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House sessions now aired on free TV

BW FILE PHOTO

THE HOUSE of Representatives on Monday launched a free-to-air digital channel to broadcast regular sessions conducted in the Chamber, as it seeks public access to events in Congress.

The broadcast platform, called Congress TV, will be viewed on state-owned People’s Television Network (PTV) digital channel 14 in the capital region.

“Through this platform, we are tearing down the walls that have long kept the inner workings of the legislature away from public scrutiny,” House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said during the launch of Congress TV.

The House leader called Congress TV a “bridge built on the pillars of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity.”

“By airing the sessions of Congress, we aim to present democracy in action, and show the participative governance in the shaping of a new Philippines,” PTV Network General Manager Ana Puod said in a statement.

House Secretary General Reginald S. Velasco said that CongressTV would help inform the public on how laws are created, which includes the country’s national budget.

Congress TV will air daily from 9 am to 9 pm beginning on Tuesday at PTV digital channel 14, as well as on its own social media platforms.

It will also be available on channel 2 on ABS-CBN’s TV Plus and channel 46 on GMA Affordabox. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Qualifier Yastremska reaches quarterfinals on fairytale run

DAYANA YASTREMSKA — REUTERS

Djokovic, Sabalenka lead Melbourne quarterfinalists

MELBOURNE — Qualifier Dayana Yastremska continued her fairytale run into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday with a 7-6(6) 6-4 upset of twice former champion and 18th seed Victoria Azarenka.

The Ukrainian world number 93, who stunned Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the first round, had to fight hard but was rewarded for her aggression with 38 winners to forge on into a half of the draw devoid of top 10 seeds.

“I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my body,” the 23-year-old said after the biggest win of her career. “I was losing the tiebreak, I was losing the second set, I was always felt like I was running behind the train. But I think I’m a little bit of a fighter so that’s why I won this match.”

In a punishing baseline battle with virtually no net play, Ms. Yastremska got the first of the six breaks of serve in the opening set only for Ms. Azarenka to rattle off the next four games to edge in front.

Ms. Azarenka, back-to-back champion in 2012-2013 and a Melbourne semifinalist last year, served for the set but Ms. Yastremska kept up the pressure through five deuces and finally converted her fourth break point to force a tiebreak. The tiebreak was just as tight but the Ukrainian sealed it with her 21st winner, a blistering forehand that was just too fast and too deep for 34-year-old Ms. Azarenka.

Both players took lengthy bathroom breaks after the first set and Belarusian Azarenka came out firing, racing to a 3-0 lead almost before Ms. Yastremska had time to catch her breath.

The Ukrainian stalled Ms. Azarenka’s progress and then went back on the attack, finding her rasping winners again to win five straight games. She held her nerve serving for the match two games later, lashing across one more big backhand to set up a meeting with Czech world number 50 Linda Noskova in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

QUARTERFINALISTS
Novak Djokovic flirted with a rare “triple bagel” and Aryna Sabalenka produced yet another powerful performance as the defending champions swept into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Sunday.

American fourth seed Coco Gauff also rattled through her match in double quick time and while she was only on court for an hour, the US Open champion showed she has all the weapons to win a second Grand Slam title.

Jannik Sinner, the men’s fourth seed, got through a tough fourth round clash in three sets to underline his title credentials but last year’s losing finalist, Stefanos Tsitsipas, was ousted by Taylor Fritz.

Mr. Djokovic, playing a rare daytime match, blanked Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the opening two sets and threatened to become only the sixth player to win 6-0 6-0 6-0 in the main draw of a Grand Slam.

Mr. Djokovic will meet Fritz in his 58th Grand Slam quarterfinal — a record the world number one now shares with Roger Federer — as he seeks a record 25th major singles title.

The American played an excellent match to beat Greek seventh seed Mr. Tsitsipas 7-6(3) 5-7 6-3 6-3 but will take an 0-8 record into his first Australian Open quarterfinal.

Reigning US Open champion Ms. Gauff outclassed Magdalena Frech 6-1 6-2 in only 63 minutes for her ninth straight victory but was not at all concerned that she might be undercooked for the business end of the tournament.

Barbora Krejcikova is the only other top 10 seed left in the women’s draw and the Czech is certainly battle-hardened after giving up the opening set in three of her four matches this year

Next up for Mr. Sinner is Andrey Rublev, who ended Australia’s interest in the singles draws with victory over Alex de Minaur in a five-set evening thriller on Rod Laver Arena.

