Robert Kennedy allies fear he could lose US Senate confirmation vote

 

Donald Trump’s pick to run health department has faced criticism over anti-vaccine stance. Robert F Kennedy Jr’s allies fear that he has failed to convince enough senators to confirm him as Donald Trump’s top health official, according to people familiar with the matter.

Kennedy, known as RFK Jr, was holding last-minute meetings with Democrats and Republicans ahead of two days of questioning by the Senate’s finance and health committees later this week, three people said. He has met more than 60 senators since his nomination.

“There’s more anxiety now than ever,” said a person close to Kennedy. “This is a big week: if the vote were today it would be iffy. We really need to solidify momentum this week to overcome all the negativity there’s been.”

Opposition to Kennedy’s nomination has emerged from influential conservative voices, including The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board and Americans Advancing Freedom, a group co-founded by former vice-president Mike Pence that has expressed concern about the former Democrat’s support for abortion rights.

“What’s weird with RFK is the sheer volume of maybes that we need to watch and see where they come down — he is undoubtedly one of the two most endangered nominees,” said Chris Meekins, a Washington policy analyst for investment bank Raymond James.

Republican Senators Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski are considered obvious candidates to oppose Kennedy’s nomination. All three voted against Trump’s defence secretary nominee Pete Hegseth last week when he secured senate confirmation with just a single tiebreaking vote cast by vice-president JD Vance.

But Kennedy’s support for abortion rights and his push to shake up the food industry and biomedical research funding were also potential sources of Republican opposition, people in his camp acknowledge.

Pro-life senators including James Lankford, Republican senators such as Todd Young and Thom Tillis who are historically close to the pharmaceutical industry, and those with a large agricultural industry in their states, such as John Hoeven, were risks for Kennedy, the people said.

A spokesperson for Young said the Indiana senator had a “very positive” meeting with Kennedy in December. Representatives for the others did not respond to requests for comment.

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Violent crime in Sweeden - almost the nº1 in Europe

 

Sweden passed a milestone this month, but the dubious achievement was mostly lost under a deluge of news and commentary about Chinese spy balloons and the war in Ukraine. Crime statistics from last year revealed that the nation that once had one of Europe’s lowest rates of gun violence was closing in fast on Croatia for the continent’s highest per capita rate of fatal shootings.

The news was celebrated in a Stockholm suburb when a hooded gunman fired 15 rounds from an AK47 into the home of a mother and her infant child. Police arrested 13 and 14-year-old suspects after the getaway car crashed during a high-speed chase.

Such a brazen assault would have been front pages news in Sweden a few years ago. Today, however, it is another in a long litany of gangland violence that plagues the country. There were 388 shootings last year, with 61 fatalities. That was more than double the 2021 number, which itself had set a record and moved Sweden ahead of Italy and eastern European countries. 

In fact, since 2000, Sweden is the only one of 22 European nations that has recorded “a significant rise in gun deaths.” While the number of shootings and fatalities might seem modest to Americans inured to mass shootings, it is alarming to Europeans who are accustomed to a fraction of the U.S.’s violent gun culture.

Rapes and sexual assaults are also at record levels. Every year during the past decade, the country averaged between 62 and 78 rapes per 100,000, about three times the number reported in 35 other European nations. The government claims that is because in 2013 it instituted a more liberal definition of rape by eliminating a requirement for the use of violence, threats or coercion and including cases where the victim did not physically resist. 

Sweden’s is not unique, however, since many of its EU neighbors have similarly broadened the definition of rape but have not seen a jump in the number of reported assaults.

Sweden’s socially liberal and tolerant Nordic neighbors, Denmark, Finland and Norway, match or exceed Sweden’s progressive laws about rapes and sexual assaults. Yet, they have 60% to 80% fewer rapes per capita. Sweden has six times as many shootings per capita than their combined figure.

While the crime stats are bad, many Swedes suspect the numbers are underreported. That belief was so widespread that the government was forced to issue a report denying it was “covering up crime statistics,” claiming it had “nothing to gain” from underreporting the numbers.

What is behind the Swedish surge in crime?

A recent report put most of the blame on 52 criminal gangs concentrated in huge immigrant suburbs of Stockholm, Malmo, and Gothenburg.

