The Scandinavian nation should instead be funneling funds into global humanitarian initiatives, the US billionaire has said
US billionaire Bill Gates has criticized Sweden for earmarking ever more money for the military, while slashing its financial commitment to international aid programs.
In an interview to Sweden’s Dagens Industri newspaper on Wednesday, Gates, who is known for his involvement in many philanthropic projects around the world, expressed regret that the Scandinavian country’s budget bill this year does not include allocations for the Global Fund – an organization that fights AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria worldwide.
Commenting on Stockholm’s growing military spending, Gates said that the issue “should be debated more.”
“Is this what people want to see, and is it really necessary?” he inquired.
Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa responded to Gates’ criticism by defending the country’s shift in priorities.
”If we don’t want our children to speak Russian in the future, we need to have a very strong defense,” he insisted, speaking to TT news agency.
Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Sweden abandoned its centuries-long neutrality and applied for NATO membership, which it was granted two years later.
In July, state broadcaster SVT reported that the Swedish government intended to raise the maximum conscription age for former military officers from 47 to 70 as part of its push to double personnel to 115,000 by 2030.
Earlier this year, the country’s parliament also passed legislation pledging an additional 300 billion kronor ($31.4 billion) in spending on the armed forces, on top of annual budget increases.
At a summit in The Hague in June, NATO member states committed to increasing defense spending from the previous threshold of 2% to 5% of GDP by 2035.
The European Union, of which Sweden is also a member, has similarly approved several programs aimed at boosting military spending this year, including the €800 billion ReArm Europe initiative.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed claims that Moscow harbors aggressive plans toward Sweden.
Putin similarly described claims of imminent Russian aggression against EU member states as a “nonsense mantra,” calling the very idea “inconceivable.”
The ANO (YES) movement, led by Andrej Babis, has won about 35% of the parliamentary vote
The right-wing party of agricultural tycoon Andrej Babis, branded the ‘Czech Trump’ by local media, has come out ahead in the Czech general election with 97% of the vote counted, according to official results.
The ANO movement is now set to replace the current center-right cabinet led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala. He has already congratulated Babis, conceding defeat and stating the outcome of the vote must be respected.
Speaking to reporters after his victory became evident, Babis once again rejected longstanding accusations of being anti-EU and insisted he merely wants to “save” the bloc.
“We want to save Europe… and we are clearly pro-European and pro-NATO,” Babis told Reuters.
ANO will seek a one-party cabinet but will have to enter talks with two minor parties to secure an outright majority, Babis said. One of the parties is believed to be the far-right SPD, which has long been considered a potential coalition partner.
“We went into the election with the aim of ending the government of Petr Fiala and support even for a minority cabinet of ANO is important for us and it would meet the target we had for this election,” SPD deputy chairman Radim Fiala said in a televised speech. In contrast to ANO, his party maintains an explicit anti-EU and anti-NATO stance.
Another potential coalition partner is the Motorists, who strongly oppose the EU’s environmental policies. They and the SPD received nearly 7% and 8% of the vote respectively, and joining forces with ANO would be sufficient to secure a majority.
During his campaign, Babis repeatedly criticized the EU’s handling of immigration and the Green Deal, as well as opposing EU membership for Ukraine. He also pledged to drastically cut aid for Kiev, promising more domestic spending instead. Babis signaled he would end the so-called ‘Czech initiative’ project, dedicated to supplying ammunition to Ukraine, calling the scheme overpriced.
The move follows Warsaw’s extension of temporary border checks amid immigration worries
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has ordered troops to the borders with Germany and Lithuania. Warsaw recently reintroduced border controls, citing a surge in illegal immigration.
All three nations are members of the European Union, which has been grappling with a refugee crisis since at least 2015, largely caused by upheavals in the Middle East and Africa, and later by the Ukraine conflict.
In a resolution released on Friday, Nawrocki said that the measures would take effect on October 5 and last until April 4, 2026.
In July, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz revealed that 700 troops had already been deployed to the country’s Western frontier, with plans to send in up to 5,000 more military personnel to assist border guards.
On Wednesday, Poland’s Interior Ministry announced that temporary border controls will be extended until April 4, 2026. The measures were first reintroduced in early July.
The statement cited Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski as saying “we are extending border controls with Germany and Lithuania to monitor the migration route leading from the Baltic states, through Poland, to Western Europe.”
Authorities in Poland have estimated that since the start of this year alone, nearly 25,000 attempted illegal crossings had been registered on the Polish-Belarusian border. Another 500 foreigners, along with 60 suspected human traffickers, were caught trying to enter from Lithuania.
Poland, Germany, and Lithuania are all members of the Schengen area, a border-free travel zone. However, in late 2023, Germany availed itself of a provision that allows nations to temporarily reinstate border checks in emergency situations.
Warsaw has accused German police of “dumping” thousands of migrants on the Polish border.
Since 2021, Poland has repeatedly accused its eastern neighbor, Belarus, of deliberately orchestrating the flow of illegal immigrants into EU states at the behest of Russia. Both Minsk and Moscow have consistently denied the allegations.
