Latest news with #Baumann
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Map Shows Countries Offering Easy Path to Citizenship for Americans
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Interest is growing among Americans who want to leave the United States and find a new home elsewhere, often seeking countries with fast pathways to citizenship, not just legal status. While President Donald Trump has promised that those able to spend at least $5 million can obtain a pathway to U.S. citizenship through his planned Gold Card visa, other countries, including multiple Caribbean nations, are offering speedy citizenship to those willing to spend a fraction of that amount. Other countries, particularly some in Europe, offer pathways to citizenship through descent to those whose grandparents or parents were born there, while others, such as the U.S., offer pathways through naturalization or spending a qualifying amount of time in the country. One of the organizations that helps Americans with such pathways is International Living. Ted Baumann, the organization's chief of global diversification, told Newsweek that there has been a noticeable shift in recent months. "There are two main groups. The first one, which is actually the smaller group, are those diversifying their wealth outside the U.S. Dollar and outside the U.S. financial system, because they are deeply concerned about its future," Baumann, based in South Africa, said. "The other group are the people who are appalled by what's happening in the United States. I guess you would call them liberals, in American language, but effectively they are people who have modern sensibilities, they think of the world in globalist terms, they're not stuck on the United States as Number One, and they want to get out." Upwards of 20 countries offer fast-track citizenship, including several Caribbean nations, but this process can take anywhere from three months to three years, depending on the specific requirements. Americans may be seeking a second citizenship for various reasons, including dissatisfaction with the current administration, as Baumann has observed a growing number of LGBTQ+ individuals and Jewish people seeking residency outside the U.S. Others are simply seeking better tax advantages and easier global mobility. "The world is a big place, there are plenty of places you can be happy, there are plenty of places you can do well financially and protect your wealth," Baumann said. Younger people are increasingly considering their residency and citizenship options, compared to a few months ago, when it was typically middle-aged or retired individuals who wanted to spend part of the year in the South of France, for example. Citizenship by Descent Some European countries offer citizenship to those with ancestors who originated there, such as Portugal, Ireland and Italy. GovAssist, another organization working in the field, explained in a July 7 article that individuals seeking a second passport in these countries would enjoy greater financial and personal freedom, including the ability to travel visa-free. With a large proportion of Americans having immigrant roots, particularly from European nations many decades ago, Baumann said that several U.S. citizens who have held onto the idea of obtaining a second passport someday in the future are now taking steps to make it happen. Stock image of a visa for Spain tucked inside a passport. Stock image of a visa for Spain tucked inside a passport. Getty Images "What most people want is the right to live somewhere," Baumann said. "That when they decide to get on a plane and fly abroad, they don't have to come back in 90 days. That's the first thing that people are looking for." He added that 90 percent of Americans he speaks with simply want a residency that may or may not eventually lead to citizenship. However, more countries are looking to tighten restrictions on who can get a passport, making citizenship a more urgent goal. Until recently in Italy, Italian Americans who could prove ancestry back to the 1800s could gain citizenship. Now, this is limited to parents and, in some cases, grandparents. Some of these pathways are not as fast as obtaining citizenship through financial means, but Ireland and Poland can process applications in between six and 18 months in some cases. Citizenship by Investment or Donation The other common route to residency or citizenship is through investment or donation, with multiple Caribbean nations offering this pathway with short time frames. Saint Kitts and Nevis, which has one of the longest-running citizenship-by-investment programs, can process applications in as little as four months, following a minimum investment of at least $250,000. Elsewhere, the governments of Moldova and North Macedonia don't require investments, but rather donations between $100,000 and $200,000. For some nations, citizenship by investment has become a lucrative option for governments that do not receive significant income from their citizens. Baumann said the turmoil in the U.S. economy earlier this year, brought about in part by tariff threats from the White House, caused Americans to consider moving themselves or their assets elsewhere. Despite the recovery in May, tariffs are back on the cards. "Now it's going this way again and they're just saying: 'I gotta get off this rollercoaster,'" Baumann said. "It's not just people who don't like Trump; it's people who maybe voted for Trump and maybe recognize that one of the costs of supporting Trump is that it might hurt their wealth, and so they're very quietly moving their own wealth outside the United States." Until recently, International Living received few inquiries about obtaining a Caribbean passport; however, interest has sharply risen in the last few weeks. Not all nations require individuals to reside there. One caveat is how the rest of the world views such passports, as the European Union does not offer visa-free travel to these nations. Whichever route Americans looking to emigrate choose to go down, one thing is clear to Baumann, who has noticed time becoming a critical factor for those who want as quick an exit from the U.S. as possible. "People are freaked out, there's no question about it," Baumann said. "This is not a normal situation."
