- Reuters
Death of senior doctor rings alarms bells in pandemic-struck Indonesia
Dr Sardjono Utomo, a senior Indonesian doctor, admitted himself to his local hospital in East Java late Tuesday afternoon. In just over 24 hours, as his fellow doctors phoned hospital after hospital in search of a ventilator in Surabaya – Indonesia’s second-largest city and a few hours’ drive away – the doctor and his wife, Sri Martini, would both be dead. The death of Dr Sardjono and his wife from COVID-19 has raised alarm bells in the world’s fourth-most populated nation, where the pandemic has steadily gone from bad to worse and is now putting significant strain on the country’s poorly equipped health system.
- Reuters
S.Africa's Kumba Iron Ore sees annual production at low end of forecast
South Africa's Kumba Iron Ore said on Friday its annual production was likely to be at the bottom of its forecast range this year, and that it had cut its forecasts for both 2021 and 2022. "To ensure that the value chain is balanced, and finished stock is maintained at optimal levels, production is likely to be closer to the lower end of the guidance range," it said in a statement.
- Reuters
Taiwan says trade deal would show U.S. support in face of China pressure
A bilateral trade deal between Taiwan and the United States would reinforce U.S. support for the democratic island in the face of "unrelenting intimidation" from China, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Friday. Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has long angled for a trade deal with its most important diplomatic and military backer, and in August Tsai announced a relaxation on imports of U.S. pork and beef, removing a stumbling block.
