Singapore's parliament late Monday passed a law aimed at preventing foreign interference in domestic politics, which the opposition and activists have criticised as a tool to crush dissent.The law, approved after a marathon session that stretched to near midnight, would allow authorities to compel internet service providers and social media platforms to provide user information, block content and remove applications used to spread content they deem hostile.Groups and individuals involved

Two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine are “highly effective” at preventing hospitalisations for at least six months, a large-scale study shows, but protection against infection nearly halves over the same period.Effectiveness against all COVID infections fell from 88 percent within a month of having two doses to 47 percent after six months, according to the research.

Six days of gun battles between soldiers and militants in Thailand's restive south have left six people dead, the military said Monday, as troops hunt insurgents hiding in a swampy forest.Thailand's three southernmost provinces have been in the grip of a 17-year conflict that has killed more than 7,000 people, the majority civilians, as militants in the Muslim-majority region fight for more autonomy from the Thai state.The pandemic had brought a lull to the clashes – often character

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Death Toll Dropping The weekly number of coronavirus deaths worldwide has fallen to levels unseen for almost a year at an average of 7,606 each day, according to an AFP count based on official national figures.EU Pfizer BoostersThe European Union's (EU) drug watchdog approves booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine for all people aged 18 and over, amid concerns that protection dips after initial jabs.US$51.8 B

Some 35 current and former leaders and more than 300 public officials are featured in the files from offshore companies, dubbed the Pandora Papers.They reveal the King of Jordan secretly amassed GBP70 million (US$94.8 million) of United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) property.They also show how ex-UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife saved GBP312,000 (US$422,671) in stamp duty when they bought a London office.The couple bought an offshore firm that owned the building.The leak also l

Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo will decide this week if she will run for president, her spokesman said Sunday, after her arch-rival and incumbent Rodrigo Duterte declared he was retiring from politics.Robredo, a vocal critic of Duterte's controversial drug war, would likely be the only opposition candidate in a crowded field in the May 2022 elections.Her spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said she has not yet accepted the opposition coalition's nomination, and will announce her de

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:700,000 Dead In The US United States (US) fatalities from COVID-19 surpass 700,000, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University, a toll roughly equivalent to the population of the nation's capital Washington.The grim threshold comes with an average of well over 1,000 dying each day, in a country where 55.7 percent of the population is now fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventio

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday he will not run for vice president in 2022 and will retire from politics, potentially paving the way for his daughter to contest the country's highest office.Duterte, who polls show remains almost as popular as when he was swept to victory in 2016 on a promise to rid the country of drugs, is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term as leader."The overwhelming...

The first clinical trial results showing a positive effect for a pill that can be taken at home has been hailed as a potential game changer that could provide a new way to protect the most vulnerable people from the worst effects of COVID-19. Molnupiravir joins a growing list of medicines that have shown promise. Here are some of the main developments in treatments so far.FavipiravirThis is an antiviral drug designed to block virus replication at the early stage of illness.

Beijing high schooler Chen Zhichu used to spend 30 minutes a day boosting actor Xiao Zhan online as one of a legion of superfans, before the practice fell afoul of the government for promoting "unhealthy values".State regulations last month banned "irrational star-chasing" – online celebrity rankings, fundraising and other tools used by China's fandoms to get their idols trending on social media – in the latest of a series of crackdowns across Chinese society.&nbs