Healthcare experts insist that there is scientific evidence to suggest that a 70-hour work week leads to an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, like strokes, heart attacks and high blood pressure.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who shot at former president Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, had briefly appeared in a 2022 advertisement for BlackRock Inc, the world’s largest money manager.
The ad, filmed at the Bethel Park High School in Pennsylvania, featured Crooks and several other unpaid students in the background, said the investment giant in a statement. Crooks graduated from the school in 2022.
🚨Trumps Shooter “Thomas Mathew Crooks” was featured in a BLACKROCK COMMERCIAL in 2023!!! pic.twitter.com/fdbkfHOS04
— The Real World Fan Page (@BeOutTheMatrix) July 15, 2024
BlackRock said it has pulled the ad but the video will be available to authorities. The ad, however, is being widely shared by social media users.
“The assassination attempt on former President Trump is abhorrent. We’re thankful former President Trump wasn’t seriously injured, and thinking about all the innocent bystanders and victims of this awful act, especially the person who was killed,” the company added in its statement.
BlackRock, whose earnings figures are expected today, has faced scrutiny after shooting incidents since some of its index funds own shares in gunmakers.
Trump survived an assassination attempt on Saturday after a gunman opened fire at him at a rally in Pennsylvania ahead of the Presidential elections. The attack left him with a bloodied face as the former president said the bullet pierced his “upper part of right ear”.
A bystander died in the attack while shielding his family and Crooks – a registered Republican – was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.
Trump, whose Republican candidature will be finalised today, shared a message of unity after the attack and said Americans must not allow “evil to win”. “It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” he said on social media.
Biden, too, appealed to the nation to “lower the political temperature” in a rare Oval Office address. “Politics must never be a literal battlefield, God forbid a killing field,” he said.
The US markets are expecting Trump trades to gain momentum after the attack. It has already been pinning hopes for the return of Republicans, especially after Biden’s poor performance in last month’s debate. Those trades are likely to take deeper hold as the attack sparks a wave of sympathy and support for Trump.
Amid claims that trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar allegedly submitted fake disability certificates to get the job, questions are now being raised over another former bureaucrat’s selection under the disability criteria.
Abhishek Singh – the 2011 batch IAS officer who resigned last year to become an actor – is under fire after his dance and gym videos went viral on social media.
Several users commented on the videos shared by Abhishek Singh, calling for greater transparency and accountability in the bureaucratic selection process.
Abhishek Singh claimed to have a locomotor disability to avail concessions in the UPSC selection process.
Responding to the allegations, Mr Singh said he is being targeted for supporting reservations.
“Although I am not affected by any criticism, this is the first time I am answering my critics because my supporters asked me to. Since I started supporting reservations, anti-reservationists have targeted me. They question my caste and my job. Let me tell you, I have achieved everything through hard work and courage, not through reservation,” he said in a post on X – earlier known as Twitter.
“I have done social work through my initiatives like United by Blood and the No-Shame Movement without government help. I believe that reservation in government jobs should be according to the population, and I will work towards that. If you think you have talent, stop trying for government jobs and excel in business, sports, or acting. There is no reservation there,” he added.
“I move on the strength of my talent, confidence, and courage, not in anyone’s favour.”
वैसे तो मुझे किसी आलोचना से कोई फ़र्क़ नहीं पड़ता, पर ये मेरे जीवन काल में पहली बार है जब मैं अपने आलोचकों को जवाब दे रहा हूँ। और वो इसलिए क्योंकि मेरे हज़ारो समर्थक मुझसे कह रहे हैं कि आप जवाब दें नहीं तो हमारा मनोबल टूट जाएगा।अतः ये मेरा नैतिक कर्तव्य है कि मैं सच्चाई सामने… pic.twitter.com/e1rwB3H02R
— Abhishek Singh (@Abhishek_asitis) July 13, 2024
Puja Khedkar had courted controversy over using a siren on her private Audi and raising demands for a separate house and car – privileges not available to junior officers. But the 2023-batch IAS officer now faces far more serious charges.
Ms Khedkar claimed to be visually and mentally impaired in an affidavit submitted to the UPSC, but refused to undergo mandatory medical tests to confirm those.
The Centre has formed a one-member committee to look into the allegations against Pooja Khedkar.
Puja Khedkar may be dismissed if she’s found guilty, sources said. She may also face criminal action if the allegations of hiding facts and misrepresentation are found to be true, they added.