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Lions, 49ers dig in for dogfight with Super Bowl on horizon

TOSS your history lessons and memories of a woebegone franchise, and Lions coach Dan Campbell knows what you can do with your opinions about underdog Detroit in the NFC Championship Game Sunday.

“This is going to be an outstanding test for us. It’s one we’re ready for,” Campbell said. “We’re built to handle this. … Our guys will be ready to roll.”

The 49ers are in the conference championship game for the third consecutive year. Kyle Shanahan is still seeking his first trip to the Super Bowl since he became San Francisco’s head coach.

“They’re a team that is really very aggressive in what they do,” said Shanahan, who has a 7-3 playoff record in seven seasons with the 49ers. “Their whole defense.

“See their numbers, 31st (against) the pass, but then when you watch the tape you realize they’re aggressive, mix everything up, which is going to make you susceptible to big plays but they’re fourth (in the NFL) in causing negative plays.”

Mainstream media began taking the Lions seriously with a Week 1 win at defending champion Kansas City, the first of six regular-season road wins.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff said he first realized this Detroit team was ready for spotlight games such as this week’s when they won at Green Bay to end the 2022 regular season.

Neither team is short on star power.

Goff, who grew up in the Bay Area, knows his way around Levi’s Stadium, too, from his time with the Rams. Goff is 3-6 in his career against the 49ers, but he hasn’t thrown an interception in four consecutive playoff starts and had multiple TD passes in each of his past four games in San Francisco.

“There’s four teams left. These are the times you dream of as a kid; we’re one win away from the Super Bowl,” said Goff, who is 4-3 in the playoffs as a starting quarterback and 2-0 with the Lions, who are in the conference championship game for the first time since 1991.

Shanahan said wide receiver Deebo Samuel didn’t practice Wednesday but his shoulder feels better. He’ll need no introduction to the Lions. Samuel caught nine passes for 189 yards and a touchdown in Campbell’s first game with the Lions, a 41-33 win for the 49ers at Detroit in 2021.

Lions center Frank Ragnow, fighting ankle and knee injuries, plans to play but was “definitely stiff” at the outset of practice this week. Ragnow said Goff and Detroit’s veterans are “hardened” by the low points with the franchise.

Ragnow repeated a framework shared by Campbell with context of the rise to within a game of the Super Bowl.

“I’ve been at the lowest, I’ve been at the highest. It helps,” Campbell said. “You learn a lot. I’m glad I’m not there anymore.”

Campbell doesn’t deny he’s a risk-taker. He said he’s willing to “give up something to get something” as a general approach that specifically applies to his “salty” defense. He reminded his defense if it will hit and disrupt, dividends are realized in the fourth quarter.

“You see our

Selective risk-taking applies to the quarterbacks in this game. But the more apt description of the overall offensive approach might be bully-ball.

The Lions average 135.9 rushing yards per game, and San Francisco held opponents to an average of 89.7 rushing yards before allowing an individual 100-yard rusher last week (Packers RB Aaron Jones, 108). The 49ers rushed for 140 yards per game in the regular season.

Disrupting quarterback Brock Purdy is one of Detroit’s top priorities this week. The Lions are allowing 338 passing yards per game in the playoffs but kept the Rams and Buccaneers to 33 percent third-down conversions.

“Every week it’s been sort of been a little bit different based on who they’re playing — how they play guys and certain receivers — it’s always a little bit different with them,” Purdy said. “As a quarterback you’ve got to know that they’re going to be aggressive and they can make a play. It’s a fine line.”

One of Purdy’s four career losses in 21 starts was in the 2023 NFC Championship Game to the Eagles. He left the field with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm, which led to offseason surgery. Purdy said he’s “hungry to get to the next game,” casting his focus forward rather than rewinding to last year.

Shanahan, 2-0 in his career against the Lions, expects balance from the Lions. He also stressed the offense is willing to give opponents “opportunities” by trying to steal possessions in going for it on fourth down.

