Malaysia shuts schools as haze from Indonesian fires chokes Southeast Asia

Malaysia has closed schools in its capital and several states as smoke from Indonesian forest fires pushes air pollution to unhealthy levels. Schools were ordered to close on Friday across Kuala Lumpur, the administrative capital Putrajaya and in the states of Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Selangor. The move, which affected roughly two million students, came as Kuala Lumpur recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of about 170. The API is a government-run measure of air quality. Singapore, at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, saw its air quality fall into the “very unhealthy” range, according to IQAir. “The haze issue is indeed at a worrying level,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.