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Latin America’s challenges and changes ahead

January 4, 2023 Published by Arturo McFields Yescas, opinion contributor

Just In | The Hill

Looking back on 2022, it closed as the year in which Latin America swerved to the left, dictators received a blank check and an unprecedented migratory hemorrhage opened the veins the region.

The new year starts with a pyrrhic economic growth projection. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in a context of external uncertainties and domestic restrictions, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean grew 3.7 percent in 2022, just over half of the 6.7 percent rate recorded in 2021. It is estimated that the economic deceleration will continue in 2023, reaching a 1.3 percent growth rate.

The political map could change — more

In October, the elections in Argentina aim to take a new turn to the right. A timely slap in the face to Peronism for its erratic economic policies. In 2022, Argentina registered the second-highest inflation in the region, only surpassed by the failed Venezuela of dictator Nicolás Maduro. In an electoral year, political leaders like Mauricio Macri, Patricia Bullrich or the current mayor of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, seem to gain popularity among public opinion.

Peru in transition

A failed soft-coup in Peru has generated continuous protests but has also opened the debate for elections and deeper political reforms. Light at the end of the tunnel. New President of Peru Dina Boluarte turned out to be a better president than expected. Amid adversity, Peru continues to have a relatively solid and enviable economy and there are some good citizens willing to see beyond the ideological games.

Elections in Paraguay and Guatemala

In April, Paraguay will also have elections. Everything seems to indicate that the conditions are to remain on the path of a right-wing or center-right leadership. Democracy and economic stability will prevail, and no traumatic changes appear to be ahead.

In June, Guatemala will hold general elections. The country reinforced a state policy characterized by opacity, the judicialization of power as a political weapon including persecution of the free press. The elections here could bring surprises and not necessarily the kind that we can cherish.

Central America is moving toward a new wave of authoritarian regimes

Nicaragua and El Salvador seem to be two sides of the same authoritarianism with different characters. The government of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele is getting closer to Ortega and further from democracy. No country can be governed under indefinite state of emergency. El Salvador is not the exception.

In Nicaragua, the single-party model has been strengthened, under a corrupt family dynasty.In November of 2022, migration from the country became the third largest in the hemisphere, only surpassed by Mexico and Cuba.

The embarrassing leadership of AMLO in Mexico

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) closed the year poorly. He promoted his Plan B of controversial electoral reforms, defended a former coup president in Peru and celebrated the “legacy” of the dictatorship of the Castro brothers in Cuba. ALMO kept a complacent silence on democracy and human rights in Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Lula da Silva’s return in Brazil

Newly elected Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva — who previously served as president from 2003 to 2011 — has started his mandate with 52 presidential decrees and a cabinet of 37 ministers. Climate change and inclusive development appear to be at the forefront of this new mandate. Internally, the right wing is much stronger in Brazil’s Congress and the economy is much weaker, compared to Lula’s previous administration.

A less ideological foreign policy. The Brazilian president, who apparently sympathizes with Venezuela’s and Cuba’s dictators, does not have the space, nor the support, to wear himself out by yielding to the ideological agendas of Mexico or the dictatorships of Cuba.

The total peace of Petro in Colombia

President of Colombia Gustavo Petro is moving forward with one the biggest and most complex challenges, fulfilling his promise to achieve the so-called total peace. Good intentions or leftist speeches are not enough. There are different armed sectors with different interest and not all of them seek the same. Building peace without impunity and with justice is a daunting but pressing task.

The constitutional referendum in Chile

President of Chile Gabriel Boric has the challenge of bringing more to the center and toward reality his constitutional reforms. Any miscalculation would be fatal. The Chilean leader is well-known for a foreign policy consistent with democratic values and respect for human rights. His hand does not tremble when it comes to criticizing the abuses of the dictators of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Human rights have no ideology.

The year of Nicolas Maduro

The interim President of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó is now history. The opposition legislature that he led made sad decision to vote him out of power. Despite, opposition efforts, the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro is back and stronger. He closed 2022 with the unfreezing of $3 billion dollar, new oil agreements and almost 300 political prisoners in jail. The economy that was dying seems to be resurrected, as well as the possibilities of free, fair and perhaps transparent elections.

Cuba

Cuba, for its part, ended 2022 with a Penal Code that includes the capital punishment for crimes against the homeland. The island’s dictatorship has jailed more than 1,000 people for challenging the regime, including women, children and members of the LGBTI community.

