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Zurich councilor indicted for shooting at Madonna and child poster

Zurich councilor indicted for shooting at Madonna and child poster

GENEVA (AP) — Swiss prosecutors have filed an indictment against a Zurich city councilor who fired a sport pistol at an auction poster of a 14th-century Madonna and child painting and posted images of their bullet-ridden faces on social media.
The Zurich public prosecutor's office confirmed the indictment of Sanija Ameti to The Associated Press on Monday. Her actions in September caused an uproar, prompting her to resign from the local leadership of the Green-Liberal party. Ameti is now listed as an independent on the website of the municipal council.
A redacted copy of the indictment, posted by the activist group Mass Voll, said Ameti was accused of 'disturbing religious freedom' and that prosecutors were seeking a fine and penalty equivalent to 12,500 Swiss francs (about $15,600).
The Swiss criminal code says anyone who 'publicly and maliciously insults or mocks the religious convictions of others' or 'maliciously desecrates objects of religious veneration' is liable to a monetary penalty, the indictment copy stated.
A top leader with Operation Libero, a political movement Ameti co-founded that describes itself as liberal and progressive, did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
Ameti apologized at the time and quickly pulled down the images after posting them on Instagram and reportedly sought police protection against threats after the incident. She later said she had been practicing shots and found the poster 'big enough' for a suitable target.
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Inside Zohran Mamdani's posh multi-day Uganda wedding bash with phone jamming system, armed guards
Inside Zohran Mamdani's posh multi-day Uganda wedding bash with phone jamming system, armed guards

New York Post

time38 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Inside Zohran Mamdani's posh multi-day Uganda wedding bash with phone jamming system, armed guards

Socialist NYC mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani celebrated his recent nuptials with a lavish, three-day affair at his family's ritzy, secluded Ugandan compound — complete with masked security guards and a cellphone jamming system, The Post has learned. The gates of the bustling, private compound, which sits in the wealthy Buziga Hill area outside the capital city of Kampala, were heavily guarded by military-style, masked men this week, with guests streaming in and partying until midnight, according to sources in the town who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons. Mamdani, 33, eloped with artist and animator Rama Duwaji, 27, in February. Advertisement He told his social media followers Sunday he was heading to his homeland to celebrate with his wealthy filmmaker mom and professor dad, who own the Buziga Hill property. The neighborhood is home to some of Uganda's richest, including billionaire businessman Godfrey Kirumira, a city tycoon with stakes in real estate, tourism, petroleum and infrastructure, and houses neighboring the Mamdanis easily fetch more than $1 million. 6 Rama Duwaji and NYC Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, who eloped in February, were celebrating their nuptials with a multi-day bash in his native Uganda. Instagram/Le Marché des Fleurs Advertisement The home is set back from the road and sits on two acres of lush gardens surrounded by trees, has breathtaking, panoramic view of Lake Victoria and features at least three security gates. This week, it was transformed into a party pad, with Christmas lights strung into the canopy of trees in the garden and music blaring, sources said. On Tuesday, buses, several Mercedes and a Range Rover 4 were seen driving to the compound. 6 Christmas lights were seen strung into trees inside the Mamdani property's garden. Katumba Badru/New York Post Security was extremely tight, sources said. Advertisement 'Outside the Mamdani house were more than 20 special forces command unit guards, some in masks, and there was a phone-jamming system set up — and all for the strictly invite-only Mamdani event,' one witness confirmed to The Post. 'One gate had around nine guards stationed at it,' they added. 6 Guards including government-style security were placed outside Mamdani's house as he celebrated his wedding. Katumba Badru/New York Post Mamdani's parents, Nair, 67, and her husband, Mahmood Mamdani, 78, an anti-Israel political theorist, live on the estate but also split their time between New York and New Delhi. Nair's Instagram page includes one post featuring a coconut tree planted when Mamdani was born. Advertisement A native of Kampala, Mamdani moved to New York when he was 7, becoming a U.S citizen in 2018. He'd announced his marriage to Duwaji, an illustrator, earlier this year. 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'Since you will undoubtedly read about this trip in The New York Post —Inshallah on the front page—here are a few of my humble suggestions for headlines,' Mamdani quipped while holding a slew of newspaper covers, one which read, 'M.I.A.:MAMDANI IN AFRICA.'