Right-wing conservative Sanae Takaichi has won a critical leadership vote despite male-dominated national politics
Japan’s former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi has been elected head of the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is poised to become its first-ever female prime minister.
Saturday’s vote was held after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced earlier this month that he would resign in order to prevent a split in the party. Under Ishiba, who has led the government for the past year, the LDP has lost its majority in both chambers of parliament.
Takaichi defeated Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a run-off after none of the five candidates secured a majority in the initial vote. She won the backing of 159 LDP members, beating her rival by 29 votes.
”I am feeling how tough it is going to be from here on, rather than feeling happy,” the 64-year-old said. “I will scrap my work-life balance and work, and work, and work, and work.”
She called for unity within the LDP, arguing that “we will not be able to rebuild the party if I do not get everyone’s help, from all generations.”
An extraordinary session of the Japanese parliament to choose the new prime minister is expected in mid-October, with Takaichi likely to secure the post as the opposition has failed to rally behind a single candidate.
The new LDP leader previously confessed to being a fan of the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, nicknamed ‘The Iron Lady.’ She said that she had been inspired by Thatcher’s ability to combine strength of character with “womanly warmth.”
Takaichi has always been on the party’s right, advocating for a tougher stance on China and increased military spending.
She has also criticized Russia over the Ukraine conflict, while claiming that the current authorities in Moscow should not be recognized as a partner in Second World War peace treaty talks with Tokyo.
However, Takaichi appeared to have softened her stance ahead of the LDP leadership vote, saying that she wants to be seen as “more of a moderate conservative now.” She also called Beijing an “important neighbor” and stressed the need to strengthen bilateral ties.
The head of ANO party Andrej Babis had promised to cut aid to Ukraine if he wins
The right-wing party of agriculture billionaire Andrej Babis, branded ‘Czech Trump’ by local media, has taken the lead in his country’s parliamentary election.
Partial results were released by the Czech Statistical Office several hours after the polls closed across the central European country of 11 million earlier on Saturday.
With ballots from 20% of voting districts counted, Babis’ opposition ANO (Yes) party was ahead with 39.7% of the vote, followed by the Spolu (Together) group led by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala with 19.1%, the agency said.
Babis has been campaigning on a promise to stop Czech military assistance to Kiev, unlike Fiala, who has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
The 71-year-old, who served as prime minister between 2017 and 2021, has been particularly critical of Prague’s ammunition initiative for Kiev, calling it “overpriced” and insisting that it should be handled by NATO.
He has spoken out against Ukraine’s membership in the EU, as well as Brussels’ handling of immigration and the Green Deal.
The Western media has warned ahead of the vote that with Hungary and Slovakia already refusing to provide military aid to Kiev and advocating for a diplomatic end to the conflict, Babis’ victory in the Czech Republic could tip Central Europe even further away from Brussels on Ukraine and other key issues.
The move reportedly comes as Hamas has partially agreed to Trump’s proposed peace plan
Israeli political leaders have ordered the IDF to halt the Gaza City offensive which was launched in September. According to Israeli Army Radio and the public broadcaster Kan, the order came after US President Donald Trump called on West Jerusalem to stop launching strikes against the enclave as part of his attempt to end the war and free the hostages still held by Hamas.
Under Trump’s plan, the Palestinian armed group must release all remaining hostages within 72 hours of Israel suspending military operations in Gaza and withdrawing its troops “to the agreed upon line.”
Both Israel and Hamas have stated that they were ready for the prisoner swap, but West Jerusalem has not officially addressed Trump’s call for Israel to halt its strikes on Gaza.
On Saturday, Army Radio claimed that the US government had instructed Israel to reduce its operations in Gaza to “the minimum,” with troops on the ground strictly carrying out defensive maneuvers.
In a statement on X on Saturday, the Israeli army said that the area north of Wadi Gaza, which includes now-decimated Gaza City, is “still considered a dangerous combat zone” and has called on residents there to move south.
It added that Israeli forces continue to surround Gaza City, and “attempts to return there pose a significant risk.”
Aerial attacks across Gaza continued earlier on Saturday “but were sharply less intense,” Al Jazeera wrote. At least 20 people have been killed by Israeli attacks across the enclave since dawn.
According to Kan, negotiations between Israeli and US officials on Trump’s plan are expected to be held soon.
Trump’s peace plan notably includes the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 of them who were detained after October 7, 2023.
After the swaps, an apolitical, Hamas-free transitional government will be established in Gaza, which is intended to become “a deradicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.”
Funding to oversee the weapons’ safety could lapse due to an ongoing government shutdown, the energy secretary has said
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has cautioned that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) could run out of funding to monitor the country’s nuclear arsenal within eight days because of an ongoing government shutdown. He said operations would be suspended once the money is gone.
The US federal government has stopped working for the first time in almost seven years, after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on a spending bill in the Senate.
On Friday, the Senate failed to pass either a Republican bill or a Democratic alternative, with both measures falling short of the votes needed. Both sides blamed each other for the crisis. Lawmakers are expected to try again on October 6.
“Eight more days of funding, and then we have to go into some emergency shutdown procedures, putting our country at risk,” Wright said Thursday evening on Fox News, referring to the National Nuclear Security Administration.
