Summary People are being urged to remain indoors amid unprecedented levels of air pollution.
SINGAPORE (AP) Singapore is urging people to remain indoors amid unprecedented levels of air pollution after a smoky haze wrought by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia worsened dramatically. Nearby Malaysia has closed 200 schools.
Singapore s main measure for air pollution surged to an all-time high Thursday afternoon and breached a "hazardous" classification that can aggravate respiratory ailments.
Business and flights have not been disrupted, but the smog has strained diplomatic ties between Singapore and Indonesia. Officials in the city-state say Jakarta must do more to halt fires on Sumatra island started by plantation owners and farmers to clear land cheaply.
Singapore s Environment Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Thursday that "no country or corporation has the right to pollute the air at the expense of Singaporeans health and wellbeing."