“You understand it, you prepare for it,” Shanahan said. “Those guys are trying to steal possessions as much as they can. I’ll tell you after the game whether that’s a good or a bad thing for us.

“Any time you try to steal possessions, you’re offering an opportunity to lose possessions. … Those are big opportunities for us, too.”

When it comes to potential Super Bowl LVIII matchups, the Baltimore Ravens battered the Lions, 38-6, and won at San Francisco, 33-19, in the regular season.

The Lions beat the Chiefs, 21-20, in Week 1. Kansas City did not play the 49ers in 2023. — Reuters

Bucks redemption

If there was anything the firing of Adrian Griffin proved, it’s that the presence of stars makes winning an immediate objective. And, in this light, there can be no mistake: “winning” means nothing less than claiming the ultimate prize. The erstwhile head coach was in possession of a seemingly heady 30-13 slate halfway through his first season, good enough for second in the competitive East. And yet he got the axe because of unmistakable signs that he did not have the tools needed to steer the Bucks to a championship run.

In the end, it didn’t matter that Griffin got the appointment because of an endorsement from Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time Most Valuable Player awardee withdrew his support as soon as it became clear that his initial bet would not be able to grow into the job fast enough to his liking. That the Bucks went all in for Damian Lillard, even at the expense of highly regarded Jrue Holiday, served to underscore the win-now mode that permeated the locker room, and the ensuing realization that someone else — less behind the ears, more championship-savvy — was needed at the helm.

It’s easy to look back and say the Bucks didn’t exactly change gears midstream. After all, they already had Mike Budenholzer, who netted them the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2021 — manning the fort. Their very impatience led them to give him the pink slip after an unanticipated first-round exit in the immediate past Playoffs. Never mind that he poured himself into his work despite losing his brother to an accident, and that Antetokounmpo suffered from an injury and missed two games in the series. They were looking to improve their standing pronto, and so swung the pendulum the other way to settle in on Griffin.

Now, the Bucks have apparently gone the other extreme. As if to highlight their  faux pas, they’ve decided to tap Doc Rivers for the hot seat. Just like Budenholzer, he has gone all the way. He just did it with a far more talented roster, and at a time when the National Basketball Association was vastly different. Sixteen years removed from reaching the pinnacle of success, he needs to show that he’s equally adept with his Xs and Os in a pace-and-space environment. And to argue that this is a big ask would be an understatement.

Rivers’ accomplishments notwithstanding, he has developed a reputation as a poor tactician. Not for nothing has he already lost 10 Game Sevens, including his last five. And not for nothing has he wasted the last nine opportunities to steer his charges to the conference finals. Will he be the Bucks’ steadying force en route to redemption? Or will he slowly wear out his welcome, similar to his stints with the Clippers and Sixers? These questions are best answered by outcomes. In the meantime, he brings hope.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

US Navy intercepts missiles in Red Sea while escorting Maersk ships

THE USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER conducted flight operations on Jan. 12 in response to increased Iranian-backed Houthi malign behavior in the Red Sea. — US DEFENSE DEPT./NAVY PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS ZACHARY ELMORE

COPENHAGEN — Maersk said explosions nearby forced two ships operated by its US subsidiary and carrying US military supplies to turn around when they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen, accompanied by the US Navy.

“While en route, both ships reported seeing explosions close by and the US Navy accompaniment also intercepted multiple projectiles,” Maersk said in a statement, adding it was suspending Red Sea transits by vessels of the US subsidiary.

A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthi military forces said they fired ballistic missiles at several US warships that were protecting two US commercial vessels.

Both commercial vessels are operated by Maersk Line, Limited (MLL), its US subsidiary that carries cargo for the Department of Defense, Department of State, USAID, and other US government agencies.

Both are enrolled in the Maritime Security Program (MSP) and Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) with the US government, which is why they were escorted through the strait by US Navy vessels, Maersk said.

MSP and VISA are programs run by the US Defense Department to transport forces, supplies and equipment during times of war or national emergency.

