Bukele had announced that all bus fares for a week would be completely free due to construction the government was carrying out on one of the main highways running through San Salvador.

(Image credit: AP)

Two months ago, the U.S. deported almost 300 asylum seekers and flew them to Panama under a deal that has been widely criticized by human rights groups.

Israel's cabinet has approved plans for Gaza that include expanding the war, taking territory with the intent to keep troops there, and major shifts in the way food and aid are distributed. Our correspondent in Tel Aviv tells us what are in the plans and what they could mean for Gaza.

(Image credit: Hani Alshaer)

The U.N. World Food Program plans to cut its staff by a third. Donations from Europe and Britain have flagged, and cuts by the Trump administration forced the humanitarian organization to downsize.

Israel's cabinet approved a plan to limit the way life-saving aid is distributed in Gaza. And, Diddy's trial begins today wth jury selection.

(Image credit: Jehad Alshrafi)

Chinese exporters have already found a workaround to President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs by shipping their goods through third-party countries to conceal their true origin.

The economic giant has responded to Trump's 145 percent tariffs on Chinese imports by slapping 125 percent duties on U.S. goods, but Chinese social media platforms are filled with ads offering “place-of-origin washing” to get around those steep levies, reported the Financial Times.

“The tariff is too high,” said Sarah Ou, a salesperson at Baitai Lighting. “[But] we can sell the goods to neighboring countries, and then the neighboring countries sell them on to the United States, and it will reduce.”

ALSO READ: ‘Pain. Grief. Anger’: Families heartbroken as Trump backlash smashes adoption dreams

U.S. trade laws require goods to undergo a “substantial transformation” in another country to become the new "origin," but social media ads are offering "smooth customs clearance" with origin-washing services.

“The U.S. has imposed tariffs on Chinese products?" read one ad. "Transit through Malaysia to ‘transform’ into Southeast Asian goods!”

Malaysia and South Korea have emerged as hotspots for the practice, and the latter nation's customs agency said it found $21 million worth of goods with falsified origins in the first quarter of this year, with most of them coming from China and nearly all bound for the United States.

“We are seeing a sharp increase in recent cases where our country is used as a bypass for products to avoid different tariffs and restrictions because of the US government’s trade policy changes,” the agency said in a statement. “We have found numerous cases where the origins of Chinese products were falsified as Korean.”

Vietnam’s industry and trade ministry has called for stricter measures to prevent the issue of counterfeit certificates, while Thailand’s foreign trade department announced measures to strengthen origin checks for U.S.-bound products.

“Basically I only ship to a Chinese port and they take it from there,” said the owner of a consumer goods manufacturer based in the Chinese city of Dongguan.

“These agencies said small- and medium-sized enterprises like us can weather the tariff hit better because there’s always grey areas,” she added. “I hope it’s true. The U.S. is a big market — I don’t want to lose it.”

Even Democrats who once supported regulatory legislation for "stablecoins" are backing off now that the Trump family is a major player in the crypto market, according to a new report in The New York Times.

Stablecoins are "a type of cryptocurrency that maintains a price of $1"; Crypto traders like stablecoins because they don't "swing in value the way other digital currencies do, making them convenient for many types of business transactions," according to the report.

A bill backed by the crypto industry called the GENIUS Act would be "one of the first formal acts by lawmakers to create a regulatory system that could help the industry grow in the United States."

But in closed-door meetings, Senate Democrats "expressed concern that the legislation would directly benefit" the Trump family’s burgeoning crypto business, wrote reporters David Yaffe-Bellany and Eric Lipton.

ALSO READ: ‘Pain. Grief. Anger’: Families heartbroken as Trump backlash smashes adoption dreams

Although he was a "onetime crypto skeptic, Donald Trump has embraced digital currencies" and has promised "to turn the United States into the 'crypto capital of the planet.' In September, he and his sons announced they were starting World Liberty, a business that would offer its own digital currencies."

World Liberty Financial recently secured a deal with an Emirati venture fund backed by the government of Abu Dhabi to take $2 billion in deposits. The business venture would effectively funnel money "into a business led by the U.S. president’s family."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said in a statement that the legislation "will make it easier for the president and his family to line their own pockets. This is corruption and no senator should support it.”

Senators were also concerned about the potential for fraud and money laundering.

The Times reported that Senate Republicans need at least seven Democrats on board to move the legislation.

