Wildfires in Spain burn ten times more land than last year
Data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), part of the Copernicus European Environmental Monitoring Programme, shows that 411,315 ...
The U.S. State Department will ask tourists and business travellers from countries with high overstay rates to lodge bonds of as much as $15,000 when applying for a visa, under a year-long pilot intended to curb illegal stays.
The 12-month programme, outlined in a notice due to appear in the Federal Register on Tuesday, would apply to applicants for B-1 business or B-2 tourist visas from nations deemed to have “high visa overstay rates” or weak identity-document controls.
Successful applicants would have to post a bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, which would be returned if they leave the country on time.
“Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure … may be subject to the pilot programme,” the department said, adding that consular officers could waive the requirement case by case.
The scheme will start 15 days after publication; a list of affected countries will be released at that point.
Travellers from the 42 nations in the Visa Waiver Programme—including most of Europe, Japan and Australia—are exempt.
The bond is the latest in a series of measures tightening visa rules: last week the department reinstated extra in-person interviews for many renewals and proposed mandatory passports for entrants to the visa-lottery.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection counted about 510,000 suspected in-country overstays in the 2023 fiscal year, equal to 1.31 % of the 39 million expected departures.
Non-waiver nations recorded a rate of 3.2 %. Officials say the bond is meant to shield the government from costs when visitors remain illegally and to encourage timely departures.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
Kuwait says oil prices will likely stay below $72 per barrel as OPEC monitors global supply trends and U.S. policy signals. The remarks come during market uncertainty fueled by new U.S. tariffs on India and possible sanctions on Russia.
A major fire has broken out at Hamburg’s city port, leaving several people injured.
Data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), part of the Copernicus European Environmental Monitoring Programme, shows that 411,315 hectares of forest and rural land have burned in Spain so far this year — roughly ten times more than the 42,615 hectares affected in 2024.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ordered a reinforcement of the “Relámpago del Catatumbo” operation, extending it to Tachira state under Peace Zone One.
North Korea has criticised the joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, with state media reporting that the drills demonstrate Washington’s intent to “occupy” the Korean peninsula and target its regional adversaries.
On Monday, Russia claimed its forces had carried out extensive strikes on Ukrainian drone bases and other military targets over the past 24 hours, while Ukraine reported having destroyed a significant amount of Russian military hardware.
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