L'air est fetide, cesser de conduire – Who’s buying the most military weapons in Asia?  – An infamous homophobe is close to death – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Air pollution in Paris hit a dangerous level, so officials are banning half the cars from the road.  Cars with odd- and even-numbered plates will be allowed to drive on alternate days.  France's Automobile Club Association (ACA) is complaining, saying the emergency rules are too difficult and will lead to chaos.  700 additional cops will be deployed to make sure everyone follows the rules.  The air pollution is being worsened by a unseasonably warn days and cool nights, combined with low winds and no rain to move the particulate matter along.

North Korea “test-fired” 25 missiles into the Japan Sea east of the Korean Peninsula, apparently in protest of the annual US-South Korean military exercises that still have a month to go.  South Korean troops have increased vigilance following a series of launches of rockets or missiles, and the US is calling on Pyongyang to refrain from provocative actions.

Russia is selling a lot of weaponry to India.  The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says India is importing nearly three times as many weapons as its nearest competitors China and Pakistan over the last five years.  Russian gear makes up 75 percent of these imports, but India is also increasingly buying from the United States to upgrade its cold war-era military hardware in the face of a surging China.

Syrian forces have reclaimed the last rebel-held town from along the border with Lebanon.  The Shia Muslim Hezbollah group from the other side of the border aided the Syrian Government forces against the rebels in Yarbroud, whose numbers often contain Sunni Muslims and jihadists linked to al Qaeda.

More than a hundred people have been shot, hacked, or burned to death in inter-tribal violence in central Nigeria.  Muslim Fulani herdsmen led the raids on Christian villagers.  Africa’s most-populous nation is struggling to maintain order even as a separate, bloody insurgency in the northeast by Boko Haram seeks to create a new state based on Islamic sharia law.

The most-senior US Military officer to be prosecuted for sex abuse will plead guilty to lesser charges.  Brigadier General Jeffrey A. Sinclair was accused of forcing a captain under his command to perform oral sex and threatened to kill her and her family.  Instead he will walk after admitting he disobeyed a commander’s order, misused his government charge card and mistreated his former mistress, also a captain.  Sinclair will be required to leave the military instead of going to prison.

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The extremely intolerant pastor of America’s Westboro Baptist Church is near death, according to his equally intolerant family.  Fred Phelps, Sr. leads a flock of a couple of dozen morons and family members who’ve become infamous for picketing the funerals of celebrities and newsmakers, holding signs reading “God Hates Fags” as well as some anti-Semitic placards as well.  They’ve demonstrated at Ground Zero in New York City and at the funerals of murdered children, and often end up humiliated or chased off.  Bring a cold drink where you’re going Fred, you’re going to need it.

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Wow, this is depressing.

No one hurt and no significant damage reported in a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Northern Chile.  100,000 people were evacuated before the tsunami threat passed.