While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Jan 25, 2025
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Palestinian militant group Hamas has recruited between 10,000 and 15,000 members since the start of its war with Israel, US sources say.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Hamas has added up to 15,000 fighters since start of war
The Palestinian militant group Hamas has recruited between 10,000 and 15,000 members since the start of its war with Israel, according to two congressional sources briefed on US intelligence, suggesting the Iran-backed fighters could remain a persistent threat to Israel.
The intelligence indicates a similar number of Hamas fighters have been killed during that period, the sources said. The latest official US estimates have not been previously reported.
Hamas and Israel began a ceasefire on Jan 19, after 15 months of a conflict that has devastated the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East.
The sources briefed on the intelligence, which was included in a series of updates from US intelligence agencies in the final weeks of the Biden administration, said that while Hamas has successfully recruited new members, many are young and untrained and are being used for simple security purposes.
Zelensky warns Putin wants to ‘manipulate’ Trump
Bloomberg
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan 24 warned that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin wanted to “manipulate” Donald Trump, after the Kremlin chief praised the US leader and said he was ready for talks with him.
Kyiv earlier warned against any Putin-Trump peace talks on the near three-year war without its and European participation.
“He wants to manipulate the desire of the President of the United States of America to achieve peace,” Mr Zelensky said, during a daily evening address on social media.
Migrants deported, as US readies more border troops
US military C-17 aircraft began flying out migrants on orders from President Donald Trump on Jan 24, as the Pentagon prepared to send even more troops to southern border, including from the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne division.
Mr Trump, on his first day in office, declared illegal immigration a national emergency, tasking the US military with aiding border security, issuing a broad ban on asylum, and taking steps to restrict citizenship for children born on American soil.
His Jan 20 executive order instructed the Pentagon to send as many troops as necessary to obtain “complete operational control of the southern border of the United States.”
Police in Spain break up Chinese prostitution ring
Spanish police on Jan 24 said they had busted an international Chinese trafficking ring that smuggled women into Spain and the United States for sexual exploitation, making 30 arrests and freeing 33 victims.
Police said in a statement that they began investigating in 2022 and uncovered a well-organised and violent international criminal network of Chinese origin known as the “Tian Xia She triad”.
The gang deceived the young women, promising them a better future in Europe, and captured them with the aim of selling them into prostitution rings in Greece, Spain and the US.
Portugal lawmaker accused of stealing suitcases
SCREENSHOT: X
A Portuguese far-right lawmaker has been accused of stealing suitcases at several airports and has been kicked out of his political party as a result, the grouping has said.
According to several news outlets, police questioned him on Jan 21 at Lisbon airport and allegedly charged him with luggage theft, with some of the missing suitcases reportedly found at his residence.
The 40-year-old lawmaker, Miguel Arruda, has denied any wrongdoing.
