Tecumseh High School math teacher Will Ramsell named 'Amazing Teacher' in Gannett contest

AFP
Mongolians fight plastic pollution in vast steppe
Mongolian herder Purev Batmunkh sighs as he picks through waste strewn across a field -- the refuse of an unsightly and deadly waste pollution problem affecting swathes of the steppe.Herder Batmunkh, who is 58, also decided to help, heading out on his horse every week to scour the steppe for rubbish to pick up and deliver to Ecosoum.
Associated Press
A mysterious pile of bones could hide evidence of Japanese war crimes, activists say
Depending on who you ask, the pile of human bones that have been sitting in a Tokyo repository for decades could be either leftovers from early 20th century anatomy classes, or the unburied and unidentified victims of one of the country's most notorious war crimes. A group of activists, historians and other experts who want the government to investigate links to wartime human germ warfare experiments met over the weekend to mark the 35th anniversary of their discovery and renew a call for an independent panel to examine the evidence. Japan’s government has long avoided discussing wartime atrocities, including the sexual abuse of Asian women known as “comfort women” and Korean forced laborers at Japanese mines and factories, often on grounds of lack of documentary proof.
Associated Press
Wood pellets boomed in the US South. Climate activists want Biden to stop boosting industry growth
This southern Mississippi town's expansive wood pellet plant was so close to Shelia Mae Dobbins' home that she sometimes heard company loudspeakers. Dobbins feels her life — and health — were better before 2016, when Drax opened a facility able to compress 450,000 tons of wood chips annually in the majority Black town of Gloster, Mississippi. Wood pellet production skyrocketed across the U.S. South to feed the European Union’s push this past decade for renewable energy to replace fossil fuels such as coal.
Reuters
JPMorgan launches in-house chatbot as AI-based research analyst, FT reports
The lender, the biggest in the United States, has given employees of its asset and wealth management division access to a large language model called LLM Suite, that helps them with writing, idea generation and summarising documents, the report said, citing an internal memo seen by FT. JPMorgan started introducing LLM Suite to pockets of the bank earlier this year and about 50,000 employees now have access to it, the report added, citing people familiar with the matter. Rival U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley partnered with OpenAI and rolled out a GenAI powered chatbot last September, offering financial advisors quick access to all of Morgan Stanley's intellectual capital.
CNN
California’s Park Fire burns nearly 125,000 acres in 30 hours as Oregon firefighters battle nation’s largest active fire
Hot and dry weather is fueling wildfire activity in the Western United States and Canada, with fires damaging homes, causing injuries and forcing evacuations. The largest active wildfire in the US has scorched more than 280,000 acres in eastern Oregon and another blaze has exploded to nearly 125,000 acres in California.
Reuters
Thai opposition leader hopeful in Move Forward's battle for survival
Thailand's main opposition figurehead is hopeful his election-winning Move Forward party will survive an upcoming dissolution case, but warned of the impact of another investigation that could leave the popular progressive outfit decimated. Pita Limjaroenrat, who led the Move Forward to victory in last year's election but was blocked from taking power by army-appointed lawmakers, said Thailand's conservative establishment was once again flexing its muscle to contain popular leaders. Thailand's politics has been defined by a relentless two-decade struggle between its conservative-royalist establishment, backed by the military, and popular political parties, including Move Forward.
Associated Press
Vietnam Communist Party chief's funeral draws thousands of mourners, including world leaders
Thousands of mourners gathered in Hanoi on Friday for the second day of the funeral of the man who dominated Vietnamese politics for over a decade, Communist Party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Trong’s coffin, draped in the red and yellow of Vietnam’s flag, was laid beneath his smiling portrait and dozens of medals at the National Funeral House in Hanoi on Thursday.
USA TODAY
At least 8 large Oklahoma school districts rebuke superintendent's order to teach Bible
State Superintendent Ryan Walters issued guidelines for Bible teaching in Oklahoma schools on Wednesday, but more districts said they won't comply.
Associated Press
Heavy rain in northern Japan triggers floods and landslides, forcing hundreds to take shelter
Heavy rain in the past week has triggered floods and landslides in Japan, disrupting transportation and forcing residents to take shelter on safer ground. Four people were missing Friday, including two police officers. The rain had subsided in Yamagata and Akita prefectures Friday, but the area was still at risk of flooding and landslides.
