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Singapore scientists have been honoured for a method to test products like antibiotics without using animals.

Dr Daniele Zink and Dr Loo Lit Hsin of the Agency for Science Technology and Research developed an animal-free automated procedure that can accurately predict the toxic effects of chemicals on the human kidney.

They were awarded the Lush Prize for Science in London on Friday. They share the £50,000 (S$86,200) prize with Professor Marcel Leist of the University of Konstanz in Germany.

The prize spans five categories and is given by cosmetics company Lush and non-profit research group Ethical Consumer.


Pressure on South Korea's scandal-hit president Park Geun Hye to resign escalated sharply yesterday.

About a million people turned out at one of the largest anti-government protests the country has seen.

Enormous crowds, including high school students, Catholic nuns, labourers and farmers, massed in Seoul in a powerful display of popular anger and dissent, chanting "Step down Park Geun-Hye!".

Police put the turnout at 260,000, but organisers said one million took part.

This was the third in a series of weekly protests over a corruption scandal that has left Ms Park fighting for her political survival. - AFP.


Macau's disgraced former top prosecutor Ho Chio-meng faces nearly 2,000 criminal charges, according to the enclave's highest court.

He will be tried next month.

Ho, who was Macau's prosecutor general for 16 years until 2014, was arrested earlier this year as he attempted to travel to Hong Kong.

The 1,970 charges Ho faces include abuse of power, fraud, money laundering, illegal sharing of economic benefits and even starting a criminal syndicate, according to a statement from the city's court of final appeal.

The charges also include an alleged 44 million patacas (S$7.7m) he took in kickbacks, reports said. - AFP.


Myanmar is probing whether to resume construction of a controversial Chinese-backed dam, state media reported.

This comes after the government promised to listened to fierce public opposition to the project.

The fate of the US$3.6 billion (S$5b) Myitsone dam in northern Kachin state has hung in the balance since it was abruptly halted by Myanmar in 2011 following protests over environmental and safety concerns.

A commission advising Aung Suu Kyi's administration on whether to scrap the dam submitted its first report to her government on Friday, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar. - AFP.