The Microsoft founder urged the UK to keep spending at least 0.7% of national income on foreign aid, saying it was proof of its goodwill and humanity. [...] More than £12bn was spent in aid in 2015. Some newspapers and Conservative MPs argue the figure is too large and too wasteful, and some of it would be better spent on schools and hospitals in the UK.

Bill Gates doesn't agree with President Donald Trump's plan to cut aid for the world's poorest. The billionaire philanthropist had a chance to share his concerns directly with the commander-in-chief.[...] Details about the exchange weren't immediately available, but Gates Foundation spokeswoman Sarah Logan said in an email before the meeting that Gates would be talking with U.S. government officials about development initiatives.

Everyone – from elected officials and bureaucrats to voters and taxpayers – can learn from the world’s largest charitable foundation about effective development spending. And these lessons are particularly relevant at a time when 56 percent of Europeans believe their governments should focus solely on domestic issues and let recipient countries deal with problems as best they can. 

On Monday, at the United Nations climate summit in Paris that has drawn together leaders from most of the countries on Earth, Gates unveiled his plan to create a multibillion-dollar fund to pay for research on clean and renewable energy.

It's been the social media hit of the summer — some of the world's biggest celebrities dousing themselves with buckets of ice water to raise money for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Teaming up with the Gates Foundation isn't just a charitable move on the part of the Chinese government. The partnership is a perfect example of soft power--the spreading of influence through propaganda, public works, and cultural prestige.