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Terrorism has never helped Palestine
When an arsonist set fire to Pennsylvania's governor's mansion in April, he claimed to have done so because of what Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) 'wants to do to the Palestinian people.' On May 21, two young diplomats assigned to the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. were gunned down outside the Jewish Museum. The suspect, a 30-year-old Chicago native, shouted 'free Palestine' as authorities took him into custody. Court documents later quoted him saying he 'did it for Gaza.' In Boulder, Colo., 10 days later, an Egyptian national who had overstayed his visa used homemade incendiary devices to set demonstrators on fire at an event supporting Israeli hostages. He then began shouting about civilian deaths in Gaza, seemingly unbothered by the absurdity of protesting the killing of civilians by attempting to kill civilians. These attacks are accompanied by — or perhaps even energized by — a rise in antisemitic rhetoric and activity carried out under the guise of 'pro-Palestinian' demonstrations in the U.S. Last year, protestors at Cornell University and George Washington University chanted, 'there is only one solution, intifada revolution.' The attacks in Boulder and Washington are the physical manifestations of that chant. These developments follow a long history of political violence in the West inspired by the Arab-Israeli conflict. The perpetrators of such attacks are always duped into believing that their actions will help Palestine — despite a lack of evidence supporting that belief. During the Cold War, Palestinian fighters armed and encouraged so-called 'urban guerrillas' in West Germany. The June 2nd Movement emerged from Berlin's college scene in the 1960s, and an undergraduate there named Michael 'Bommi' Baumann became its most infamous member. Encouraged by Palestine's struggle, Baumann and his comrades quickly graduated from looting convenience stores to killing German officials after the Six Day War gave speed to their anti-Zionist fervor in 1967. Other European extremist groups, such as the Baader-Meinhof Gang (also called the Red Army Faction), had numerous ties to Arab terrorist organizations as well. Between 1969 and 1970, Palestinian guerrillas connected with the Red Army Faction and June 2nd members to provide them with weapons, explosives and propaganda training in Jordan. During the 1970s, Baumann's associates assassinated Gunter von Drenkmann, the president of West Berlin's highest court; kidnapped an industrial tycoon after killing his four bodyguards; and executed one of their own members who had turned informant. Notorious Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez — better known as Carlos the Jackal — also credited Palestine for his radicalization in the 1960s. One of Carlos's biographers, journalist John Follain, wrote that the Six Day War became the 'revolutionary rallying cry for tens of thousands of left-wing students the world over.' Inspired by the ideology of Palestinian militant Wadi Haddad, Carlos grew to believe that the destruction of Israel would free Palestine and trigger a global revolution. George Habash was a confidant of Haddad's who founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. An ardent Marxist with connections to student groups in Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., Habash became Carlos's mentor. French special forces eventually apprehended Carlos during a 1994 raid in Sudan. While serving multiple life sentences in prison, Carlos stated that 'no one has executed more people than me in the Palestinian resistance.' Baumann was also arrested in 1981, several years after his close friend died in a shootout with police and his passion for the cause dwindled. Extremist factions like Hamas promote terrorism colored with false hopes of liberation in the interest of a charter that renounces peace and mandates perpetual war against the Jewish State. The Arab-Israeli conflict has always been ripe for exploitation and is thus used as a vehicle to recruit for that mission, not to help Palestinians. War is the objective because it globalizes the intifada. Instead of generating support for Palestine, however, these recent attacks have united Republicans and Democrats in a way few issues can. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) agree that antisemitism 'must be crushed,' and Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), who chairs the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, announced a hearing on the rise of anti-Israel attacks. Feeding into the decades-old delusion that global terrorism helps Palestine is a fool's errand from which no one benefits — especially not Palestinians. Activists turned terrorists delivered a masterclass in that that lesson during the 20th century. Others need not relearn it in the 21st. Maj. Michael P. Ferguson, U.S. Army, is a Ph.D. student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and coauthor of 'The Military Legacy of Alexander the Great: Lessons for the Information Age.' His views as expressed here do not necessarily reflect official policies or positions of the Army or the Department of Defense. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Terrorism has never helped Palestine
