German state elections put fresh pressure on Chancellor Merz
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his governmen...
April 3, 2025, marks the final deadline for non-EU nationals to apply for Spain's Golden Visa Program, offering residency through investments before the scheme ends.
April 3, 2025, is the final deadline for submitting applications for non-EU nationals interested in acquiring residency in Spain through the Golden Visa Program.
The Golden Visa Program of Spain, also known as the Residency by Investment Schemes, gives non-EU nationals the opportunity to acquire residency in this country in exchange for financial investments. The scheme provided residency in exchange for investing two million euro or more in state bonds, or for investing in emerging Spanish companies. The most popular option was the awarding of the visa, which could be obtained in exchange for buying property worth €500,000 or more.
However, the housing crisis that the country was dealing with forced the government of Spain to eliminate this scheme. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his government's intention to scrap the scheme was intended "to guarantee that housing is a right and not merely the subject of business speculation".
He said that the majority of visas awarded were linked to the purchase of properties in places such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Alicante and the Balearic Islands - all areas where the housing market "is under enormous pressure and where it is almost impossible for people who live and work in those places and pay their taxes each day to find affordable housing".
Since 2013, when the scheme was implemented in Spain, over 15,300 persons have benefited from this program. The record number reached in 2023, when Spain granted about 3,200 golden visas to foreigners.
Based on the statistics from the Housing Ministry of Spain, the largest number of golden visa recipients are nationals from China, followed by Russians and UK citizens. The top beneficiaries of the Golden Visa Program are also nationals from the United States, Iran, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Mexico.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations against Islamic State since 2016, the Transport Ministry said.
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United States.
World leaders are set to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several days of high-level debate, with Iran, Ukraine, artificial intelligence (AI) and a range of global crises expected to dominate discussions this week.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
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