The vessels and crew were unharmed and were being escorted back to the Gulf of Aden by the US Navy, Maersk said. Bab al-Mandab is the outlet of the Red Sea, between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast.

The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, said in a statement that Houthi forces targeted several US warships with ballistic missiles on Wednesday in a “clash” that lasted more than two hours and led to a US warship being directly hit and the two commercial vessels having “to withdraw and return.”

“Several of our ballistic missiles struck their targets despite warships’ attempts to intercept them,” the statement said.

A US official said no ships were hit. “No US warships or commercial vessels were struck by Houthi missiles today,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Houthi forces fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles toward the US-flagged container ship Maersk Detroit on Wednesday as it was transiting the Gulf of Aden, the US Central Command said separately.

There were no reports of injuries or damage to the ship, it added in a statement.

‘ESCALATION OF RISK’
On Jan. 5, Maersk said it would divert its container vessels away from the Red Sea for the foreseeable future. Until Wednesday, MLL ships were the exception, but that would no longer be the case, Maersk said.

“Following the escalation of risk, MLL is suspending transits in the region until further notice,” it said on Wednesday.

Seafarers remain in the firing line and have signed agreements to receive double pay when entering the high-risk zones.

“There’s a feeling of vulnerability,” Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, the leading union for seafarers, told Reuters.

“The feedback from the (ship) captains is certainly on the container trades, they are much happier to go around the Cape.”

US maritime labor organizations have been separately concerned about the impact on US flagged ships, which in recent weeks have been subjected to what nine unions called “the most significant attacks on the United States Merchant Marine in more than half a century.”

“It is critically important that US-flag vessels carrying commercial, military and foreign aid cargoes are provided the necessary protection from the United States military as they transit the increasingly treacherous waters of the Red Sea,” the unions wrote in a Jan. 19 letter to the US Transport Command. — Reuters

Israel denies attacking UN compound in Gaza

A view shows houses and buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in Gaza City, Oct. 10, 2023. — REUTERS

GAZA/JERUSALEM — The United Nations (UN) said on Wednesday that Israeli tanks struck a huge UN compound in Gazasheltering displaced Palestinians, causing “mass casualties,” but Israel denied its forces were responsible and suggested Hamas may have launched the shelling.

The attack, which the UN said hit a vocational training center housing 30,000 displaced people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza’s main city, prompted rare outright condemnation from the United States.

“Mass casualties have taken place, some buildings are ablaze and there are reports of deaths. Many people are trying to flee the scene, but unable to do so,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian Territory James McGoldrick said.

Thomas White, director of Gaza affairs for the UN agency UNRWA, said two tank rounds hit one of the center’s buildings where some 800 displaced people were sheltering. At least nine people were killed and 75 wounded. The agency’s head Philippe Lazzarini said the death toll was probably higher.

“The compound is a clearly marked UN facility and its coordinates were shared with Israeli Authorities as we do for all our facilities. Once again, a blatant disregard of basic rules of war,” Mr. Lazzarini said.

In Washington, US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said: “We deplore today’s attack on the UN’s Khan Younis training center.”

“Civilians must be protected, and the protected nature of UN facilities must be respected, and humanitarian workers must be protected so that they can continue providing civilians with the life-saving humanitarian assistance that they need,” Mr. Patel said.

Israel’s military initially released a statement describing the wider Khan Younis area as a base of Hamas fighters and acknowledged that fighting was taking place near large numbers of civilians.

In a second statement sent following Washington’s criticism, the military said an examination of its operational systems ruled out that its forces had struck the center. It added that a thorough review was still under way to examine the possibility that the strike was a result of Hamas fire.

Since Israel’s ground offensive began in late October, Washington has raised concerns and asked Israel for information about incidents but has rarely been openly critical of a specific Israeli action.

Hours after the attack, as night fell, UN staff were still unable to reach the area and all communications were shut down.

