China’s industrial northeast is literally choking its neighbors – Ukraine’s opposition protesters get two major boosts – The LA Coroner releases preliminary details of actor Paul Walker’s tragic death.

Smog blowing in from Central China enveloped Seoul, South Korea in a murky, grey blanket of pretty unhealthy air. The National Institute of Environmental Research said Seoul's daily average of the density of airborne particles less than 10 micrometers, also called PM10 concentrations, reached 81-120 micrograms this week.  That’s moderately unhealthy for most people and definitely bad for people are particularly sensitive to air pollutants.

The social unrest in Thailand is on hold, as security forces and anti-government demonstrators are observing a temporary truce to clean up the capital for the 86th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.  After that, the protesters say they will resume their quest to force the democratically elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinatrawa to step down because they fear she is under the influence of her brother, a former PM ousted by coup in 2006.

Ukraine's three previous post-Soviet presidents are supporting the mass anti-government protests. Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma, and Viktor Yushchenko released a joint statement of “solidarity” with peaceful rallies.  Thousands remain camped in Kiev's Independence Square, blocking access to the main government's building.  They are angry at the government's last-minute decision not to sign an association deal with the EU.  German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle snubbed the government and visited protesters, saying, “The gates of the European Union are still open.”

Hundreds of people in Lebanon, including an honor guard of children, turned out for the funeral of a slain Hezbollah leader.  Hassan Lakkis was shot in the head at close range at about midnight on Tuesday outside his home in a town near Beirut.  Hezbollah blames Israel, which denies the allegation.

Suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a police intelligence headquarters in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more in a two hours battle.  The gunmen then fled and attacked a mall in the city, taking hostages before security forces overtook them.  Casualties from the mall are still being tallied.  No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sunni Muslim insurgents linked to al Qaeda have regularly hit targets linked to the Shi'a led Iraqi government.

Tons of radioactive water being stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan is likely to be dumped into the Pacific Ocean, in a so-called “controlled discharge”.  The International Atomic Energy Agency visited the troubled site and endorsed the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s clean-up plan – which calls for releasing the contaminated cooling water into the ocean.  Local fishermen, neighboring countries and environmental groups all oppose the idea.

The Los Angeles County Coroner says “Fast & Furious” star Paul Walker may have initially survived a horrific car crash but died a few seconds later due to the “combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries”.  The full report on the deaths of Walker and his friend Roger Rodas, who was determined to have been behind the wheel, won’t be out for weeks.  Meanwhile, thousands of car enthusiasts up and down the west coast have RSVP’d to attend a memorial at the crash site on Sunday.  Participants are being told to drive slow and respect the solemnity of the occasion.  

Universal and Aussie director James Wan have shut down the production of “Fast & Furious 7” in Atlanta after the death of leading man Paul Walker.  They face a difficult decision:  Continue the lucrative franchise in which all plot lines are resolved by the sort of driving that killed one of its stars; Or, just end it and deny millions of loyal fans a chance to say goodbye to Walker and the “F&F” family.  Universal is also reportedly thinking of scrapping everything that’s been filmed so far and starting over with a new plot sometime down the road.  There’s a funeral scene that’s already been leaked on the Internet that might upset fans.