AFP
SpaceX cleared to launch Falcon 9 rocket again
SpaceX's stalwart Falcon 9 rocket has been cleared for launch after experiencing a rare failure earlier this month, officials said Thursday. The rocket, a prolific launch vehicle that propels both satellites and astronauts into orbit, experienced an anomaly during a launch on July 11 in its second stage booster that meant it failed to deploy 20 Starlink satellites at a high enough altitude, and all burnt up on re-entry through Earth's atmosphere.
AFP
Typhoon Gaemi displaces nearly 300,000 in eastern China
Authorities evacuated nearly 300,000 people and suspended public transport across eastern China on Friday, as Typhoon Gaemi brought torrential rains already responsible for five deaths in nearby Taiwan.- Heavy rains - Chinese authorities warned Typhoon Gaemi was bringing with it torrential rains that could cause flooding.
Associated Press
Venezuelan voters face crucial choice: Reelect Maduro or give opposition a chance after 25 years
The future of Venezuela is on the line. Voters will decide Sunday whether to reelect President Nicolas Maduro, whose 11 years in office have been beset by crisis, or allow the opposition a chance to deliver on a promise to undo the ruling party's policies that caused economic collapse and forced millions to emigrate. Historically fractured opposition parties have coalesced behind a single candidate, giving the United Socialist Party of Venezuela its most serious electoral challenge in a presidential election in decades.
Politico
US arrests 2 leaders of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel: ‘El Mayo’ Zambada and son of ‘El Chapo’
Ismael Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López flew to the United States on a private plane and turned themselves in to authorities, according to a Mexican federal official.
Associated Press
Gang kills at least 26 villagers in remote Papua New Guinea, officials say
At least 26 people were reportedly killed by a gang in three remote villages in Papua New Guinea’s north, United Nations and police officials say. Baugen told the ABC that all the houses in the villages had been burned and the remaining villagers were sheltering at a police station, too scared to name the perpetrators.
Associated Press
Rebuilding Rome, the upstate New York city that is looking forward after a destructive tornado
A tornado that hit this small, upstate city tore off rooftops, leveled brick buildings and toppled the steeples of two historic churches. Standing by the wreckage of his hot dog, catering and event business a week after the storm, Scott Smith gazed at the ruins of his storage space, which collapsed onto much of his equipment including tables, amusement rides and smokers.
Associated Press
Netanyahu will meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago, mending a years-long rift
As president, Donald Trump went well beyond his predecessors in fulfilling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top wishes from the United States. For Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, the meeting could cast him as an ally and statesman, as well as sharpen efforts by Republicans to portray themselves as the party most loyal to Israel.
Associated Press
Harris tries to thread the needle on Gaza after meeting with Netanyahu
Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, is attempting to bridge divides within the party over the war in Gaza, emphasizing Israel's right to defend itself while also focusing on alleviating Palestinian suffering. Instead, she tried to refocus the conversation around mitigating the calamity in Gaza, and she used language intended to nudge Americans toward an elusive middle ground.
Associated Press
Site of 3 killings during 1967 Detroit riot to receive historic marker
The site of a transient motel in Detroit where three young Black men were killed, allegedly by white police officers, during the city's bloody 1967 race riot is receiving a historic marker. A dedication ceremony is scheduled Friday several miles (kilometers) north of downtown where the Algiers Motel once stood. As parts of Detroit burned in one of the bloodiest race riots in U.S. history, police and members of the National Guard raided the motel and its adjacent Manor House on July 26, 1967, after reports of gunfire in the area.
AFP
TSMC leads chipmaker plunge as trade resumes after typhoon pause
Taiwanese giant TSMC tumbled with several other leading chip makers Friday as traders returned from a typhoon-imposed two-day break to play catch-up with a global tech rout.The rally in all things tech helped TSMC, which is also listed in New York, to briefly break the US$1 trillion market capitalisation barrier this month, putting it ahead of Tesla as the seventh most valuable technology firm.
CNN
How Kamala Harris’ warp-speed campaign launch has changed the 2024 race
The five days since Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign launched at warp speed have remade the 2024 race – and given Democrats new hope of preventing a second Donald Trump presidency.

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