{
  "id": 14631206,
  "title": "'Very dangerous': Timor-Leste shuts schools over Indonesia haze",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/very-dangerous-timor-leste-shuts-schools-over-indonesia-haze",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-15T06:46:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Channel News Asia",
    "slug": "channel-news-asia",
    "url": "https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/timor-leste-shuts-schools-indonesia-haze-6461526"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "East Timor has implemented a three-day school closure starting Thursday due to thick haze drifting from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia. The government advised citizens to wear masks and urged families to keep children indoors to protect student health. In the capital, Dili, residents have been observed wearing masks under a yellow-tinged sky. Channel News Asia reports that these fires have burned hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest and plantations, causing air pollution to surge in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste.\n\nIn Indonesia, the Health Ministry has recorded 277,075 cumulative cases of acute respiratory infections across seven provinces affected by forest and peatland fires. According to The Vibes, children aged five and below account for 62,400 of these cases, representing 22.5% of the total. The fires have been exacerbated by a strong El Nino and the practice of slash-and-burn land clearing. The Guardian reports that nearly 900,000 hectares have been burned across Indonesia since January, marking the worst fire season in more than a decade.\n\nTo combat the haze, Indonesia is testing a new approach in South Sumatra involving the dispersal of dry ice from planes. This follows previous efforts such as cloud seeding and water bombing. New Straits Times reports that nearly 17,000 personnel have been mobilized to battle fires in Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra, though poor visibility has hampered aerial firefighting operations. The Forestry Ministry noted that high-confidence hotspots across six priority provinces rose to 294 as of Wednesday night.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Indonesia tests dry ice to fight haze over Palembang",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/indonesia-tests-dry-ice-to-fight-haze-over-palembang",
        "published": "2026-10-15T03:12:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "E. Timor shuts schools over Indonesia haze",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/e-timor-shuts-schools-over-indonesia-haze",
        "published": "2026-10-15T04:43:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Lim Guan Eng urges Malaysia to sue Indonesia over haze if Jakarta rejects Asean firefighting task force",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/lim-guan-eng-urges-malaysia-to-sue-indonesia-over-haze-if-jakarta",
        "published": "2026-10-15T06:53:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Indonesia to use dry ice to clear haze from forest fires",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/indonesia-to-use-dry-ice-to-clear-haze-from-forest-fires",
        "published": "2026-10-15T07:30:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "Indonesia to deploy dry ice to reduce thick haze from fires",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/indonesia-to-deploy-dry-ice-to-reduce-thick-haze-from-fires",
        "published": "2026-10-15T07:36:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Haze turns Indonesia skies orange, shuts schools in East Timor",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/haze-turns-indonesia-skies-orange-shuts-schools-in-east-timor",
        "published": "2026-10-15T08:26:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Bangkok Post",
        "title": "Orange skies in Indonesia as haze crisis spreads",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/orange-skies-in-indonesia-as-haze-crisis-spreads",
        "published": "2026-10-15T08:45:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}