Malaysia closes schools in capital, parts of country due to haze

Malaysia closed schools in Kuala Lumpur and other parts of the country on Friday, as haze from fires in neighbouring Indonesia again plunged local air quality to among the world’s worst. Toxic smoke from peatland as well as forest fires has shrouded towns and cities in the region for more than a month, sending respiratory complaints skyrocketing. The school closures came as Malaysia’s leader discussed the choking smoke with his Indonesian counterpart and called for an urgent regional meeting. Kuala Lumpur’s air quality worsened on Friday to hit a reading of around 224 on the index of…