Akron convening task force to explore adding electric vehicle charging stations

Associated Press
Shock martial law edict in South Korea follows chaotic recent history: A look at the crucial context
It may seem that the wild predawn scenes in Seoul, with hundreds of armed troops and frantic lawmakers storming South Korea's parliament building after the president suddenly declared martial law, came out of nowhere. From a nationwide doctors' strike, to an opposition leader narrowly avoiding prison amid a raft of court cases, to millions of people filling the streets in protest to drive out an elected leader, here is a look at some of those recent crucial developments.
AFP
Death toll rises to 29 in southern Thailand floods
More than 30,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to severe flooding in southern Thailand, where the death toll climbed to 29, officials said Wednesday. The death toll now stands at 29, up from 25 reported on Tuesday.
Reuters
Discontent runs high as Ghana readies to vote on Saturday
Public frustration over Ghana's economic travails, including high prices and a dearth of jobs, has dominated the run-up to Saturday's general election, which will likely test the nation's longstanding democratic credentials. Support for outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo and his ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) party has sunk in his second term amid the West African nation's worst economic crisis in a generation, along with cost-of-living protests and turmoil in its vital cocoa and gold industries. Indeed, the clamour for change has tipped the presidential and legislative race firmly in favour of opposition leader John Dramani Mahama and his National Democratic Congress party, polls show, though voter patience with the political process is running low.
CNN
South Korea has been plunged into uncharted waters after an extraordinary night of political upheaval. What happens next?
South Korea is reeling after a whiplash eight hours during which the country’s embattled president declared martial law but was forced to lift it amid widespread condemnation, throwing the country’s political landscape into chaos and uncertainty.
Reuters
Taipei to host Shanghai delegation in rare high level visit
Taiwan's capital will host a rare high level Chinese delegation later this month when a deputy mayor of Shanghai visits for an annual city forum, a trip that will be happening at a time of heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan would visit from Dec. 16-17 for the Taipei-Shanghai City Forum, which was first held in 2010, Taipei city government spokesperson Yin Wei told reporters on Wednesday. "This year is the 15th time it will be held, and 45 memorandums of understanding have been held in the past which a very good result for city exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait," he added.
AFP
South Korean opposition move to impeach president after martial law bid
South Korea's opposition moved to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday after his extraordinary but short-lived imposition of martial law that brought thousands of protesters to the streets.South Korea's opposition parties -- whose lawmakers jumped fences and tussled with security forces to vote down the law -- on Wednesday filed a motion to impeach Yoon.
CNN
North Korea, Russia and China watch on as crisis unfolds in key US ally South Korea
A night of political upheaval in South Korea has upended stability in a key democratic US ally – sending shock waves through the region and Washington at a moment of acute global tension.
Associated Press
Democrat Adam Gray captures California's 13th US House District, ousting Republican Rep. John Duarte
Democrat Adam Gray captured California’s 13th Congressional District on Tuesday, unseating Republican Rep. John Duarte in the final U.S. House contest to be decided this year. Gray’s win in the farm belt seat that cuts through five counties means Republicans won 220 House seats this election cycle, with Democrats holding 215 seats. Gray won by a margin of less than 200 votes, with election officials reporting Tuesday all ballots had been counted.
AFP
Trump's vows of quick peace fall flat on Ukraine frontlines
Months of fighting on the Ukrainian front have not taken away Kostya's sense of humour -- even when it comes to the topic of Donald Trump.He is 23, but looks much older after months of gruelling fighting.
AFP
Philippines says China Coast Guard fired water cannon, 'sideswiped' govt vessel
The Philippines said the China Coast Guard fired water cannon and "sideswiped" a government vessel Wednesday during a maritime patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, after Beijing said it had "exercised control" over the ship. Tensions flared again on Wednesday, with Manila releasing a video appearing to show a Chinese coast guard ship firing a torrent of water at the Philippines fisheries department vessel BRP Datu Pagbuaya.