The fifth-seeded Russian and 10th-seeded local went toe-to-toe for more than four hours before Rublev got over the line 6-4 6-7(5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-0 to reach the last eight for the third time. — Reuters

TNT, Meralco brace for EASL Final Four battle

TNT TROPANG GIGA — PBA.PH

THEIR Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup campaign is over but TNT and Meralco still have unfinished business in the East Asia Super League (EASL).

The TNT Tropang Giga and the Meralco Bolts, the country’s representatives in the Continental league, have their work cut out in trying to make it to the Final Four there.

The two MVP Group squads carry identical 1-4 records with TNT running third in Group A behind Japan’s Chiba (6-0) and Korea’s Anyang (2-2) and Meralco at fourth behind New Taipei Kings (4-0), Seoul SK (2-2) and Japan’s Ryukyu (2-3).

They need to seize victory in their final group games but they would have to depend on others to keep the door to the semis open.

For the TNT Tropang Giga, they have to win big against the Anyang in their home game at the PhilSports Arena tomorrow to stay alive. Then they would root for fourth-running Taipei Fubon Braves (1-4) to beat Anyang on the final day to forge a three-way tie and hope to emerge on top after tiebreaker for the second seat to the semis.

It’s more complicated for the Meralco Bolts, who need semis-bound New Taipei to defeat Ryukyu and Seoul to keep them in the mix then to draw level at 2-4, chalk up an away win against Seoul on Feb. 7. Even then, Meralco still needs to finish with the biggest points difference to possibly salvage a semis ticket.

TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa underscored the importance of reaching the EASL post-season. “Qualifying for the EASL Final Four would be a tremendous achievement for our team. It’s a testament to the determination, and resilience of our players, coaching staff, and the entire organization,” he said. “This is a goal we’ve been working towards since the beginning of the season, and securing a spot in the Final Four would not only elevate the profile of TNT on the international stage but also bring immense pride to our fans and supporters back home.”

TNT seeks this objective a week after bowing out of the PBA’s season-opening tournament on account of 94-109 quarterfinal loss to top seed and twice-to-beat Magnolia.

Meralco followed TNT to the exits after yielding an 84-88 setback to No. 4 Phoenix in the rubbermatch for a semis spot. — Olmin Leyba

Petro Gazz Angels tap Japanese Tsuzurabara as new head coach

KOJI TSUZURABARA — FACEBOOK.COM/PETROGAZZANGELS

THE JAPANESE invasion of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) continued after Petro Gazz tapped Koji Tsuzurabara of Japan as its new coach in time for the All-Filipino Conference set Feb. 20 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Our new driving force and guiding light has come aboard. We are ready and excited as you steer us to new heights as our head coach. Welcome to the Angels family, coach Koji Tsuzurabara,” the team announced Sunday night on social media.

Mr. Tsuzurabara will be the second Japanese coaching in the league after Nxled tapped Taka Minowa last year.

Mr. National Football Conference, who came to Filipino consciousness after he coached Kinh Bac Bac Ninh of Vietnam in last year’s PVL Invitational, has taken over from Timmy Sto. Tomas.

He also had stints with club teams in Japan, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia as well as national team tour of duties in Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and, just recently, Chinese Taipei in last year’s Asian Volleyball Cup.

The Angels also tapped Fil-Am Brooke Van Sickle, Myla Pablo and Michelle Morente in a massive revamp aimed at improving on a sixth-place performance in last season’s second AFC late last year.

Mr. Tsuzurabara inherited a squad that included Jonah Sabete, Aiza Maizo Pontillas, Djanel Cheng and Remy Palma. — Joey Villar

Howard, Strong Group stay perfect in Dubai tourney

DWIGHT Howard unleashed his vintage form as Strong Group fended off a fiery resistance from Lebanon’s Homenetmen, 104-95, and stayed perfect in the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship yesterday at the Al Nasr Club.

The former NBA champion and three-time Defensive Player of the Year awardee scored 32 points on an impressive 12-of-13 clip laced by seven rebounds and five blocks to anchor the Philippine representatives to a 3-0 slate atop Group B.

