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Author Archives: Francisca Samuel

Tamara's World  /  Articles by: Francisca Samuel

Author: Francisca Samuel

Francisca Samuel is an editor at Tamara News, where she covers immigration, travel, business and technology news for readers across Africa and the Gulf.

11 Sep 2026
EU entry exit system

Europe’s Border Checks Just Got Stricter — Here’s What Changed on September 6

Categories Visa Updates

Emergency flexibility measures that let European border authorities ease biometric checks expired on September 6, 2026. The EU entry exit system is now enforced with far less discretion for national authorities. Travellers heading to Europe this autumn should expect longer waits at passport control. That is especially true at busy airports where staff previously had room to pause biometric collection during peak periods.

European airport passport control area affected by the EU entry exit system enforcement

How the EU Entry Exit System Reached Full Enforcement

The EES became fully operational across participating European borders on April 10, 2026. That followed a phased rollout that began in October 2025. During the transition, border authorities could temporarily suspend biometric collection at individual crossing points when wait times became excessive. That emergency discretion expired on September 6, 2026, according to reporting from Greek City Times. The European Commission declined to extend it, despite lobbying from airlines that wanted the flexibility kept in place through the end of the year.

What Actually Changes for Travellers

The EU entry exit system registers a traveller’s name, travel document data and biometric data, including fingerprints and a facial image. It logs the date and place of entry and exit, replacing the ink passport stamp familiar to generations of travellers. It applies to non-EU nationals making short stays in the Schengen area, including UK citizens and anyone else travelling on a third-country passport. Coverage spans 29 countries: 25 EU member states excluding Cyprus and Ireland, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Why Airlines Wanted More Time

Airlines had pushed to keep the emergency flexibility available through the end of 2026. They warned that removing it during the busy autumn travel season risked longer queues and missed connections. Travel And Tour World reported that UK travellers in particular face elevated risk of border chaos. Biometric checks are tightening, with less room left for local discretion. Some member states are reportedly not enforcing the checks as strictly as the rules technically allow. Travellers entering through France may see comparatively little change, due to ongoing technical issues with that country’s EES rollout.

Traveller passing through biometric border control under the EU entry exit system

What Travellers Should Do Now

Experts are advising anyone flying into or crossing land borders in the Schengen area to build in significantly more time for passport control. That is especially true at major hub airports. First-time EES registration, which requires fingerprints and a photo, takes longer than a routine border check. Travellers making their first post-flexibility crossing should expect the slowest experience of the transition.

How Europe’s System Compares Elsewhere

The EES puts Europe roughly in line with border systems already used in the United States, Australia and several Gulf states. All of those systems collect biometric data from arriving travelers. What sets the European rollout apart is its scale: 29 countries sharing a single database across a region that receives hundreds of millions of visits each year. Airports vary in how they handle first-time biometric registration. Some use self-service kiosks, while others rely primarily on staffed booths. That inconsistency helps explain the uneven experiences travelers are reporting since the flexibility period ended. The European Commission has said it will review enforcement data over the coming months to decide whether additional kiosk funding is needed before the busier summer 2027 travel season. Anyone traveling to Europe this autumn should check their specific entry airport’s setup in advance, since the pace of the rollout still varies meaningfully from one border crossing to the next.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the EU Entry/Exit System?

The EU entry exit system is a digital border check for non-EU nationals travelling to the Schengen area for short stays. It replaces manual passport stamping with digital records of biometric data, entry and exit dates.

What changed on September 6, 2026?

The emergency flexibility that let border authorities temporarily pause biometric collection at congested crossing points expired on September 6, 2026. The European Commission declined to extend it despite airline lobbying.

Who does the EU entry exit system apply to?

It applies to non-EU nationals entering the Schengen area for short stays, including UK citizens and anyone else travelling on a third-country passport.

Which countries are covered?

The system covers 29 countries: 25 EU member states excluding Cyprus and Ireland, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Will this mean longer queues at European airports?

Travel industry experts are warning of longer processing times now that border authorities have less discretion to ease biometric checks during high-traffic periods. They are advising travellers to allow extra time at passport control.

Are all member states enforcing it the same way?

Not uniformly. Some member states are reportedly not enforcing biometric checks as strictly in practice. Travellers crossing into France may see less change due to ongoing technical issues with the French EES rollout.

The next few weeks of autumn travel will be the clearest test yet of whether Europe’s busiest borders can handle full biometric enforcement. Airlines had grown used to the safety valve now gone. For more on how the region’s travel rules are shifting, see our coverage of the disruption already rippling across European airports. We also cover the new US student visa duration rules taking effect this month.

