UNESCO World Heritage Boost: UNESCO added the Roças of São Tomé and Príncipe to the World Heritage List, highlighting the Portuguese colonial plantation landscape and its history of forced labor—an important cultural win for the islands. Citizenship-for-Funding “Golden Passport”: São Tomé and Príncipe is selling citizenship through a “golden passport” tied to a National Transformation Fund, with eligibility for investors and family members and a one-time $90,000 contribution aimed at education, healthcare, energy and infrastructure. Tourism With a Light Footprint: A new push promotes “authentic tourism” over mass crowds, selling the islands’ conservation-first model, biodiversity, and the local “leve leve” way of life. US Visa Bond Policy Hits Lusophone Africa: The US made its refundable visa bond programme permanent for B1/B2 business and tourist visas, with consular officers able to require deposits up to $20,000—explicitly including São Tomé and Príncipe—raising costs and reshaping travel planning. Diplomacy and Culture Links: Serbia’s foreign minister met São Tomé and Príncipe’s prime minister to expand cooperation in education, healthcare, agriculture, digitalization and culture, with Expo 2027 participation also on the agenda.