Israel army says raided Hamas compound used to train for October 7
Israel’s army said Feb 4 its forces had raided a Hamas training facility in Gaza where militants prepared for the Oct 7 attack on Israel.
The facility in the Palestinian territory’s main southern city of Khan Yunis contained models of Israeli military bases, armoured vehicles, as well as entry points to kibbutzim, the army said in a statement.
Soldiers also raided the office of Mohammad Sinwar, a senior commander in Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
Indonesia presidential front runner Prabowo Subianto draws fire in final debate
Indonesia’s presidential front runner Prabowo Subianto drew flak in his final debate with election rivals Feb 4 over issues from women’s rights to remarks about voters’ intelligence, as they battle to run the world’s third-largest democracy.
Nearly 205 million people are eligible to cast their ballots in the Feb 14 vote that will determine the successor to popular two-term President Joko Widodo, who is barred from running to lead the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation again.
Third-time candidate and current defence minister Subianto is ahead in opinion polls, widening the gap since choosing Widodo’s eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his running mate last year.
Republican candidate Trump says US needs to impose tariffs on China
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose tariffs on China again if he is elected in November and they could exceed 60 per cent.
“We have to do it,” Trump said in an interview aired on Feb 4 with the Fox News programme Sunday Morning Futures. “I mean, look, the stock market almost crashed when it was announced.”
Asked about a report that he is considering imposing 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods if elected, Trump said, “No, I would say maybe it’s going to be more than that.” Trump is the frontrunner for his party’s nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov 5 US election.
Chile president laments ‘tragedy’ as wildfires kill 64; toll seen rising
Fires devastating parts of central Chile have killed at least 64 people and the country faces a “tragedy of very great magnitude,” President Gabriel Boric said on Feb 4, as he warned that the death toll likely will surge in coming days.
Wildfires that began several days ago are menacing the outer edges of Vina del Mar and Valparaíso, two coastal cities popular with tourists. The urban sprawl of those cities accounts for more than a million residents west of the capital Santiago.
Chilean authorities have introduced a 9 p.m. curfew in the hardest-hit areas and sent in the military to help firefighters stem the spread of fires, while helicopters dumped water to try to douse the flames from the air.
They’re only human, Klopp says, as Liverpool self-destruct
Liverpool’s usually reliable stalwarts Virgil van Dijk and Alisson suffered the sort of defensive meltdown that would not have looked out of place in a pub match on Feb 4 but manager Juergen Klopp was not playing the blame game.
Van Dijk hesitated under pressure from Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli in the 67th minute, failing to deal with a long punt forward, then keeper Alisson rushed out and made no contact with the ball, leaving Martinelli a tap-in to make it 2-1.
It knocked the stuffing out of Klopp’s league leaders and Leandro Trossard’s stoppage time goal confirmed their second league defeat of the season.
