Republican field shrinks to four for final presidential debate

The Republican field has shrunk to just four candidates for its final presidential primary debate on Wednesday in Alabama.

Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy were the only candidates who qualified to appear in the last bout, the party said.

The debate, the fourth of the primary race, required candidates to have 80,000 donors and 6% in two US polls.

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is once again skipping the forum.

With the field narrowing, and only weeks to go until the early-voting state of Iowa casts its first ballots on 15 January, pressure is building on candidates to show they are capable of taking on Mr Trump for the Republican nomination.

The debate will be hosted by NewsNation at 20:00 local time (01: 00 GMT) and is taking place at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It will be moderated by a panel of conservative-leaning journalists - including former Fox News host Megyn Kelly.