News in Brief
US suicide deaths hit record high in 2022
REUTERS – The number of people who died by suicide in the US hit an estimated record 49,000 in 2022, a 2.6 percent increase over the prior year, government data showed.
Over half of all US suicides in 2022 involved firearms, according to the figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Nine in 10 Americans believe America is facing a mental health crisis. The new suicide death data reported by CDC illustrates why,” US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
He added that many people still believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness.
The suicide rate in 2022 – 14.9 deaths for every 100,000 people – is 5 percent higher than the previous record high of 14.2 deaths for every 100,000 people from 2018.
Suicide deaths rose from 48,183 in 2021 to an estimated 49,449 deaths in 2022, CDC said.
US citrus crops ravaged by disease and climate
THE GUARDIAN– Orange juice prices are expected to rise further in the US after a bacterial disease and extreme weather intensified by global heating ravaged this season’s crop of the citrus fruit.
Last year Florida, which produces more than 90 percent of the US’s orange juice supply, was hit by Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Nicole and freezing conditions in quick succession, devastating orange producers in the Sunshine State.
Producers also battled an incurable citrus greening disease that is spread by an invasive insect, rendering fruit unusable. Most infected trees die within a few years, and some producers told the media they were giving up farming and selling their land.
Industry figures said US orange production would reach its lowest level for more than a century.