US to launch visa bond pilot program for select travelers

The US State Department is set to implement a one-year pilot program that may require some foreign nationals applying for business or tourist visas to post a bond of up to $15,000, Xinhua reported.

The initiative, aimed at curbing visa overstays, allows consular officers to request bonds of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 from applicants from countries with high overstay rates or limited screening measures.

The list of affected countries will be published online at least 15 days before the program takes effect. The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to tighten visa regulations, following a recent policy requiring more visa renewal applicants to attend in-person interviews, according to Xinhua.

 

Rwanda reached deal with US to take in up to 250 migrants, government says

The United States and Rwanda have agreed for the African country to accept up to 250 migrants deported from the U.S., the spokesperson for the Rwandan government and an official told Reuters, as President Donald Trump's administration takes a hardline approach toward immigration, Reuters reported.

The agreement, first reported by Reuters, was signed by U.S. and Rwandan officials in Kigali in June, said the Rwandan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that Washington had already sent an initial list of 10 people to be vetted.

"Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants, in part because nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement, and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation," said the spokesperson for the Rwandan government, Yolande Makolo, according to Reuters.

Swiss eye 'more attractive' offer for Trump after tariff shock

Switzerland said on Monday it was ready to make a better offer to the United States to avoid steep tariffs that have shocked the country, AFP reported.

The Alpine nation faces a 39-percent duty, one of the highest among the dozens of economies that will be hit by new tariffs expected to come into force from Thursday.

The Swiss stock market tumbled by more than two percent when it opened on Monday before paring its losses later in the day, ending the day down just 0.15 percent. It was closed for a national holiday when Trump unveiled the tariffs on Friday, according to AFP.

More Gazans die seeking aid and from hunger, as burial shrouds in short supply

At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes on Gaza, including 10 seeking aid, health authorities said on August 4, adding that another five had died of starvation in what humanitarian agencies warn may be an unfolding famine, Reuters reported.

The 10 died in two separate incidents near aid sites belonging to the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in central and southern Gaza, local medics said. The United Nations says more than 1,000 people have been killed trying to receive aid in the enclave since the GHF began operating in May 2025, most of them shot by Israeli forces operating near GHF sites.

"Everyone who goes there, comes back either with a bag of flour or carried back (on a wooden stretcher) as a martyr, or injured. No one comes back safe," said 40-year-old Palestinian Bilal Thari, according to Reuters.