Australia’s incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has won a second term in a close general election Saturday, local broadcasters projected, in a defeat for the conservative coalition that was undermined at the ballot box by its association with President Donald Trump. The Labor Party pulled ahead of the conservative Liberal-National coalition, led by Peter Dutton, with the Australian Electoral Commission’s early projections suggesting at least 70 of the 150 House seats for Labor, according to the Australian broadcaster ABC. “Not the night we wanted,” Dutton said at his party headquarters, adding that he had congratulated Albanese on his win. Independent candidates and minor parties are projected to take about 13 seats in parliament, which means Albanese may have to form a coalition if the final count shows that his party ultimately falls short of a parliamentary majority. Concerns among Australians over the soaring cost of living and the lack of affordable housing dominated the election at a time when interest rates remain high. Geopolitical relations with China, Australia’s largest trading partner, were also front of mind for voters. But voters in this election were more concerned by Trump’s shake-up of the global order with a new trade regime that slapped a 10% tariff on all Australian exports to the U.S. A survey published Wednesday by Australian think tank the Lowy Institute found that over 60% of Australians did not have any level of trust in the U.S. to act responsibly. Albanese, 62, rose to the top job in 2022, ending nine years of conservative rule. Spotlighting his working-class credentials, his party in this election promised tax cuts, help for young homebuyers, and a pledge of $5.5 billion more for health care. Until recently, the Australian leader faced the prospect of becoming the country’s first single-term prime minister in almost a century, bogged down by high inflation, a slowing economy, and a housing crisis put into sharp relief by Albanese’s ill-timed purchase of a multimillion-dollar cliff-top home. After Trump’s inauguration in January, Dutton, 54, who was leading the polls against his rival Albanese, saw a turnaround in popularity after many of his party’s campaign promises, including on immigration, were seen as widely emulating Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In the lead-up to the election, Liberal Party insiders told Reuters that the anti-Trump sentiment was spurring risk-averse voters to move away from Dutton at the ballot box. Trump had been “a wrecking ball” for Australia’s conservative coalition, said Andrew Carswell, the former press secretary to Liberal Party Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who lost office in the previous election, according to Reuters. Albanese, meanwhile, refrained from mentioning Trump on the campaign trail, instead telling voters on Monday, “The last thing you need is a volatile government.” He has avoided direct criticism of the president in favor of a security alliance with the U.S., though he was notably absent from Trump’s inauguration and has yet to visit Washington. A YouGov poll released on Thursday predicted a Labor majority, saying the party would likely win up to 85 seats in the 150-seat lower house, with the opposition facing a net loss of 11 seats, which would be its worst performance since 1946. Albanese’s win comes after Canada’s election earlier this week saw Prime Minister Mark Carney stage a major political comeback, fueled by a backlash against Trump’s comments on making Canada the 51st U.S. state. Australia is one of a few countries where voting is compulsory for all citizens ages 18 years and older. Around 4.8 million of 18 million eligible voters began casting their votes as early as Thursday, with most postal votes expected to be counted after election day.

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s long-ruling People’s Action Party won another landslide in Saturday’s general elections, extending its 66-year unbroken rule in a huge boost for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong who took power a year ago. The Election Department announced the PAP won 82 Parliamentary seats after vote counting ended. The party had earlier won five seats uncontested, giving it 87 out of a total 97 seats. The opposition Workers Party maintained its 10 seats. The PAP’s popular vote rose to 65.6%, up from a near-record low of 61% in 2020 polls. Jubilant supporters of the PAP, which had ruled Singapore since 1959, gathered in stadiums waved flags and cheered in celebration. “We are grateful once again for your strong mandate. We will honor the trust you have given to us by working even harder for all of you,” Wong said in a speech earlier to his constituency before the full results were out. Eugene Tan, a law professor at the Singapore Management University, said the opposition’s failure to make further inroads after 2020 was a surprise. “Singapore voters played their cards close to their chest. Today, they indicated that their trust is with a party that has delivered over the years,” he said. A U.S.-trained economist who is also finance minister, Wong’s appeal for a resounding mandate to steer trade-reliant Singapore through economic turbulence following U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes has hit home. The government has lowered its growth forecast and warned of a possible recession. Wong, 52, succeeded Lee Hsien Loong to become the city-state’s fourth leader. Lee stepped down in May 2024 after two decades at the helm but remained in the Cabinet as a senior minister. His retirement as premier ended a family dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first leader, who built the former colonial backwater into one of the world’s richest nations during 31 years in office. The PAP is seen as a beacon of stability and prosperity, but tight government control and the rising cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities also has led to growing unhappiness, especially among younger voters. Widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding and restrictions on free speech have loosened the PAP’s grip on power. The opposition says giving it a stronger presence in Parliament will allow a more balanced political system and greater accountability. But they face an uphill task, often hamstrung by a lack of resources, fragmented support and a lack of unity. Critics said gerrymandering also gives the PAP an advantage. Pritam Singh, leader of the Workers Party, acknowledged it was a tough contest and vowed to continue the fight for a more balanced Parliament. “The slate is wiped clean, we start work again tomorrow, and we go again,” he said. While the Workers Party failed to expand its presence, it had consolidated its support with increased share vote in some areas, said Southeast Asia political analyst Bridget Welsh. Other smaller opposition parties however, failed to make a breakthrough. Welsh said voters opted for stability amid concerns over global volatility due to sweeping U.S. tariffs. Wong’s more approachable leadership in engaging younger voters and efforts to renew PAP by bringing in about a-third of new faces also helped swung votes, she said. “I call this the Wong and Trump effect,” she said. “The issue of economic insecurity really did reinforce his mandate.”

