SINGAPORE, Sept 15 - Singapore's air pollution rose to unhealthy levels on Monday, the National Environment Agency said, as winds changed direction and brought in light smoke from forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia. Singapore is in the middle of its "haze" season, when smoke from forest clearing in Indonesia traditionally chokes the air, but this year has been practically haze free, despite warnings in May it was going to be worse than 2013's record pollution. The three-hour Pollution Standards Index broke above 100, the level beyond which the air is considered unhealthy, at 1 a.m. and remained above that level into the daylight hours, the government agency said on its website. The NEA warned on Sunday that if the wind blew from the southwest, Singapore could experience occasional haze from fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island. The smoke blanketed Singapore last June, pushing the air pollution index to a record 401. In August, Singapore's parliament passed a bill proposing fines for companies that cause pollution regardless of whether the companies operate on the island, though it remains to be seen how the law can be enforced.
More
Vietnam signs 16 contracts worth $286mn at Int’l Defense Expo 2024
The expo had welcomed over 260,000 visitors as of Sunday
Read more
Chinese workers found in 'slavery-like conditions' at BYD construction site in Brazil
The workers were hired in China by another firm and brought to Brazil irregularly
1 day agoSwiss plane makes emergency landing due to smoke on board
Ten passengers needed medical treatment after a Swiss airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing due to smoke in the cockpit and cabin, the company said on Monday
1 day agoTrump transition team plans immediate WHO withdrawal, expert says
Critics warn that a U.S. withdrawal could undermine global disease surveillance and emergency response systems
1 day agoThe tsunami detection buoys safeguarding lives in Thailand
Residents in disaster-prone areas also receive an SMS alert of an imminent tsunami, warning them to evacuate quickly
1 day agoHonda, Nissan aim to merge by 2026 in historic pivot
Honda and Nissan are in talks to merge by 2026, they said on Monday, a historic pivot for Japan's auto industry that underlines the threat Chinese EV makers now pose to the world's long-dominant legacy car makers
1 day agoHighlights
Vietnam’s seafood exports hit $10bn in 2024
The country looks to a higher target of $11 billion for 2025
Latest news
Vietnam’s seafood exports hit $10bn in 2024
The country looks to a higher target of $11 billion for 2025
Santa Claus global flight to deliver presents underway
Santa Claus took off early Christmas Eve aboard his reindeer-powered sleigh to deliver presents around the world
Sweet smell of success for niche perfumes
Produced in small batches with high-quality, natural or rare ingredients, niche perfumes are becoming big business even while retaining their exclusive nature
How Finnish youth learn to spot disinformation
Finland wants to promote media literacy as a civic skill
NASA probe makes closest ever pass by the Sun
Launched in August 2018, the spaceship is on a seven-year mission to deepen scientific understanding of our star and help forecast space-weather events that can affect life on Earth
Christmas cheer spreads to Vietnamese, foreigners
Robert R. Besner, a Canadian tourist, shared that the Christmas atmosphere in the capital city was wonderful
Storm Pabuk shifts toward south-central Vietnam waters
Over the next 12 hours, the storm is anticipated to weaken into a tropical depression
Global hunger crisis deepens as major nations skimp on aid
The United Nations says that, at best, it will be able to raise enough money to help about 60 percent of the 307 million people it predicts will need humanitarian aid next year
In Vietnam, multimillion-dollar school unfinished, abandoned, deteriorating
Construction of a new campus for one of Vietnam's top high schools has stalled for nearly two years
Hanoi rivers in dire need of revitalization from pollution
Many sections of these rivers are swamped with mud and trash