When an arsonist set fire to Pennsylvania's governor's mansion in April, he claimed to have done so because of what Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) 'wants to do to the Palestinian people.' On May 21, two young diplomats assigned to the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. were gunned down outside the Jewish Museum. The suspect, a 30-year-old Chicago native, shouted 'free Palestine' as authorities took him into custody. Court documents later quoted him saying he 'did it for Gaza.' In Boulder, Colo., 10 days later, an Egyptian national who had overstayed his visa used homemade incendiary devices to set demonstrators on fire at an event supporting Israeli hostages. He then began shouting about civilian deaths in Gaza, seemingly unbothered by the absurdity of protesting the killing of civilians by attempting to kill civilians. These attacks are accompanied by — or perhaps even energized by — a rise in antisemitic rhetoric and activity carried out under the guise of 'pro-Palestinian' demonstrations in the U.S. Last year, protestors at Cornell University and George Washington University chanted, 'there is only one solution, intifada revolution.' The attacks in Boulder and Washington are the physical manifestations of that chant. These developments follow a long history of political violence in the West inspired by the Arab-Israeli conflict. The perpetrators of such attacks are always duped into believing that their actions will help Palestine — despite a lack of evidence supporting that belief. During the Cold War, Palestinian fighters armed and encouraged so-called 'urban guerrillas' in West Germany. The June 2nd Movement emerged from Berlin's college scene in the 1960s, and an undergraduate there named Michael 'Bommi' Baumann became its most infamous member. Encouraged by Palestine's struggle, Baumann and his comrades quickly graduated from looting convenience stores to killing German officials after the Six Day War gave speed to their anti-Zionist fervor in 1967. Other European extremist groups, such as the Baader-Meinhof Gang (also called the Red Army Faction), had numerous ties to Arab terrorist organizations as well. Between 1969 and 1970, Palestinian guerrillas connected with the Red Army Faction and June 2nd members to provide them with weapons, explosives and propaganda training in Jordan. During the 1970s, Baumann's associates assassinated Gunter von Drenkmann, the president of West Berlin's highest court; kidnapped an industrial tycoon after killing his four bodyguards; and executed one of their own members who had turned informant. Notorious Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez — better known as Carlos the Jackal — also credited Palestine for his radicalization in the 1960s. One of Carlos's biographers, journalist John Follain, wrote that the Six Day War became the 'revolutionary rallying cry for tens of thousands of left-wing students the world over.' Inspired by the ideology of Palestinian militant Wadi Haddad, Carlos grew to believe that the destruction of Israel would free Palestine and trigger a global revolution. George Habash was a confidant of Haddad's who founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. An ardent Marxist with connections to student groups in Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., Habash became Carlos's mentor. French special forces eventually apprehended Carlos during a 1994 raid in Sudan. While serving multiple life sentences in prison, Carlos stated that 'no one has executed more people than me in the Palestinian resistance.' Baumann was also arrested in 1981, several years after his close friend died in a shootout with police and his passion for the cause dwindled. Extremist factions like Hamas promote terrorism colored with false hopes of liberation in the interest of a charter that renounces peace and mandates perpetual war against the Jewish State. The Arab-Israeli conflict has always been ripe for exploitation and is thus used as a vehicle to recruit for that mission, not to help Palestinians. War is the objective because it globalizes the intifada. Instead of generating support for Palestine, however, these recent attacks have united Republicans and Democrats in a way few issues can. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) agree that antisemitism 'must be crushed,' and Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), who chairs the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, announced a hearing on the rise of anti-Israel attacks. Feeding into the decades-old delusion that global terrorism helps Palestine is a fool's errand from which no one benefits — especially not Palestinians. Activists turned terrorists delivered a masterclass in that that lesson during the 20th century. Others need not relearn it in the 21st. Maj. Michael P. Ferguson, U.S. Army, is a Ph.D. student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and coauthor of 'The Military Legacy of Alexander the Great: Lessons for the Information Age.' His views as expressed here do not necessarily reflect official policies or positions of the Army or the Department of Defense.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commonwealth Bank confirms $33,000 home loan change for these Aussies: ‘Lower deposits'
