3D art of the week: Brian Micalucci.

Should you splurge for the new Series 10 or stick with the SE? Let us help you figure out which version to get (and which to avoid).

Macworld What I really love about smartphones is the extensive app catalog, which lets users try and pick between a wide range of options. If you don’t like how a certain application works, you can typically find solid alternatives in the same category that better match your expectations. However, this generally doesn’t apply to social media and communication apps, as the network effect locks us into the platforms our contacts use. In many regions, WhatsApp has become the default instant messaging service, connecting billions of users to their friends and family members, and even some businesses. Despite that, some people, including myself, still rely on iMessage for a number of reasons, such as concerns over Meta’s privacy practices. Nevertheless, when I text my friends on iMessage, I can’t help but notice how bare-bones the experience feels. Here are seven WhatsApp features that iMessage needs right now: 1. Enhanced roaming experience My biggest annoyance with iMessage is how fragile and high-maintenance the service can be when roaming. The moment you eject your physical SIM card or turn off the eSIM, your phone number gets deregistered from iMessage. This downgrades all of your chats to SMS (as most international carriers haven’t adopted RCS yet) and incurs fees when chatting with friends abroad. Mahmoud Itani / Foundry To avoid this, you could either expose and use your Apple Account’s email address as the iMessage ID or register the new SIM card’s foreign number on iMessage. Both routes are far from ideal; especially the latter, requiring your contacts to become aware of and save a new number whenever you travel. While newer iPhones with dual-SIM support make this problem more manageable, there are still instances when it causes a headache. WhatsApp, on the other hand, lets you use the phone number you’ve registered—as long as no one with physical access to the associated SIM card tries to create an account. So, you can remove the SIM card from your iPhone for whatever reason without worrying about disconnection. There’s nothing stopping Apple from copying this intuitive, safe approach. 2. Extensive user profiles Other WhatsApp perks I like include profile bios and social media links (currently in beta). These enable users to introduce themselves and showcase a more comprehensive profile. Contact cards on iOS already support social account handles, notes, location pins, etc. All Apple has to do is let us optionally reveal some of these fields to our iMessage contacts, just as we can now with names and profile photos. Mahmoud Itani / Foundry 3. Status updates and stories Despite Instagram being the go-to platform for uploading ephemeral stories, some users opt for WhatsApp when sharing more private moments. While it’s not technically texting, posting stories in the form of status updates—shared photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours—has become an integral part of everyday communication, and iMessage should catch up—it doesn’t even have an online status feature. Apple could put its own twist on it, with settings to limit visibility, add Animoji, and hook into Apple intelligence, or offer the option to turn off the feature altogether as Signal does. ButiMessage needs to get with the times. 4. Customized conversations Another trend I’ve noticed in modern-day texting is the prevalence of chat themes. When I glance around in crowded public spaces, colorful chat bubbles and wallpapers always stand out to me. The feature, long supported by Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram, recently launched on WhatsApp, and I’d love to see it on iMessage, too. The latest iOS updates have enabled users to personalize the iPhone experience more than ever before. From the Lock and Home Screens to the Control Center and Photos app, layouts have never been so customizable. It’s time for iMessage to catch up. Mahmoud Itani / Foundry 5. Simpler file sharing One thing I love about WhatsApp is the efficiency of its file-sharing functions. There’s an in-app attach document button, letting you directly browse through your local files without exiting the messenger. Conversely, iMessage requires you to leave the Messages app when someone requests a file. You need to find the Files app, launch it, locate the desired document, tap the share button, pick the iMessage contact, and hit send. Apple could address this unnecessary complexity by introducing a Files app in iMessage, similar to the existing Photos, Music, and Camera mini apps. 6. Better group chats Beyond one-on-one conversations, iMessage should upgrade the group chat experience. Currently, the service still doesn’t support typing indicators and read receipts in groups. Another ridiculous iMessage limitation is the inability to leave a group when it has only three members. A workaround (of sorts) is adding a fourth person to the group then leaving, but the new member will be stuck with the other two in said group. Additionally, a neat WhatsApp group feature is polling, which makes organizing and planning events more seamless. iMessage should copy this handy function, complementing the new Apple Invites app. Mahmoud Itani / Foundry 7. Managed conversations Lastly, iMessage should borrow the ability to star individual messages for future reference. While the service lets you pin conversations and certain types of attachments and mark messages as unread, there’s no straightforward way to bookmark texts for future reading. Similarly, Apple’s Messages app still lacks support for archiving conversations and creating custom lists to organize them. This omission makes it impossible to filter chats based on their type or context. Texting has evolved, but iMessage hasn’t It’s no secret that Apple tends to avoid shocking its users with major changes. Nonetheless, the gradual evolution of iMessage has been too slow compared to rival IM solutions. Third-party developers have been innovating and baking fun and useful features into their texting platforms, while iMessage hasn’t dramatically changed in years. Given the widespread adoption of iMessage, it would take years for it to lose relevance in the US. That’s not to say it’s impossible, though. People are slowly warming up to alternative apps, and WhatsApp continues to grow in North America. (Outside the U.S., it’s already huge.) If Apple wants to maintain its position in the texting space, a position which helps to cement the dominance of its overall product ecosystem, it must upgrade iMessage meaningfully, not just give it a superficial glassy UI in the next update.