It’s the closest win of Strong Group, which had to turn it up in the payoff period, thus far in the 12-team tourney after making short work of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team, 82-66, and Syria’s Al Wahda, 89-67. Joining hands with Mr. Howard to make it happen was UAAP MVP Kevin Quiambao, who further cemented his stature as Strong Group’s best local bet with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Andray Blatche chipped in 18 points, six rebounds and four assists while the two other reinforcements in Andre Roberson and McKenzie Moore were also instrumental with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Gilas Pilipinas shooter Jordan Heading only had two points but did a good job quarterbacking Strong Group’s attack with 11 assists plus four rebounds and two steals.

Unlike the first two outings, Strong Group found Homenetmen a tough nut to crack as it played catch-up basketball until the last eight minutes.

Following a 42-48 halftime gap, the wards of head coach Charles Tiu still stared at a 71-73 deficit early in the fourth before leaning on Mr. Howard and Mr. Blatche in the clutch.

Mr. Howard’s short heaves and Mr. Blatche’s three straight treys highlighted Strong Group’s 21-10 rally midway through the fourth to erect its biggest lead at 92-83 en route to the win.

The ball club owned by Frank and Jacob Lao, tied with Libya’s Al Ahly Tri Sports Club on top of Group B with 3-0 slates, now heads to a much-needed break after three straight days of action before plunging back to play on Wednesday against Beirut Sports Club.

Homenetmen, bannered by the 37 points of former Meralco import Zach Lofton, slid to 0-2 entering a must-win match against the UAE national team today. — John Bryan Ulanday

The scores:

Strong Group (104) — Howard 32, Quiambao 19, Blatche 18, Roberson 13, Moore 12, Baltazar 8, Heading 2, Sanchez 0, Cagulangan 0, Escandor 0.

Homenetmen (95) — Lofton 37, Hadidian 21, Holman 18, Jackson 16, Khalil 2, Salem 1, Ajemian 0, Akiki 0.

Quarterscores: 17-24, 42-48, 71-67, 104-95.

ITF lifts suspension of PHILTA

AFTER three years in limbo, the Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) is back in the good graces of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) after the world-governing tennis body lifted the latter’s suspension.

“I am pleased to confirm that the ITF Board of Directors has decided to lift the suspension of the Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) in accordance with Article 5 of the ITF Constitution,” ITF President David Haggerty said in a letter dated Jan. 21 to Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino.

“Philta’s return to active ITF membership is a significant moment for tennis in the Philippines and the Asian region, and the ITF is highly motivated to support Philta in its efforts to develop, grow and promote the sport in the coming years,” he added.

The ITF suspended Philta three years ago. It was lifted just right after the Philta elected its new set of officers in December last year at the Century Park Hotel in Manila.

Eric Olivarez was elected from that poll and would return as president of the local body.

Also elected to other positions were Rolen Paulino (vice president), Gerardo Alcala (treasurer), Theodore Jose Matta (internal auditor) and board members Franzes Khu Camacho, Theodore Dy, Elmaerwin Sibucao, Gilbert Paylado, Dickerson Laruan, Fernando Silapan, Joile Mondragon, Jean Henri Lhuillier, Dyan Castillejo and April Toledo. — Joey Villar

Lions tame Bucs, reach first NFC title game in 32 years

JARED GOFF passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns and the Detroit Lions advanced to the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game with a 31-23 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon.

Seeking their first Super Bowl berth, the Lions will travel to California to face the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday. Detroit will be playing in the conference title game for the first time since the 1991 season.

Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 74 yards, including the go-ahead 31-yard score in the fourth quarter. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught eight passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, while Sam LaPorta had nine receptions for 65 yards for Detroit.

The Lions’ second playoff win in as many weeks came three years to the day after Dan Campbell was introduced as the downtrodden franchise’s new head coach.

For the second week running, Lions fans chanted Goff’s name.

Baker Mayfield passed for 349 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions for the Bucs. Mike Evans caught eight passes for 147 yards and a touchdown.

Derrick Barnes’ interception of Mayfield with 1:33 remaining clinched Detroit’s victory.

The Buccaneers exceeded expectations in 2023 by winning the NFC South and a wild-card game, but now they head into the offseason with pending free-agent decisions to make about Mayfield and Evans.

The game was tied at 10 at halftime.

Detroit struck first on Michael Badgley’s 23-yard field goal. Tampa Bay answered with Chase McLaughlin’s 43-yard field goal.

