Sanders’ ringing endorsement, ‘gender-charged’ reporting and world’s fastest-growing people

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Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator who lost a bitter fight for the Democratic presidential nomination, has urged his supporters to ensure that Hillary Clinton beats Donald Trump in November, saying the choice was “not even close”. Ahead of his speech on Monday, Mr Sanders’ supporters loudly booed at any mention of Mrs Clinton, laying bare divisions over her nomination. A powerful endorsement speech by first lady Michelle Obama salvaged what could have been a disastrous start to the party’s national convention.

Amid the controversy, forecasts are giving Mr Trump a 53.8 per cent chance of winning the presidency, compared with 46.2 per cent for Mrs Clinton. (FT, Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight)

In the news

Hostage-taking in France Two men armed with knives killed a priest after taking him hostage at his church along with two nuns and other churchgoers in the French town of Rouen on Tuesday morning. Police shot dead the hostage takers but the motive for the attack was unclear. France is on high alert after a July 14 terror attack in Nice that killed 84 people. Police announced on Tuesday that they had arrested two more men in connection with the Nice attack. (BBC, France 24)

Japan knife attack leaves 19 dead At least 19 people have been killed and another 20 injured at a care centre for the disabled in the city of Sagamihara, close to Tokyo. The motive for the attack is a mystery. It is the country’s worst-ever mass killing in peacetime. (FT)

Mayer decries ‘gender-charged’ reporting Marissa Mayer has hit out at sexist coverage of her leadership at Yahoo, as she agreed to sell the bulk of the internet pioneer’s assets to Verizon for $4.8bn cash, ending the independence of the star of the 1990s dotcom boom. (FT)

South Sudan shuffle President Salva Kiir has removed Riek Machar, his deputy leader and rival. Forces of the two leaders clashed two weeks ago in the capital, killing 300 people. Former peace negotiator Taban Deng Gai was appointed to replace Mr Machar but there are fears that opposition to the move could spark more violence. (BBC)

Don’t mention the dispute Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Monday released a belated joint communique with no direct mention of the recent international tribunal ruling on the South China Sea, an omission seen as a win for Beijing. (NAR)

It’s a big day for

Amber Rudd The home secretary will launch an awareness campaign against hate crime following a surge in complaints after the Brexit referendum. (FT)

Apple The US tech group is expected to report a 15-20 per cent year-on-year drop in iPhone sales for the three months ended June. (FT)

Food for thought

Xi’s China: the rise of party politics The first in a series on President Xi Jinping, widely seen as the most powerful Chinese leader in 40 years, looks at how he has strengthened his grip over all aspects of China from politics to the military and civil society. (FT)

The world’s fastest-growing people Declining nutritional standards mean Americans have actually been getting smaller since 2000. This is in stark contrast with continental Europe and parts of Asia, which have recorded the fastest increases in average height. South Korean women are today a whole 20cm taller than they were 100 years ago. (FT)

Terror death bias A survey of US media coverage of Isis or Isis-inspired attacks in Europe and the Middle East shows that European deaths are about 1,800 per cent more newsworthy than killings in the Middle East. (LobeLog)

Britain’s thriving nostalgia industry From Downton Abbey to Harry Potter, Britain is obsessed with a past that never existed. Are these productions part of a political agenda or simply an escape from a present we don’t like much? (Guardian)

Counter extremism disarray With a spate of terror attacks in Europe, worries about extremism are growing. In the UK a long-promised government bill to counter extremism has yet to materialise partly because of disagreements of how to define the concept. (The Conversation)

Video of the day

Xi Jinping’s presidency in 90 seconds In his first few years as China’s president, Mr Xi has purged rivals, cracked down on corruption and overseen market turmoil and an economic slowdown. Tom Mitchell examines the main issues of his term in office so far. (FT)