On Monday, both Sen. Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) separately moved to ask the Office of Government Ethics "to investigate the Trump family’s growing cryptocurrency business deals, calling them 'a startling degree of foreign influence and the potential for a quid pro quo that could endanger national security," the report said.

Read the New York Times article here.

Two large United States businesses had big announcements Monday, and they cited President Donald Trump's tariffs as the cause.

Mattel, the company responsible for "Hot Wheels" and "Barbie," "scrapped its financial forecast for the year, saying tariffs make it hard to predict consumer spending," The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

It has been less than a week since Trump announced at a Cabinet meeting that children may have to make do with less during the holiday season.

“Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally,” the president said.

ALSO READ: ‘Pain. Grief. Anger’: Families heartbroken as Trump backlash smashes adoption dreams

“As we sit here today, we’re modeling different scenarios, but it’s hard to tell where things will land and how the tariff situation will evolve,” CEO Ynon Kreiz said. “It’s very volatile right now.”

The report said that Mattel is the largest toy company in the United States by sales. It has moved some of its production out of China "in recent years," but about 40% of toys are still manufactured there.

"To offset the cost of tariffs," the company said it would press to shift manufacturing out of China faster. "Where necessary," the company said, it will raise prices on toys.

The Journal also noted that the CEO announced that Mattel is "supporting the toy industry’s lobbying efforts to press for zero tariffs on toys."

During its earnings call, Ford revealed that it beat Wall Street’s first-quarter expectations, but given the tariffs announced by Trump, it would "suspend its 2025 financial guidance," CNBC reported.

The company said that it expects a $2.5 billion impact from the Trump tariffs this year. It said that the goal is to "offset" $1 billion of those costs, however.

In early April, Trump announced a 25% tariff on imported vehicles and added a 25% tariff on auto parts that don't fall into the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which took effect on Saturday.

News that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) will not run for Senate in 2026 had social media buzzing Monday.

Kemp had been the Republican favorite to take on incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA). Kemp's departure from the race may be a boon for MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has expressed interest in the Senate seat.

Kemp released a statement on his X account that read, in part, "Over the last few weeks, I have had many conversations with friends, supporters, and leaders across the country who encouraged me to run for the US Senate in 2026. I greatly appreciate their support and prayers for our family."

Kemp vowed to help "President Trump and Senate leadership" to "ensure we have a strong Republican nominee who can win next November."

Kemp's bowing out led to swift reactions across social media.

ALSO READ: ‘Pain. Grief. Anger’: Families heartbroken as Trump backlash smashes adoption dreams

MSNBC analyst Tim Miller posted, "While 98% of GOP pols have shamelessly sacrificed their integrity at the altar of Trump, Brian Kemp hasn't. And he understands that there is no way to run for Senate while Trump's president and maintain your dignity. So hat's off to him for that."

Democratic pollster Matt McDermott wrote, "Between Brian Kemp in Georgia and Chris Sununu in New Hampshire, a remarkably bad recruitment year for Republicans hoping to maintain their Senate majority."

"This is a huge, huge coup for Dems and a massive set back for GOPs going into 2026. Ossoff is a favorite against every other possible opponent and Kemp was the perfect GOP candidate to oppose him," wrote Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo.

Republicans Against Trumpism posted, "Republican Gov. Brian Kemp will NOT run for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat in 2026 against incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. It was recently reported that Marjorie Taylor Greene Is expected to run for the seat if Kemp stays out. Very good news for Ossoff."

Podcaster Mueller, She Wrote echoed the sentiment: "Kemp will NOT run for senate, making it easier for Ossoff."

A prominent immigration attorney was shocked over a report that could reveal if Immigration and Customs Enforcement was "telling the truth" about the last of three flights to El Salvador carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow with the American Immigration Council, wrote on X, "Whoa. @404mediaco reports that hackers have shared flight manifests for the 3 GlobalX flights to El Salvador on March 15. This could confirm whether ICE is telling the truth that the third plane, which took off after Boasberg's order had only people with final orders of removal."

The federal government had argued in court that it had no information to share about the flights, which were ordered to return to the United States, but proceeded to El Salvador because the government claimed they had already departed.

Reporters Joseph Cox and Jason Koebler of 404 Media wrote that "The data, which the hackers contacted 404 Media and other journalists about unprompted, could provide granular insight into who exactly has been deported on GlobalX flights, when, and to where."