USA TODAY
Trump considering DeSantis to replace Hegseth for defense secretary post, reports say
Pete Hegseth's nomination to lead the Pentagon has run into trouble on Capitol Hill over allegations about his personal and professional life.
AFP
Soldiers vs office chairs: South Korea's martial law standoff
Parliamentary staffers used sofas and fire extinguishers to block soldiers armed with assault rifles and night-vision goggles from entering South Korea's National Assembly to maintain martial law, CCTV footage released Wednesday showed.Shortly after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday -- the first time it had been imposed in the South in over four decades -- helicopters ferried the heavily-armed troops into the compound of South Korea's parliament, the footage showed.
AFP
Taiwan's Lai arrives in Tuvalu to shore up Pacific allies
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te arrived in the tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu on Wednesday, as part of a trip aimed at shoring up international support for Taiwan as China seeks to poach its few remaining allies.Earlier, he was in the Marshall Islands where President Hilda Heine expressed her government's commitment to "remain a staunch ally" of Taiwan.
AFP
Second major Myanmar rebel group calls for talks with junta
A second major Myanmar ethnic rebel group has said it is ready for Beijing-mediated talks with the junta to end more than a year of renewed fighting that has ravaged areas along the Chinese border. China is a major ally and arms supplier of the junta but also maintains ties with ethnic rebel groups that hold territory near its border.
CNN
Hegseth faces an ‘absolutely critical’ day as Pentagon hopes hang by a thread
Donald Trump is in danger of losing another one of his provocative Cabinet picks in a further blow to his bid to shake up Washington in his second term.
CNN
Missing Pennsylvania grandmother likely fell into sinkhole while searching for her cat, police say
Rescuers are searching for a missing Pennsylvania grandmother who is believed to have fallen deep into a sinkhole while searching for her cat with her young granddaughter, authorities said.
Associated Press
New UN aid chief vows 'ruthlessness' to prioritize spending as funding for world's crises shrinks
The new head of the U.N. humanitarian aid agency says it will be “ruthless” when prioritizing how to spend money, a nod to challenges in fundraising for civilians in war zones like Gaza, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine. Tom Fletcher, a longtime British diplomat who took up the U.N. post last month, said his agency is asking for less money in 2025 than this year. The office and many other aid groups, including the international Red Cross, have seen donations shrink in recent years for longtime trouble spots like Syria, South Sudan, the Middle East and Congo and newer ones like Ukraine and Sudan.
Associated Press
An ex-officer who died in an apparent suicide before his abuse trial was not supposed to have a gun
A former police detective in Kansas who died in an apparent suicide as he was about to stand trial for allegedly sexually assaulting and terrorizing vulnerable women for decades wasn't supposed to have a gun while he was under house arrest. Police found Roger Golubski dead on his back porch Monday morning after a neighbor reported hearing a gunshot, and there were no indications of foul play, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. The judge’s order allowing Golubski to be under house arrest said he could not “possess a firearm, destructive device, or other weapon.”
Associated Press
Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of Syria's shock insurgency?
Over the past dozen years, Syrian militant leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has worked to remake his public image and the insurgency he commands, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and consolidating power before emerging from the shadows. Now al-Golani, 42, seeks to seize the moment yet again, leading his fighters in a stunning offensive that has put them in control of Syria’s largest city, reigniting the country's long civil war and raising new questions about President Bashar Assad’s hold on power. The surge and al-Golani's place at the head of it are evidence of a remarkable transformation.
Associated Press
Power shortages in Ecuador are melting away the future of a small town’s ice-cream industry
Ice-cream production in Salcedo, a quaint town in Ecuador's central highlands, began in the mid-20th century, born from the ingenuity of Franciscan nuns. Locals say the sisters would drink fruit shakes made with milk from the region’s dairy farms until one of them began collecting the leftovers, turning them into creamy popsicles that became an overnight sensation. The nuns sold the popsicles in town to gather funds for the poor.

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