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THE BIG STORY
Jabs key for global battle against Covid-19: Tharman
The world could face a prolonged Covid-19 pandemic, and the most urgent priority is to vaccinate at least 60 per cent of every country's population over the next year, said Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam at a press conference in Geneva yesterday.
More than five billion anti-Covid-19 jabs have been given globally, but wide disparities persist between rich and poor countries in their access to vaccines. While the most advanced countries are already giving booster shots, vaccination drives are not getting off the ground in poorer, mainly African, countries.
United States Vice-President Kamala Harris yesterday charged China with bullying its South-east Asian neighbours - the second time in two days that she has attacked Beijing. Earlier yesterday, Chinese state media accused Ms Harris of seeking to drive a wedge between China and South-east Asian nations by saying Beijing used coercion to back its unlawful South China Sea claims.
About 8,600 phone numbers have been blocked by scam prevention app ScamShield since it was rolled out last November, said Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan yesterday. The Anti-Scam Centre, under the ambit of the Anti-Scam Division of the police, also recovered close to $66 million in the first half of this year alone.
Commuters travelling from Bedok and Bukit Panjang will be able to catch a ride on the first fully electric three-door single-deck buses here. Twenty of these new buses will be progressively deployed on routes served by services 38 and 40 from Bedok Interchange, as well as those served by services 176 and 976 from Bukit Panjang Interchange.
Park Hotel Group is no longer in charge of the management and operation of Destination Singapore Beach Road hotel, the group said. This follows the winding up of Park Hotel Management (PHM), a firm that until recently owned Park Hotel Group. PHM was wound up in July over a debt owed.
