News
Southern Brazil Is Still Reeling From Massive Flooding As It Faces Risk From New Storms
Brazil’s Porto Alegre — Meteorologist Estael Sias knew the water would eventually drain into the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state, and that she would need to locate a safe place as significant floods overtook entire communities in the northern portion of the state last week.
Thus, she abandoned everything with her spouse, their two dogs, and their three kids. Her neighborhood in Canoas, which is currently among the worst devastated cities in the state, began to fill with water less than a day later.
“My home was submerged,” Sias remembered, her voice quivering. “And forcing my family to leave my house was incredibly difficult.” She stated she could defend those close to her, but not those who insisted on remaining where they were. It has been and continues to be quite upsetting. I’m not sure what will happen when I get back home.
Southern Brazil Is Still Reeling From Massive Flooding As It Faces Risk From New Storms
While rescuers in southern Brazil raced on Wednesday to bring survivors of the catastrophic flooding that has claimed the lives of at least 100 people, some locals refused to part with their possessions, and others went back to their evacuated houses despite the possibility of more storms.
Since last week, 130 individuals have gone missing in Rio Grande do Sul due to heavy rainfall and flooding, according to authorities. The floodwaters have cut off a large portion of the area, and more than 230,000 people have been forced to flee.
Seem storms were predicted for the state on Wednesday evening, with gusts of wind up to 60 km/h (37 mph) and hail likely, according to the afternoon advisory from the National Meteorological Institute. Additionally, the institute predicts that this weekend will bring more rain due to a cold front that will be especially strong in the state’s east and north.
About 300 people were taking refuge at the neighborhood club Gremio Nautico Uniao in Porto Alegre, located in the affluent, minimally damaged area of Moinhos de Vento. As volunteers brought boxes full of feijoada, a traditional Brazilian stew made with beans and meat, dozens of people lay on mats.
Southern Brazil Is Still Reeling From Massive Flooding As It Faces Risk From New Storms
Heitor da Silva was one of them, having followed the advice of the authorities. He is still concerned about the future.
“I simply brought my paperwork, my flip-flops, two pairs of underwear, and three clothes. “Everything else is gone,” remarked da Silva, 68. “Even though I didn’t have much, it remained there. There won’t be anything when I get home. What happens next?
One of the hardest-hit cities by the floods, Eldorado do Sul, has people that officials from the state’s civil defense agency told The Associated Press have been difficult to convince to leave their houses. It is situated close to the middle of the state’s coastline, next to Porto Alegre. Four people at least said no to leaving.
A military helicopter flying above Eldorado do Sul observed hundreds of dwellings flooded, with just their roofs showing. Locals get around on small boards, surfboards, and personal watercraft. Mayor Ernani de Freitas informed local media that the city “will be totally evacuated.”
“Recovery will take at least a year,” he declared.
Governor Eduardo Leite of Rio Grande do Sul held a press conference late Tuesday to urge people to avoid the area because the predicted downpour could result in more severe floods throughout the state.
“Now is not the moment to go back home,” he declared.
The potential of disease transmission was also emphasized in the civil defense agency’s urgent warning to displaced residents not to return to flooded areas.
One of the rescue coordinators, Army Gen. Marcelo Zucco, told the AP that his team is operating at maximum capacity ahead of the torrential downpours expected to reach the Porto Alegre region this weekend. The city was seeing moderate rain on Wednesday afternoon.
“There’s no way to be sure there won’t be trouble ahead of us, but we hope the next rains are not like those we saw,” Zucco remarked.
Our current priorities are completing the rescue efforts and providing the populace with logistical support. That entails delivering food, drink, medicine, and medical transportation for the ill,” the general continued.
He said that his soldiers had now reached several regions by land thanks to some improvement in the day’s weather.
In portions of Uruguay, unusually strong rains have also flooded areas, causing rivers to overflow in the east of the nation and forcing almost 1,000 people to flee, according to authorities. Rescuers said they had evacuated 200 stranded individuals with the army’s assistance. Although the emergency agency said that flash floods had destroyed over a dozen roads and left thousands of residents without power, there were no immediate reports of injuries.
Southern Brazil Is Still Reeling From Massive Flooding As It Faces Risk From New Storms
Sias, the Rio Grande do Sul meteorologist who works for a forecasting service based there, said that rain in the northern part of the state over the weekend could cause rivers that are already causing widespread flooding around the Patos lagoon, where the Porto Alegre municipal region is located, to swell again.
“We’re going to stay on this alert level until the end of the month,” she declared.
A survey by the National Confederation of Municipalities estimates that damages in over 80% of Rio Grande do Sul’s municipalities are worth 4.6 billion reais ($930 million).
According to Governor Leite, the massive damage will necessitate a rehabilitation plan similar to that of Europe after World War II. The state has already requested that the federal government halt debt payments and establish a fund specifically for the southern region.
Congress overrode a spending cap on Tuesday by enacting an order that declared a state of calamity in Rio Grande do Sul till the end of the year. This allowed the federal government to immediately begin allocating funds to lessen the damage and restore areas damaged by the floods. Both government opponents and supporters of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva came together over the vote.