Israeli forces have launched their biggest ground offensive in at least a month, encircling Khan Younis where hundreds of thousands of people who fled fighting elsewhere in Gaza are staying.

Residents said that Israeli announcements warning them to leave the area came only after the operation was under way and the main road out already shut.

The bulk of the 2.3 million-strong population of Gaza is now penned into Khan Younis and the towns just north and south of it. Palestinian officials say the Israelis have cut off and besieged the city’s main hospitals, making it impossible for rescuers to reach many of the wounded and the dead.

Israel said that Hamas has “command and control centers, Hamas outposts and Hamas security headquarters” in the area.

“Dismantling Hamas’ military framework in western Khan Younis is the heart of the logic behind the operation,” the Israeli military said.

“It is a dense area and an area that consists of civilians, it is a place that requires very specific methods of action and precise operations. There is an area with shelters, there are several hospitals, several sensitive sites. We have seen terrorists use these sites.”

‘WHERE DO WE GO?’
Palestinian health officials said at least 25,700 people had been killed in Gaza in the war, including 210 in the previous 24 hours. Israel launched its assault to wipe out Hamas after fighters stormed Israeli towns on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 240 hostages.

In Rafah, a small town just south of Khan Younis on the Egyptian border, an air strike hit a mosque, and residents were gathering scattered pages of holy books from among the pulverized ruins.

Several men hoisted up a concrete block and pulled away rubble, revealing the legs of a dead man in jeans. When the body was finally pulled out, they carried it on a blanket under a stretcher, chanting religious slogans.

Several bodies were later laid in plastic body bags at a morgue, where relatives wailed in sorrow, clutching the corpses.

Um Khaled Baker, whose son was among the dead, told Reuters they had fled to Rafah because it was supposed to be safe.

“I don’t even have a tent to stay in. They bombed us and my son is a young martyr. Where do we go? The old and helpless people? What can they do? Where do we go?”

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which runs the Al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis, said troops had blockaded its staff inside and imposed a curfew in the area, including its local headquarters, where three displaced individuals had been killed.

Israel says Hamas fighters operate in and around hospitals, which hospital staff and Hamas deny. — Reuters

Japanese man sentenced to die for killing 36 in animé studio arson

TOKYO — A Japanese man was convicted and sentenced to death on Thursday for the arson and killing of 36 people at famed animé studio Kyoto Animation in 2019, public broadcaster NHK said.

The deadly attack on the Kyoto-based studio, better known as KyoAni, had sent shockwaves not only through Japan where violent crime is rare, but also overseas given the studio’s far-reaching fan base and the audacity of the crime.

Shinji Aoba, now 45, had set the studio ablaze by dousing the entrance area of the building with petrol, also injuring 32. Mr. Aoba himself suffered heavy burns and underwent intensive treatment for nearly a year.

Media have reported that Mr. Aoba held a grudge against the studio, known for the series Violet Evergarden and other popular works, believing that it had plagiarized his novel, an allegation that KyoAni has denied.

A pillar of Japanese pop culture, animé has become a major cultural export, winning fans around the world.

The incident prompted condolences from world leaders and business executives such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook.

Japan and the United States are the only Group of Seven (G7) nations that carry out capital punishment. — Reuters

Tesla CEO Musk: Chinese EV firms will ‘demolish’ rivals without trade barriers

Employees work on assembly line during a construction completion event of SAIC Volkswagen MEB electric vehicle plant in Shanghai, China Nov. 8, 2019. — REUTERS/ALY SONG

SAN FRANCISCO — Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday that Chinese automakers will “demolish” global rivals without trade barriers, underscoring the heat the US electric vehicle market leader faces from the likes of BYD, who are racing to expand worldwide.

Mr. Musk’s comments come after Warren Buffett-backed BYD – with its cheaper models and a more varied lineup -overtook Tesla as the world’s top-selling EV company last quarter, despite the US automaker’s deep price cuts through 2023.

Chinese car companies were the “most competitive” and “will have significant success outside of China, depending on what kind of tariffs or trade barriers are established,” Mr. Musk said on a post-earnings call with analysts on Wednesday.

