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Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
Man kills 11-year-old girl in stabbing rampage at bus stop
An 11-year-old girl and a 39-year-old man have died in hospital in Japan after a man reportedly armed with two knives went on a stabbing rampage at a bus stop in Kawasaki on Tuesday morning. At least 16 others were injured in the attack, including more than a dozen schoolgirls aged between six and 12. The suspected attacker, a 57-year-old man, also died after stabbing himself in the neck.
State visit. Donald and Melania Trump are in Japan on a state visit and offered their “prayers and sympathy” to the victims.
Corbyn backs Brexit ‘public vote’ after EU election wipeout
The EU election results were a mixed bag across the continent, with both the far right and Green parties making strides at the expense of centrist parties. In Britain, Labour’s significant losses persuaded the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to back a public vote on any Brexit deal, but the results offer few clues as to which side of the debate is ahead.
Farage effect. The leader of the Liberal Democrats claims a coalition of remainers would have defeated the Brexit party, but Martha Gill says the triumph of Nigel Farage’s insurgency means the next prime minister will be a hard Brexiter.
South-east Asia vows to return western trash
Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, has threatened to sever diplomatic ties with Canada if its government refuses to take back 1,500 tonnes of waste that were exported to the Philippines in 2013 and 2014. The declaration last week is a sign of the growing pushback by south-east Asian nations such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia against the longstanding influx of unwanted western waste.
Foreign waste. Last year, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam all introduced legislation to prevent contaminated foreign waste from coming into their ports.
Illegally imported. In April, the Malaysian government said waste from countries including the US and the UK had been pouring into the country illegally, falsely declared as other imports. Five containers have since been returned to Spain.
American climber dies descending overcrowded Everest
Another American has died after climbing Mount Everest, as overcrowding continued in the “death zone” near the top of the world’s tallest mountain. Christopher John Kulish, 61, died after descending from the summit on Monday morning, bringing the number of dead or missing climbers on the Nepali side of Everest this climbing season to nine, with a further two deaths on the Tibetan side.
British victim. A British climber, Robin Fisher, was named among the latest Everest fatalities over the weekend, while an Australian was rescued by Tibetan alpine specialists after being found unconscious on the mountain on Monday.
Peak peril. A startling image of the line of climbers waiting to reach the summit of Everest illustrates the danger of turning the dangerous ascent into adventure tourism, says Peter Beaumont.
Crib sheet
At least 42 inmates were killed on Monday at four prisons in the Amazonian city of Manaus in Brazil. A fight between rival prison gangs had left 15 dead the previous day.
A Japanese man has died of a drug overdose onboard an Aeromexico flight from Bogotá in Colombia to Tokyo in Japan, after the suspected drug mule swallowed 246 packets of cocaine.
Two former ministers in Justin Trudeau’s government intend to stand as independent candidates at Canada’s federal election, after being expelled from the Liberal party over a corruption scandal that threatens Trudeau’s chances of re-election.
An infrared camera at Wolong national nature reserve in China’s Sichuan province has captured what is believed to be the world’s first photograph of an albino panda.
Must-reads
The deepening crisis of conservatism
Ever since Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, conservatism has been the dominant politics of the modern world. And yet, writes Andy Beckett, the conservative movement’s apparent electoral health is disguising a crisis of competence, intellectual coherence and – crucially – social relevance.
Toxic America: why American food is hurting you
This week in the Guardian’s Toxic America series, we focus on the chemicals in our food. Maria Rodale explains why our obsession with killing the natural world is now harming us, while Troy Farah asks why the US allows additives that are banned in Europe. And Carey Gillam picks 10 foods to consider buying organic.
Non-binary teen fights Arizona’s education laws
Even after transferring to a progressive school in Tucson, non-binary Santi Ceballos, 13, who goes by they/them pronouns, faced a sex education curriculum focused solely on the heterosexual basics, due to a 1991 Arizona law known as “No promo homo”. So they filed a lawsuit, and won, as Amy Silverman reports.
A son reinvents sugar for his diabetic dad
Javier Larragoiti was 18 and just starting a chemical engineering degree in Mexico City when his father was diagnosed with diabetes. So he dedicated his studies to a side project, he tells Senay Boztas: creating an acceptable sugar alternative to help his father and millions of other Mexicans.
Opinion
The widespread predictions of a far-right takeover of the European parliament have been proven wrong, argues Natalie Nougayrède. The real story of the EU elections was the Green and liberal surge.
When EU leaders meet on Tuesday to take stock of these results, they will reflect on how a bloc of 510 million people in the end pulled itself back from the brink.
Sport
Rafael Nadal cruised to a straight sets win in his first round match at Roland-Garros on Monday, as he began his pursuit of a record 12th French Open title. Meanwhile, Serena Williams overcame a first set scare to progress in Paris, as she seeks her own record: to match Margaret Court’s as-yet-unrivalled 24 career grand slams.
The England captain Harry Kane has insisted he will be fit to join Tottenham’s starting XI for the Champions League final against Liverpool on Saturday, after returning to full training last week.
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