AI agents are more than a productivity boost; they’re fundamentally reshaping customer interactions and business operations. And while there’s still work to do on trust and accuracy, the world is beginning a new tech era — one that might finally deliver on the promises seen in movies like Minority Report and Iron Man, according to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. Benioff, who recently spoke with Foundry’s “Today In Tech” host Keith Shaw on a variety of IT topics, differentiates AI agents from just generative AI (genAI), calling agents “the magical layer” that turns raw AI potential into real business value. He emphasized their ability to handle tasks with context, personality, and deep data awareness — something earlier AI tools lacked. Much of the Today in Tech conversation focused on AI agents, the software programs powered by AI that can make decisions, take actions, and interact with people or systems — often autonomously — to complete a business task or goal. “When a lot of people think of [AI] agents, they think of Jarvis in the Iron Man movies, and that’s what we want. We want a personal assistant who can go and do all of these things for us.” — Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Benioff mentioned a scene from Minority Report where customers walk into a futuristic Gap store and a hologram greets them by name and recommends products based on what they’ve bought before. He said current AI technology isn’t that advanced yet, but it’s definitely heading in that direction. “I know what the Gap store is going to look like in the future,” Benioff said. “When a lot of people think of [AI] agents, they think of Jarvis in the Iron Man movies, and that’s what we want. We want a personal assistant who can go and do all of these things for us.” GenAI tools like ChatGPT, Grok, or Gemini “are impressive,” but they still make mistakes. With more data and context, they’ll keep getting better, he said. Salesforce’s take on genAI and AI agents Salesforce has deeply embedded AI into its CRM product ecosystem through a strategy it calls the “Einstein 1 Platform.” It also offers Agentforce, a platform that enables businesses to create and deploy autonomous AI agents across various functions such as sales, service, marketing, and commerce.   Salesforce has also integrated genAI into its platform through Einstein GPT and Einstein Copilot, which function as intelligent assistants within applications. They can draft emails or customer responses, summarize case histories, auto-fill CRM records, and answer internal questions by leveraging a company’s own knowledge and data. Using Salesforce clients such as Singapore Airlines as examples, Benioff said when an AI agent is layered atop corporate data, it creates a hybrid customer support service with both humans and AI, offering an overall better experience. A customer can say, “Book me a flight to New York, and make sure it’s on Delta,” and an AI agent will check the passenger’s calendar, search flights, and book it with their loyalty number. It will then email anitinerary, all without the person ever clicking on a single button. Benioff also pointed to Lennar Corp., a Florida-based homebuilder that ran a hackathon after Salesforce’s Dreamforce and developed five AI agent use cases to improve customer service and save money. And he noted how Disney uses AI agents to help employees understand its vast ecosystem and personalize customer experiences in real-time — even rerouting guests to other rides if one breaks down. “Disney is an amazing company but let me tell you a secret about Disney that a lot of people don’t really think about, which is it’s really hard for their employees to understand all their products,” Benioff said. “This idea that an employee has to understand all those products, to talk to the customer, to put together the perfect package, the perfect idea for that customer. That’s pretty complicated.” Pandora Jewelry, he said, uses Salesforce AI agents to recommend products based on a customer’s existing purchases, enhancing real-time retail interactions. Data security and trust remain issues While AI agents are powerful, issues like privacy, data security, and trust still need to be solved. Though many companies consider AI agents as still in the experimental stage that comes with risk, others are looking to quickly adopt the tech anyway in the hopes of creating new efficiencies. As the adoption of autonomous AI agents explodes, vulnerabilities that allow them to be gamed or even weaponized are already emerging. Salesforce’s AI agents, Benioiff said, operate within strict security and data-sharing rules, so they only access what each user is allowed to see. Because the genAI tools are built directly into the platform, they understand both data and metadata, ensuring accurate, secure, and compliant responses — essential for sensitive industries like banking or airlines. The accuracy of Salesforce’s AI tech, Benioff acknowledged, currently stands at about 85%. But while current agentic AI is not perfect, next-gen “multisensory” models could change that. Benioff admitted that early genAI tools like Microsoft’s Copilot were overhyped in the enterprise, but said newer tools like Cursor and Surf Rider are surpassing earlier models. He also praised open-source AI, cost-saving innovations like Mixture of Experts (MoE), and said he supports emerging alternatives like DeepSeek. Most current genAI tools based on large language models (LLMs) are little more than next-word predictors based on patterns in text.  