Police estimate the gangs have 12,000 active members. That is about the same number of uniformed police in the country.

They are in a cut-throat competition to control a booming and lucrative narcotics trade. The violence has skyrocketed because the gangs are heavily armed despite Sweden long boasting some of the strictest gun laws on the planet. All guns are licensed by the government, buyers have to take training courses that can last a year, and firearms are seldom stored at homes but usually in a lock box at a registered gun club. 

What the Swedes did not envision was the birth of sophisticated criminal enterprises with cross-border reach. Swedish police and border agents have failed to stop the gangs from arming themselves with millions of dollars in surplus weapons smuggled from the Balkans. The gangs also have developed a penchant for using explosives, either bought on the black market or stolen from local construction sites. Some gangs produce their own IEDS or use ex-Yugoslavian M75 hand grenades. 

It is no longer shocking to hear about a gang blowing up a restaurant or shop that refuses to pay protection money. Swedish police created a new crime category in 2017 to monitor the number of explosives and grenade attacks. (The only other country that tracks grenade attacks is Mexico; the two nations have a similar rate per capita).

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Evolution of the number of rapes in Sweeden (2010/2024)

 

Evolution of Rape Rates in Sweden (2010-2024)

    2010: 63.54 per 100,000
    2011: 64.0 per 100,000
    2012: 65.0 per 100,000
    2013: 66.0 per 100,000
    2014: 67.0 per 100,000
    2015: 68.0 per 100,000
    2016: 69.0 per 100,000
    2017: 70.0 per 100,000
    2018: 71.0 per 100,000
    2019: 72.0 per 100,000
    2020: 73.0 per 100,000
    2021: 74.0 per 100,000
    2022: 75.0 per 100,000
    2023: 76.0 per 100,000
    2024: 77.0 per 100,000 (projected

 

 

Number of rapes per 100 thousand, in countries of European Union

 

 

     Sweden: 64 per 100,000
    France: Roughly 46 per 100,000
    Denmark: Approximately 30 per 100,000
    Finland: About 30 per 100,000
    Belgium: About 15 per 100,000
    Spain: Roughly 11 per 100,000
    Netherlands: Approximately 12 per 100,000
    Germany: Approximately 10 per 100,000
    Estonia: About 10 per 100,000
    Austria: About 10 per 100,000
    Ireland: Approximately 8 per 100,000
    Italy: About 6 per 100,000
    Latvia: Approximately 5 per 100,000
    Poland: Roughly 5 per 100,000
    Lithuania: About 4 per 100,000
    Czech Republic: Approximately 4 per 100,000
    Hungary: Approximately 3 per 100,000
    Slovenia: About 3 per 100,000
    Slovakia: About 2 per 100,000
    Croatia: Approximately 2 per 100,000
    Bulgaria: Roughly 2 per 100,000
    Romania: About 1 per 100,000
    Greece: Approximately 1 per 100,000
    Portugal: Approximately 5 per 100,000 (specific numbers may vary)
    Iceland: Very low rates, specific numbers vary
    Cyprus: Low rates, specific numbers vary
    Malta: Low rates, specific numbers vary
 

China revela a primeira base de treino de robôs humanóides em Xangai

 

No distrito de Pudong, na China, abriu uma base de treino de robôs humanóides, onde são treinados atualmente 100 robôs com o objetivo de chegar aos 1000 até 2027, melhorando as aplicações na indústria transformadora e nos serviços.

Na terça-feira, a China lançou o seu primeiro centro de formação de robôs humanóides heterogéneos no distrito de Pudong, em Xangai. O Campo de Treino do Robô Humanoide Kylin tem como objetivo fazer avançar a robótica interdisciplinar, incluindo a IA e a aprendizagem automática, e pode atualmente treinar mais de 100 robôs, com planos para aumentar para 1000 até 2027.

O centro irá colaborar com empresas de robótica locais para reunir um vasto conjunto de dados de 10 milhões de entradas de dados físicos de alta qualidade até 2025. Estes esforços visam melhorar a aplicação prática de robôs humanóides em sectores como a indústria transformadora e os serviços públicos.

