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AdvertisementMyanmarThis Week in AsiaOpinionXu PengAsian Angle | How uneven borders fuel Myanmar’s vast and resilient scam economyFieldwork along the borders of China and Thailand reveals how uneven controls allow fraud networks to thrive despite crackdowns
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPXu PengPublished: 1:00pm, 4 Jan 2026Southeast Asia has become “ground zero” for the global online scamming industry, according to the UN, costing victims billions of US dollars each year. Scam operations are run by Chinese crime syndicates from fortified compounds in countries like Myanmar, which has been embroiled in a nationwide armed conflict since 2021.The size of the scam industry has led to sustained security crackdowns in recent years. This has included a number of joint operations involving police forces from multiple countries. However, despite releasing tens of thousands of trafficked workers from these compounds, the raids have done little to wipe out scam operations.
In October..

NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani interacted with commuters during his subway ride (AP image) Less than 24 hours after taking the oath, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani began his first full day in office with a routine familiar to millions of New Yorkers, a morning subway commute from his Queens apartment.Battling against the cold, the 34-year-old Democrat left the one-bedroom apartment in Queens on Friday. Unlike most commuters, Mamdani’s journey was documented by a photo and video crew with neighbors stopping to wish him luck as he headed to work.The subway ride came ahead of a busy first day that included signing orders, announcing appointments and facing questions from the press. Still, the mayor chose to begin with what aides described as a deliberately symbolic commute.Flanked by security guards and a small group of aides, Mamdani boarded a Manhattan-bound train, pausing to take selfies with surprised riders before settling into a corner seat to review briefing materials. The video of h..

Donald Trump (AP image) Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, has formally written to the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemning the “reckless and inflammatory threats” made by US President Donald Trump. Tehran also warned that the United States would bear full responsibility for any consequences or escalation that might arise from such statements.In the letter dated January 2, Iran accused the US president of openly threatening the use of force against a sovereign UN member state, asserting that such remarks amounted to a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter.Drawing attention to Trump’s recent comments, the Iranian envoy said the US president had gone beyond rhetoric by publicly declaring: “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” Iravani said the statement amounted to “the incitement of violence, unrest, and terrorist acts within Iran” and constituted “a clear, explicit, and unl..

AdvertisementSingaporeAsiaSoutheast AsiaWorkers’ Party in Singapore rules on Pritam Singh, disciplinary panel to be formedThe move follows the opposition leader’s recent court conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPCNAPublished: 1:09pm, 3 Jan 2026Updated: 1:10pm, 3 Jan 2026The top decision-making body of the Workers’ Party (WP) in Singapore has directed that a disciplinary panel be formed to determine if party chief Pritam Singh has contravened the WP’s constitution, following his recent court conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee.In a media statement on Saturday, the WP said its central executive committee (CEC) met on Friday to discuss matters arising from Singh’s conviction after the High Court dismissed his appeal against it on December 4.
Party cadres had also requested that a special conference be held on the matter.
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AdvertisementUnited StatesUSPoliticsUS court rules California ban on openly carrying guns is unconstitutionalThe ruling affects California’s counties with more than 200,000 people, where about 95 per cent of the state’s population lives
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPReutersPublished: 12:44pm, 3 Jan 2026A US appeals court ruled on Friday that California’s ‍ban on openly carrying firearms in most parts of the state was unconstitutional.A panel of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals sided 2-1 with a gun owner in ruling that the state’s prohibition against open carry in counties with more than 200,000 people ⁠violated the US Constitution’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
About 95 per cent of the population in California, which has had some of the nation’s strictest gun-control laws, lives in counties of that size.
AdvertisementUS Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, who was appointed by Republican President Donald Trump, said the Democratic-led st..