The talks that began last year between Washington and Havana on migration could open a small window of opportunity to address other topics such as democracy and human rights. The dictatorship loves the benefits from remittances and U.S. tourism but is allergic to discussing democracy related matters.

The new year in Latin America begins with many challenges and pending tasks but filled with great opportunities. Migration, security, democracy, human rights and fair trade are on the table. Let’s take the challenge together.

Arturo McFields Yescas is former ambassador of Nicaragua to the Organization of American States. Follow him on Twitter: @ArturoMcfields.

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Biden doesn’t believe NFL is getting too dangerous: ‘Don’t know how you avoid it’

January 4, 2023 Published by

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News

The terrifying event during “Monday Night Football” between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals has stunned the sports world.

Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during the first quarter of the game after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Hamlin stood up after delivering the hit, only to collapse to the turf seconds later.

BILLS’ DAMAR HAMLIN HAS SHOWN ‘SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT,’ STILL IN CRITICAL CONDITION, TEAM SAYS

Players from both teams gathered around Hamlin as CPR was administered to the second-year pro before an ambulance rushed him to the hospital.

Hamlin has been listed in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center intensive care unit since collapsing against the Bengals.

While Hamlin’s hit did not appear to be anything out of the ordinary, it has served as a sobering reminder of the dangers of football.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

On Wednesday, President Biden was asked if the NFL was getting “too dangerous,” with the 46th president deeming injuries to be part of the game.

“No. Look, the idea that you’re going to have… You got guys that are 6’8, 340 pounds running a 4.8 [seconds] 40 [yard dash]. I mean, you know, you hit somebody with that kind of force… Now, that’s not what happened here,” Biden told reporters nearly two days after Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest.

“I don’t know how you avoid it. I think working like hell on the helmets and the concussion protocols, that all makes a lot of sense. But it’s you know, it is dangerous. We’ve got to just acknowledge it.”

The Bills provided an update Wednesday afternoon on Hamlin’s condition, saying he had shown “signs of improvement” since being taken to the hospital Monday night.

“Damar remains in the ICU in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight,” the Bills said on Twitter.

“He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him.”

NFL LEGEND MICHAEL IRVIN ON DAMAR HAMLIN: ‘YOU MAY LOSE A LIMB, BUT YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD LOSE A LIFE’

The game between the Bengals and Bills was suspended with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter and the Bengals leading, 7-3.

On Tuesday, the NFL announced that the game “will not be resumed this week” and that no decision has been made about its possible resumption at a later date.

Sales of Manhattan apartments nosedived at the end of 2022

January 4, 2023 Published by CNN

Washington, DC
CNN
—

It is almost as if the wild turns in the Manhattan real estate market during the pandemic didn’t happen. Almost.

The frenzy to buy apartments in Manhattan took off in 2021 as the city bounced back from the worst of the pandemic. But it nosedived at the end of 2022, with the market returning to its pre-pandemic trajectory as sales dropped and prices slipped. The only outlier is that inventory is still slow to materialize.

The median price of all apartments in Manhattan in the fourth quarter was $1,100,500, down 5.5% from the prior year, according to a report from brokerage firm Douglas Elliman and Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers and Consultants. This is the first time in the pandemic era that the year-over-year price has dropped. Even so, the median cost of an apartment remains above pre-pandemic prices.

Prices dropped 4.7% between the third and fourth quarters, as mortgage rates really surged, ultimately reaching as high as an average of 7.08% for a 30-year, fixed-rate loan in October and November, according to Freddie Mac.

The largest share of condos sold were one-bedrooms with a median price of $1,140,000. The median price for a two-bedroom condo was $2,150,000. Median prices of co-ops were lower, at $710,000 for a one-bedroom, and $1,325,000 for a two-bedroom.

Higher rates and still-high housing prices cooled demand at the end of last year, causing sales to tumble. Sales dropped 28.5% in the fourth quarter compared to the fourth quarter of 2021.

The huge drop in sales at the end of 2022 was largely because the year before was such a historic anomaly.

“The Manhattan sales market is exiting the euphoric market of 2021 and moving to something closer to normal,” said Jonathan Miller, president and CEO of Miller Samuel.

Another reason for the slowdown:few apartments coming to market, he added.

Would-be home sellers across the country have become locked in to their current apartments because they purchased or refinanced into ultra-low mortgage rates during the past few years and are reluctant to buy at the current, much higher rate.

As a result, there were 6,523 listings in Manhattan at the end of the fourth quarter. That’s 5% higher than the fourth quarter of 2021, but 15.7% less than the third quarter of 2022.