ALSO READ: ‘Pain. Grief. Anger’: Families heartbroken as Trump backlash smashes adoption dreams

Koebler posted to his X account a "defacement message" from "Anonymous" that the group allegedly left on the GlobalIX website.

The screenshot read, "Anonymous has decided to enforce the Judge's order since you and your sycophant staff ignore lawful orders that go against your fascist plans. You lose again Donnie."

The 404 Media report continued, "The hacker says the data includes flight records and passenger lists. The hacker sent 404 Media a copy of the data, which is sorted into folders dated everyday from January 19 through May 1. 404 Media cross-checked known information about ICE deportation flights that come from official and confirmable sources with information contained on the flight manifests and flight details obtained by the hacker. Information about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s flight is in the hacked data."

The reporters said they were currently reviewing the information.

"404 Media is not publishing the full list of passengers at this time as we work to verify which passengers were specifically on deportation flights and to protect peoples’ privacy because the manifests contain personally sensitive information like passport details. We will continue to analyze the data for information in the public interest and explore what we’re able to publish," they wrote.

Read the 404 Media report here.

The announcement was made in Kraków during the 2025 Congress, where 1,000 media leaders from 65 countries gathered to explore the future of news media.

Since its inception in 1948, the World News Media Congress has been the leading international platform for dialogue, reflection, and cooperation in the media industry. It aims to promote quality journalism, defend press freedom, and shape the future of news on a global scale.

With more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 news sites, and nearly 3,000 companies across more than 120 countries, WAN-IFRA organises this world-leading annual conference, bringing together top executives, publishers, and editors from across the news industry. This summit comes at a pivotal moment, as the media industry faces two major challenges: rethinking its business model to adapt to new information consumption patterns and addressing growing public mistrust in the media.

The partnership with CMA Media acknowledges its expanding role in the media landscape. Created in 2023, CMA Media is already the leading private newsroom in France, uniting prominent print titles (La Provence, Corse Matin, La Tribune, La Tribune Dimanche) with major audiovisual outlets such as BFM TV and RMC Radio. This recognition highlights CMA Media’s unique position — combining national and local reach with a strong commitment to innovation and regional engagement.

The choice of Marseille also reflects CMA Media’s deep connection to the city, headquarters of La Provence and home to its Grand Central hub. The city offers a hybrid ecosystem for media, startups, and educational institutions. In full transformation, the Phocaean city symbolises renewal and openness to the Mediterranean and Africa — offering a refreshing shift away from traditional power centres. Rich in social, cultural, and generational diversity, Marseille provides an ideal testing ground for new technologies, innovative editorial formats, and strengthening ties between media and the public.

“For CMA Media, being chosen to host the next World Press Congress is a source of immense pride, especially since it has not been held in France for 30 years. This success is the result of remarkable collective work on the part of all our teams, whom I would like to thank warmly. Now, we are going to put all our energy into making this event a real success, here in Marseille, a global city conducive to innovation and international exchanges on the future of the media.” said Jean-Christophe Tortora, Managing Director of CMA Media’s press division

“I am delighted and proud that the World News Media Congress is returning to France, where it all began nearly 80 years ago. I am particularly excited about Marseille, a cradle of Mediterranean civilisation, and grateful to CMA Media for hosting us. CMA Media is a diversified media group with a strong commitment to innovation, backed by a new generation of committed media owners who are determined to meet the challenges of news and journalism in the 21st century.” said Vincent Peyrègne, WAN-IFRA CEO. “As every year, I see this as a strong and meaningful statement for the Congress and the promise of a Congress that will make history. I’m excited to welcome the international press to this wonderful region of Provence.”

Contact and Inquiries

Sumithra Hönig, Director, Global Sales & Events, WAN-IFRA. sumithra.hoenig@wan-ifra.org

WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, is the world’s largest international news organization, representing 3,000 news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs, and 60 member publishers’ associations representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries. Our mission is to protect the rights of journalists and publishers around the world to operate independent media. We provide our members with the expertise and services to innovate and thrive in a digital world and to play their crucial role in society.

CMA Media is the media branch of the CMA CGM Group. CMA Media, the 3rd largest private media group in France, is made up of an emblematic audiovisual division, the 1st French player in continuous news (notably BFM TV and RMC) and a press division bringing together recognized titles (La Provence, Corse Matin, La Tribune and La Tribune Dimanche). CMA Media also brings together the investments in the M6 Group and in the digital platform Brut.