However, in the same way humans can draw on past experiences, and everything around them – sight, sound and touch – next-gen AI will be able to consider metadata, past experiences and information shared with AI models or multi-sensory inputs. The rise of genAI in healthcare And the technology is expected to improve healthcare by enabling a more complete patient diagnosis through near-instantaneous access to a vast depth of history and diagnostic tests. Patients will also be able to use the tech to be their own best advocates. Last September, Benioff said he ruptured his Achilles tendon, and his doctor suggested surgery. Taking advice from GPT, Benioff instead told the doctor he was going with a self-regenerative approach inspired by Tony Robbins’ book Life Force. Six months later, he said, his Achilles is fully healed. “I’m walking around without a boot and it regenerated. My doctor…is like, whoa. How’d you do that?” Benioff said. “It’s not magic.” “Think about if the agent is really there to help guide you and make help you have those decisions, make the right steps and go forward,” he continued. “You know cancer patients who are dealing with complex treatments like chemotherapy and others, being able to have that  24/7 care, I think, is going to make a huge difference.” In rural areas with limited access to specialists, genAI could augment orthopedic surgeons and others, helping them make better, data-driven decisions about treatments like surgery or regenerative options. That said, the technology remains limited in its abilities. Until there is a “multi-sensory model,” which is the next generation of AI, it will continue to be good, “but not perfect,” Benioff said. GenAI and the workforce One subject that has had the IT industry on edge is in recent years involves workforce reduction brought about by AI. As the technology becomes more competent at automating tasks, the fear is that human employees will be replaced. In the interview, Shaw referenced an opinion column Benioff wrote for Wall Street Journal in which he said a Morgan Stanley report showed a 20% to 50% cost savings from AI developments, largely from reduced headcount, office space, and overhead. “I think that we have to deal with reality here,” Benioff said. “So, I think it would be a huge mistake for me to not directly address this issue head on and to really talk about what is happening. That is that, yes, this is doing some of the roles that are being done by human beings. So, we need to start to adjust. We need to look at what is really going on.” “I think that it’s all about education that we’re going to need to make sure people are well trained, well educated — they can reskill.” — Marc Benioff Companies, he said, have to invest in reskilling workers, rather than just “making promises” there won’t be layoffs. Salesforce, he said, is investing in reskilling, but he also stressed the importance of corporate responsibility for helping to advance public education. “You can’t just talk about it; you have to fund it,” he said. “Our biggest grantee is our San Francisco and Oakland public schools, because I think that it’s all about education that we’re going to need to make sure people are well trained, well educated, they can reskill,” he said. “And reskilling is another area that we put a huge amount of money into the last 20 years, and this is important. And yes, we’re all going to have to think about this.” Despite its size, Benioff sees Salesforce as a startup at heart that’s focused on emerging tech and driven by vision, values, and innovation. He recalled the early days — bootstrapping with angel investors like IDG founder Pat McGovern, and how industry events like IDG’s DEMO shaped the company’s beginnings. Notable products introduced at DEMO include Salesforce.com itself, TiVo, VMware, Evernote, E*Trade, WebEx, and Fusion-io. (Until last month, Foundry was owned by IDG.) “Salesforce started in a super adverse environment where funding was highly constrained. So, we had to raise all our money — you know, privately. No venture capitalists would even invest in the company, which was amazing,” Benioff said. “And that’s why people like Pat McGovern…[were] angels in technology investing.” ​

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. US office that counters foreign disinformation is being eliminated The only office within the US State Department that monitors foreign disinformation is to be eliminated, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, confirming reporting by MIT Technology Review. The Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) Hub is a small office in the State Department’s Office of Public Diplomacy that tracks and counters foreign disinformation campaigns.The culling of the office leaves the State Department without a way to actively counter the increasingly sophisticated disinformation campaigns from foreign governments like those of Russia, Iran, and China. Read the full story. —Eileen Guo What is vibe coding, exactly? When OpenAI cofounder Andrej Karpathy excitedly took to X back in February to post about his new hobby, he probably had no idea he was about to coin a phrase that encapsulated an entire movement steadily gaining momentum across the world. “There’s a new kind of coding I call ‘vibe coding’, where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists,” he said. “I’m building a project or webapp, but it’s not really coding—I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff, and copy paste stuff, and it mostly works.”  If this all sounds very different from poring over lines of code, that’s because Karpathy was talking about a particular style of coding with AI assistance. His words struck a chord among software developers and enthusiastic amateurs alike.  