“If there are no trade barriers established, they will pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world,” he said. “They’re extremely good.”

Mr. Musk has reason to be concerned.

He sparked a price war last year to woo consumers hit with high borrowing costs, in turn squeezing Tesla’s margins and worrying investors. On Wednesday, Mr. Musk warned Tesla was reaching “the natural limit of cost down” with its existing lineup.

Tesla plans to start producing a cheaper, mass market compact crossover codenamed “Redwood” mid-2025 to compete with inexpensive rivals, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Mr. Musk on Wednesday confirmed that Tesla expects to start production of its next-generation EV at its Texas factory in the second half of 2025.

But Chinese EV makers, adept at keeping costs in check with a stable supply chain, are moving fast. With rising competition and excess capacity in China, many are now working on rapidly expanding their foreign footprint after years of state subsidies helped boost domestic sales.

“The completeness and resilience of China’s multi-decade state-directed battery materials processing infrastructure build out is biting hard,” said Ross Gregory, a partner at Melbourne-based consultant New Electric Partners.

China’s SAIC Motor, for instance, has been placing orders for more vehicle vessels in its fleet to counter shipping costs as it looks to boost sales overseas.

Still, brand awareness of Chinese car companies in the United States is extremely low and their reliability, durability and safety is middling, so they have a long way to go to win US market share, said Spencer Imel, a partner at consumer insights firm Lansgton.

“They enjoy high demand in China with innovation such as in-car technology and battery swapping,” Mr. Imel said. “That, we believe, will be an important ingredient and a differentiator in their future growth overseas.”

Mr. Musk’s comments also come as the US presidential election picks up pace. President Joe Biden has said China was determined to dominate the EV market and that he “won’t let that happen”.

Former President Donald Trump, who is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president this year, has signaled that he would double down on stronger tariffs if elected, calling for a universal 10% tariff on all imports into the US and revoking China’s most-favored-nation trading status.

Mr. Musk on Wednesday said there was “no obvious opportunity” to partner with Chinese rivals but Tesla was open to giving them access to its charging network and licensing other technologies such as self-driving.

Europe has also taken a protectionist stance towards Chinese EV makers. Last year, the European Commission launched an investigation into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect EU producers against cheaper Chinese EV imports it says are benefiting from state subsidies.

More than tariffs, the US and Europe need policies that will give their automakers the time to build a diversified supply chain, said New Electric’s Gregory. — Reuters

Australia govt reshapes tax cuts to woo low-income voters, rejects inflation risks

REUTERS
SYDNEY — Australia’s center-left Labor government on Thursday made changes to planned tax cuts, trimming benefits to the wealthy while giving low-income earners more breaks, in a bid to win back voters who are battling higher living costs.
Under the new policy, people earning up to A$135,000 ($88,763) will fall into lower tax brackets from July 1. Tax breaks for some high-income earners will nearly halve, with the savings redirected to those on low incomes.
“Our government will deliver a tax cut for every single Australian taxpayer. All 13.6 million taxpayers, not just some. Everyone who works and who pays tax will benefit,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a speech.
“This is a plan for middle Australians that delivers for every Australian taxpayer right up and down the income ladder.”
Addressing concerns the move could add to price pressures, Mr. Albanese said the Treasury has informed the government the revised tax breaks would not stoke inflation, with the policy being broadly revenue neutral and supporting jobs.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has discussed the changes with Michele Bullock, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, who expects there would be no implications from the tax changes on the central bank’s inflation forecast, Albanese added.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said Albanese had “completely and utterly destroyed his credibility” for breaking an election pledge that he would not modify the tax policy which was legislated by the previous government in 2019.
“The Australian public won’t support a liar as prime minister,” Dutton told radio station 2GB.
Albanese defended the shift in policy saying more people, especially those in low-income groups, would benefit. A person on an average income of around A$73,000 will get a tax cut of A$1,504, which is A$804 more than prior estimates.
Australian households are under broad financial pressure from high inflation, which spiked as high as 7.8% in December 2022, before slowing to 5.4% in the third quarter of 2023.
That has dented Albanese’s ratings since his 2022 election win. Two polls out last month showed his disapproval ratings outstripped his approval numbers. – Reuters