“The numbers are essentially acting like the pandemic didn’t happen,” said Miller.

Looking at the market metrics of prices, sales and inventory, both prices and sales are going up from their pre-pandemic levels at a modest pace, with prices rising 10% above 2019 levels and sales 6% higher.

But inventory is down about 2%, which is odd, said Miller.

“This is an unusual situation where the low inventory is the by-product of mortgage rates being cut to the floor,” Miller said, eviscerating supply. “Normally, you’d expect inventory to expand with significant rate growth.”

Looking ahead, neither buyers nor sellers should expect much from the market. Miller is calling 2023, “the year of disappointment.”

“Sellers aren’t going to get the prices they got in 2021 and buyers aren’t going to get much improvement on affordability from 2022,” he said. “Meanwhile, banks are disappointed because their pipeline is going dusty.”

source

Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe feud on air over controversial Damar Hamlin tweet

January 4, 2023 Published by CNN

New York
CNN
—

Skip Bayless spent a third straight day defending his controversial tweet about Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, this time during a tense exchange Wednesday with his Fox Sports talk show co-host Shannon Sharpe.

Sharpe, a former NFL player and member of the NFL Hall of Fame, returned to the duo’s talk show “Undefeated” Wednesday after missing Tuesday’s show. His absence followed co-host Bayless’ widely-criticized tweet questioning whether the NFL should have ended the Bills’ game Monday against the Cincinnati Bengals after Hamlin collapsed on the field. Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after a hit to his chest area.

During the incident Monday, Bayless tweeted: “no doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how? This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.”

Bayless later followed up with a tweet, saying the controversy surrounding that tweet was a misunderstanding of his intention.

On Wednesday, the hosts of “Undisputed” immediately got into an argument at the beginning of the show.

“I’ve never seen anybody have to be revived and fight for their life on the field,” Sharpe said during his opening monologue. “Skip tweeted something, and although I disagreed with the tweet, and hopefully Skip would take it down. But I wanted…”

Bayless immediately interrupted, saying “I’m not going to take it down, because I stand by what I tweeted.”

Sharpe then decided not to continue his monologue. Visibly upset at Bayless, he said, “I cannot even get through a monologue without you interrupting me.”

Sharpe tried to bring the conversation back to Hamlin, rather than about Bayless, and Bayless said he didn’t expect Sharpe to address his tweet on air. The tense conversation lasted for about a minute.

On Monday, after Bayless’ controversial tweet, he followed up saying it was a misunderstanding.

“Nothing is more important than that young man’s health. That was the point of my last tweet. I’m sorry if that was misunderstood but his health is all that matters,” Bayless tweeted.

Bayless didn’t acknowledge the tweet at the beginning of Tuesday’s “Undisputed,” but appeared emotional about the incident.

“I apologize for what for what we’re going to set out to do here today, if it offends anyone because we’re going to try to do the show pretty much as usual we do the show,” he said. “I’ll admit up front that I’m still shook up what happened last night to Damar Hamlin. In fact, I’m still wrecked. In fact, I’m not sure I’m capable of doing this show today.”

The NFL postponed Monday’s game after coaches from both teams refused to continue the game, saying details on next steps would come at an “appropriate time.”

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White House cautions against panic as XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant spreads

January 4, 2023 Published by Joseph Choi

Just In | The Hill

White House health officials are cautioning against a rush to panic over the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant, which has rapidly grown to account for 40 percent of U.S. COVID-19 cases, with officials stating it is not yet known if this version is more dangerous.

As of last week, the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant is responsible for at least 40 percent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. As a recombinant virus, the subvariant carries genetic data from two previous strains that descended from the BA.2 subvariant. Roughly 75 percent of cases in the Northeast are now attributed to this strain.

White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha posted a lengthy Twitter thread on Wednesday addressing concerns over the sudden rise of XBB.1.5. He acknowledged that the subvariant going from 4 percent of cases to 40 percent in a matter of weeks was a “stunning increase.”

Jha said XBB.1.5 is likely more immune-evasive than other omicron subvariants and could likely be more contagious as well but said it is not yet known if it is more dangerous than previous mutations.

“If you had an infection before July or your last vaccine was before bivalent update in September, your protection against an XBB.1.5 infection is probably not that great,” Jha said.

COVID-19 antivirals such as Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, however, should still work in treating infections, Jha said. Paxlovid, a combination of two antiviral medications, functions by blocking an enzyme the SARS-CoV-2 virus needs to replicate.

