Friday, October 10, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Pro-life organization excluded by major banks in Sweden

Published 29 April 2023
– By Editorial Staff
3 minute read

Despite transparent customer due diligence, the organization Människorätt för ofödda (Human Rights for the unborn) had its bank account closed with Nordea. The organization was then refused to open a new account with Handelsbanken.

It is hard to believe that the fact that we are anti-abortion does not play a role in how they treat us, says chairman Mats Selander.

Last year, the Swedish anti-abortion organization MRO was told by its bank Nordea that it would not be allowed to keep its bank account. The reason given was that the bank lacked sufficient customer knowledge. According to Selander, the bank has gained a lot of knowledge about the organization.

Nordea has a lot of customer knowledge about us – I turned our entire business and our transactions inside out in a very good conversation with one of Nordea’s officials. It was after that conversation that we were thrown out, without any real explanation, Selander tells Swedish newssite Världen Idag.

He speculates that it could have to do with money transfers to a sister organization in Pakistan that is critical of abortion, but it was clearly explained to the bank that they had checked carefully because it was important that the money ended up in the right place.

MRO then contacted Handelsbanken to open an account there instead. Selander explains that the bank first “lost the application”, and when they sent in a new one, they chose to terminate the cooperation with the organization in Pakistan to avoid potential problems with customer knowledge. Despite this, Handelsbanken rejected the application, citing the organization’s poor financial management.

During that period, the few donations we received went to my private account. I emptied my savings account and put MRO’s money there. We had no alternatives. Of course we have been completely open about this and the treasurer and auditor have had full transparency, says Selander.

In Sweden, an increasing number of organizations, companies and even individuals have had their accounts suddenly closed, mainly by the major banks. Often no more explanation is given than that the reason is “lack of customer knowledge”. For example, this has led to several aid organizations having their bank accounts closed, despite being transparent about where the money goes. Even the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority has raised concerns that more and more private individuals are having their accounts closed with the same references.

Selander believes that the fact that they are an anti-abortion organization has played a role in the banks’ actions against them and that they currently do not know how to proceed in order to manage their finances.

The banks are making us lawless. This is destroying our economy and our ability to collect money. It is hard to believe that the fact that we are pro-life does not play a role in how they treat us. After all, people make the decisions and many other politically incorrect organizations have experienced the same thing.

Världen Idag has contacted Nordea and Handelsbanken regarding the matter, where they say that they cannot comment on individual customer cases but refer to the need for “lack of customer knowledge”.

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Bitcoin reaches new record – surpasses $125,000 in value

Alternative economic systems

Published 5 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
1 minute read

The world’s leading cryptocurrency continues its rise and hit a new all-time high on Sunday, driven by dollar weakness and strong inflows to bitcoin ETFs.

Bitcoin rose to $125,689 on Sunday, once again reaching new record levels. The previous record was set in mid-August when the cryptocurrency reached $124,480.

The rise comes after eight straight days of gains, supported by positive developments in US stock markets and increasing investments in bitcoin ETFs – exchange-traded funds that allow investors to gain exposure to bitcoin without having to buy and store the cryptocurrency themselves. Meanwhile, the US dollar has weakened against most major currencies, partly due to uncertainty surrounding a possible US government shutdown.

Joshua Lim, analyst at crypto broker Falcon X, sees a clear connection:

With many assets at record levels, it’s not surprising that bitcoin is benefiting from dollar weakness.

Since the beginning of the year, bitcoin has risen over 30 percent, benefiting from more crypto-friendly policies under President Donald Trump’s administration and increased institutional interest in digital assets.

Gold prices at record levels

Published 29 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Experts worry about the soaring price of gold.
1 minute read

During the summer and fall of this year, gold prices have risen by over 40 percent, leading to trading near $3,800 per ounce. The sharp increase has raised concerns among economists and investors.

One of the primary factors behind the price increase is US President Donald Trump’s policy, which aims to reduce America’s national debt. As part of this strategy, Trump hopes to weaken the dollar, making gold more attractive as a safe haven asset.