In the months since, his post has sparked think pieces and impassioned debates across the internet. But what exactly is vibe coding? Who does it benefit, and what’s its likely future? Read the full story. —Rhiannon Williams This story is the latest for MIT Technology Review Explains, our series untangling the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next. You can read more from the series here. These four charts sum up the state of AI and energy You’ve probably read that AI will drive an increase in electricity demand. But how that fits into the context of the current and future grid can feel less clear from the headlines. A new report from the International Energy Agency digs into the details of energy and AI, and I think it’s worth looking at some of the data to help clear things up. Here are four charts from the report that sum up the crucial points about AI and energy demand.  —Casey Crownhart This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. We need targeted policies, not blunt tariffs, to drive “American energy dominance” —Addison Killean Stark President Trump and his appointees have repeatedly stressed the need to establish “American energy dominance.”  But the White House’s profusion of executive orders and aggressive tariffs, along with its determined effort to roll back clean-energy policies, are moving the industry in the wrong direction, creating market chaos and economic uncertainty that are making it harder for both legacy players and emerging companies to invest, grow, and compete. Read the full story. This story is part of Heat Exchange, MIT Technology Review’s guest opinion series, offering expert commentary on legal, political and regulatory issues related to climate change and clean energy. You can read the rest of the pieces here. MIT Technology Review Narrated: Will we ever trust robots? If most robots still need remote human operators to be safe and effective, why should we welcome them into our homes? This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which  we’re publishing each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The Trump administration has cancelled lifesaving aid to foreign childrenAfter Elon Musk previously promised to preserve it. (The Atlantic $)+ DOGE worker Jeremy Lewin, who dismantled USAID, has a new role. (Fortune $)+ The department attempted to embed its staff in an independent non-profit. (The Guardian)+ Elon Musk, DOGE, and the Evil Housekeeper Problem. (MIT Technology Review) 2 Astronomers have detected a possible signature of life on a distant planetIt’s the first time the potential for life has been spotted on a habitable planet. (NYT $)+ Maybe we should be building observatories on the moon. (Ars Technica) 3 OpenAI’s new AI models can reason with imagesThey’re capable of integrating images directly into their reasoning process. (VentureBeat)+ But they’re still vulnerable to making mistakes. (Ars Technica)+ AI reasoning models can cheat to win chess games. (MIT Technology Review)  4 Trump’s new chip crackdown will cost US firms billionsIt’s not just Nvidia that’s set to suffer. (WP $)+ But Jensen Huang isn’t giving up on China altogether. (WSJ $)+ He’s said the company follows export laws ‘to the letter.’ (CNBC) 5 Elon Musk reportedly used X to search for potential mothers of his childrenSources suggest he has many more children than is publicly known. (WSJ $) 6 Local US cops are being trained as immigration enforcersCritics say the rollout is ripe for civil rights abuses. (The Markup)+ ICE is still bound by constitutional limits—for now. (The Conversation) 7 This electronic weapon can fry drone swarms from a distanceThe RapidDestroyer uses a high-power radio frequency to take down multiple drones. (FT $)+ Meet the radio-obsessed civilian shaping Ukraine’s drone defense. (MIT Technology Review) 8 TikTok is attempting to fight back against misinformationIt’s rolling out an X-style community notes feature. (Bloomberg $) 9 A deceased composer’s brain is still making musicThree years after Alvin Lucier’s death, cerebral organoids made from his white blood cells are making sounds. (Popular Mechanics)+ AI is coming for music, too. (MIT Technology Review) 10 This AI agent can switch personalitiesDepending what you need it to do. (Wired $) Quote of the day “Yayy, we get one last meal before getting on the electric chair.” —Jing Levine, who runs a party goods business with her husband that’s heavily reliant on suppliers in China, reacts to Donald Trump’s plans to pause tariffs except for China, the New York Times reports. The big story AI means the end of internet search as we’ve known it We all know what it means, colloquially, to google something. You pop a few words in a search box and in return get a list of blue links to the most relevant results. Fundamentally, it’s just fetching information that’s already out there on the internet and showing it to you, in a structured way. But all that is up for grabs. We are at a new inflection point. The biggest change to the way search engines deliver information to us since the 1990s is happening right now. No more keyword searching. Instead, you can ask questions in natural language. And instead of links, you’ll increasingly be met with answers written by generative AI and based on live information from across the internet, delivered the same way.  Not everyone is excited for the change. Publishers are completely freaked out. And people are also worried about what these new LLM-powered results will mean for our fundamental shared reality. Read the full story. —Mat Honan We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.) + Essential viewing: Sweden is broadcasting its beloved moose spring migration for 20 days straight.+ Fearsome warlord Babur was obsessed with melons, and frankly, I don’t blame him.+ Great news for squid fans: a colossal squid has been captured on film for the first time! + Who stole my cheese?