Japan business leaders return to China seeking to bolster cooperation

A GENERAL VIEW shows Beijing’s skyline on a sunny day in this file photo. — REUTERS
BEIJING — An unusually large delegation of about 200 Japanese business leaders arrived in China this week to bolster economic relations in the first such visit in more than four years and in the face of geopolitical headwinds that have strained bilateral ties.
Japanese economic delegations had visited China every year since 1975, but those visits lapsed during the COVID-19 era when China largely shuttered its borders due to its stringent pandemic policies.
During their visit this week, the Japanese business delegates, which included Masakazu Tokura, chairman of the powerful Keidanren, as the Japan Business Federation is known, are due to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday.
Ties between Japan and China have become strained after the world’s second- and third-largest economies clashed over issues from Japan’s release of treated radioactive water into the ocean to detention of Japanese citizens on suspicion of espionage.
Japan’s curbs on export of advanced chipmaking equipment to China have also fanned Chinese accusations that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government was following in the United States’ footsteps in “containing” China’s economic development.
But during a rare meeting between Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November, both men agreed their countries ought to pursue mutually beneficial relations.
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, has since said the two sides should first establish a “correct mutual understanding” and “make it clear” they are cooperative partners rather than threats to each other.
Japan is heavily reliant on China, where Japanese companies have for years invested in building manufacturing supply chains and forged relationships with local partners.
China was both Japan’s top export market, at $145 billion, and its single biggest source for imports, at $189 billion, in 2022.
But the number of Japanese firms planning to expand in China fell below 30% for the first time according to an annual survey published late last year, with some firms citing concerns about economic uncertainty and others highlighting geopolitical risks.
China last year arrested a Japanese executive, an employee of the drugmaker Astellas Pharma, on suspicion of espionage. The move has had a chilling effect on business, Japanese officials say.
A growing number of Japanese businesses are also grappling with slumping China sales due to rising local competition, China’s uncertain economy and negative Japanese sentiment in the wake of the wastewater release from the Fukushima facility.
Procter & Gamble said earlier this week sales of its SK-II beauty brand tumbled 34% in Greater China in the December quarter due to “temporary” headwinds for Japanese brands and soft market conditions.
Japanese EV parts maker Nidec Corp on Wednesday slashed its full-year profit forecast by nearly a fifth, blaming intensifying price competition in China.
Japanese automakers from Toyota and Nissan are also battling a market share fall in China as they lag behind local rivals in electric vehicle offerings in the world’s biggest auto market. – Reuters

Taiwan president-elect says he hopes for continued firm US support

Honor guards raise a Taiwanese flag at the Presidential Palace in Taipei, Taiwan Oct. 10, 2023. — REUTERS
TAIPEI — Taiwan president-elect Lai Ching-te said on Thursday he hopes that the United States can continue to firmly support Taiwan, as he met the first group of US lawmakers to visit Taipei since he won election earlier this month.
Mr. Lai, from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the current vice president, will take office on May 20. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, believes he is a dangerous separatist and has rejected his offers of talks.
Meeting with the leaders of the US House of Representatives Taiwan Caucus, Republican Representative Mario Diaz Balart, and Democratic Representative Ami Bera, Lai said democracy and freedom were core shared values with the United States.
“Taiwan is situated in the first island chain and stands on the frontline of China’s authoritarian expansionism. This makes Taiwan a crucial strategic location. Stability across the Taiwan Strait is extremely important to regional and global peace and prosperity,” Lai said.
Mr. Lai added he would continue to defend the cross-Taiwan Strait status quo of peace and stability.
“I hope the United States can continue to firmly support Taiwan, deepen bilateral cooperation and relations and work with other democratic partners to ensure peace and prosperity in the region,” he said.
“I also hope that the two co-chairs and our friends in the US Congress can continue to support Taiwan in bolstering its self-defense capabilities.”
Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.
The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms seller despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties. – Reuters