The Lions regained the lead early in the second quarter on Goff’s 9-yard scoring pass to Josh Reynolds. Mr. McLaughlin banged a 50-yard field-goal attempt off the left upright with 2:24 remaining in the first half.

The Bucs tied it with 15 seconds left on a 92-yard drive that took just 1:13. Evans’ diving 29-yard reception set up Mayfield’s 2-yard scoring pass to Cade Otton.

Detroit regained the lead with 3:48 left in the third quarter. Craig Reynolds scored on a 1-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal.

Tampa Bay answered again, as Rachaad White scored on a 12-yard screen pass from Mayfield with 10 seconds left in the third.

The Lions struck back quickly, as Mr. Gibbs burst through a hole and scored from 31 yards out with 13:13 left in the game to make it 24-17.

After Detroit forced a punt, its offense drove 89 yards to increase the lead. Mr. Goff hooked up with St. Brown on a 9-yard passing play to make it 31-17. Mr. Mayfield completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Evans with 4:37 left. Evans had a 24-yard reception on fourth-and-14 earlier in the drive. The Bucs attempted a two-point conversion, but the pass was broken up.

CHIEFS FEND OFF BILLS
Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the sixth consecutive season with a 27-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night at Orchard Park, N.Y.

Isiah Pacheco rushed for 97 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on 15 carries for third-seeded Kansas City. Mr. Mahomes completed 17 of 23 passes for 215 yards in his first career road postseason game and Mr. Kelce had five receptions for 75 yards for the Chiefs.

Kansas City will visit the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens next Sunday for a Super Bowl berth.

Buffalo had a chance to tie the score but Tyler Bass was way wide right on a 44-yard field-goal attempt with 1:43 remaining. Pacheco then rushed for a first down on Kansas City’s second play as the Chiefs ran out the clock.

Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns and passed for one for Buffalo. Mr. Allen completed 26 of 39 passes for 186 yards and rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries and Khalil Shakir caught a touchdown pass for the second-seeded Bills.

Buffalo had a 16-play, 54-yard drive stall at the Kansas City 26-yard line before Bass’ wide-right boot brought back memories of Scott Norwood’s 47-yard miss in the loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV nearly 33 years ago.

Mr. Mahomes and Mr. Kelce set a record for combining on 16 postseason touchdown passes. The former New England Patriots duo of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski held the old mark of 15. Buffalo possessed the ball for 37:03 and ran 78 plays to Kansas City’s 47.

The three touchdown drives of the second half were all 75 yards long.

Kansas City took a 20-17 lead on Mr. Mahomes’ three-yard scoring pass to Mr. Kelce with 11:48 left in the third. — Reuters

Job market grows 10% in hiring — foundit

Commuters wait for public transportation along Ortigas Extension in Cainta, Rizal, Sept. 14, 2022. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ WALTER BOLLOZOS

By Miguel Hanz L. Antivola, Reporter

The job market saw a 10% jump in annual hiring activity fueled by regional holiday spending and a high demand for goods and services, according to a report.

The insights tracker of talent platform foundit showed the employment index of the Philippines reach 128 in December, up from 116 in the same period in 2022.

“The final quarter marked the economy’s best performance in the year 2023,” Sekhar Garisa, chief executive officer of foundit, said in an emailed press statement on Monday.

“We have stepped into 2024 by showcasing remarkable growth and resilience across sectors,” he added.

Preliminary results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Labor Force Survey showed the unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in November from 4.2% in the previous month and in November 2022.  

This was the lowest record since the PSA revised the definition of “unemployed” in April 2005 to refer to people aged 15 years and older without a job and are available for work and actively seeking one.

For the first 11 months of 2023, the unemployment rate stood at 4.5%, well below the 5.3%-6.4% target under the Philippine Development Plan.

The employment rate — the share of the employed Filipinos to the total working force — rose to 96.4% in November from 95.8% in October and November 2022.

According to foundit, the retail sector recorded the largest increase in hiring activity demand with 60%, followed by education (49%), business process outsourcing and IT-enabled services (11%), and healthcare (11%).

Positive growth trends were also seen in engineering, construction, and real estate (9%), logistics (7%), advertising, media, public relations, and entertainment (6%), and hospitality (4%).

foundit noted holiday demand and government-led upskilling initiatives and apprenticeship programs as drivers for job market growth.