More evidence of an Apple Vision Pro headset follow-up has seemingly surfaced, thanks to images of a battery connector matching previous color rumors.The connectors of a cable that could be used in a future Apple Vision headset - Image Credit: Kosutami/XOn April 16, a leaker claimed that an upcoming headset in the Apple Vision range will be lighter than the existing Apple Vision Pro, through the strategic use of titanium. As part of the leaker's claim, they added that the model would also be using graphite dark blue components, and could be named the Air instead of the Pro.Within hours of that X post, leaker Kosutami has published pictures of a component that seemingly proves their point. The images, also shared on X, show what appears to be the connecting cable that goes between the external battery housing and the headset. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Hideo Kojima has confirmed that the real-world occupation that inspired the gameplay for Death Stranding, the Japanese bokka, will be getting a proper appearance in the upcoming Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Speaking on his radio show (translation via Genki), Kojima also revealed that one of the pre-order bonuses for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be an exo-skeleton dubbed the Bokka Skeleton. For context, a bokka is a kind of courier in Japan that specialises in making deliveries to places that are otherwise difficult to reach. This includes places like remote huts in mountains. The equipment used to carry packages by Sam Porter Bridges in Death Stranding is based off a wooden framed used by a bokka, which is often used to carry supplies to be delivered. As noted by Genki, the wooden frame used by a bokka is used to carry loads that tend to end up weighing more than 100 kg as they travel through their long and arduous delivery routes. Kojima had previously stated that development on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was going quite well. He revealed through his radio show earlier this month that work on the game was around “95 percent complete”. Referring to the development of the game as a 24-hour cycle, he compares the current progress of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach to being 10 pm (22:00 in a 24-hour clock), with 12am marking the end of development. When it comes to progress on the game, Kojima revealed back in March that all of the work related to audio mixing and ADR for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach had been completed. In a social media post, Kojima thanked the team at Molinare in London, and celebrated wrapping up around 3 years work. “Finished sound mixing with Molinare in London,” posted Kojima. “A total of about 3 years, including ADR. Thank you very much. A light toast with our sound team and the folks at Molinare.” He has also previously revealed that, while Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will feature boss fights that challenge the player’s abilities, these fights can also be skipped. If a player wants to focus on the game’s narrative rather than take part in the boss fight, the player will get an option to “clear” the fight without having to worry about actually beating the boss. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is currently in development for PS5. The game is slated for release on January 26. Kojima Productions has also revealed details about the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game, which also gives buyers 48 hours of advanced access to the upcoming title. For more details on its $230 Collector’s Edition, check out the trailer revealing it from back in March. The Collector’s Edition includes a host of goodies, including a 15-inch Magellan Man statue, along with a 3-inch figure of Dollman, and a signed letter from Kojima. In the meantime, the original Death Stranding has also been seeing a surge of popularity. The studio revealed back in March that more than 20 million players had played Death Stranding so far. Hideo Kojima says that Bokka (mountain porters) will appear in Death Stranding 2! via @koji10_tbs A 'bokka' in Japan is a porter who carries supplies on their back to remote mountain huts that are inaccessible to vehicles. A bokka uses a special wooden frame to carry loads over… pic.twitter.com/inAzMDklVX— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) April 15, 2025

See 26 Captivating Images From the World Press Photo Contest In stark black-and-white and stunning color, this year’s winning photographs capture global events on a human scale LaBrea Letson, 8, sells lemonade made with bottled water outside her grandmother’s home near the derailment site. A van passing by tests the air for hazardous chemicals. Rebecca Kiger, Center for Contemporary Documentation, TIME A total of 3,778 photojournalists and documentary photographers from 141 countries submitted 59,320 photographs for consideration in this year’s World Press Photo Contest. They covered the year’s biggest stories—including the war in Gaza, migration and climate change—as well as the ordinary lives playing out beneath and beyond the headlines. “The world is not the same as it was in 1955 when World Press Photo was founded,” Joumana El Zein Khoury, the executive director of World Press Photo, an Amsterdam-based nonprofit, says in a statement. “We live in a time when it is easier than ever to look away, to scroll past, to disengage,” she adds. “But these images do not let us do that. They cut through