Robert Califf, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), posted his own thread on XBB.1.5 in response to what he characterized as “misinformation/disinformation” in an editorial published by The Wall Street Journal earlier this week.

The opinion piece suggested that repeated vaccination could be making people more susceptible to infection due to XBB subvariants and fueling viral mutations.

“There is no clear evidence that repeated vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines makes people more susceptible to the XBB.1 or XBB.1.5 variants,” Califf tweeted in response to the op-ed. He further said that a Cleveland Clinic study cited in the article was “provocative,” but noted that it ultimately concluded that bivalent vaccines offered protection against infection.

“It is highly likely that the current bivalent vaccines provide some protection against XBB, especially in the prevention of serious illness and death,” said the FDA commissioner.

“Immune evasion by COVID-19 would happen even if no vaccine existed because of the high level of replication of SARS-CoV-2 and because many of the novel variants have been traced to continuous replication of the virus in immune compromised individuals,” added Califf.

Outside the U.S., health officials have noted XBB.1.5’s apparent enhanced ability to evade immune protection.

XBB.1.5 has been detected in 29 countries so far, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead of the COVID-19 response at the World Health Organization. In a briefing, Van Kerkhove said XBB.1.5 is “the most transmissible subvariant that has been detected yet.”

“The reason for this are the mutations that are within this recombinant, this subvariant of omicron, allowing this virus to adhere to the cell and replicate easily,” Van Kerkhove said. “We are concerned about its growth advantage, in particular in some countries in Europe and the Northeast part of the United States, where XBB.1.5 has rapidly replaced other circulating sub-variants.”

—Updated at 5:46 p.m.

Healthcare, Administration, Ashish Jha, fda, omicron subvariants, Robert Califf Read More

Thousands pour into St. Peter’s for funeral of Benedict XVI

January 4, 2023 Published by NICOLE WINFIELD

Top News: US & International Top News Stories Today | AP News

Police officers patrol the St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. The Vatican announced that Pope Emeritus Benedict died on Dec. 31, 2022, aged 95, and that his funeral will be held on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Mourners poured into St. Peter’s Square early Thursday for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, hoping to pay final respects to the German theologian who made history by retiring and participate in a rare requiem Mass for a dead pope presided over by a living one.

Thick fog enshrouded the Vatican before dawn as civil protection crews and police manned metal detectors and barricades to herd well-wishers into the square. Police estimated some 100,000 would attend, higher than an original estimate of 60,000, Italian media reported, citing police security plans.

Francis is due to preside over the funeral, an event drawing heads of state and royalty despite Benedict’s requests for simplicity and Vatican efforts to keep the first funeral for an emeritus pope in modern times low-key. Only Italy and Germany were invited to send official delegations, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Italian President Sergio Mattarella confirmed their participation.

But other heads of state and government decided to take the Vatican up on its offer and come in their “private capacity.” They included several other heads of state, at least four prime ministers and two delegations of royal representatives.

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The funeral rite calls for Benedict’s coffin to be carried out from the basilica and placed before the altar as the faithful recite the rosary. The ritual itself is modeled on the code used for dead popes but with some modifications given Benedict was not a reigning pope when he died.

After the Mass, Benedict’s cypress coffin is to be placed inside a zinc one, then an outer oak casket before being entombed in the crypt in the grottos underneath the basilica that once held the tomb of St. John Paul II before it was moved upstairs into the main basilica.

Some 200,000 paid tribute to Benedict during three days of public viewing in St. Peter’s Basilica, with one of the last ones Friar Rosario Vitale, who spent an hour praying by his body. He said Benedict had given him a special dispensation to begin the process of becoming a priest, which was required because of a physical disability.

“So today I came here to pray on his tomb, on his body and to say ‘thank you’ for my future priesthood, for my ministry,” he said. “I owe him a lot and this for me was really a gift to be able to pray for an hour on his bier.”

The former Joseph Ratzinger, who died Dec. 31 at age 95, is considered one of the 20th century’s greatest theologians and spent his lifetime upholding church doctrine. But he will go down in history for a singular, revolutionary act that changed the future of the papacy: He retired, the first pope in six centuries to do so.

Francis has praised Benedict’s courage in stepping aside when he believed he no longer had the strength to lead the church, saying it “opened the door” to other popes doing the same. Francis, for his part, recently said he has already left written instructions outlining the conditions in which he too would resign if he were to become incapacitated.

Benedict never intended his retirement to last as long as it did — at nearly 10 years it was longer than his eight-year pontificate. And the unprecedented situation of a retired pope living alongside a reigning one prompted calls for protocols to guide future popes emeritus to prevent any confusion about who is really in charge.