However, it added the skills gap, global competition, and scattered demand for logistics as challenges for the market.

foundit said these caused a downturn for IT and telecommunications (18%), fast-moving consumer goods and packaged food (14%), banking, financial services, and insurance (4%), and production or manufacturing and automotive and ancillary industries (1%).

Among functions, customer service professions had the highest increase in hiring with 26%, followed by human resources and admin (18%), marketing and communications (17%), and logistics and supply chain (15%).

Other functions that have seen growth included software, hardware, and telco (6%), sales and business development (4%), engineering, production, and real estate (4%), and hospitality and travel (3%).

Additionally, finance and accounts professionals posted a 1% decrease, while healthcare roles maintained its activity.

Mr. Garisa underscored the need to reimagine recruitment approaches given the dynamic job market.

“[Artificial intelligence] is now a global reality, and the local workforce needs to enhance its core competence,” he said.

“With the support and initiatives from the Filipino government and private sectors, issues concerning the ease of doing business, power, and upskilling would be addressed,” he added.

War rages as Gaza toll said to have passed 25,000

EMAD EL-BYED-UNSPLASH

DOHA/GAZA — Israeli attacks and street battles raged across the Gaza Strip on Sunday as Palestinian health officials said the death toll from Israeli strikes since war broke out in October had passed 25,000.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said 178 Palestinians had been killed in the past 24 hours, one of the deadliest days of the war so far. Israel’s military said a soldier was killed in fighting.

Israeli forces and Hamas fighters clashed in several places, from Jabalia in the north to Khan Younis in the south, the focus of recent Israeli operations.

Israeli planes resumed heavy bombing on Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip and explosions echoed throughout the city.

Explosions lit the skies in parts of the Khan Younis refugee camp, and Palestinian health officials said one Palestinian was killed and seven wounded in one air strike as night fell.

Israel said its troops had cleared much of northern Gaza of Hamas’ military network and more than 1 million residents of that enclave have moved south to flee the bombardments. Fighting, however, has continued in the Jabalia refugee camp and other areas around Gaza City.

Israel unleashed its campaign to eliminate Iran-backed Hamas after the militants burst into Israel on Oct. 7 and rampaged through southern towns and bases, killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 253 hostages back to Gaza. Israel says it is fighting a threat to its very existence.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said 25,105 Palestinians — many of them women and children — had been killed and 62,681 have been wounded in Israeli strikes since Oct. 7. It does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths, but says most of those killed have been civilians.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday denounced Israel for what he called the “heartbreaking” deaths of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

“Israel’s military operations have spread mass destruction and killed civilians on a scale unprecedented during my time as secretary-general,” he said.

Israel says it takes steps to avoid civilian casualties but accuses Hamas of operating in densely populated areas and using civilians as human shields, a charge the Islamist group denies.

Mr. Guterres also said it was unacceptable for Israel to resist statehood for Palestinians and such a stance would indefinitely prolong the conflict.

HAMAS CONDITIONS REJECTED
His comments followed remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that appeared to rule out the so-called two-state solution to the decades-long Israel-Palestinian conflict — as urged by the US and other governments.

Mr. Netanyahu’s office said that in talks with US President Joseph R. Biden on Friday, he “reiterated his policy that after Hamas is destroyed Israel must retain security control over Gaza to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, a requirement that contradicts the demand for Palestinian sovereignty.”

On Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu rejected conditions presented by Hamas to end the war and release hostages that would include Israel’s complete withdrawal and leaving Hamas — an Islamist group dedicated to Israel’s destruction — in power in Gaza.

On Monday, the Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers were to meet their European Union (EU) counterparts in Brussels as the EU considers potential steps toward a comprehensive peace.

Hamas said Washington was ignoring Palestinian suffering and deaths while supporting Israeli actions financially and militarily. Hamas called its Oct. 7 assault a “necessary step.”

“It was a defensive act in the frame of getting rid of the Israeli occupation, reclaiming the Palestinian rights and on the way for liberation and independence,” it said in a statement.

The Oct. 7 attacks, in which many women and children were murdered and bodies mutilated, drew worldwide revulsion and condemnation.

Most of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people have since been displaced from their homes. With large areas razed to the ground and hospitals and humanitarian agencies struggling to cope, Palestinians described dire conditions.

“We struggle to survive bombs, but frankly we try to survive hunger more,” Amer, a 32-year-old father of three from northern Gaza, told Reuters. “Finding food for the family, for the children, has become a more challenging adventure than surviving war.”