the noise, forcing us to acknowledge what is unfolding, even when it is uncomfortable, even when it makes us question the world we live in—and our own role within it.” On March 27, World Press Photo announced 42 regional winners selected by juries from six regions: Africa; Asia-Pacific and Oceania; Europe; North and Central America; South America; and West, Central and South Asia. From this pool of submissions, judges selected one global winner and two other finalists, which were revealed on April 17. The photos that follow include all three global finalists, as well as a selection of regional winners. World Press Photo of the Year: Mahmoud Ajjour, Aged 9 Mahmoud Ajjour, 9, who was injured during an Israeli attack on Gaza City in March 2024, finds refuge and medical help in Qatar. Samar Abu Elouf, for the New York Times As Mahmoud Ajjour’s family fled an Israeli attack on Gaza City in March 2024, the 9-year-old turned around to urge others along. An explosion tore through both of his arms. Ajjour and his family fled to Qatar, where he received medical treatment. Although he’s begun to settle into a new life, Ajjour requires special assistance for most daily activities. He dreams of getting prosthetics. “One of the most difficult things Mahmoud’s mother explained to me was how when Mahmoud first came to the realization that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, ‘How will I be able to hug you?’” Samar Abu Elouf, the photojournalist who took the photo for the New York Times in June 2024, recalled in a statement. Like Ajjour, Abu Elouf is also from Gaza. She was evacuated in December 2023 and now lives in the same apartment complex as Ajjour in Doha, Qatar. Children have suffered greatly during the Israel-Hamas war. U.N. agencies say that more than 13,000 have been killed, while an estimated 25,000 have been injured, as the Associated Press’ Edith M. Lederer reported in January. “This young boy’s life deserves to be understood, and this picture does what great photojournalism can do: provide a layered entry point into a complex story, and the incentive to prolong one’s encounter with that story,” says Lucy Conticello, chair of the global jury, in a statement. “In my opinion, this image by Samar Abu Elouf was a clear winner from the start.” World Press Photo of the Year Finalist: Night Crossing Chinese migrants warm themselves during a cold rain after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. John Moore, Getty Images In Night Crossing, photojournalist John Moore captures a group of Chinese migrants warming themselves around a fire in Campo, California, after crossing the United States-Mexico border. In recent years, American officials have seen an increase in undocumented Chinese migration. Driven by financial hardship, political suppression and religious persecution, roughly 38,200 unauthorized Chinese migrants were apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the southern border in 2024—up from roughly 2,200 in 2022, according to World Press Photo. But even if successful, crossing the border is only the beginning of the struggle. “In the United States now, certainly among the immigrant community and specifically the undocumented immigrant community, there is a real sense of fear because people don’t know what’s going to happen one day to the next,” Moore says in a statement. World Press Photo of the Year Finalist: Droughts in the Amazon A young man brings food to his mother, who lives in the village of Manacapuru. The village was once accessible by boat, but because of the drought, he must walk more than a mile along the dry riverbed of the Solimões River to reach her. Musuk Nolte, Panos Pictures, Bertha Foundation To bring food to his mother, the young man in Musuk Nolte’s photograph used to take a boat across the Solimões River in Brazil. But severe droughts have caused water levels in the Amazon to drop to historically low levels. Now he must trek over a mile across the dry riverbed. Setting a human figure against a stark backdrop, Nolte spotlights the way climate change threatens both nature and civilization.  “Photographing this crisis made the global interconnectedness of ecosystems more evident,” Nolte explains. “Sometimes we think that these events do not affect us, but in the medium and long term they have an impact.” Regional Winner: Africa, Singles A groom poses for a portrait at his wedding. In Sudan, marking a wedding with celebratory gunfire is a tradition. Mosab Abushama Since 2023, Sudan has been ravaged by civil war. It has claimed roughly 150,000 lives, and 12 million people have fled their homes. Mosab Abushama’s photograph, titled Life Won’t Stop, features a young groom posing for a mobile phone portrait, a gun in his hand and another leaning against the wall behind him. “Despite the clashes and random shelling in the city, the wedding was a simple but joyous occasion with family and friends,” Mosab recalls. As is traditional in Sudan, celebratory gunfire was part of the wedding. In the context of the brutal war, the groom’s arsenal contains a double meaning. “The war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, brought horrors and displacement, forcing me to leave my childhood home and move to another part of the city. It was a time none of us ever expected to live through,” Mosab explains. “Yet, this wedding was a reminder of the joy of everyday life still possible amidst the tragedy and despair.” Regional Winner: Asia-Pacific and Oceania, Long-Term Project Tāme