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US Commodities Firm Fires Trader Kurush Mistry Over NYC Vandalism of Posters Broadcasting Plight of Hamas Hostages
Fired commodities trader Kurush Mistry makes an obscene gesture after being caught vandalizing posters highlighting the plight of hostages seized by Hamas. Photo: Screenshot
A commodities trader caught on camera vandalizing posters in New York City that highlighted the plight of the more than 200 hostages seized by Hamas during its Oct. 7 pogrom in southern Israel has been fired from his job.
Kurush Mistry was terminated by the Stamford, CT-based firm Freepoint Commodities as a result of the video, which was filmed on Nov 9. — the 85th anniversary of the infamous “Kristallnacht” pogrom in Nazi Germany — on the corner of 68th Street and Riverside Drive on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The footage showed Mistry and his cohort, Shailja Gupta, wrapping tape around the posters to hide them as they showered the person filming them with foul-mouthed antisemitic abuse along with obscene gestures.
Mistry had been employed by Freepoint for nine years, according to the Financial Times. Previously, he worked for leading banks Morgan Stanley, Barclays, and Lehman Brothers.
In a statement confirming Mistry’s dismissal, Freepoint said it was “aware of the recent antisemitic incident reported on social media, and the individual involved is no longer associated with Freepoint.”
It added: “We welcome the diversity of views and opinions held by our employees, but Freepoint does not tolerate discrimination and hate speech directed against any group.”
In the offending video, both Mistry and Gupta show no remorse for their actions while screaming abuse at the Jewish man who filmed them.
When Mistry was asked why he was vandalizing the posters, he responded by displaying his middle finger to the camera, while Gupta — who bills herself on LinkedIn as a “visual artist, film-maker and emerging tech strategic consultant” — tells the Jewish man, “none of your f—ing business dude, f—off.”
Mistry then taunted the man by waving a poster he pulled from his bag that described Israel as an “apartheid state” carrying out a “genocide.” Both Mistry and Gupta told the man that he should “go back to your country, go back to Israel.” When the man replied that he was an American, an increasingly unhinged Gupta answered that she was “also a f—ing American, darling.”
When the man pointed out that “you don’t want my country to exist, so where should I go?” Gupta told him, “you don’t want my f—ing country to exist.” Asked what country she was referring to, Gupta — who like Mistry is an Indian-American — emphatically answered “Palestine.”
When the man said he hadn’t heard of “that country,” Gupta called him a “f—ing uneducated prick.” She then began laughing hysterically, asking rhetorically, “does he even know who is my Dad?” and accusing Jews of being “rapists.”
“I’ve already proved it,” she said, when challenged. “My papers have been published all over.” It was not clear which “papers” she was referring to, or which journals have published her writings.
Commenting on the incident on on X/Twitter, Sonam Mahajan, an Indian-American political analyst, said she wanted to assure her “Jewish friends that Ms. Gupta does not speak for the vast majority of Hindus. She is a vile person who also frequently makes disparaging remarks about Hindus, targeting their religious beliefs.”
She added: “We have no idea who these two are friends with or what their motivations are, but they appear pretty desperate and need to be made accountable for their actions.”
The incident with Mistry and Gupta comes amid growing unease among top executives over hiring individuals who have participated in pro-Hamas demonstrations and activities since the Oct. 7 Hamas atrocities.
A report published by the Anti-Defamation League on Monday recorded 832 outrages targeting American Jews between Oct. 7 and Nov. 7 — an average of 28 incidents per day and a 316 percent increase on the same period in 2022.
.@kurushmistry is a #Nazi, here in the US on a work visa. pic.twitter.com/a4EG8R25jQ
— Irka (@IrkaLive) November 11, 2023
The post US Commodities Firm Fires Trader Kurush Mistry Over NYC Vandalism of Posters Broadcasting Plight of Hamas Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, condemning the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressing concern about the risks of escalation, the Kremlin said.
“Vladimir Putin condemned Israel’s military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Trump, for his part, described events in the Middle East as “very alarming,” according to Ushakov. But the two leaders said they do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran’s nuclear program, Ushakov said.
On Ukraine, Putin told the US leader that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to state news agency RIA.
Trump reiterated his interest in a speedy resolution to the conflict, the Kremlin aide said.
Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.
The post Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says

FILE PHOTO: Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi attends a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 11, 2023. Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.
Albusaidi’s statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.
A senior official of US President Donald Trump’s administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday’s talks had been cancelled.
Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped “the Iranians will come to the table soon,” the official said.
The post Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending

USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, Sept. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Iran said the dialogue with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program is “meaningless” after Israel’s biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy, but said it is yet to decide on whether to attend planned talks on Sunday.
“The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran’s territory,” state media on Saturday quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
“It is still unclear what decision we will make on Sunday in this regard,” Baghaei was quoted as saying.
He said Israel “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington’s permission, accusing Washington of supporting the attack.
Iran earlier accused the US of being complicit in Israel’s attacks, but Washington denied the allegation and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its nuclear program.
The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Muscat, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes.
Iran denies that its uranium enrichment program is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord.
The post Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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