps, leads her to break free from her mother’s overbearing influence. Yet, as Sofia steps into her own, her mother’s inability to cope with this change brings to light unsettling truths about Rose’s condition.

In her preparation for the role, Shaw delved into the complexities of psychosomatic disorders, where mental stress manifests physically, and consulted individuals who deal with such conditions. “We spoke to people with the syndrome – this tendency to not have any physiological reason why you can’t walk, but you can’t walk,” Shaw shared.

“This syndrome comes with pain and with a twitch. I really concentrated on trying to get the stuckness of the person – and I was helped a lot by using a wheelchair.”

The film Hot Milk marks Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s first venture as a director at 57, and she fondly referred to Shaw and Mackey as “an inseparable couple” during filming. Renowned screenwriter Lenkiewicz, known for hits like Ida and Disobedience, described taking the reins as director for such a woman-centric narrative as “one of the most incredible experiences” of her life.

The eagerly anticipated ‘Hot Milk’ hits UK and Ireland cinemas on Friday, July 4.

JAKE PAUL has a fight with KSI on his Christmas list after sending his bitter rival an offer to fight on December 24.

The bitter YouTube enemies are yet to settle their score in the ring – despite recent attempts to strike a deal behind the scenes.

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Nakisa Bidarian – co-founder of Most Valuable Promoters alongside Paul – revealed an offer to fight on Christmas Eve was sent to KSI.

Bidarian said KSI and Wasserman – who promote Misfits Boxing bouts – have had the contract for 15 days.

A bout over ten rounds, at 192.5lb, in an 18x18ft ring with VADA testing to be promoted by MVP and Wasserman was tabled.

He added that the offer included a 50/50 deal PPV share other but the UK which is 60/40 in KSI’s favour and 60/40 to Paul in the US.

A fan probed Bidarian on why the fight would be staged on Christmas Eve.

He responded: “What are you watching Christmas Eve? Nothing. Jake and KSI will have the entire world’s attention.”

Mams Taylor – KSI’s manager and co-founder of Misfits which homes to celebrity-style crossover bouts – hit back.

Taylor said: “Hey man, we sent you an offer too and you insisted we redline yours.

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“Yours is one sided. Ours is fair and clearly a real attempt to make the fight actually happen.”

Taylor said they countered with a fight in the US, with a coin toss to decide who walks out second.

It would include full drug testing, at 190lb over eight rounds in a 20x 20ft ring, co-promoted down the middle with both to mutually approve all costs.

Taylor added: “Your contract had MVP as lead promoter in charge of everything and you put Wasserman boxing USA as side promoter.

“(FYI Wasserman boxing USA does not exist). You purposely omitted Misfits as an ego based mind game tactic.

“C’mon man. Let’s give the people what they want and not let ego’s get in the way.

We have a duty to our clients and respect due to the fans that made them!!”

KSI, 31, is yet to fought since losing a controversial decision to Tommy Fury, 26, in October 2023.

Jake Paul vs KSI: The terms

Jake Paul’s terms

• 10 rounds
• 192.5lb
• 18x18ft ring
• Full VADA testing
• December 24th
• MVP in association with Wasserman

KSI’s terms

• Fight in USA
• Full VADA testing
• 190lb
• 8 rounds
• 20x20ft ring
• Co-promoted down the middle
• Both promotions to mutually approve all costs and undercard fights etc

He was due to return last August but pulled out with a hand injury before illness saw him withdraw from facing MMA star Dillon Danis, 31, in March.

KSI is now due to have surgery on his busted hand with his boxing career in the air.

Meanwhile Paul, 28, returns against ex-middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, on June 28 in a cruiserweight clash.

It comes after he fought at heavyweight in November to beat Mike Tyson, who controversially came out of retirement aged 58.

Paul now drops back down to the 200lb limit of 14st 4lb while KSI lost to Fury a stone lighter at 183lb.

Their weight disagreement has been the biggest factor standing in the way of the grudge bout.

And Bidarian said: “Not engaging in a back and forth.

“We proposed our terms to Wasserman on April 4th and the offer that followed was those exact terms. Jake Paul wants to fight KSI.

“He does not need to fight KSI. Jake has campaigned at 200+ since December of 2023 and plans to continue at that weight with the intention to contest for a world championship by the end of 2026.”

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