Sources

11 Sep 2026
Thailand visa free stay

Thailand Just Cut Your Visa-Free Stay in Half — Here’s the New Limit

Categories Visa Updates

Thailand is cutting its visa-free stay from 60 days to 30 days starting September 15, 2026. The new rules affect 60 countries and territories, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and every EU member state. The Thailand visa free stay change also narrows what visa-free entry actually covers, limiting it strictly to tourism.

Bangkok airport terminal affected by the new Thailand visa free stay rules

What the New Thailand Visa Free Stay Rule Changes

Thailand’s Ministry of Interior published the new rules in the Royal Gazette on August 31, 2026. They take effect September 15, according to the Bangkok Post’s report on the change. Nationals of 60 countries and territories, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, EU member states, Japan and, newly added, India, get visa-free tourist entry capped at 30 days. Travelers can apply for one 30-day extension. That effectively allows a maximum 60-day stay under the new system, though it now requires an extra administrative step at a Thai immigration office.

Who Gets a Shorter or Different Window

Not every nationality faces the same change. Seychelles and Mauritius nationals now receive a 15-day visa-free window rather than 30. Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia move from visa-free status to visa-on-arrival, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s official announcement. Neighboring ASEAN nationals, including travelers from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei, keep separate exemptions unaffected by the land-border cap.

A Crackdown on Visa Runs

Land-border entries under the tourist exemption are now capped at two per calendar year. The change directly targets so-called visa runs, where travelers exit Thailand briefly at a land crossing and immediately re-enter to reset their visa-free clock. Immigration compliance firm Newland Chase notes the new exemption is tourism-only. That closes a gap that had let some visitors use the old 60-day window for ad hoc business activity without a work permit.

Passport and visa stamps representing the tightened Thailand visa free stay policy

What Travelers Should Do Before September 15

Anyone planning a Thailand trip longer than 30 days should check which rule applies to their travel dates now. Entries on or after September 15 fall under the new cap. Long-stay visitors, including digital nomads and retirees who previously relied on repeated 60-day visa-free entries, will need to adjust. Some will apply for a longer-stay visa category instead. Others will plan trips around the new 30-day-plus-one-extension structure. Travel agents and immigration advisors are recommending that frequent visitors to Thailand review their itineraries well ahead of the effective date, to avoid an unexpected overstay penalty at departure.

Why Thailand Is Tightening the Rules Now

Thailand’s tourism sector has grown heavily reliant on long-stay visitors since the pandemic recovery. Officials have grown increasingly concerned about visa-free rules being stretched well beyond their original intent. The visa-run pattern targeted by the new land-border cap had become common at several border crossings. Immigration officials reported seeing the same travelers cycle through multiple times a month. Thailand’s government has framed the changes as a way to preserve visa-free access for genuine short-stay tourists. The rules close loopholes that let a smaller group of long-term residents avoid applying for proper long-stay visas. The shift also brings Thailand’s exemption scheme closer in line with rules already used by several neighboring Southeast Asian destinations. Many of those destinations cap visa-free stays at 30 days by default.

Who Actually Feels This Change

Short-stay vacationers are unlikely to notice much difference, since most tourist trips run well under 30 days already. The practical effect falls mainly on long-term visitors who had structured extended stays around the old 60-day exemption, including remote workers, retirees and repeat visitors who previously used Thailand as a base for months at a time. Those travelers now face a choice: adapt to the shorter tourist window and its one extension, or apply for a different visa category built for longer stays, such as retirement, education or long-term resident visas that Thailand offers separately from the tourist exemption. Immigration advisors expect a rise in applications for those longer-stay visa categories in the weeks after the new rule takes hold, as displaced long-stay visitors look for a legal alternative.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Thailand’s new visa-free rule take effect?

The new rules take effect September 15, 2026, after Thailand’s Ministry of Interior published notifications in the Royal Gazette on August 31, 2026.

How long can visitors stay visa-free now?

Nationals of 60 countries and territories, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, EU member states, Japan and India, get visa-free entry for tourism capped at 30 days, with one 30-day extension possible.

Did every visa-free stay get shorter?

Most did. The previous exemption allowed stays of up to 60 days for many nationalities. Seychelles and Mauritius nationals now get a shorter 15-day visa-free window.

What changed for land-border crossings?

Land-border entries under the exemption are now capped at two per calendar year. The cap is aimed at curbing so-called visa runs, where travelers exit and re-enter Thailand repeatedly to extend their stay.

Does the visa-free entry still cover business activity?

No. The new exemption is tourism-only. The old 60-day rule had implicitly allowed ad hoc business or work-related activity, which the new rules no longer cover.