North Korea says it tested new strategic cruise missile

REUTERS
SEOUL — North Korea said it tested its new strategic cruise missile on Wednesday, state media KCNA reported on Thursday, confirming what the South Korean military said the day before.
The missile dubbed “Pulhwasal-3-31” is currently under development and the test-firing had no impact on the security of neighboring countries, the state media said, adding it had “nothing” to do with the regional situation.
The test was also part of the process of updating the country’s weapon system, the report said, citing The Missile Administration.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it believed the firing was to test upgrades of existing missiles’ capabilities.
On Wednesday, the South Korean military said the North had fired multiple cruise missiles towards the sea off its west coast at around 7 a.m. (2200 GMT on Tuesday) while Seoul’s defense minister, Shin Won-sik, condemned the launches as a serious threat to his country.
“Strategic” typically refers to nuclear-capable weapons.
North Korea carried out its first test of a cruise missile with possible nuclear strike capabilities in September 2021.
On Thursday, South Korea said it was starting mass production of medium-altitude reconnaissance drones with the goal of deploying them in 2027 to improve surveillance capabilities and contribute to defense exports.
North Korea’s cruise missiles usually generate less interest than ballistic missiles because they are not explicitly banned by any UN Nations Security Council resolutions.
But analysts have said intermediate-range, land-attack cruise missiles were no less a threat than ballistic missiles and are a serious capability for North Korea.
Cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles that can be armed with either conventional or nuclear bombs are seen as particularly destabilizing in the event of conflict as it can be unclear which kind of warhead they are carrying. – Reuters

P25-B sought for early child development — Unicef

Kindergarten students engage in art activities during class in Marikina classes, Aug. 25, 2022. — PHILIPPINE STAR/WALTER BOLLOZOS
A United Nations body said the government should allocate P25 billion, or at least 10% of the education budget, in early childhood education (ECE), given the growing skills gap and preschool enrolments.
In a statement, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said investments are needed for “increased salaries and training programs among child development workers, construction of new child development centers, supplementary feeding programs,” and other operating expenses.
Informal Unicef surveys showed day care workers in disadvantaged areas receiving an honorarium of as low as P1,000 per month, less than the average salary of P5,000 for non-permanents.
A study with the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council noted 48% of ECE worker respondents were college graduates, 50% had attended less than two trainings, and 22% were tenured.
“We need to make being a child development worker a dignified profession,” Behzad Noubary, deputy representative for programs at Unicef Philippines, told reporters in an e-mailed press statement on Wednesday.
“They have the right to decent and fair wages, learning opportunities to improve or gain new skills, and various forms of support to improve their work,” he said.
“Every child deserves access to quality early childhood education,” he added, noting a growth in ECE enrolment, which stands at 27%, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“Low investments in ECE mean that child development workers are falling behind their peers in other countries.”
Unicef has been providing policy recommendations to the Second Congressional Commission on Education for professionalized early learning systems, alongside aligning Kindergarten to Grade 3 standards with the ECCD Council and the Education department.
It has also started implementing a competency-based professional development system for child development workers. – Miguel Hanz L. Antivola