Commonwealth Bank will make it easier for Aussies looking to build their own home to get onto the property ladder with a smaller deposit. The country's biggest bank will increase the maximum loan-to-value ratio (LVR) for its construction loans later this month. CBA currently allows customers to borrow up to 90 per cent for securities valued under $3 million and up to 75 per cent for those valued between $3 million and $5 million. From May 24, the major bank will increase the maximum LVR to 95 and 80 per cent respectively for construction loans, while raising the maximum security for the top bracket to $6 million. CBA executive general manager home buying Dr Michael Baumann told Yahoo Finance the major bank was committed to helping Australians realise their property ownership goals. RELATED Commonwealth Bank issues RBA interest rate cut warning for mortgage holders Superannuation change to give Aussie workers pay rise in weeks: '$29,000 boost' ATO warning over Centrelink payment as 82 per cent of Aussies get it wrong 'Our expanded construction loan policy is designed to create more opportunities for Australians interested in building their property to achieve homeownership sooner by allowing them to access construction finance with lower deposits,' he said. The average construction loan in Australia was $674,649 for new builds in the December quarter, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. Under the previous rules, a 10 per cent deposit would have been $67,474.90. Now the requirement for a 5 per cent deposit halves that deposit amount to $33, has made a range of changes to its home loan rules in recent months, including offering loans for prefabricated home builds. Prefab homes are constructed off-site, mostly in a factory, and then transported to the individual's desired location, making them a cheaper option than traditional housing. 'Prefabricated homes have historically been difficult to finance in Australia,' Baumann told Yahoo Finance. 'Our prefab housing policy update allows customers to access progress payments before the property is affixed to land (up to 60 per cent of the total contract price), instead of requiring them to fund up to 90 per cent of the upfront costs themselves as has previously been the case.' CBA has also announced it will remove HECS loans during serviceability assessments if the debt will be repaid within 12 months. Other changes include allowing first-home buyers to rent out a room and use the rental income to help service their home loan. Customers can count up to $150 per week in servicing, with one renter allowed. It is also piloting an expansion to its LMI waiver program to include more workers like paramedics, firefighters and nurses. CBA economists expect the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will cut interest rates at its upcoming May meeting, despite inflation figures coming in a touch higher than it had expected. The major bank has forecast three interest rate cuts this year in May, August and November, which would bring the cash rate down to 3.35 per cent. Westpac, ANZ and NAB are also expecting a May cut, with NAB predicting a double 0.50 per cent in to access your portfolio
Asharq Al-Awsat
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Baumann Says Concussion Shows Soccer Referees Need to Act Faster on Head Injuries
German goalkeeper Oliver Baumann has been diagnosed with concussion after an incident which he says shows referees need to act swiftly to cut the risk of players suffering head injuries. Baumann was playing for Hoffenheim on Saturday in the German Bundesliga when he collided with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who was sprinting toward Baumann's goal. Chukwuemeka's knee struck Baumann in the head but the referee didn't stop the game, The Associated Press reported. Seconds later, Dortmund's Waldemar Anton scored the decisive goal for a 3-2 win as Baumann staggered about the penalty area in a daze. 'My diagnosis clearly shows that on the field it's all about the safety of the players,' Baumann said Wednesday. He argued players could be at risk of further injury in similar incidents if referees don't stop the game immediately. 'Therefore, in the interests of player health, there should be no disagreement about stopping the game immediately when there's a possible head injury, regardless of what the game situation looks like at that moment.' Baumann, who is Hoffenheim's captain and a German national team player, had a 'large, severely swollen laceration' to his head and was dazed after the incident, the club said, adding that concussion was diagnosed following tests at the hospital. He has been ruled out of Hoffenheim's game at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
