Bike-sharing: a solution for Jakarta's air pollution problem?

After random emissions tests, Hanoi is asking polluting buses to clean up before getting back on the road.

Indonesia is about to open the Asian Games but its traffic-clogged capital Jakarta remains shrouded in a haze.

Famed for ancient pagodas, colonial architecture and delicious pho noodle soup, Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi has another, albeit dubious, distinction: air pollution.

City officials say the move aims to curb air pollution and traffic congestion.

Buses that fail emission test are subject to cash penalties worth up to $13.

Transportation, industrialization and energy production are to blame, according to locals.

The device could capture 90 percent of the soot particles from cooled diesel exhaust, which can be used to make ink.

The city declared its third major smog alert of 2018, and the second this month. 

About 90 percent of related deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries, most of them in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Greenpeace said Bangkok suffered the worst air pollution in its history between Jan 1st and Feb 21st.

The course was sprayed with salted water to keep dust levels down and all traffic barred from nearby roads.

Increased construction work, migration to the city and vehicles have caused air and noise pollution to rise.

Probably not advisable to take a deep breath before reading this story of toxic smog.