The donation was announced on the day Israel approved plans to seize the Gaza Strip and stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time. Pope Francis donated one of his popemobiles to be converted into a mobile health unit to serve the children of Gaza, officials said Monday. The Jerusalem and Sweden branches of the Vatican’s Caritas charitable federation released photos of the repurposed vehicle on Monday. There is no word, though, on when it might be put to use. The donation was announced on the same day that Israel approved plans to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time. “When the humanitarian corridor to Gaza reopens, it (the popemobile) will be ready to give primary healthcare to children in Gaza,” Caritas Jerusalem said in a statement. The vehicle will be outfitted with equipment for diagnosis, examination, and treatment. Caritas said it would have testing equipment, suture kits, syringes and needles, oxygen supply, vaccines, and a refrigerator. “This vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable, which he expressed throughout the crisis,” the secretary general of Caritas Jerusalem, Anton Asfar, said in a statement. During Israel’s war in Gaza, Francis became increasingly outspoken in his criticism of the Israeli military’s harsh tactics while also demanding the return of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7. Last year, he urged an investigation into whether Israel’s war amounted to genocide -– a charge Israel vehemently denies. He repeatedly spoke out about the plight of people in Gaza, and had a nightly ritual that he even maintained while he was in the hospital in February with pneumonia: he would call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping.

An expansion of Israel’s operation will “inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza,” a United Nations spokesperson warned Tuesday. As the frail newborn shivers in his mother’s arms, Yussuf Al-Najjar’s parents fear he will leave the world as quickly as he arrived in it. “His condition is deteriorating,” Nagia Al-Najjar said of her baby Monday in the intensive care ward at Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. Born prematurely, Yussuf is now suffering from acute malnutrition, with the family unable to obtain formula or medication as Israel’s blockade of aid and goods reaching Gaza enters its third month. After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he would give an order to ramp up the military offensive in Gaza with a plan to seize the entire strip, Yussuf’s future is increasingly uncertain. Palestinians and observers fear fresh bombings and displacement, and aid groups warn of a spiraling humanitarian crisis marked by scarce food supplies. Across Gaza, Palestinians expressed anxiety as they learned of the plan unanimously approved by Israel's security Cabinet to seize the entire territory in what Netanyahu described as an effort to defeat Hamas. “We were hoping and waiting for a decision for Israel to end the war against us — not the decision to occupy Gaza and displace its people,” Walid Abu Muhsin, a street vendor from Khan Younis, told NBC News’ crew Monday. Inside Gaza and abroad, humanitarian and aid groups condemned the Netanyahu-led government's plans to control Gaza indefinitely and distribute aid to Gaza via "Israeli hubs under conditions set by the Israeli military" once Israel lifts its blockade. The two goals will "inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza," U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a briefing Monday in New York. More than 52,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the local Health Ministry, since Israel launched its offensive in the enclave following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, which marked a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. Around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage into Gaza in the attacks, with more than 50 people, both dead and alive, believed to remain in Hamas' captivity, according to Israeli officials. The families of hostages who remain held in Gaza have warned that a ramped-up offensive will only put the lives of their loved ones at further risk. Meanwhile, right-wing ministers in Netanyahu’s fragile government coalition celebrated the plans for an expanded offensive, having advocated for such a move before and after the last ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which held for two months from Jan. 19 to March 18. Prior to that ceasefire, the Israeli military had taken control of around a third of Gaza. Even so, hopes remained in Gaza and Israel for a resumption of that truce ahead of a visit from President Donald Trump to the region planned for next week. While Trump has repeatedly touted a proposal for the U.S. to eventually take ownership of the Gaza Strip, Palestinians there implored him to take action to halt Israel’s plans for an expanded offensive. Khan Younis resident Abu Muhsin, 55, asked “Where is Trump who calls for freedom and democracy?” In Israel, meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Ze’ev Elkin said Monday that a “window of opportunity” remained for talks to resume. From outside of his Cabinet, Netanyahu has faced growing criticism for resuming and expanding Israel's offensive in Gaza. The latest denunciation came from Eran Duvdevani, a prominent retired colonel who led a campaign by former and reserve Israeli paratroopers calling for an end to the war. Duvdevani told NBC News that a growing number of reservists were already rejecting calls to return to service in a war they increasingly view as politically motivated. He added that without a fresh truce between Israel and Hamas, Trump's intervention was likely the only thing that could stop an expanded offensive. "This is the only way, to press Netanyahu," Duvdevani said in a phone interview early Tuesday. "Nothing will happen if Trump will not press him." Meanwhile, a hearing for Netanyahu's testimony in his ongoing public corruption trial ended early Tuesday, according to Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel. It came as the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for Yemen’s Sanaa Airport ahead of what appeared to be a pending attack.

Luxury carmakers are contending with the disruptive impact of Trump’s back-and-forth trade tariff policy. Luxury carmaker Ferrari on Tuesday reported a significant upswing in first-quarter profit, citing robust demand for personalized vehicles — but warned U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policy could hit earnings this year. The Maranello, Italy-based sports car manufacturer posted net profit of 412 million euros ($466.3 million) for the first three months of the year, reflecting a 17% increase from the same period last year. Analysts had expected first-quarter net profit to come in at 410 million euros, according to Reuters poll. “Another year is off to a great start,” Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna said in a statement. “In the first quarter of 2025, with very few incremental shipments year on year, all key metrics recorded double-digit growth, underscoring a strong profitability driven by our product mix and continued demand for personalizations,” Vigna said. Looking ahead, Ferrari warned that the introduction of U.S. tariffs on EU cars imported into the U.S. could negatively impact the firm’s profitability this year. “The [2025] guidance is subject to a potential risk of 50 basis points reduction on profitability percentage margins (EBIT and EBITDA margins), in relation to the update of the commercial policy following the introduction of import tariffs on EU cars into the USA,” the automaker said in its earnings report. Ferrari’s 2025 guidance includes net revenue of more than 7 billion euros ($7.93 billion), earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of at least 2.68 billion euros ($3.04 billion) and adjusted earnings per share of 8.60 euros ($9.74). Luxury carmakers are contending with the disruptive impact of Trump’s back-and-forth trade tariff policy. Several European auto giants reported a sharp downturn in quarterly profit this earnings season, with many suspending or cutting financial guidance as Trump’s tariffs take their toll. “At a time when many Automotive and other companies are suspending guidance due to uncertainties over the impact from US tariffs and the second order impacts on the US and global economy, Ferrari stands out,” Bernstein analyst Stephen Reitman said Tuesday in an investor note. The president imposed a 25% tariff on automotive imports into the U.S. in early April. Trump sought to water down these levies last week, however, signing an executive order designed to prevent a range of other separate duties — such as an additional 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum — from “stacking” on top of one another. Ferrari said in late March that it would raise prices by 10% on certain models in response to the tariffs. The move would add up to $50,000 to the price of a typical Ferrari. “We look ahead with confidence, being vigilant of the situation that surrounds us,” Vigna told investors Tuesday during the company’s quarterly earnings call. Shares of the Milan-listed stock traded around 0.8% lower at 12:44 p.m. London time. Shares of the U.S.-listed shares were about the same. The automaker’s global shipments were up less than 1% during the first quarter to 3,593 vehicles. Despite the flat shipments, Ferrari’s net revenue increased roughly 13% to 1.79 billion euros ($2.03 billion) and its net profit was up 17% to 412 million euros ($466.7 million). Regarding the debut of Ferrari’s first all-electric vehicle, a car called the Elettrica, Vigna said the company will not reveal it until spring 2026, followed by deliveries in October 2026. Initial expectations were that the Elettrica would be revealed at Ferrari’s upcoming capital markets day in October. Instead, the company will discuss the “technological hub” of the vehicle, Vigna said. “This is a massive piece of technology, design and unique features. It will be an exciting journey of discovery,” Vigna said regarding the staggered EV rollout. “It is the first of its kind, yet rich in every aspect that makes it true Ferrari.”

