Malaysia shuts schools again amid 'very unhealthy' air

Kuala Lumpur

THICK smoke from Indonesian slash-and-burn farming enveloped Malaysia's capital and other areas on Sunday, triggering school closures for the following day as weeks of choking haze showed no sign of abating.

Pollution readings in Kuala Lumpur soared into the "very unhealthy" territory in the Malaysian government's hourly air-quality index. The Ministry of Education ordered schools to shut on Monday in the capital and three states due to health concerns, the second time this month it has had to issue such an order.