During St. John Paul II’s quarter-century as pope, the former Joseph Ratzinger spearheaded a crackdown on dissent as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, taking action against the left-leaning liberation theology that spread in Latin America in the 1970s and against dissenting theologians and nuns who didn’t toe the Vatican’s hard line on matters like sexual morals.

His legacy was marred by the clergy sexual abuse scandal, even though he recognized earlier than most the “filth” of priests who raped children, and actually laid the groundwork for the Holy See to punish them.

As cardinal and pope, he passed sweeping church legislation that resulted in 848 priests being defrocked from 2004-2014, roughly his pontificate with a year on either end. But abuse survivors still held him responsible for the crisis, for failing to sanction any bishop who moved abusers around and identifying him as embodying the clerical system that long protected the institution over victims.

“Any celebration that marks the life of abuse enablers like Benedict must end,” said the main U.S. survivor group SNAP.

While his funeral is novel, it does have some precedent: In 1802, Pope Pius VII presided over the funeral in St. Peter’s of his predecessor, Pius VI, who had died in exile in France in 1799 as a prisoner of Napoleon.

Gabrielle Union confesses she ‘felt entitled’ to cheat in first marriage with Chris Howard: ‘Dysfunctional’

January 4, 2023 Published by

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News

Actress Gabrielle Union is speaking out about her “dysfunctional” marriage to former NFL player Chris Howard.

During a guest appearance on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, Union revealed that she “felt entitled” to infidelity during their five-year marriage.

When Shepard brought up his past infidelities, Union remarked, “In our first marriage, neither one of us felt like the marriage should get in the way of our dating.

“A part of it was like keeping up with his activities, like, ‘Oh, that’s what you’re doing? You’re going to feel this one.’ And I just felt entitled to it as well.”

‘L.A.’S FINEST’ PRODUCERS GABRIELLE UNION, JESSICA ALBA ON HIRING A DIVERSE PRODUCTION STAFF: ‘IT WASN’T HARD’

Union and Howard tied the knot in 2001 and called it quits in 2005.

Union added that since she paid “all the bills,” she should be allowed to do whatever she pleased.

“Like my dad before me, whoever has the most, gets to do whatever the hell they want is what I thought,” Union expressed on the podcast.

GABRIELLE UNION CALLS OUT TERRY CREWS FOR NOT SUPPORTING HER DURING ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ FIRING

While they were together, the “Bring It On” star additionally confessed that she was “horny for validation and having certain kinds of guys like me and want me.”

The 50-year-old actress continued to get candid about her relationship with the 47-year-old ex-NFL player and noted that the pair were “just dysfunctional from day one.”

Union added that a therapist once told them she didn’t understand how their toxic relationship resulted in marriage in the first place.

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“[She said] we should probably look for a way to amicably dissolve … because you have not one thing in common, no morals, no values,” Union told Shepard.

“The only thing you have in common is other people, so why don’t you just go be with other people?”

The “Bad Boys II” actress went on to say that she wished she “had more guilt” about her past infidelity.

“It was such a stupid relationship that should have never gotten out of the dating phase,” she lamented.

“I wasn’t aware of any comments by my ex-wife Gabrielle Union on a podcast or anywhere else,” Union’s ex Howard told Fox News Digital. “What I do know is that she appears to be very happy with her new family, and she’s continued to do very well with her career and activism. I wish her and her family nothing but the best.”

After parting ways with Howard, the “10 Things I Hate About You” star married former NBA player Dwyane Wade in 2014.

In 2018, the couple welcomed a baby girl, Kaavia, to the world. Union is also the stepmom to Wade’s three children from previous marriages.

Texas sees rise in food truck thefts in state capital and surrounding area

January 4, 2023 Published by

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News

Food trucks dot the streets of Austin, Texas, but a growing number of thieves have preyed on these mobiles businesses throughout the state capital and surrounding area.

Justin Williams, 43, was arrested on Dec. 23 and charged with stealing the Saigon le Vendeur food truck from a parking lot in North Austin. The truck, which serves banh mi and other Vietnamese food, was later located by police after Williams allegedly spray-painted half of it black to try to alter its appearance.

A Travis County Sheriff’s deputy recognized Williams in jail after police released surveillance images of him allegedly shoplifting from a convenience store shortly after stealing the truck. He is now facing charges of theft of property and criminal mischief.