Trump and Biden shift focus to general election rematch as Haley fights on

STOCK PHOTO | Image by Isabella Fischer from Unsplash
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Donald Trump and Joe Biden attacked each other on Wednesday as they prepared for a likely general election rematch in November after Trump’s win in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary made his White House nomination increasingly likely, although his last remaining rival Nikki Haley vowed to stay in the race.
Former Republican President Trump’s back-to-back wins in nominating contests put him on an almost certain path toward a general election contest with Democratic President Biden. Both turned their fire on each other after Trump’s New Hampshire victory over Haley on Tuesday night.
Mr. Biden’s reelection campaign issued a statement saying it is “now clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee,” and repeated warnings that the former president is a threat to democracy.
Mr. Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to repeat unfounded allegations that Mr. Biden and his Justice Department were engaged in political persecution, following the multiple criminal indictments of Trump last year.
But Ms. Haley, who served as Trump’s UN ambassador and is now his sole opponent for the Republican nomination, pledged to take that race to South Carolina, which votes on Feb. 24, and beyond.
In a speech to supporters in South Carolina on Wednesday night, Ms. Haley said US voters deserved a better option than a Biden-Trump rematch, “and we’re going to give it to them.”
She also repeated her challenge to Mr. Trump to debate her. “Bring it Donald, show me what you got!” she declared to cheers.
The Republican nominating race has months to go, but Mr. Trump is seeking to knock Haley out and become the presumptive nominee quickly.
In South Carolina, Trump, Mr. 77, will be looking to embarrass Ms. Haley, 52, by defeating her in her home state. Ms. Haley is aiming for an upset delivered by voters who twice elected her as governor.
Ms. Haley has three rallies scheduled in South Carolina in the coming days, and her campaign released two new ads as part of a $4 million ad buy in the state.
One attacks Mr. Biden, 81, as “too old” and Mr. Trump as “too much chaos,” and calls a reprisal of the 2020 election a “rematch no one wants.” The other says she delivered “thousands of jobs, lower taxes, tough immigration laws” as governor from 2011 to 2017.
Republicans have largely coalesced around Mr. Trump, however, putting pressure on Ms. Haley to drop out. Mr, Trump has racked up endorsements from most of South Carolina’s leading Republican figures. Opinion polls show him with a wide lead there.
HARD PRESS
Over the last several weeks, South Carolina US Representative Joe Wilson, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, and South Carolina Speaker of the House Burrell Smith have been calling state legislators and other local officials to push them to endorse Mr. Trump, according to two people with knowledge of the calls.
Trump senior adviser Jason Miller touted a new website focused on attacking Ms. Haley, haleyfacts.com, which criticizes her for her plan to scale back Social Security entitlements to keep the program solvent and for proposing a gasoline tax hike when she was governor.
Ford O’Connell, a Republican consultant based in Florida and a former Trump surrogate, said he expected the Trump campaign to pull out all the stops now against Ms. Haley.
“The plan in South Carolina is to embarrass Nikki Haley. The key is to make sure that the donors don’t fund her any further,” Mr. O’Connell said.
Joel Tenney, a Christian evangelist who was part of Mr. Trump’s faith coalition in Iowa, said he planned to travel to South Carolina next week as a volunteer to help target the state’s large base of evangelical voters.
Mr. Trump has remained popular with that voting bloc, winning a majority of white evangelicals as part of his commanding victory in Iowa earlier this month.
Ms. Haley has said she has a better chance of beating Mr. Biden than Mr. Trump, who faces multiple criminal charges, including for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Mr. Biden, who won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire after voters wrote his name in on the ballot, was endorsed by the United Auto Workers on Wednesday.
“Instead of talking trash about our union, Joe Biden stood with us,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a fiery speech that referred to Trump as a “scab.”
Mr. Trump is the first Republican to sweep competitive votes in both Iowa and New Hampshire since 1976, when the two states cemented their status as the first nominating contests.
Tuesday’s vote was the first one-on-one matchup between Mr. Trump and Ms. Haley, after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once seen as Trump’s most formidable challenger, dropped out on Sunday and endorsed the former president.
Ms. Haley, who placed third in Iowa and lost to Mr. Trump by 11 percentage points in New Hampshire, refused to bow out.
“This race is far from over,” Ms. Haley told supporters at a post-election party in Concord, challenging Trump to debate her.
At his own party in Nashua, Mr. Trump opened his speech by mocking Haley, calling her an “imposter” and saying: “She’s doing, like, a speech like she won. She didn’t win. She lost. She had a very bad night.” – Reuters
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