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Trans activist and model @MunroeBergdorf was working with Childline until the charity suddenly cut ties with her. In a week where it was revealed that LGBTQ hate crime has doubled since 2014, she tells @OwenJones84 about how transphobia affects her life. #trans#transpride #munroebergdorf#lgbtq #lgbtpride

She called out Conservative leadership hopeful Boris Johnson over voting for austerity policies and condemned the Conservative government for having ‘blood on its hands’ over deaths she says are linked to making ‘ordinary people’ pay for the 2008 financial crisis. Video: BBC Question Time

On the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, Guardian editor-at-large @GaryYoungechallenges not just the government for failing to take proper action, but all of us for failing to demand more. 72 people died when the west London tower block caught fire on 14 June 2017. Two years later, the public inquiry has been delayed and hundreds of high-rises remain wrapped in dangerous Grenfell-style cladding. Follow the link in bio to read Gary’s full piece.

Ecuador’s highest court has approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic and conservative South American country ?️‍?

Breakthrough alert: the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, which manages $1tn (£786bn) of Norway’s assets, has been given the go ahead for the largest fossil fuel divestment ever. The country’s parliament voted plans into law for the fund to dump investments in eight coal companies and an estimated 150 oil producers. The fund will also have a legal mandate to invest directly in renewable energy projects. The legislation empowers it to invest up to $20bn, beginning with wind and solar projects in developed markets. The fund’s blow to fossil fuel companies comes as calls increase for investors to end their contribution to the climate crisis. In an open letter to the European Investment Bank, 80 civil society organisations and academics called on the central bank to end its fossil fuel financing, which topped €2.4bn (£2.1bn) in 2018.

Tower blocks across England were lit up last night in a series of guerrilla projections highlighting a national fire safety crisis on the eve of the anniversary of the Grenfell disaster. Two years after the fire that killed 72 people, buildings in London, Greater Manchester and Newcastle are still wrapped in dangerous cladding or haven’t been fitted with sprinklers or feature defective fire doors yet. “This is not something we should have to fight for,” said Hannah Reid, a dental nurse who lives on one of the estates. “The demands of the people of Grenfell were ignored and the same thing is happening to us. Not just us but all across the country.”

A new report predicts that by 2040, 35% of meat will be lab-grown and 25% will be vegan replacements. The meat industry raises billions of animals and turns over £785bn a year, but consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact this has on the environment and animal welfare. Beyond Meat, which uses plant ingredients to create replacement burgers and sausages, raised $240m when it went public in May. Other companies are working on growing meat cells in culture to produce real meat without needing to raise and kill animals. Would you eat lab-grown meat to reduce your environmental impact?

Dozens of people in Japan put office chairs to good use at the weekend, taking part in the Hanyu race Pinterestpired by Formula One and Le Mans. Teams of three battled it out across two hours to see who could compete the most laps of the 200m course. The winning team Kitsugawa Unyu claimed the top prize of 90 kg of rice. Video: @nikhitachulani

A Vancouver supermarket is trying a fresh approach to stop customers from using single-use plastic bags. But will it make a difference?

Sudan is in crisis after a brutal government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. More than 100 people were killed and as many as 700 were injured when pro-government forces attacked a protest camp in the capital Khartoum last week, before sweeping through the city. Protesters accused them of dumping bodies in the Nile to hide the true death toll. On Monday, millions joined a general strike across Sudan to pressure the country’s military leaders into making way for a civilian government. The military took power in April after ousting the then president, Omar al-Bashir, after months of protests. Sudan’s ruling military council and opposition leaders agreed to resume talks yesterday for the first time since the crackdown, but an internet blackout remaPinterest in place and the military has so far refused to make any concessions.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to ban single-use plastics by as early as 2021. He said the government will conduct a review before deciding which products to include in the ban, but it looks like water bottles, plastic bags and straws and cutlery could all be outlawed. Less than 10% of plastic used in Canada currently gets recycled. “As a dad, it’s tough trying to explain this to my kids,” Trudeau said. “How do you explain dead whales washing up on beaches around the world, their stomachs jam-packed with plastic bags?”

In a major victory for gay rights campaigners in Africa, judges in Botswana have unanimously voted to strike down colonial-era laws criminalising same-sex relationships. The decision comes one month after a court in Kenya rejected a similar ruling. Botswana is considered one of the continent’s most stable and democratic nations, but homosexuality has been illegal under the country’s penal code of 1965. There were jubilant scenes in the courtroom, when judge Michael Lebru delivered the judgement. Lebru said; “Human dignity is harmed when minority groups are marginalised. Sexual orientation is not a fashion statement. It is an important attribute of one’s personality.”

Ten candidates have made it onto the ballot for the Tory leadership contest, making it one of the most crowded races ever. They will be whittled down by Conservative MPs over the next few weeks before Tory members decide which of the final two will become prime minister in late July. Can any of the others overtake runaway favourite Boris Johnson? Swipe for our guide to the runners and riders.

The oak tree symbolically planted at the White House by Donald Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron at the height of their “bromance” last year has died. At the time, Macron tweeted the sapling would be “a reminder … of these ties that bind us” and the “tenacity of the friendship” of the two nations. But as their relationship has soured recently over issues like the climate crisis, trade and Iran, it has emerged that the tree was removed and placed into mandatory quarantine from which it did not survive. French newspaper Le Monde said it was a “metaphor for a relationship that isn’t what it was”.

Gatwick will become the first UK airport to offer customers free refillable coffee cups this week in a bid to cut waste and tackle “throwaway” culture. The trial will put 2,000 reusable coffee cups in circulation throughout Gatwick’s South Terminal, with customers asked to return them at ‘cup check-in’ points before boarding their flight. More than 7m paper cups are used at Gatwick each year. If only 250 customers opt for a reusable cup each day, more than 7,000 paper cups could be saved in one month alone.

Hundreds of thousands of people have marched through Hong Kong to protest agaPinterestt a controversial new extradition bill that would allow suspected criminals to be sent to mainland China for trial. Critics say the proposal is being pushed by China to pursue its political opponents in the city, which has traditionally been a safe haven from the Communist party. Largely peaceful scenes turned violent in the early hours of Monday morning when riot police clashed with small groups of protesters.

From 6 April 2019, our compostable wrap became available throughout the UK. The wrap is plastic-free and made entirely of compostable material that can be thrown in your food waste bin or compost heap. If you’re in the UK, pick up a copy of the paper this Saturday and your wrap will feature the first of three designs by artist @saype_artiste, Pinterestpired by his biodegradable outdoor series Beyond Walls.

The Obamas are producing and lending their voices to a series of exclusive podcasts with the aim of amplifying “voices that are too often ignored or silenced altogether”. In 2018, Michelle and Barack launched Higher Ground, a production company that partnered with Netflix to produce a series of documentaries, films and series. Now they’re joining forces with he world’s largest music streaming service. Which issues would you like them to explore?

The most anticipated Women’s World Cup in history kicks off in France. But how will your team do? Here’s what some of our readers think.

As in many countries, homelessness in Finland had long been tackled using a staircase model: you were supposed to move through different stages of temporary accommodation as you got your life back on track, with an apartment as the ultimate reward. But the country’s capital city has come up with a radical new solution to the problem. Tap the link in the bio to find out what it is.