{
  "id": 14120123,
  "title": "Asean to discuss regional haze crisis ahead of November summit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/asean-to-discuss-regional-haze-crisis-ahead-of-november-summit",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-13T04:40:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/region/2026/10/1554308/asean-discuss-regional-haze-crisis-ahead-november-summit"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Southeast Asian foreign ministers will address the transboundary haze affecting parts of the region during a meeting next month, according to Asean chair the Philippines. The haze has been caused by forest and land fires that have been raging for months in Indonesia, leading to thick haze in Singapore and Malaysia, which recently closed schools in several states due to unhealthy air pollution levels. The wildfires, primarily on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, are Indonesia's most intense in 11 years. This issue will be on the agenda at the preparatory foreign ministers meetings in November, in anticipation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan stated that he would raise the haze issue with Asean, pointing out that the bloc's existing mechanisms to handle natural disasters do not encompass haze. Malaysia has previously offered assistance to Indonesia in combating the fires. However, firefighting attempts in many areas have been complicated by poor visibility, accessibility issues, and unsuitable conditions for cloud seeding, as noted by Foreign Minister Mohamad during discussions with his Indonesian counterpart.",
  "summary": "MANILA: Southeast Asian foreign ministers will during a meeting next month seek to tackle the transboundary haze blanketing parts of the region, Asean chair the Philippines said on Tuesday.",
  "key_points": [
    "ASEAN chair Philippines to discuss regional haze crisis at November summit",
    "Haze from Indonesian forest and land fires affecting Singapore and Malaysia",
    "Preparatory foreign ministers meetings to address haze issue ahead of summit"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Elevating the haze crisis to the regional agenda highlights a critical gap in existing disaster mechanisms that currently fail to address the transboundary environmental impacts of Indonesia's intense wildfires.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Antara News Indonesia",
        "title": "Indonesia encourages ASEAN to be more effective ahead of 60th year",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/indonesia-encourages-asean-to-be-more-effective-ahead-of-60th-year",
        "published": "2026-10-13T02:42:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}