Israel’s military said soldiers had killed 15 Palestinian gunmen in the north while snipers, backed by air support, had killed a number of militants in Khan Younis. Hamas dismissed this account.

Palestinians said fighting has raged in Jabalia for the past three days. Some buildings caught fire and smoke rose where bombs had fallen.

Along Gaza’s southern coast, witnesses said Israeli warships shelled the beach.

In the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced people are concentrated, three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a car. Another car was hit in Gaza City, killing three people, health officials said.

Violence has also surged in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Hamas’ rival, the Palestinian Authority, has limited self-rule. The Palestinian Health Ministry there said Israeli forces have killed 360 Palestinians since Oct. 7. — Reuters

DeSantis ends 2024 run, endorses Trump as New Hampshire vote looms

SEABROOK, New Hampshire — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his fading presidential campaign on Sunday and endorsed Donald Trump just two days before the pivotal New Hampshire primary, leaving former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley as Trump’s last long-shot challenger for the Republican nomination.

Mr. DeSantis’ decision, less than a week after his deflating loss to Mr. Trump in Iowa despite an enormous investment there, caps a stunning fall from grace after Mr. DeSantis had been widely seen as Republicans’ most promising alternative to Mr. Trump ahead of the general election in November.

His departure sets up the one-on-one battle that Ms. Haley has coveted against Mr. Trump, the former president who has maintained an iron grip on the Republican electorate despite facing four criminal prosecutions. Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all the cases.

But Mr. DeSantis’ supporters appear more likely to switch allegiance to Mr. Trump than to the more moderate Ms. Haley. In New Hampshire, about two-thirds of Mr. DeSantis backers cite Mr. Trump as their second choice, said Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

In a video posted on X, Mr. DeSantis endorsed Mr. Trump while delivering a parting shot at Ms. Haley. “He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear: a re-packaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents,” Mr. DeSantis said.

At a Sunday evening rally in Rochester, New Hampshire, Mr. Trump, who spent much of last year attacking Mr. DeSantis, praised the governor and said he was looking forward to working together to defeat President Joseph R. Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Mr. Trump accused Haley of forming an “unholy alliance” with liberals, never-Trumpers and RINOs, or Republicans in Name Only, to try and win the New Hampshire primary, and repeated a false claim that registered Democrats were allowed to vote in the Republican primary.

Mr. Trump holds a double-digit lead over Ms. Haley in New Hampshire, according to polls, and his campaign hopes a second consecutive win will make his eventual nomination all but inevitable.

He also has a commanding lead in South Carolina, which votes on Feb. 24. A Haley loss in her home state, where she served as governor from 2011 to 2017, would likely doom her campaign.

At a campaign event in Seabrook, New Hampshire, Ms. Haley drew cheers when she announced that DeSantis had dropped out. “For now, I’ll leave you with this: May the best woman win,” she said.

David Kochel, a Republican strategist who has worked on five presidential campaigns, said DeSantis’ exit was unlikely to change the basic contours of the campaign, given that his support had cratered. “The race needs a big dynamic shift, and I don’t feel that DeSantis dropping out is that big a deal as he didn’t have that much going on in New Hampshire, and he didn’t even have that much going on in South Carolina,” he said.

Another Republican consultant, Ford O’Connell, who has ties to both the Trump and DeSantis camps, said he expected most DeSantis voters to “come home” to Mr. Trump. “Without question, Mr. Trump is the beneficiary of DeSantis ending his campaign,” he said. With time running short, Ms. Haley has sharpened her attacks on the frontrunner in the final days before the election, blaming Mr. Trump for Republican electoral losses in 2020 and 2022 and criticizing his praise for authoritarian leaders.

ONCE A CONTENDER
Early last year, Mr. DeSantis was considered a top presidential contender and a natural heir to Mr. Trump due to his combative style and deeply conservative views. He led several head-to-head polls against Mr. Trump.

But his support had declined for several months, due to a flawed campaign strategy, his seeming lack of ease with voters on the campaign trail and Mr. Trump’s so far unshakeable command of much of the party’s base.

More than 70% of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Mr. Trump, according to most polls. That forced Mr. DeSantis to try and appeal to voters who still admired Mr. Trump, as well as those who passionately disliked him.