The post WAN-IFRA to host World News Media Congress 2026 in Marseille, France appeared first on WAN-IFRA.

Selected from 674 entries across five regions (South Asia, APAC, Africa, Europe, and the Americas), the awards, made during WAN-IFRA’s World News Media Congress taking place in Kraków, demonstrate how publishers leverage digital tools to enhance journalism and engage audiences.

“While we talk a lot about the challenges facing news publishers, WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media Awards are an opportunity to spotlight exciting innovations around the world,” said Vincent Peyrègne, WAN-IFRA CEO. “The winners of our international competition are living proof that professional news organisations are on the rise. There is no shortage of innovations in the news, and a lot to be learned from these inspiring projects.”

2025 Digital Media Awards Worldwide Winners

Winners of the Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2025. Kraków, 5 May 2025. Credit: Sobczyński Film

Best Use of AI in the Newsroom
La Nación, Argentina – Así nos habló Milei: 9 trucos del relato libertario para construir un nuevo sentido común (Thus spoke Milei: 9 deceits of the libertarian narrative to construct a new common sense)
This investigation used AI to analyse 142 speeches by President Javier Milei, offering a detailed look into his first year in office. See the project here.

Best Data Visualisation
Reuters, United Kingdom – Buildings Wrapped in Solid Gasoline
Reuters investigated a fatal Valencia high-rise fire using 3D visuals, expert analysis and simulations to examine the role of flammable cladding, and highlight ongoing safety risks. Explore it here.

Best News Website or Digital Platform Relaunch
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany — FAZ.NET Relaunch
FAZ.NET’s redesign introduced personalised content, dynamic paywalls, and real-time customisation, significantly boosting engagement and subscriptions. Watch the video.

Best Newsletter
The Telegraph, United Kingdom – How to Become a Millionaire
A six-week personal finance series offering actionable advice on budgeting, investing, pensions, and tax. Featuring interactivity and journalist participation, it launched during UK economic uncertainty and strengthened audience trust. Discover the project.

Best Digital Subscription or Reader Revenue Project
South China Morning Post, Hong Kong – SCMP Plus
Launched in June 2024, SCMP Plus offers exclusive China-focused content, successfully attracting and retaining a high-value audience of business leaders and global readers. Learn more about the project.

Best Use of AI in Revenue Strategy
United Daily News, Taiwan – The Triple Impact of AI
By integrating AI in advertising, newsroom workflows, and platform engagement, United Daily News achieved marked improvements in click-through rates, conversions, and user interaction. More information.

Best Fact-Checking Project
Chequeado, Argentina – Promesas Chequeadas
This project tracks President Javier Milei’s campaign promises, reaching over a million people in its first week and becoming a vital accountability tool. More about the project.

Best Use of Video
Verdens Gang (VG), Norway – VG’s Video Revolution
VG redefined U.S. election coverage with mobile-first, interactive live streams, driving a 500% rise in video views and significant growth among younger audiences. Discover how they did it.

Best in Audience Engagement
Grupo El Comercio, Peru – Premios Somos 2024
This interactive voting campaign celebrating Peruvian gastronomy led to 51,000 new user registrations and a 200% engagement increase. More information on the campaign.

Best Innovative Digital Product
Daily Maverick, South Africa – Manifesto MAYHEM!
A gamified platform turning political manifestos into collectible cards, making key election promises more accessible, especially to young voters. Here is the video of the project.

Best Digital Advertising Product or Initiative
The Hindu, India – The Hindu Made of Chennai
Celebrating Chennai’s 385th anniversary, this 40-day multi-platform campaign blended culture, community, and entertainment to deepen audience connection. Here is the video of the campaign.

Best Use of Audio or Podcast
Podium Podcast: PRISA MEDIA, Chile — Necesito Poder Respirar: La Vida de Jorge González
This immersive podcast combined rare recordings, personal interviews, and original music, to tell the story of Chilean music icon Jorge González. It topped Spotify charts and surpassed 700,000 streams in its first month.

See here for more information about the winners and their projects.

The judges, made up of an international jury of distinguished media experts, gave weight to effective strategies, with a strong commitment to a journalism that informs, engages, and serves communities around the world.