A weaker dollar makes gold cheaper for investors in other currencies, further driving up demand. Currently, one US dollar costs approximately €0.85, which represents a notable depreciation in just a few months.

Several major banks have raised their forecasts for gold prices. Goldman Sachs predicts that prices could rise to over $4,000 per ounce within a year, provided that central banks continue buying gold and investors increase their gold positions.

Despite the positive development, there are also warnings. Experts point out that gold prices can become volatile and that a sudden interest rate hike or improved global economic stability could lead to a rapid price decline.

Investors are therefore advised to be cautious and not put all their assets in gold.

The rapid price increase in gold reflects a world in economic uncertainty, where pressure on US finances and its currency policy could have far-reaching consequences worldwide.

China plans fully AI-controlled economy by 2035

The modern China

Published 26 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
By 2035, AI is planned to have "completely reworked Chinese society" and implemented a new phase of economic and social production.
2 minute read

The Chinese government has presented an ambitious ten-year plan where artificial intelligence will permeate all sectors of society by 2035 and become the “main engine for economic growth”.

China’s State Council has published a comprehensive plan aimed at making the country the world’s first fully AI-driven economy within eleven years. According to the government document presented at the end of August, artificial intelligence will have transformed Chinese society by 2035 and become the foundation for what is described as “a new phase of development in intelligent economy and intelligent society”.

The plan, which spans ten years, encompasses six central societal sectors that will be permeated by AI technology by 2027. These include science and technology, citizen welfare, industrial development, consumer goods, governance, and international relations.

The goal: 90 percent usage by 2030

According to the timeline, AI technology should reach a 90 percent usage rate by 2030 and practically become a new type of infrastructure. At this point, the technology is expected to have developed into a “significant growth engine for China’s economy”.

The strategy resembles the country’s previous “internet plus” initiative, which successfully integrated the internet as a central component in the Chinese economy.

By 2035, AI should according to the plan have “completely reworked Chinese society” and implemented a new phase of economic and social production. This is an ambitious goal with significant consequences, not only for the People’s Republic but for the entire world.

International cooperation in focus

The State Council emphasizes that AI should be treated as an “international public good that benefits humanity”. The plan highlights the importance of developing open source AI, supporting developing countries in building their own technology sectors, and the UN’s role as a leader in AI regulation.

Although China’s AI industry is growing rapidly, as exemplified by the open AI platform DeepSeek’s successes earlier this year, Chinese models still lag several months behind their American counterparts in terms of average performance. This is largely due to restrictions and barriers that Western countries have imposed.

However, the gap is steadily narrowing. At the end of 2023, American AI models performed better than Chinese ones in 13 percent of general reasoning tests. By the same time in 2024, this figure had dropped to 8.1 percent. In certain AI applications, China is already a world leader and has invested heavily in offering its services at low prices and in many cases completely free as open source.

The State Council’s ten-year plan aims to further reduce the lead by strengthening key areas such as fundamental model performance, security measures, data access, and energy management.

Whether Beijing can deliver on its massive goals with the help of sometimes unreliable technology remains to be seen. However, if other nationally coordinated plans are any indication, the country may face a comprehensive transformation.

Chinese EVs outsell Tesla

Published 26 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
From unchallenged market leader to pressured giant – Tesla faces intensifying competition from China.
1 minute read

Chinese electric vehicle company BYD has increased its sales in Europe by over 200 percent. Meanwhile, Tesla’s electric vehicle sales in Europe decreased compared to last year.

For the eighth consecutive month, sales are declining for Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company Tesla in Europe, according to industry organization ACEA. In July, Tesla sold a total of 8,220 electric vehicles, which is 36 percent less than the same month last year.

Meanwhile, Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, sold 9,130 electric vehicles in July, representing an increase of 201 percent compared to July last year.

Looking at this year’s figures, Tesla has lost 43 percent in the European market, while BYD has increased by 244 percent.

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