Skies were darkened across three Southeast Asian nations yesterday as smoke from illegally set brush fires in Indonesia worsened, evoking memories of the haze nine years ago that caused billions of US dollars in losses to the region.
Singapore's air quality deteriorated to its worst level this year, the country's National Environment Agency said. The Pollutants Standards Index hit 130 at 10am yesterday, the first time this year it has measured above 100, the agency said. The agency defines an index reading of and anything above 100 as unhealthy.
On parts of Indonesia's Sumatra Island and Kalimantan Province on Borneo, airline flights were canceled and motorists were forced to turn their lights on in the middle of the day.
Cash-strapped firefighting officials said the blazes were out of control.
"We have tried various measures but it is really difficult to stop the fires," said Marjani Achmad, the head of the forest fire prevention unit in hard-hit Jambi Island.
He said many of the blazes were burning on lands rich in peat, with some smoldering under the surface.
The haze is also covering much of Malaysia.
On Friday, only three of Malaysia's 51 air quality monitoring stations registered clean air, with 14 in the third tier of "unhealthy."
Farmers or agricultural companies set the fires on Borneo and Sumatra Island as a cheap way to clear land for plantations, mostly for palm oil, during the region's annual midyear dry season.
The worst case of smoke-induced haze in Southeast Asia occurred in 1997-98. It blanketed much of the area and was blamed for losses of nearly US$9 billion in tourism, health and business.
Several Indonesian officials have said the only thing that will extinguish the blazes is the coming monsoon rains, which are forecast to begin falling across affected areas in the next month.
Heavy rain and strong winds yesterday disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island, while snapping power links to tens of thousands. Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancelations were still widespread after airport authorities said most morning flights were disrupted. Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease later yesterday, after it paused operations at Wellington, Napier and Palmerston North airports. Online images showed flooded semi-rural neighborhoods, inundated homes, trees fallen on vehicles and collapsed
FRAYED: Strains between the US-European ties have ruptured allies’ trust in Washington, but with time, that could be rebuilt, the Michigan governor said China is providing crucial support for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and could end the war with a phone call, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said. “China could call [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and cut off his dual-purpose technologies that they’re selling,” Whitaker said during a Friday panel at the Munich Security Conference. “China could stop buying Russian oil and gas.” “You know, this war is being completely enabled by China,” the US envoy added. Beijing and Moscow have forged an even tighter partnership since the start of the war, and Russia relies on China for critical parts
Two sitting Philippine senators have been identified as “coperpetrators” in former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC), documents released by prosecutors showed. Philippine senators Ronald Dela Rosa and Christopher Go are among eight current and former officials named in a document dated Feb. 13 and posted to the court’s Web site. ICC prosecutors have charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders as part of his “war on drugs.” “Duterte and his coperpetrators shared a common plan or agreement to ‘neutralize’ alleged criminals in the Philippines
In a softly lit Shanghai bar, graduate student Helen Zhao stretched out both wrists to have her pulse taken — the first step to ordering the house special, a bespoke “health” cocktail based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). “TCM bars” have popped up in several cities across China, epitomizing what the country’s stressed-out, time-poor youth refer to as “punk wellness,” or “wrecking yourself while saving yourself.” At Shanghai’s Niang Qing, a TCM doctor in a white coat diagnoses customers’ physical conditions based on the pulse readings, before a mixologist crafts custom drinks incorporating the herbs and roots prescribed for their ailments.
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