Are any countries moving to visa-on-arrival instead?

Yes. Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia move from visa-free entry to visa-on-arrival status under the new framework.

Thailand’s tightening follows a broader pattern of destinations recalibrating visa-free travel this year. See our coverage of the new US student visa duration rules and flight disruptions affecting travelers through Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Sources

11 Sep 2026
OpenAI Agents API

OpenAI Just Gave Every Developer the Tools Behind Its Coding Agent

Categories Tech

OpenAI opened public beta access to its new Agents API on September 10, 2026, expanding what outside developers can build with its technology. It puts the infrastructure behind its Codex coding agent directly into developers’ hands through a single API call. The OpenAI Agents API lets outside developers build custom AI agents that can run code, browse the web and coordinate their own subagents. They no longer need to build that scaffolding themselves from the ground up.

Software development workspace representing the new OpenAI Agents API

What the OpenAI Agents API Actually Does

According to OpenAI’s own announcement, the API brings the same harness and infrastructure that powers Codex to any developer through a flexible interface. Inside a running session, an agent built on the API can execute code, edit files, search the web, apply predefined skills, and produce artifacts. It can also split tasks across subagents up to a set concurrency limit. Those capabilities previously required developers to assemble their own agent infrastructure from scratch.

How the Architecture Is Built

The API is organized around four core objects, as detailed by MarkTechPost’s technical breakdown. An Agent object defines the model, instructions, tools and any connected MCP servers. An optional Environment sandbox handles isolated execution. A durable Session persists state, and a stream of events reports what the session is doing as it works. Developers can run that compute inside an OpenAI-managed sandbox, on their own infrastructure, or through a partner sandbox. Integrations are already live from Cloudflare, DigitalOcean and Oracle.

Why This Matters Beyond Coding Tools

Codex itself remains a specific product aimed at software development. Exposing its underlying harness as a general-purpose API changes that. Developers outside the coding-tools space can now build agents for customer support, research or data analysis. Any workflow that benefits from an AI system capable of taking multi-step action, not just answering questions, is now a candidate. That positions OpenAI more directly against agent-infrastructure offerings from rivals racing to give developers similar building blocks.

Developer writing code that could integrate with the new OpenAI Agents API

What Comes Next in the Beta

The Agents API launched with pay-per-use pricing based on tokens and tool calls. There is no separate subscription layered on top. As the public beta continues, the real test will be adoption. Will third-party developers use the harness at scale for production workloads? And how quickly will OpenAI expand its list of managed-sandbox and infrastructure partners beyond the three announced at launch?

How This Fits the Wider Agent Race

OpenAI is not the only company racing to give developers agent-building infrastructure. Anthropic offers its own agent development kit for building custom Claude-based agents, and Google has been expanding similar tooling around its Gemini models. What sets OpenAI’s move apart is that it exposes the exact harness already proven in a shipping product, Codex. That is different from a separate framework built specifically for external developers. Developers weighing whether to adopt the new API will likely focus on pricing predictability and how easily existing Codex-based workflows can migrate over without a rewrite. OpenAI has not said whether Codex itself will eventually be rebuilt on top of the public Agents API or continue as a separate, parallel product. Infrastructure partners such as Cloudflare and DigitalOcean stand to benefit either way. Developer demand for sandboxed agent compute tends to translate directly into cloud spending, regardless of which underlying model or harness an agent uses.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the OpenAI Agents API?

It is a public beta, launched September 10, 2026, that gives developers the same harness and infrastructure that powers OpenAI’s Codex coding agent. It is accessible through a single API rather than a standalone product.

What can developers build with it?

Inside a session, the Agents API can run code, edit files, search the web, apply skills and produce artifacts. It can also split work across subagents with a set concurrency limit, according to OpenAI’s own announcement.

How is the API structured?

It is built around four objects. An Agent defines the model, instructions, tools and MCP servers. An optional Environment sandbox handles execution, a durable Session persists state, and a stream of events reports what the session produces as it runs.

Where does the agent’s compute actually run?

Developers can choose to run agent compute in an OpenAI-managed sandbox, their own infrastructure, or a partner sandbox. Integrations are already available from Cloudflare, DigitalOcean and Oracle.

How much does it cost to use?

The Agents API operates on a pay-per-use model based on tokens and tool usage, with no additional flat fee on top of standard API costs.

Is this different from OpenAI’s Codex product?

Codex remains a specific coding-agent product. The Agents API exposes the same underlying harness so developers can build their own custom agents for tasks well beyond coding.