Iti, a prominent Tūhoe activist bearing a traditional facial tattoo, stands at the 2014 Tūhoe-Crown Settlement Day ceremony, where the government formally apologized for historical injustices. Tatsiana Chypsanava, Pulitzer Center, New Zealand Geographic [/] Horses roam freely in Te Urewera, serving as crucial transportation in the rugged terrain. Tatsiana Chypsanava, Pulitzer Center, New Zealand Geographic [/] Carol Teepa sits in her kitchen with her youngest grandchild, Mia, and her son, Wanea, one of more than 20 children she adopted. Tatsiana Chypsanava, Pulitzer Center, New Zealand Geographic [/] Ruiha Te Tana, 12, relaxes at her grandfather's home. Built by an ancestor in 1916, the homestead serves as a living archive of Tūhoe history. Tatsiana Chypsanava, Pulitzer Center, New Zealand Geographic [/] Mihiata Teepa, 16, and her Tūhoe Māori Rugby League U16 teammates perform a haka during practice before a game. Tatsiana Chypsanava, Pulitzer Center, New Zealand Geographic [/] Children from the Teepa family drive the younger siblings home after a swim in the river. Tatsiana Chypsanava, Pulitzer Center, New Zealand Geographic [/] Apprentices from a local school learn essential farming skills at Tataiwhetu Trust, an organic dairy farm. Tatsiana Chypsanava, Pulitzer Center, New Zealand Geographic [/] Teepa children share a watermelon. John Rangikapua Teepa and his wife, Carol, have raised more than 20 children adopted according to the Māori whāngai custom. Tatsiana Chypsanava, Pulitzer Center, New Zealand Geographic [/] The Ngāi Tūhoe people of New Zealand’s Te Urewera region are known for their fiercely independent spirit. Their homeland in the hills of the North Island isolated them from British settlers. As a result, the Tūhoe have maintained their language and cultural identity. The photos by Tatsiana Chypsanava, a Belarusian-born photojournalist currently based in New Zealand, show a landscape and a people side by side. Men with traditional face tattoos, girls performing a haka before a rugby game and horses grazing in a pasture are all part of a complex, isolated world. Chypsanava’s long-term photography project shows how intertwined the natural world is with the Tūhoe community. As the guiding philosophy of one Tūhoe family farm expresses, “Ka ora te whenua, ka ora te tangata” (“When the land is in good health, so too are the people”). Regional Winner: Europe, Singles A man from the Luhansk region lies injured in a field hospital set up in an underground winery near Bakhmut. His left leg and arm were later amputated. Nanna Heitmann, Magnum Photos, for the New York Times Just days before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the self-proclaimed separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk called on men to serve in Russian-backed militias. The young man in Underground Field Hospital, Nanna Heitmann’s photograph for the New York Times, was recruited to fight for the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic’s militia just two days before the invasion. Pictured in January 2024, the soldier is splayed out in a makeshift field hospital in a winery near the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. His left leg and arm were later amputated, and Bakhmut has been devastated by the war. Regional Winner: North and Central America, Stories Rick Tsai, an East Palestine resident, walks in Sulphur Run near the train derailment site wearing protective gear. Rebecca Kiger, Center for Contemporary Documentation, TIME [/] LaBrea Letson, 8, sells lemonade made with bottled water outside her grandmother’s home near the derailment site. A van passing by tests the air for hazardous chemicals. Rebecca Kiger, Center for Contemporary Documentation, TIME [/] Connie Fortner addresses National Transportation and Safety Board members after several hours of listening to the board’s investigative findings. Rebecca Kiger, Center for Contemporary Documentation, TIME [/] Phil Gurley (left) of the EPA gives a presentation on the remediation process to a biology class at East Palestine High School. Rebecca Kiger, Center for Contemporary Documentation, TIME [/] For two days after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023, train cars full of hazardous materials and carcinogenic gases kept burning. But the full extent of the environmental and human disaster lasted much longer, as chemicals leached into rivers and residents continued to advocate for protection. In the aftermath, photojournalist Rebecca Kiger embedded with residents as they navigated new medical and political challenges. Her stark black-and-white photographs for the Center for Contemporary Documentation provide a window into their struggle. Kiger’s photos capture both uncertainty and resilience. One photograph depicts a young girl selling lemonade. With tap water no longer safe, she made the lemonade with bottled water. Regional Winner: South America, Singles A stranded Boeing 727-200 surrounded by floodwaters at Salgado Filho International Airport in Brazil Anselmo Cunha, Agence France-Presse Anselmo Cunha’s Aircraft on Flooded Tarmac was taken in May 2024, as heavy rainfalls in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul caused devastating flooding. The image shows a grounded airplane surrounded by floodwaters. In doing so, it hints at both the cause (air travel burning fossil fuels) and effect (floodwaters) of climate change in the very same frame. Regional Winner: West, Central and South Asia, Long-Term Projects