Chris Janz  CEO, Capital Brief (Australia); WAN-IFRA Expert Panel member / Gregor Waller Consultant, Digital Age Consulting (Germany); WAN-IFRA Expert Panel member / Angie Drobnic Holan Director, International Fact-Checking Network (USA) / Prof. Rosental Alves Founder and director of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas (USA); Professor at University of Texas at Austin / Claudio E. Cabrera Vice President of Audience at The Athletic, USA / Nikita Roy Founder, Newsroom Robots Lab (USA/ Canada) / Chia-Lun Huang Director: Talent Sustainabilty@CW, CommonWealth Magazine, (Taiwan) / Cherilyn Ireton Executive Director World Editors Forum, WAN-IFRA (UK) / Clara Soteras Head of Innovation and Digital Strategy, AMIC (Spain) / Fergus Bell Founder & CEO, Fathm; Executive Director, Syli (UK) / Cristina Tardáguila Senior Research Consultant, Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas (USA) / Valérie Arnould Deputy Director, Digital Revenue Network, WAN-IFRA (France) / Christophe Israël Journalist; Consultant in digital strategy, change management, AI (Switzerland) / Maylis Chevalier Strategy and Innovation Consultant (Spain) / Robert Walker-Smith Head of Revenue Knight x LMA BloomLab, Local Media Association (USA) / Robb Montgomery Award-winning filmmaker, Textbook Author, Mobile Journalism Professor (Germany) / Kuek Ser Kuang Keng Founder, Data-N (Malaysia) / Rafael Höhr Founding Partner, Prodigioso Volcán (Spain) / John M. Humenik Programme Director, Local Media Association | Local Media Foundation Family & Independent Media Sustainability Lab (FIMS) AI Community Journalism Lab (USA) / Ismael Nafría Journalist, writer and digital media consultant (Spain) / Claudia Báez Consultant in digital and AI innovation; leader in social impact entrepreneurship (Colombia) / John Hall Senior Editor, Storyful (UK).

CONTACT AND INQUIRIES

For more information, please contact Raquel González, Deputy Director, Business Development and Special Projects. raquel.gonzalez@wan-ifra.org

ABOUT 

The 76th World News Media Congress is taking place in the culturally rich city of Krakow, Poland from 4th to the 6th May, and explores the ongoing transformation of news media, with Mastering Media’s New Playbook a central theme. Through three specialist tracks and hands-on workshops, leaders of newsrooms and news organisations can explore the evolving strategies needed to build competitive and innovative spaces where essential journalism can thrive.

WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, is the global organisation of the world’s press, comprising 3,000 news publishers and technology companies and 40 national publishers’ associations representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries. With a mission to protect the rights of journalists and publishers around the world to operate independent media, WAN-IFRA provides its members with expertise and services to innovate and prosper in a digital world and perform their crucial role in society. The World Editors Forum is its network for editors. 

The post Global News Media Innovators Shine at 2025 Digital Media Awards Worldwide appeared first on WAN-IFRA.

BRATISLAVA, May 05 (IPS) - As a string of European states announce withdrawals from a global treaty banning antipersonnel landmines, campaigners are warning countless lives could be put at risk as decades of progress fighting the weapons come under threat.

Read the full story, “Lives at Risk After Some States Withdraw From Landmine Treaty”, on globalissues.org →

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 05 (IPS) - Janet Ngombalu is Kenya Country Director, Christian AidReflecting on this year’s IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, one word lingers in my mind: uncertainty. The shifting global geopolitical landscape loomed large—none more so than the US administration’s initial threat to withdraw from the Bretton Woods institutions.

Read the full story, “Uncertainty Looms for Kenya Following Tense IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings”, on globalissues.org →

NEW YORK, May 05 (IPS) - Climate change is threatening to engulf small island states such as Maldives and the Marshall Islands. Gender apartheid is still practiced in theocratic states such as Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. War crimes and genocide are taking place in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Sudan.

Read the full story, “A Feminist Future for the UN: Why the Next Secretary-General Must Champion Civil Society”, on globalissues.org →

The United Nations has condemned a deadly aerial bombardment on a hospital in South Sudan’s Jonglei state that killed multiple civilians and forced the suspension of vital medical services for over 100,000 people.

Read the full story, “World News in Brief: Deadly attacks in South Sudan and Ukraine, World Court rejects Sudan case, lifesaving aid in Yemen”, on globalissues.org →

The UN is sounding the alarm over escalating violence in Sudan following drone strikes near Port Sudan airport reportedly carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Read the full story, “Sudan drone attacks raise fears for civilian safety and aid efforts”, on globalissues.org →