The launch adds to a busy stretch for OpenAI, which has spent September rolling out new capacity, safety governance changes and now a broader developer platform in quick succession. Developers who build on the new API will be watching closely for how OpenAI balances rapid feature releases against reliability. Enterprise customers expect stability from production infrastructure as more companies move agent workloads from experiments into everyday business use. For more on the AI infrastructure race this month, see our coverage of OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra release and the memory chip shortage squeezing every major AI hardware maker.

Sources

11 Sep 2026
US Canada trade war

Canada Hit the US With $20 Billion in Tariffs — Washington Answered With a Ban

Categories Business

The trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa escalated sharply this month. Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20 billion of US goods. The United States responded with a ban on Canadian alcohol, motorcycles and dairy products. The US Canada trade war has now widened into direct import bans and government contracting restrictions. It deepens a rift between two of the world’s closest trading partners.

US-Canada border crossing point at the center of the US Canada trade war

How the US Canada Trade War Escalated This Month

Canada’s retaliatory tariffs took effect September 8, 2026. They apply to roughly CA$27.6 billion, about US$20 billion, of American goods. Rates range from 15% to 50% depending on the category. The list covers steel, dairy products, household appliances, agricultural equipment and paper products, according to Al Jazeera’s coverage of the tariffs taking effect. The move came in direct response to 50% US tariffs on a similar volume of Canadian goods imposed the previous month. Trade talks between the two governments had broken down before that.

Washington’s Countermove

The United States answered within days. NBC News reported that the US will ban a broad swath of Canadian alcoholic beverages, motorcycles and dairy products from import starting September 29, 2026. President Trump also moved the same week to shut Canadian products out of large, long-term US government contracts. That added a procurement dimension to what began as a tariff dispute.

What This Means for the USMCA

The dispute has widened a rift between two of the closest trading partners in the world. It has cast real doubt on the future of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. That deal was meant to keep trade between the three countries largely tariff-free. Industries on both sides of the border, from dairy farmers to motorcycle manufacturers, are now navigating a landscape the USMCA was specifically designed to prevent.

Dairy shipment affected by tariffs in the escalating US Canada trade war

Where the Dispute Goes From Here

The US import ban does not take effect until September 29. That leaves a narrow window for renewed negotiations before the restrictions bite. Both governments face domestic pressure. Canadian exporters are already absorbing the cost of US tariffs imposed last month. American distillers, dairy processors and motorcycle dealers who rely on Canadian imports are bracing for the ban. Analysts say a resumption of formal trade talks is the most likely path to de-escalation. Neither side has signaled a near-term return to the table.

Who Feels the Squeeze First

Dairy farmers on both sides of the border are among the hardest hit, since dairy appears on both countries’ tariff and ban lists. Canadian motorcycle makers face a near-total loss of access to their largest export market once the September 29 ban takes hold. American distillers who rely on Canadian barley and packaging materials are bracing for higher input costs even before any formal ban touches their own products. Steel producers in both countries are watching the broader dispute closely. Steel sits at the center of Canada’s retaliatory list and remains one of the most tariff-sensitive industries in North America. Consumers are likely to notice the impact last, as higher costs typically take a few months to move from producers to store shelves. Prolonged uncertainty makes it harder for manufacturers to plan supply chains that often cross the border multiple times before a finished product reaches a customer, a pressure that tends to push both governments back toward the negotiating table.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Canada do that triggered this round of the trade war?

Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs of 15% to 50% on about CA$27.6 billion (roughly US$20 billion) of US goods on September 8, 2026. The list covers steel, dairy, household appliances, agricultural equipment and paper products.

How did the United States respond?

The US announced a ban on imports of Canadian alcoholic beverages, motorcycles and dairy products. The ban takes effect September 29, 2026.

Why did Canada retaliate in the first place?

Canada’s move followed 50% US tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods imposed the previous month. Several rounds of trade negotiations between the two countries had already collapsed.

Did the US take any other action beyond the import ban?

Yes. President Trump also moved to shut Canadian products out of large, long-term US government contracts on the same day Canada’s retaliatory tariffs took effect.

What does this mean for the USMCA trade agreement?

The breakdown has widened a rift between the two longtime allies. It has cast doubt on the future viability of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which was designed to keep trade between the three countries largely tariff-free.

When do the new US import bans take effect?

The ban on Canadian alcohol, motorcycles and most dairy products is scheduled to begin September 29, 2026.

How quickly the two governments find a path back to the table will determine what comes next. That could be a short-lived standoff, or a longer-term reshaping of North American trade three decades after NAFTA first tied the continent’s economies together. This dispute sits alongside other trade and export fights making headlines this month. See our coverage of the chip export loophole Washington is trying to close and the OPEC+ decision on October oil output.

