Developing countries face possible shelving of crucial green action plan at IMF and World Bank spring meetings

Governments desperate for cash to protect their citizens from the growing impacts of the climate crisis are being put in a “beyond absurd” situation this week at global finance talks: they are being urged not to mention the climate, even as they address the current oil crisis.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) spring meetings take place this week amid a fragile ceasefire in Iran and upended geopolitics. One of the priorities was to forge a new “climate change action plan” (CCAP) for the world’s biggest provider of funds to developing countries, to replace the current strategy, which expires in June.

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© Photograph: Gent Shkullaku/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Gent Shkullaku/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Gent Shkullaku/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

A lot of the money flowing into the political system is ultimately untraceable.

© Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times

Exclusive: Former UN climate chief to co-chair Lancet Commission examining how sea-level rise is reshaping health, wellbeing and inequality

• What are the health impacts of sea-level rise, and who should pay?

• Christiana Figueres: Sea-level rise is a health crisis and we must hold polluters accountable

Countries are being “held hostage” by their reliance on fossil fuels, a former UN climate chief has warned, describing the health impacts of climate change as “the mother of all injustices”.

Christiana Figueres, an international climate negotiator who helped deliver the Paris agreement signed in 2016, made the comments as she was announced on Wednesday as co-chair of a Lancet Commission examining how sea-level rise is reshaping health, wellbeing and inequality.

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© Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

This year’s election has featured more undecided voters and lower overall awareness compared with recent cycles.

© Joe Timmerman/Wisconsin Watch, via Getty Images

The Reform UK leader says he is ‘shocked’ by the remarks which were ‘over the top in every single way’

The Green party is backing resident doctors who are on strike. This morning the party issued a statement on the dispute from its co-deputy leader, Mothin Ali, saying:

Rather than shifting goalposts or arm twisting resident doctors with threats over training places, Wes Streeting needs to get serious about resolving resident doctors long term concerns over pay, training and working conditions. The government’s 10-year plan for the NHS will go nowhere if the workforce feels unappreciated, devalued and demotivated.

I think I’m going to stay out of the selection of music by different bands. We live in a free country; people are going to say things. Let’s just let people listen to the music they want to.

People should choose their music and they don’t really they need advice from John Swinney unless they want to listen to The Jam or Amy McDonald.

Well, the government should go on and take their decisions within their powers, but I’m not going to give a running commentary on music taste.

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© Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Minister says change for plan 2 and 3 loans in England and Wales will ‘protect borrowers’ from impact of global conflict

• UK politics live – latest updates

The interest rate on plan 2 and plan 3 student loans will be capped at 6%, the Department for Education has announced.

Graduates with plan 2 loans currently pay interest rates based on the retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation, plus up to 3% based on their earnings. Current students on plan 2 and plan 3 loans attract an interest rate of RPI +3% while they are studying.

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© Photograph: View Pictures/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

© Photograph: View Pictures/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The main super PAC for Senate Republicans is focusing on eight states, and plans to spend big money to defend G.O.P.-held seats in Alaska, Iowa and Ohio.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

The left is creating new, obscure nonprofits to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into politics and advocacy.

© Travis Dove for The New York Times

Using philanthropy for campaign donations is illegal. But an exception for some nonprofits has allowed Democratic billionaires like Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg to remain anonymous when they want to play politics.

© Emily Elconin for The New York Times

The Democratic fund-raising group is facing investigations from the Justice Department and congressional Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

© Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Core focus will be on beauty, personal care and home products after spinning off brands such as Hellmann’s and Pot Noodle into $60bn entity

• Business live – latest updates

Unilever is in advanced talks to combine its food business with US-based McCormick, in a deal including $15.7bn (£11.9bn) cash that would give the Marmite-to-Hellmann’s mayonnaise owner majority control of a $60bn food empire.

London-listed Unilever will control 65% of the new spin-off, which will combine brands such as Knorr and Pot Noodle with McCormick’s condiments and spices including French’s mustard, Old Bay seasoning and Cholula hot sauce.

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© Photograph: Newscast/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

© Photograph: Newscast/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Report by Verdant says rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance would save money that could help improve public services

A “Doge of the left,” could save up to £30bn a year for taxpayers by rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance, according to the first report from a new green thinktank.

Launched amid growing interest in the future manifesto of Zack Polanksi’s Green party, the Verdant thinktank will be co-chaired by James Meadway, a former adviser to Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, and civil society campaigner Deborah Doane.

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© Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian

CenTax warns bill under debate in parliament has ‘easily exploitable’ loopholes and will not prevent foreign interference

Political donations by companies should be banned to protect UK elections from foreign interference, a thinktank has warned.

In the first big overhaul of election funding in 26 years, ministers have pledged to “keep British democracy safe” by closing a loophole that allows individuals not eligible to vote in Britain to donate to political parties through UK-registered companies.

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© Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty Images

© Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty Images

© Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty Images

Democratic voters put Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on a path to the Senate, while the pro-Israel lobby notched its first major victories of the year but also faced a tough defeat.

© Joshua Lott for The New York Times

Ms. Stratton, the state’s lieutenant governor, prevailed with millions of dollars of help from Gov. JB Pritzker, a billionaire. She will be heavily favored in the general election.

© Joshua Lott for The New York Times

Mr. Biss emerged after being an early front-runner in the turbulent, crowded contest to replace a longtime incumbent in Illinois’s Ninth District.

© Joshua Lott for The New York Times

More than two-thirds of the media buys in the Illinois Senate race have gone toward Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, with much of that coming from his own campaign.

© Joshua Lott for The New York Times

Several groups with ties to the pro-Israel group have spent at least $20 million in four primaries backing candidates who are likely to support their cause in Washington.

© Photographs by Joshua Lott for The New York Times

National Secular Society to launch court action after failure to investigate alleged breaches of academic freedom laws

A university regulator in England has failed to investigate potential breaches of laws protecting academic freedom at a dozen theological colleges and is now facing legal action, the Guardian has learned.

The National Secular Society says it is preparing to pursue the Office for Students (OfS) through the courts to act on complaints first made five years ago, arguing that the colleges are ineligible for public funding or government-backed student loans because of their commitment to theological doctrine.

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© Photograph: Khanchit Khirisutchalual/Getty Images

© Photograph: Khanchit Khirisutchalual/Getty Images

© Photograph: Khanchit Khirisutchalual/Getty Images

The email from the group Never Surrender seeks donations for President Trump from those who want access to “private national security briefings” from him.

© Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times