Turkey has declared its decision to grant visa exemptions to citizens from the United States of America, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.
This move, announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, applies to holders of ordinary passports from the mentioned countries.
Under the new visa-free regime, citizens from these nations can visit Turkey for tourism purposes without the need to obtain a visa before traveling.
The exemption allows for a stay of up to 90 days within a six-month period.
Microsoft Pays Premium Price For Mount Pleasant Land: Plans Multi-Billion Dollar Data Center Investment
In another development, Microsoft has paid a substantial amount exceeding the current valuation of land in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, as part of its plan to construct a multi-building data center.
The Creuziger family, who owns the 407-acre land, consented to sell it to Microsoft for a reported $76 million, initially intended for the development of a data center campus with a planned investment of over $1 billion.
The Creuziger family had previously received a much lower offer in 2017 from the local government, as part of an agreement with the Foxconn Technology Group, which amounted to a third of the sum now offered by Microsoft.
Despite the previous offer, the family declined, holding out for a better deal. The current valuation of the family’s land in 2023 was $174,200, but it had appreciated to $598,400 over time.
Microsoft’s acquisition includes the land, featuring a large pumpkin farm and a nine-acre corn maze, along with an additional 641 acres of neighboring land, all totaling $99.7 million.
The software giant plans to create 200 jobs initially at its Mount Pleasant data center, with the potential to add more than 460 jobs. However, this is still a fraction of the 13,000 jobs originally promised by Foxconn in 2017.
The sale marks a positive outcome for the village, bringing an end to years of confusion and mixed signals from Foxconn, which had initially pledged a $10 billion investment in Mount Pleasant.
The Creuziger family’s attorney, David Barnes, expressed their well-wishes for the village and Microsoft, emphasizing the importance of respecting their privacy.