About 20 miles southeast of downtown Austin, someone stole an Airstream Trailer that belongs to Gourdough’s Donuts on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day

APPLE AIRTAG LEADS MICHIGAN POLICE TO STOLEN CAR, SUSPECT OPENS FIRE ON OFFICER

“I think they just picked the opportune time to do it,” Ryan Palmer, co-owner of Gourdough’s Donuts, told Fox 7 Austin. “I’m shocked because it is on a well-traveled highway. It was visible from the highway.”

In another theft in South Austin, someone stole a food truck trailer using a Dodge Dakota extended cab on Nov. 3.

The Austin Police Department has struggled to respond to some calls in recent years, with 257 sworn officer vacancies and 127 civilian vacancies last fall.

The Austin City Council slashed the police department’s budget by about one-third in August 2020 and canceled cadet classes, leading to an exodus of sworn officers. The funding has since been restored to comply with state law, but some officers have blamed the defunding for the vacancies and demoralization within the department.

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

Beds run out at Beijing hospital as COVID brings more sick

January 4, 2023 Published by

Top News: US & International Top News Stories Today | AP News

An elderly man takes a rest along a corridor in an emergency ward as he receives an intravenous drip in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. As the virus continues to rip through China, global organizations and governments have called on the country start sharing data while others have criticized its current numbers as meaningless. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

BEIJING (AP) — Patients, most of them elderly, are lying on stretchers in hallways and taking oxygen while sitting in wheelchairs as COVID-19 surges in China’s capital Beijing.

The Chuiyangliu hospital in the city’s east was packed with newly arrived patients on Thursday. By midmorning beds had run out, even as ambulances continued to bring those in need.

Hard-pressed nurses and doctors rushed to take information and triage the most urgent cases.

The surge in severely ill people needing hospital care follows China abandonment of its most severe pandemic restrictions last month after nearly three years of lockdowns, travels bans and school closures that weighed heavily on the economy and prompted street protests not seen since the late 1980s.

It also comes as the the European Union on Wednesday “strongly encouraged” its member states to impose pre-departure COVID-19 testing of passengers from China.

Over the past week, EU nations have reacted with a variety of restrictions toward travelers from China, disregarding an earlier commitment to act in unity.

Italy — where the pandemic first exacted a heavy toll in Europe in early 2020 — was the first EU member to require coronavirus tests for airline passengers coming from China, but France and Spain quickly followed with their own measures. That followed the imposition by the U.S. of a requirement that all passengers from China show a negative test result obtained in the previous 48 hours before departure.

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China has warned of “countermeasures” if such policies were to be imposed across the bloc.

Still, World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday he was concerned about the lack of outbreak data from the Chinese government.

China has sought to get more of its elderly population vaccinated, but those efforts have been hampered by past scandals involving fake medications and previous warnings about adverse reactions to the vaccines among older people.

China’s domestically developed vaccines are also considered less effective than the mRNA jabs used elsewhere.

NC State broadcaster Gary Hahn set to return to the booth after ‘illegal aliens’ remark

January 4, 2023 Published by

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North Carolina State broadcaster Gary Hahn will be reinstated later this month after he made a reference to “illegal aliens” during the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, last week.

While calling the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, where the Wolfpack were playing against the Maryland Terrapins, Hahn gave a score update on the Sun Bowl in west Texas, when he made the comment.

“One other bowl game involving an ACC team going on, that’s the Sun Bowl, and among all the illegal aliens down in El Paso, it’s UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6,” Hahn said.

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Outcry on social media led to the suspension.

Learfield Communications suspended Hahn indefinitely over the remarks. But the Raleigh News & Observer reported Tuesday that Hahn will be back calling games for the Wolfpack on Jan. 14. OutKick also confirmed the news. Learfield didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Hahn has been the voice of N.C. State football and men’s basketball for more than 30 years.

EX-TENNESSEE QUARTERBACK ‘CAN’T STAND’ BULLDOGS’ STETSON BENNETT: ‘HE’S SUCH A PUNK’

He was named the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year in 2011 and 2020. The Wolfpack lost the game, 16-12.

Meanwhile, El Paso residents spoke out about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Two moms from the city joined “Fox & Friends” last week to appeal to the Biden administration and local leaders to protect residents in the area amid the border crisis.

“It’s very out of the ordinary and very scary because we don’t know who’s coming to our country like this,” said Yvette, who has two children attending a local school.

“We want to help, but we also need to be realistic as to who these people are,” Rosie added. “We don’t know if there are pedophiles, we don’t know if they’re rapists.”

President Biden on Wednesday announced he intends to visit the border for the first time ever.

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.