Debit cards given to NYC's summer youth job program tied to $17 M ATM fraud scam: sources
Debit cards given to NYC's summer youth job program tied to $17 M ATM fraud scam: sources

New York Post

time38 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Debit cards given to NYC's summer youth job program tied to $17 M ATM fraud scam: sources

NYC-issued debit cards meant to pay participants working in a summer youth program were instead used by scammers who nabbed $17 million over a three-day period earlier this month, sources told The Post. The scam — the subject of an ongoing fraud probe — led to ATMs across the Big Apple being banged for big bucks from July 11 to July 13, with the cash ending up in the wrong hands rather than kids and young adults in the Summer Youth Employment Program, officials said. The payment cards are supposed to give access to weekly earnings, typically several hundred bucks at most. However, an error allowed the cards to access massive payments of up $40,000 per ATM. Advertisement 3 NYC-issued debit card that are supposed to be used to pay participants working in a summer youth program were instead used to shell out $17 million to scammers over a three-day period earlier this month, sources said. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images Teenagers and adults boasted how big money could be made off the cards in videos posted on TikTok and Instagram. 'We're making bread, we're printing money right now,' said one man in a video posted on TikTok. 'If you work S.Y.E.P., hit me up.' Advertisement However, others warned people not to fall for scam. 3 The scam led to ATMS across the Big Apple being banged for big bucks from July 11-13 and ending up in the wrong hands rather than youngsters in city's Summer Youth Employment Program. ABC7 City officials insisted no tax dollars have been lost, making it unclear who absorbed the costs of the illegal withdrawals. The case – first reported by the New York Times — is being investigated by both the NYPD and Department of Youth and Community Development. Advertisement 'We are deeply disturbed by scammers preying on our participants just as they started their work assignments to support themselves and their families,' DYCD spokesman Mark Zustovich. He also insisted the agency 'quickly launched an investigation with the vendors who oversee the SYEP pay card system, to make sure our participants' earnings are as secure as possible' and have 'worked diligently to educate' participants about 'scams and fraud activities.' Investigators are trying to determine the origin of the scam, who was involved and how many cards were involved but lacked answers as of Saturday. 3 'Sometimes it was five to 10 transactions. A few times we saw 100 to 200 transactions consecutively,' said Youserf Mubairrez, CEO of ATM World Corp. ABC7 Advertisement ATM World Corp. told ABC-7 News its records show the same card was used multiple times on its ATM machines to score $43,000. There was $200 limit per transaction but no limit on how many one could make and how much cash one could take out. 'Sometimes it was five to 10 transactions. A few times we saw 100 to 200 transactions consecutively,' said Youserf Mubairrez, CEO of ATM World Corp. The jobs program is the largest of its kind in the United States, with100,000 participants this year. Young people ages 16 to 24 – many from poor and minority families — are paid $16.50 minimum wage for up to 25 hours a week in what are typically their first formal jobs. Participants with bank accounts get paid via direct deposit, but since 2003 those without received payment cards that can be used at ATMs to get their weekly earnings. About 30,000 were set up to be paid by card this year, The Times reported.

Hamas issues order to kill hostages if Israeli military attempts rescue, as latest cease-fire talks fail: sources
Hamas issues order to kill hostages if Israeli military attempts rescue, as latest cease-fire talks fail: sources

New York Post

timean hour ago

  • New York Post

Hamas issues order to kill hostages if Israeli military attempts rescue, as latest cease-fire talks fail: sources

Hamas is planning to kill the remaining Israeli hostages if the Jewish state sends in troops to rescue them — the latest move by the terror group to undermine peace efforts in Gaza. The terror group has reportedly reinstated its previously abandoned kill order on its captives if Israeli forces or anyone else closes in an attempt to retrieve the 50 remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip, according to the Times of Israel. That policy had been scrapped after a short-lived cease-fire was reached in January, Hamas sources told the London-based Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat. Hamas also reportedly boasted that an Israeli military operation to free the hostages would fail, the outlet reported. Advertisement Of the 50 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, about 20 are still believed to be alive. The plans come as the US walked away from the latest cease-fire talks in Qatar on Thursday, before slamming the terror group for showing no real interest in striking a deal with Israel. 4 Netanyahu said he would consider 'alternative options' to bring the hostages home after talks broke down. Getty Images Advertisement President Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said 'alternative options' to bring the hostages home would now have to be considered, after the latest round of negotiations broke down. His comments were echoed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said 'together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home' Neither the US or Israel have offered insight into what those alternative options might include. But Trump said he would approve of Israel's military finishing off Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Advertisement 'Hamas didn't really want to make a deal,' Trump told reporters Friday as he departed the White House for a trip to Scotland. 'I think they want to die.' 4 The war in Gaza has been raging for almost two years. AP The terror group responded by calling Trump's comments 'surprising' on Saturday. Advertisement 4 Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv calling for the release of all remaining hostages. AFP via Getty Images 'Trump's remarks are particularly surprising, especially as they come at a time when progress had been made on some of the negotiation files,' a Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP. Meanwhile, thousands of protestors in Tel Aviv marched to the US embassy on Saturday night, for the second week in a row, calling for a truce that releases the remaining hostages and puts an end to the war in Gaza. Hamas captured 251 hostages during the brutal Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. Of those, 148 were released following negotiations — 140 alive, eight dead. 4 Protestors in Tel Aviv are urging for a cease-fire deal. AP The Israeli military has only been able to rescue eight hostages alive. 'Every time the talks stop, every time a deal blows up, those who pay the price are the hostages,' Or Levy, who was released from Hamas captivity in February, told the crowd. Advertisement 'I can tell you what it's like to live 50 meters underground, without daylight, without sky, just constant fear that everything will end … what they're still going through there, can't really be understood.'

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