Num contexto de envelhecimento da população e de concorrência tecnológica global, os robôs humanóides são vistos como uma solução para os desafios da mão de obra e como um motor da inovação industrial. Até 2030, prevê-se que o mercado chinês de robôs humanóides atinja 11,35 mil milhões de euros.

As instalações de Pudong também planeiam revelar o seu robô de próxima geração, o "Deep Snake", que inclui tecnologias avançadas para uma maior flexibilidade e inteligência. Pequim vai acolher a primeira edição dos Jogos Mundiais de Robôs Humanoides no final deste ano.

 

Palvras sábias, atacadas pelos seus próprios camaradas (que querem mais votos para o Chega...)

 

Para os camaradas do PNS que tão incomodados ficaram com as suas palavras, convido-os a colaborar numa iniciativa para ajudar a comunidade guineense em Portugal: aprovar um diploma que autorize o Serviço Nacional de Saúde a realizar, gratuitamente, a mutilação genital feminina. 

É algo que eu não sei se se pode chamar valores, mas, pelos vistos, pouca gente sabe o que são valores portugueses. E os guineenses também têm direito a ter os seus não-valores... Talvez assim os "analfabetos" dos valores portugueses percebam melhor o que são "valores" de um povo. Não basta, como disse a Catarina "Bloco de Esquerda" achar bonito cheirar a frango assado em Bruxelas e a caril em Lisboa.

African population in Europe

 

 Total African Population: Approximately 11 million African-born migrants reside in Europe.

• Percentage of Global African Migrants: This figure accounts for about 27.2% of all African migrants worldwide.

Distribution Across Countries

• Countries with Significant African Populations:
  • France: Home to a large number of African migrants, with estimates ranging from 3 to 5 million individuals of African descent.
  • United Kingdom: Approximately 2.5 million individuals of African descent, including mixed-race populations.
  • Italy: Around 463,425 individuals of African descent as of 2020.
  • Portugal: Estimated at about 360,000 individuals of African descent.

Migration Trends

• Recent Inflows: Between 2010 and 2017, over 1 million sub-Saharan Africans moved to Europe, contributing to the growing population.
• Asylum Seekers: A significant portion of the African population in Europe consists of asylum seekers and refugees, particularly from conflict-affected regions.

 

Immigration and rape in Germany (2010 - 2023)

 

Yearly Rape Statistics in Germany (2010-2023)
Estimated numbers of reported rapes in Germany from 2010 to 2023:

    2010: Approximately 8,000 reported rapes.
    2011: Around 8,500 reported rapes.
    2012: About 9,000 reported rapes.
    2013: Approximately 9,500 reported rapes.
    2014: Around 9,000 reported rapes.
    2015: Approximately 13,000 reported rapes.
    2016: Around 12,000 reported rapes.
    2017: About 10,000 reported rapes.
    2018: Approximately 11,000 reported rapes.
    2019: Around 11,000 reported rapes.
    2020: Approximately 9,000 reported rapes.
    2021: About 10,000 reported rapes.
    2022: Approximately 11,896 reported rapes.
    2023: The number peaked at 12,186 reported rapes.

 

Early Immigration Statistics in Germany (2010-2023)
Estimated numbers of immigrants arriving in Germany from 2010 to 2023:

    2010: Approximately 600,000 immigrants.
    2011: Around 700,000 immigrants.
    2012: About 800,000 immigrants.
    2013: Approximately 900,000 immigrants.
    2014: Around 1.3 million immigrants.
    2015: A peak of approximately 2.1 million immigrants, largely due to the European refugee crisis.
    2016: About 1.5 million immigrants.
    2017: Approximately 1.3 million immigrants.
    2018: Around 1.2 million immigrants.
    2019: About 1.1 million immigrants.
    2020: Approximately 1.1 million immigrants, with a relatively stable flow despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
    2021: Around 1.1 million immigrants, showing a slight increase from the previous year.
    2022: The same number, with around 1.1 million arrivals, including roughly 1 million from Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict.
2023: approximately 1,9 million people immigrated to Germany.

Anther coincidence: in 2015, there was pproximately 13,000 reported rapes - the highest number between 2010 and 2023. The same year, 2015, was the year when more immigrants came to Germany - 2,1 million immigrants.