10 must-reads for today

The sky in San Francisco's Bay Area turned a deep orange on Wednesday from wildfire smoke that at times blocked out sunlight entirely. Entire communities have been razed by wildfires raging in the western United States, with officials warning of potential mass deaths.

Battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group said yesterday that it has decided to cut around 4,300 positions across the entire group. The number of employees impacted by the exercise may be fewer however, as measures such as a recruitment freeze may cushion the blow.

Provinces bordering Indonesia's capital are set to follow the city's lead in reimposing strict restrictions next week to deal with surging coronavirus infections. Jakarta's surprise announcement of a partial lockdown received support from the West Java governor yesterday, but was criticised by the federal government, which was not notified ahead of time.

The global death toll from Covid-19 passed 900,000 on Wednesday, as worldwide cases topped 27.7 million, according to a Reuters tally. The US remains the world's worst-affected country.

Many underestimated Mr Joko Widodo when he first came to power as Indonesia's President in 2014. Now amid jostling as to who will succeed him when his final term ends, he has to show that a former mayor of Solo can make a lasting impact beyond Indonesia's shores, says associate editor Ravi Velloor.

From next Friday, Gardens by the Bay will be all lit up with lanterns in the evening to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. This year's festivities will also feature online performances and activities, to bring good cheer as Singaporeans adjust to life in the new normal caused by Covid-19.

The Active Mobility Advisory Panel will look into whether brakes should be required for bicycles, following the death of a young girl who was riding her friend's fixed-gear bike in January. Fixed-gear bicycles are banned or face restricted use in a number of countries, including Denmark and Germany.

International property group Lendlease will set up a $40 million product development centre in Singapore next month and will hire 50 tech employees for a start. The centre will introduce a suite of digital products and services that leverages its digital property lifecycle platform.

Paralympic swimmers Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh have performed with distinction and their exploits have done Singapore proud. Both are now set to join the executive committee of the Singapore Disability Sports Council and thus play a wider role in improving disability sports.

Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell's plague novel in a plague year, has won the 25th Women's Prize for Fiction. The Northern Irish writer beat literary heavyweights Hilary Mantel and Bernardine Evaristo and three other authors to the £30,000 (S$53,300) prize, which was given out at a digital ceremony on Wednesday.

Many construction firms have only recently restarted operations despite being given the go-ahead in June. We visited a worksite to take a closer look at the logistics considerations, among other things. str.sg/blurb575

AVS Technologies' mask production facility, which the digital printing firm set up after it faced difficulties sourcing surgical masks for its workers earlier this year, can produce about five million masks a month. str.sg/blurb576