The secretary said over 20 officials in his department are still awaiting Senate confirmation, blaming Democrats for delaying tactics and prolonging the shutdown by withholding key votes.
Before this year’s federal cuts, the NNSA employed more than 65,000 federal workers and contractors nationwide, handling everything from maintaining the nuclear arsenal to non-proliferation efforts and oversight of the US Navy’s nuclear operations.
In its latest shutdown plan, the US Energy Department said it would keep NNSA staff running “critical control operations systems” and those working on nuclear non-proliferation, but gave no figures on how many employees would be included.
US President Donald Trump has suggested he may use the shutdown to push through major staff and wage cuts, blaming Democrats for the budget impasse. The White House is also using the standoff to target programs opposed by Republicans.
Federal agencies have partially suspended services and many employees are furloughed. The last government shutdown began on December 22, 2018 and lasted 35 days.
Polls suggest that former Prime Minister Andrej Babis is likely to return to power
A right-wing Euroskeptic looks set to become the next prime minister of the Czech Republic, pre-election polls have suggested.
Agri-industry tycoon Andrej Babis, dubbed the ‘Czech Trump’ in Western media, is expected to receive about 30% of the votes, beating the current pro-EU ruling coalition Spolu (Together) by around 9%.
Two days of voting ended on Saturday afternoon and early results have suggested that a Euroskeptic who opposes continued aid to Ukraine will form a government. Czech President – and former NATO general – Petr Pavel, has threatened to refuse approval of anyone he deems anti-EU or anti-NATO to any potential cabinet.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala entered the election with the lowest ratings for any Czech government in more than decade, amid public anger over austerity measures and corruption scandals in the administration.
Polls suggest that no party will be able to gain a decisive majority, and that whoever tops the vote will likely have to negotiate a coalition or settle for a minority government.
Babis, a co-founder of the Patriots for Europe faction in the European parliament with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Organ, has promised to cut aid to Ukraine if he returns to office, unlike Fiala, who has been a staunch supporter of Kiev since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022.
The 71-year-old has been particularly critical of Prague’s ammunition initiative for Ukraine, calling it “overpriced” and insisting that it should be handled by NATO.
He has previously spoken against Kiev’s membership of the EU and opposes Brussels on immigration and the Green deal.
The Western media has warned that with Hungary and Slovakia already refusing to provide military aid to Kiev and urging a diplomatic end to the conflict, Babis’ victory could tip central Europe even further away from Brussels, both on Ukraine and other issues.
The agency is considering using the incumbent president’s image to commemorate 250 years of America’s independence
The US Treasury Department is considering putting an image of US President Donald Trump on a one-dollar coin marking the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
According to the first design draft revealed on Friday, the coin features Trump’s profile on one side, along with the words “Liberty” and “In God we trust,” and the dates 1776–2026.
The other side shows Trump raising a clenched fist against a backdrop of the US flag, with the inscriptions “Fight, fight, fight,”“United States of America,” and “E pluribus unum.”
The image is a clear homage to a photo taken by AP’s Evan Vucci shortly after Trump’s failed assassination attempt in July 2024, which was widely republished in US and international media.
“Despite the radical left’s forced shutdown of our government, the facts are clear: Under the historic leadership of President Donald J. Trump, our nation is entering its 250th anniversary stronger, more prosperous, and better than ever before,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said in a statement.
No fake news here. These first drafts honoring America’s 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real.
Looking forward to sharing more soon, once the obstructionist shutdown of the United States government is over. https://t.co/c6HChM6ijG
— U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach (@TreasurerBeach) October 3, 2025
“While a final $1 coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States’ semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles,” the spokesperson added.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump raises his fist as he is rushed off stage after an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. @apnewspic.twitter.com/VoAYqRC4QV
According to the Washington Post, existing US law generally prohibits depictions of living people on currency. In addition, the 2020 Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act, which authorized the minting of the anniversary coin, prohibits busts or portraits of people on the reverse side.
The Palestinian armed group earlier said it was ready to release all hostages
Israel has said it is ready for a prisoner swap with Hamas in line with US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
The announcement came hours after the Palestinian armed group signaled its acceptance of parts of the proposal.
“Israel is prepared for the immediate implementation of the first stage of Trump’s plan for the immediate release of all the hostages,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Saturday.
“We will continue to work in full cooperation with the president and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles laid out by Israel, which correspond with Trump’s vision for ending the war,” it added.
The statement did not address Trump’s call for Israel to halt its strikes in Gaza.
Under Trump’s plan, Hamas must release all remaining hostages within 72 hours after Israel suspends military operations in Gaza and withdraws its troops “to the agreed upon line.”
Once the hostages are freed, Israel would release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Palestinians detained after October 7, 2023.
An apolitical, Hamas-free transitional government will be established in Gaza, which is intended to become “a deradicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.”
Late on Friday, Hamas released a statement saying it was ready for a prisoner swap in accordance with the proposed formula and in principle had agreed to hand over power in Gaza to an independent government “based on the Palestinian national consensus and based on Arab and Islamic support.”