A kolbar follows an arduous mountain path. Kolbars’ packs can weigh more than 100 pounds, and crossings can take up to 12 hours. Ebrahim Alipoor [/] Kolbars make the perilous climb on a border crossing route known as the “Passage of Death” because of the number of lives it claims. Ebrahim Alipoor [/] Thousands have lost their lives crossing these mountains. Ebrahim Alipoor [/] At least 2,463 kolbars were killed or injured in Iranian Kurdistan between 2011 and 2024. Ebrahim Alipoor [/] Khaled, 32, had to have both eyes removed after being shot in the head by a border guard. He has two children, who are 2 and 7. Ebrahim Alipoor [/] Some goods kolbars carry across the border are freely available in Iran, but they fuel a thriving black market in the region that avoids import duties. Ebrahim Alipoor [/] Mohammad, 22, shares a farewell with his mother before embarking on a journey to Europe to seek better opportunities. Ebrahim Alipoor [/] Many of the goods brought in by kolbars end up in luxury stores across the nation. Ebrahim Alipoor [/] In Bullets Have No Borders, Ebrahim Alipoor, a photographer from the Kurdistan province in Iran, captures a stark reality of life for many in his region. To avoid Iranian government bans of imports like household appliances, cell phones and clothing, kolbars (border couriers) carry products strapped on their back from Iraq and Turkey and into Iran. In Iranian Kurdistan, unemployment is widespread, leading many disenfranchised men to pursue this dangerous career. Deliveries can weigh more than 100 pounds, and journeys can take up to half a day. But even sure-footed and sturdy kolbars are always in grave danger. Khaled, a 32-year-old kolbar, had to have both eyes removed after a border guard shot him in the head. Alipoor’s black-and-white images reveal a perilous world. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

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Assassin's Creed Shadows debuts at No.2 on revenue charts for March 2025 | Newzoo Charts A "significant part" of the game's revenue came from PC sales following its day one launch on Steam Image credit: Ubisoft News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on April 17, 2025 Assassin's Creed Shadows debuted in second place on Newzoo's overall revenue chart for March, following its release during the second half of last month. According to the data firm, a "significant part" of the game's total revenue came from Steam compared to previous entries in the franchise. Assassin's Creed Shadows was the first Ubisoft game to launch day one on Steam since 2019. At the time, Ubisoft said the decision to stop releasing its titles on Steam was due to the platform's "unrealistic" business model that "doesn't reflect where the world is today in terms of game distribution." The publisher returned to Steam in 2022 with 2020's Assassin's Creed Valhalla. There were six new titles in Top 10 revenue charts for March, including MLB The Show 25 at No.4, Split Fiction at No.6, and WWE 2K25 at No.9. Semiwork Studios' online co-op R.E.P.O. skyrocketed from No.165 to No.11, following its release in early access on February 26. Newzoo attributed this jump to its low price point and positive reviews. The title jumped even further in the player engagement charts, from No.336 to No.12. "It's a prime example of the potential fun gameplay loop, innovative approach to a genre, and solid execution," Newzoo noted. "The fact that R.E.P.O. broke 10 million monthly active users in March is a testament to the quality and hype of the experience." Crime sim Schedule 1 followed R.E.P.O. at No.12 on the revenue charts, which followed a similar trajectory of success with an "approachable price tag, and fun, deep gameplay" leading to decent sales. Rounding out the Top 20 of new releases was Krafton's Inzoi, which surpassed one million sales within a week of its release in early access on March 28. While R.E.P.O. was the main highlight on Newzoo's overall player engagement charts for March, Assassin's Creed Shadows and Atomfall made the Top 20 on Xbox's individual chart at No.16 and No.18 respectively. Here are the Top 20 games by revenue in the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy for March 2025, across PC and consoles, according to Newzoo: Rank Last month Rank Title 1 1 Fortnite 2 NEW Assassin's Creed Shadows 3 4 EA Sports FC 25 4 NEW MLB The Show 25 5 3 Monster Hunter Wilds 6 NEW Split Fiction 7 5 NBA 2K25 8 9 The Sims 4 9 NEW WWE 2K25 10 2 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2/3/Warzone/Black Ops 6 11 165 R.E.P.O. 12 NEW Schedule 1 13 10 Minecraft 14 24 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege 15 12 Counter-Strike 2 & Go 16 NEW Inzoi 17 13 Grand Theft Auto 5 18 11 Valorant 19 8 Marvel Rivals 20 18 PGA Tour 2K25 And here are the Top 20 games by monthly active users across US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy for March 2025, across PC and consoles, according to Newzoo: Rank Last month Rank Title 1 1 Fortnite 2 2 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, 3, and Warzone 2.0 3 3 Minecraft 4 6 Grand Theft Auto 5 5 5 Roblox 6 7 Rocket League 7 6 Marvel Rivals 8 8 EA Sports FC 25 9 9 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege 10 10 Counter-Strike 2 & Go 11 13 Monster Hunter Wilds 12 336 R.E.P.O. 13 11 NBA 2K25 14 12 The Sims 4 15 14 Apex Legends 16 15 EA Sports College Football 25 17 16 EA Sports Madden NFL 25 18 17 Overwatch 1 & 2 19 18 Red Dead Redemption 2 20 21 Valorant