Air quality

F1 race on as haze clears over Singapore

Singapore's skies cleared Friday and air quality improved as smog from raging Indonesian forest fires drifted away, easing fears that this weekend's Formula One race may be affected.The blazes have been spewing toxic haze across Southeast Asia, forcing the closure of schools and airports, and prompting Jakarta to deploy thousands of personnel to tackle them.The Indonesian fires are an annual problem during the dry season when farmers use illegal slash-and-burn techniques to clear la

21 September 2019
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Singapore air 'unhealthy' ahead of F1 race

Pollution from forest fires in Indonesia pushed Singapore's air quality to unhealthy levels for the first time in three years on Saturday, the government said, a week ahead of the Formula One (F1) night race in the city.The toxic smoke caused by burning to clear land for plantations is an annual problem for Indonesia's neighbours, but has been worsened this year by particularly dry weather."There has been a deterioration in the haze conditions in Singapore this afternoon,"

15 September 2019
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Indonesia threatens sackings over forest fires

Indonesian leader Joko Widodo warned Tuesday that officials would be sacked if they failed to stamp out rampant forest fires that are belching out toxic smog over Malaysia and Singapore.The threat came as Indonesia faced pressure from its neighbours to douse the blazes, which are blamed for sending air quality plummeting in parts of Southeast Asia."I've told the military and police chiefs to sack people who don't tackle forest fires," Widodo told a ministers meeting on the

7 August 2019
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