Sources

11 Sep 2026
Sweden election 2026

Sweden Votes This Weekend — And the Far Right Wants a Seat at the Table

Categories World

Sweden heads to the polls on September 13, 2026, in one of the most closely watched elections in the Nordic region this year. The centre-left opposition holds a narrowing lead over Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing coalition. The Sweden election 2026 could reshape how far a nationalist party sits inside mainstream European government. The Sweden Democrats are pushing for cabinet seats rather than the parliamentary support role they have played since 2022, a shift that would be closely watched across Europe.

Sweden's parliament building ahead of the Sweden election 2026

Sweden Election 2026: Where the Race Stands

Sweden’s centre-left opposition held a lead over the ruling right-wing bloc heading into the vote. That advantage has been shrinking. A poll conducted for public broadcaster SVT showed the gap narrowing from 9.5 percentage points in June to about 6.8 points more recently, according to reporting compiled by US News. Seat projections show Kristersson’s governing alliance — the Moderates, Christian Democrats, Liberals and the Sweden Democrats — winning around 45.8% of seats. That falls short of a majority on its own.

Why the Sweden Democrats Are the Story to Watch

The Sweden Democrats have propped up Kristersson’s government in parliament since 2022 without holding formal ministries. This time, the party is demanding cabinet seats as the price of continued support. The move would mark a notable shift in how directly Sweden’s nationalist right participates in government. Whether Kristersson agrees will shape not just this term, but how other Nordic and European centre-right parties approach similar coalition math going forward.

What’s Actually Driving Swedish Voters

The campaign has centered on cost of living, security, immigration, crime and energy supply. It is a similar mix of concerns to what has driven right-wing gains elsewhere in Europe this year. A factbox compiled by Yahoo News Canada notes that both blocs have leaned heavily on crime and immigration messaging. Those issues have featured prominently in Sweden’s public debate since a string of high-profile violent incidents in recent years.

Swedish flag ahead of the closely watched Sweden election 2026

What Happens After the Votes Are Counted

If the centre-left bloc’s lead holds, Sweden would see its first change of government since 2022. If Kristersson’s coalition claws back enough ground, the harder question becomes whether he brings the Sweden Democrats fully into cabinet. That decision is being watched closely well beyond Sweden’s borders, since it could shape coalition-building calculations for centre-right parties elsewhere in Europe.

What a Change of Government Would Actually Mean

A centre-left win would not reverse Sweden’s NATO membership, which enjoys broad support across the political spectrum since the country joined the alliance in 2024. The more immediate shifts would come on energy policy, welfare spending and how aggressively Sweden pursues its current, tougher approach to asylum and residency rules. A Social Democrat-led government would likely slow some of the stricter immigration measures introduced under Kristersson, while keeping the broad security posture largely intact. Business groups are watching the campaign’s tax proposals closely. Both blocs have floated changes to corporate and income tax rates that would take effect only after a new government is formally seated. Coalition talks could stretch for weeks after election day if the result is close. That pattern has played out in several recent Swedish elections where no bloc won a clear majority on the first count.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Sweden’s 2026 election?

Sweden holds its parliamentary election on September 13, 2026, choosing all 349 seats in the Riksdag.

Who is currently leading in the polls?

The centre-left opposition leads Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s ruling right-wing bloc. The gap has narrowed since June, from roughly 9.5 percentage points to about 6.8 points in the most recent polling.

What is Kristersson’s coalition trying to do?

Kristersson is seeking to form a majority government with his existing partners, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals. For the first time, he may bring the Sweden Democrats into cabinet seats rather than just parliamentary support.

Why does the Sweden Democrats’ role matter?

The Sweden Democrats have backed Kristersson’s government in parliament since 2022 without holding ministries. Demanding cabinet seats after this election would mark a significant shift in how far a nationalist party has moved into mainstream Swedish governance.

What are the main campaign issues?

Cost of living, security, immigration, crime and energy supply have dominated the campaign. Those concerns echo elections seen across the region this year.

Could the governing coalition win a majority on its own?

Seat projections show the governing alliance winning around 45.8% of seats. That is short of the majority it would need without support from the Sweden Democrats or another partner.

Whatever the outcome, Sunday’s result will be parsed closely across the Nordic region and beyond. It is a test of whether nationalist parties can keep converting parliamentary influence into formal governing power. Neighboring Nordic governments are watching too. Coalition arrangements in one country often shape the political calculus in the others, particularly on shared regional priorities like energy policy and border security. Sweden’s vote follows a string of consequential European elections this year. See our coverage of the AfD’s win in Saxony-Anhalt and, for a very different kind of vote, Russia’s Duma election this month.

Sources

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