Mr. DeSantis failed on both counts. He never successfully articulated to most Trump supporters why he was a better option, while Republicans looking to ditch the former president split their votes among multiple candidates. While many major donors threw their support behind Mr. DeSantis early on, they began to rebel as early as the summer.

Several DeSantis allies say the governor waited too long to enter the race, which left him open to blistering attacks by Mr. Trump, who had announced his campaign more than six months earlier.

When Mr. DeSantis did formally launch his White House run in May 2023, it was a glitch-filled disaster on Twitter, now known as X, an inauspicious start for a campaign predicated on the governor’s executive competence.

The campaign overhired, burning through cash at a rapid rate, and then outsourced much of the traditional work of a campaign to an outside super PAC, which can accept donations of unlimited size but cannot coordinate with the campaign itself. — Reuters

FACTBOX: Democrats running for US president in 2024

US PRESIDENT JOSEPH R. BIDEN — WHITEHOUSE.GOV

US PRESIDENT Joseph R. Biden, who took office in early 2021, faces little opposition in his bid for the Democratic Party nomination in the 2024 presidential election.

With former President Donald Trump the frontrunner in the Republican Party’s nominating race, Mr. Biden’s strong position in the Democratic primary sets up a likely repeat of the 2020 presidential election battle.

Here are the leading candidates running to be the Democratic nominee.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN
Mr. Biden, 81, already the oldest US president ever, will have to convince voters he has the stamina for another four years in office, amid poor approval ratings. Biden allies say he believes he is the only Democratic candidate who can defeat Mr. Trump.

In announcing his candidacy, Mr. Biden declared it was his job to defend American democracy, and referred to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. Vice President Kamala Harris is again his running mate.

The economy will factor in his reelection campaign. While the US escaped an anticipated recession and is growing faster than economists expected, inflation hit 40-year highs in 2022 and the cost of food and gas is weighing on voters.

Mr. Biden has led the response of Western governments to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, persuading allies to sanction Russia and support Kyiv, and he has been supportive of Israel in its conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza.

However, he has faced sharp criticism from some within his party for failing to back calls for a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory, where Gaza health officials say more than 25,000 people have been killed, thousands of buildings have been damaged or destroyed and residents have insufficient food, water and medical supplies.

At home, he has pushed through massive economic stimulus and infrastructure spending packages to boost US industrial output, although he has received little recognition from voters for the latter.

Mr. Biden’s handling of immigration policy has been criticized by Republicans and Democrats as migrant crossings at the US-Mexico border hit record highs during his administration.

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
The best-selling author and self-help guru Marianne Williamson, 71, has launched her second, long-shot bid for the White House on a platform of “justice and love.”

She ran as a Democrat in the 2020 presidential primary but dropped out of the race before any votes had been cast. She launched her latest campaign on March 23 and will be on the ballot in the New Hampshire primary.

DEAN PHILLIPS
Dean Phillips, a little-known US congressman from Minnesota, announced in October he would mount a long-shot challenge to Mr. Biden because he does not believe the president can win another term.

The 55-year-old millionaire businessman and gelato company co-founder announced his bid in a one-minute video posted online, saying: “We’ve got some challenges… We’re going to repair this economy, and we are going to repair America.” — Reuters

Taiwan says it spotted 6 more Chinese balloons, one crossed island

XANDREASWORK-UNSPLASH

TAIPEI — Taiwan’s defense ministry said it had detected six more Chinese balloons flying over the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, one of which crossed the island, the latest in a spate of such balloons the ministry says it has seen in the past month-and-a-half.

The ministry earlier this month, in a strongly worded statement, accused China of threatening aviation safety and waging psychological warfare on the island’s people with the balloons, days before Taiwan’s Jan. 13 elections.

China’s defense ministry, which last month declined to comment on the balloons, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei.

The potential for China to use balloons for spying became a global issue in February when the United States shot down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon. China said the balloon was a civilian craft that accidentally drifted astray.

In its daily report on Chinese military activities in the past 24 hours, the agency said six balloons had flown over the strait’s sensitive median line on Sunday.

But only one crossed Taiwan island, at its southern tip, according to a map the ministry provided.

The other five balloons flew to the north of Taiwan but did not fly over land, the ministry said. The balloons all headed east before vanishing, it added.

The Taiwan Strait’s median line previously served as an unofficial barrier between Taiwan and China, but Chinese fighter jets, drones and now balloons regularly fly over it.

China says it does not recognize the existence of the median line. — Reuters

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