“Public spending to address the crisis that is currently destroying the state of Rio Grande do Sul has no boundaries,” Planning and Budget Minister Simone Tebet stated in an interview with Radio Gaucha.
SOURCE – (AP)
News
Telehealth May Be Able to Stop Suicide in High-Risk Individuals.
(VOR News) – The results of a recent study suggest that telehealth therapy may lower the risk of suicide. In the United States, a study was conducted.
The results of a study that was published in the journal JAMA Network Open on November 12 indicate that cognitive behavior therapy can help lower the number of suicide attempts and thoughts.
US Telehealth researchers conducted the study.
This predicament is still true even when therapy is delivered via telehealth for a little period of time. As a result of the information they discovered during the investigation, the researchers finally reached this conclusion.
According to a study conducted by clinical psychologist Justin Baker, a researcher at Ohio State University, this is information that should be promoted.
According to Baker, this is a result of the fact that, at this specific point in history, therapy is increasingly being delivered via the use of virtual methods.
Baker was said to have stated, “The nearly overnight shift from mostly in-person to mostly virtual therapy appointments following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was the impetus for this research question.” Ohio State published a press release that contained this message.
In making this claim, Baker was alluding to the fact that the shift occurred very immediately after the outbreak began. Baker was referring to the changes brought about by the pandemic outbreak spreading significantly.
It has long been thought that patients who are deemed to be at high risk are not suitable candidates for virtual healthcare. This is because the use of virtual healthcare is linked to both accountability and the possibility of harm.
We randomly assigned the following telehealth programs to 96 Americans:
They received instruction on how to control and alter the disturbing ideas and bad notions they were experiencing through telehealth cognitive behavioral therapy, with a special emphasis on suicide. They received this instruction while participating in the activity.
A treatment method called present-centered therapy is used to help patients deal with the difficulties they are currently confronting in their life.
The results of the study conducted by the researchers demonstrated that a present-focused approach to treatment is a successful way to reduce depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. Research has shown that therapeutic approaches that focus on the present moment are useful.
However, the results of this study show that when it came to reducing the proportion of patients who attempted suicide while getting telehealth services, cognitive behavioral therapy outperformed present-centered therapy.
Furthermore, the results showed that both treatments were effective in lowering the number of suicidal thoughts that patients thought about taking their own lives. The effectiveness of both therapies served as evidence for this.
Craig Bryan, a researcher and the chairman of telehealth Ohio State University’s Suicide Prevention Program, says, “We have good, tested treatments that will lead to significant symptom reduction and improved quality of life for those who are suffering from suicidal thoughts and behaviors.”
In addition, Bryan is currently the program’s leader. Additionally, Bryan is currently in charge of the program. “We have treatments that have been proven to be effective.”
Bryan said that a considerable percentage of therapists are still maintaining some aspect of their telemedicine practice following the epidemic, even though limitations are being loosened.
This leads to the scenario even when boundaries are being loosened. “The results of this study have the potential to expand access to essential treatments that are supported by evidence for people living in rural and difficult-to-reach areas.”
You should call the telehealth Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 if you or a loved one is experiencing an emotional or suicide crisis if you are experiencing emotional distress. They are available to listen to your issues as well as offer support.
SOURCE: USN
SEE ALSO:
Trudeau Government Forces Port Workers Back to Work
The Main US Inflation Tracker Increased For The First Time Since March.
News
The Main US Inflation Tracker Increased For The First Time Since March.
(VOR News) – The challenging road to lower levels is demonstrated by the fact that one of the most important measures of inflation in the United States has increased for the first time since March.
The consumer price index (CPI), a metric that gauges price inflation across a variety of goods, at an annual rate of 2.6% as October reached its peak. The CPI has never been higher than it was at this time.
According to reports, the rate was 2.4% last month, the lowest in over three years. This rate is higher than the one that was noted the month before.
Eliminating food and energy, “core” inflation stayed at 3.3%.
This occurred upon completion of the computation. Following this stage, the index underwent a thorough analysis. A reading was considered accurate if it agreed with the estimates provided by economists.
Even though inflation has somewhat decreased since reaching its greatest level in four decades in the summer of 2022, many Americans still face financial hardship as a result of years of rising prices. This can be attributed to the fact that inflation peaked in the summer of 2022.
According to exit poll results, a significant number of Republican voters expressed dissatisfaction with their own financial circumstances as well as the state of the US economy.
Their voiced displeasure was a reflection of their dissatisfaction. A significant factor that contributed to the election was the ire generated by the rising cost of living. This rage was among the most important factors.
Concerns have been expressed regarding the real effects that these reforms would have on the inflation rate. Donald Trump proposed tax cuts and tariffs as workable answers throughout his campaign, but there have been questions raised over the real effects of these measures.
The next president has promised to levy tariffs on all U.S. imports that are at least 10 percent higher than the current rate, according to the results of a research by Yale’s Budget Lab.
The implementation of this strategy, which many industry experts believe would almost surely result in an increase in inflation of up to 5.1%, has already been made public.
It was the first time in four years that the Federal Reserve started lowering interest rates in September, which marked the first time in four years they had done so.
