World
Trapped in Myanmar’s cyber-scam mills
Brang, from Kachin State, also fell foul of the traffickers. A university student before the pandemic, he joined nonviolent protests after the coup and travelled to Laukkai in October of 2021 at the invitation of a friend.
He arrived to learn that his friend had set him up with a scamming company but reluctantly accepted.
Only when he tried to quit, and his bosses told him that they had paid for him under a two-year contract, did he realise his friend had profited from the arrangement.
“I accepted this job because I felt bad freeloading at my friend’s house, but it turned out, I was sold,” said Brang. “I felt betrayed and stabbed in the back.”
By then, however, he was trapped. “I worked like a robot from 8am to 2am without rest. I wasn’t even allowed to leave the building,” he said.
Seated at a long table, he had to search for wealthy-looking women in their 30s and 40s on the Chinese social media and messaging application WeChat, comment on their posts using a translation application, and send them private message requests.
For each woman who accepted, Brang got 300 yuan ($42), and a bonus if the contact led to a scam. But if he did not net at least 10 women a day, he was “punished”.
Most days, only three or four women accepted Brang’s requests, and his bosses beat him in front of the other workers, who were forced to watch in silence as he was thrashed on the bottom. “It was harrowing. I ached when I sat down,” he said.
Brang estimates that he was beaten on 10 to 15 occasions before his company decided he would be more useful to them in a different role. Forced to wear the uniform of a military-affiliated militia, he became a bodyguard for the company’s bosses.
The job offered Brang a sense of the scale of Laukkai’s cyber-scamming industry, as well as the power of the Chinese gangs running it. “The whole of Laukkai was like their city or territory,” he said. “The Myanmar military and militia controlled Laukkai, but they didn’t seem to have that much authority, because the Chinese bosses had enormous amounts of money.”
Although he was no longer beaten, Brang seethed with resentment. Not only did he have to protect the same bosses who were holding him captive, but he was also working for a group associated with the military.
The last straw came when he was forced to beat another worker. Soon after, he requested a leave of absence from his boss, concocting a story that he needed to go home for his mother’s funeral. “I even cried in front of him so that he would let me go,” said Brang.
Months after returning home, he fled to Malaysia, where he joined an undocumented workforce from Myanmar that has swelled since the pandemic. He now fears being caught up in an immigration raid, while he is also struggling to cope with memories of his trafficking. “I’m still traumatised by what I’ve been through,” he said.
World
BAFTA Film Awards 2026 Red Carpet Arrivals: Timothée Chalamet, Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams, Emma Stone and More
The biggest stars from the U.K. and beyond are arriving to the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards in style.
The awards ceremony, which is often a key predictor of the Oscars race, is taking place at London’s Royal Festival Hall with “The Traitors” star Alan Cumming on hosting duties.
BAFTA nominees Chase Infiniti and Odessa A’zion were among the first arrivals, with Infiniti rocking a red strapless gown with a flared-out hem and A’zion wearing a black off-the-shoulder lace dress. “Hamnet” stars and brothers Jacobi and Noah Jupe also walked the carpet together, posing arm in arm. Emma Stone and Cillian Murphy then brought more star power, with Stone turning heads in a sleek cut-out dress and Murphy looking dashing in a double-breasted suit. Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams followed as the ceremony drew closer, generating screams from fans hoping for a selfie or autograph from the stars.
This year’s nominations are led by Paul Thomas Anderson’s action thriller “One Battle After Another,” which has 14 nominations, alongside Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror “Sinners” with 13. Both movies were nominated for best film, alongside Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value.”
Below, see all the best looks from this year’s BAFTAs red carpet.
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Mexican forces seized rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft during the operation Sunday that killed cartel boss Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” underscoring how the Mexican Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) amassed military-style firepower over the years.
Authorities have previously linked CJNG to a 2015 attack in Jalisco in which cartel gunmen used rocket-propelled grenades to bring down a Mexican military helicopter – one of the starkest examples of a cartel directly engaging federal forces with battlefield-grade weapons.
The assault marked a turning point in how Mexican authorities viewed the group’s capabilities.
During Sunday’s raid, officials said security forces were attacked and returned fire, deploying aircraft and specialized units to carry out the operation. Authorities said troops seized armored vehicles and heavy weapons, equipment more commonly associated with armed conflict than routine law enforcement.
TOURISTS IN MEXICAN SEASIDE CITY TOLD TO STAY ON RESORT AS GOVERNMENT WARNS OF ‘CLASHES’
Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was killed during a Mexican operation in Jalisco on Sunday. (Drug Enforcement Administration)
Mexican Special Forces, with aircraft assistance from the Air Force and National Guard rapid-reaction units, participated in the mission, highlighting the scale of force required to confront senior cartel leadership.
Former U.S. officials have described CJNG as operating more like a paramilitary organization than a traditional trafficking ring, using coordinated roadblocks, armed convoys and structured enforcement wings to assert control in contested regions.
In prior reporting, former Drug Enforcement Administration officials said the group commanded large numbers of gunmen and organized itself in a way that allowed it to deploy force quickly and visibly.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UNSEALS MULTI-STATE INDICTMENTS AGAINST TREN DE ARAGUA LEADERS FOR VIOLENT CRIMES
CJNG is known for its paramilitary-style operations and structure. (Eduardo Verdugo, File/AP Photo)
CJNG’s tactics have included seizing vehicles and staging coordinated attacks in urban areas to demonstrate strength and deter rivals or security forces.
Over time, such displays reinforced its reputation as one of Mexico’s most heavily armed criminal organizations.
ALLEGED SINALOA CARTEL FENTANYL PRODUCER CHARGED IN NEWLY UNSEALED FEDERAL INDICTMENT
Smoke rises into the sky over Puerto Vallarta during an operation targeting cartel activity on Feb. 22, 2026. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
The State Department issued a travel alert Sunday urging Americans in multiple Mexican states to shelter in place due to “ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity,” reflecting the instability that can follow major cartel confrontations.
In recent years, Mexican authorities have increasingly relied on military forces – rather than local police – to confront senior cartel figures as groups like CJNG expanded their reach and arsenals.
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The raid that killed “El Mencho” marked not only the removal of a powerful drug lord but also another example of how heavily armed cartels can challenge state forces in direct confrontations.
As some European governments push for a tougher migration framework under the European Convention on Human Rights, public opinion appears firmly on their side. Yet strikingly few Europeans say they know much about the convention itself.
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