US Visa Bonds Made Permanent: The U.S. has moved to make its visa bond programme permanent, requiring some B1 (business) and B2 (tourism) applicants from 50 countries—mostly in Africa—to post refundable bonds of up to $20,000 before entry, with consular officers setting amounts (typically $10,000–$20,000) based on individual risk and ties to the U.S. UNESCO World Heritage Boost for São Tomé and Príncipe: UNESCO added the country’s historic plantation estates, the Roças of Agostinho Neto and São João dos Angolares, to the World Heritage List, highlighting their colonial-era coffee and cocoa system and the forced-labour history behind it. Maritime Security & Oil Theft Crackdown: Nigeria’s Navy says it arrested 12 crew members on the São Tomé and Príncipe-flagged tanker MT Filia, alleging it loaded about 650 metric tonnes of stolen crude oil worth over N660m, while also calling for faster judicial reforms to avoid long delays in prosecution. UNESCO’s 2026 Global Additions: The World Heritage Committee inscribed 25 new sites worldwide, including first-time African entries such as São Tomé and Príncipe, as the list grows to 1,273 properties.