This was the first time they had ever implemented inflation.
The Federal Reserve has reached a significant turning point in its attempts to control inflation at this particular moment. Additional interest rate cuts were implemented Monday, lowering them to their lowest point since February 2023. Since February 2023, they have not been this low.
The Federal Reserve’s chairman, Jerome Powell, said the Fed “has gained confidence that we’re on a sustainable path down to 2%,” the target it has set for its inflation rate.
He hosted a news conference where he made this declaration. Considering the previously mentioned, he added that “the task is incomplete.”
As part of its “dual mandate,” the Fed is working to keep inflation from rising while also keeping the unemployment rate from rising. This is being done from the Federal Reserve’s point of view.
Over the past few months, the labor market has been significantly slowing down; in October, the United States created just 12,000 new jobs.
This suggests that there is a downturn in the labor market. In October 2023, the unemployment rate was 4.1%, which was a low figure that was similar to levels before the sickness started. Since the illness had not yet spread, this was the situation. This occurred following a reduction in the rate, which came to 3.4% in February 2023.
In response to a query concerning the impact of the election on the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions, Powell said that officials “do not know the timing or substance of any policy changes.”
Powell was questioned on the significance of the election. As a consequence, we are unable to determine the possible economic impact of this. The current circumstances are to blame for this.
SOURCE: TG
SEE ALSO:
TikTok Initiates Integration With Lemon8 Amid Impending US Ban
Trudeau Government Forces Port Workers Back to Work
Trudeau Insists Trump Isn’t a Threat Despite His Past Rhetoric
News
Trudeau Government Forces Port Workers Back to Work
The Trudeau government has invoked federal authority to halt union strike actions at the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Montreal, claiming economic damage and the loss of trading partners.
This is the second time in a few months that the Trudeau government has intervened to end a labor conflict. In August, Trudeau ordered work stoppages at the country’s two main railway corporations to cease.
Canadian Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon stated that the supply chain has been damaged and that it will take weeks to clear the container congestion affecting Canadian and US companies. He informed reporters that he had ordered the country’s industrial relations board to end the strike and impose binding arbitration.
“As the economic losses threaten the country and begin to mount, it is up to the government to ensure that … we can get on with the economic life of this country and avoid layoffs and other carnage,” he stated during a news conference.
“Canadians have a limited tolerance right now for economic self-harm.”
The issue, which MacKinnon claimed was hurting more than C$1.3 billion ($932 million) in goods every day, has already hampered shipments of canola oil, forest products, and other goods. Business organizations applauded the announcement.
Union Strike Action Heads to Court
International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514, representing supervisory longshore workers at the core of the British Columbia conflict, has announced that it will submit a legal challenge to the minister’s instructions.
“We will fight this order in the courts,” stated Frank Morena, president of ILWU Local 514.
“And we will not forget how these employers and this federal Liberal government have attacked not only the ILWU but all of labor.”
MacKinnon said the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which is independent but reports to Ottawa, will issue the required orders in a few days.
The left-leaning government has previously declared that it prefers to resolve labor problems through collective bargaining. MacKinnon said he was forced to interfere when federal mediators reported that discussions in Montreal and Vancouver had reached a stalemate.
The left-of-center opposition New Democrats, a pro-union group supporting the minority Liberal administration, accused Ottawa of giving in to employers.
“Back-to-work orders suppress wages for all Canadians, so billionaires get richer, and the rest of us fall further behind,” leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement but did not mention bringing the Liberals down.
Trudeau Government Sends Dangerous Message
The Teamsters union, representing employees at the two major train companies, has launched court challenges to labor board judgments that ordered them back to work.
“The government is sending a dangerous message: employers can bypass meaningful negotiations, lock out their workers, and wait for political intervention to secure a more favorable deal,” the Canadian Labour Congress said.
After rejecting a final offer for a new labor deal, the Montreal Longshoremen’s Union called a lockout. As a result, canola oil and forest products exports from West Coast ports, including Vancouver, have ceased.
“These work stoppages are impacting our supply chain, hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs, our economy, and our reputation as a reliable international trading partner,” said MacKinnon, who said employers and unions had not acted quickly enough.
“I’ve directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order that all operations and duties at the ports resume and to assist the parties in settling their collective agreements by imposing final and binding arbitration,” he told reporters.
Related News:
Air Canada Avoids Strike by Negotiating Last-Minute Deal
Air Canada Avoids Strikes by Negotiating Last-Minute Deals with the Pilots’ Union.
-
Tech3 weeks ago
Apple Unveiled A Fresh Glimpse Of Their AI Featuring ChatGPT Integration.
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Connection Problems With The App Store Are Stopping Customers From Downloading Apps.
-
Tech4 weeks ago
The Meta Foundation Launches a New Anti-Sextortion Campaign on Instagram.
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Adobe Commences The Implementation Of AI Video Tools, Which Poses A Challenge To OpenAI And Meta.
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Appeals Court Delays Order For Google To Open Its App Store In Antitrust Case
-
Business4 weeks ago
Arthur Hayes Predicts Bitcoin Will “Rise Stupendously” When Middle East Conflict Escalates.