Explosions and fires rocked Sudan’s main port city and wartime capital Port Sudan on Tuesday, a witness said, part of a days-long drone assault that has torched the country’s biggest fuel depot, damaging the most important gateway for foreign aid. A massive column of black smoke billowed from the area around the port, a Reuters video showed, and the witness said blasts had been heard from other areas though it was not clear exactly where else had been hit. Sudan’s electricity company said a substation in the city was also hit, causing a complete power outage, part of a systematic assault on infrastructure. Port Sudan had enjoyed relative calm since the civil war suddenly erupted in April 2023, becoming the base for the army-aligned government after the Sudanese armed forces lost control of much of the capital Khartoum at the start of the conflict to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Hundreds of thousands of displaced people have also sought refuge in the city, where United Nations officials, diplomats and agencies have also set up headquarters, making it the main base for aid operations in what the UN has called the world’s biggest humanitarian disaster. Port Sudan’s import and storage depots supply fuel across the country and the destruction of its facilities risks a major crisis, throttling aid deliveries by road and hitting electricity production and cooking gas supplies. The attacks, which began on Sunday, open a new front in the conflict, targeting the army’s main stronghold in eastern Sudan after it drove the RSF back westwards across much of central Sudan, including Khartoum, in March. Military sources have blamed the paramilitary RSF for the attacks on Port Sudan since Sunday, though the group has not yet claimed any responsibility for the strikes. On Sunday drones struck a military base in the area near Sudan’s only functioning international airport, and on Monday they targeted the city’s fuel depots. One of the targets was a major hotel near the residence of Sudan’s military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, witnesses said. The attacks came after a military source said the army had destroyed an aircraft and weapons depots in the RSF-controlled Nyala airport in Darfur, the main stronghold of the paramilitary group. The attacks have drawn condemnation from neighboring Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as expressions of concern from the UN. Sudan’s army-aligned government has accused the United Arab Emirates of backing the RSF, accusations that UN experts have found credible. The UAE has denied backing the RSF and the International Court of Justice on Monday said it could not rule in a case in which the government accused the UAE of fueling genocide. The war, triggered by a dispute over a transition to civilian rule, has displaced over 12 million people and pushed half the population into acute hunger, according to the UN. With the army’s success in pushing the RSF out of most of central Sudan, the paramilitary has shifted tactics from ground incursions to drone attacks targeting power stations and other facilities deep in army-controlled territory. The army has continued air strikes in the Darfur region, the RSF’s stronghold. The two forces continue to fight ground battles for control of al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state, and elsewhere as the battle lines in the war harden into distinct zones of control.

Gaza is under its longest blockade of humanitarian aid since the war began as Israel’s total ban on the entry of all goods, including food, fuel and medical supplies, enters its third month. Israel's security Cabinet has unanimously approved a plan to seize all of the Gaza Strip in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would be an intensive military operation aimed at defeating Hamas. Palestinian civilians will be moved during the “powerful” new operation in Gaza, Netanyahu said in a video posted on social media, adding that his forces would not launch raids inside the enclave and then retreat. The security Cabinet took the decision on the recommendation of Zamir, the military chief, Netanyahu said. Israel, before the last ceasefire went into effect, had already taken full control of a third of Gaza. The besieged enclave has been under the longest blockade of humanitarian aid since the war began in October 2023, as Israel’s total ban on the entry of all goods, including food, fuel and medical supplies, enters its third month. As a result, the risk of famine hangs over Gaza’s population, prompting alarm even among some of Israel’s closest allies. The United Nations on Sunday rejected an Israeli proposal for aid distribution, describing it as “Israeli hubs under conditions set by the Israeli military.” It added that the plan was “dangerous” and appeared to “reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic,” and would mean that large parts of Gaza, including the less mobile and most vulnerable people, would continue to go without supplies. eli soldiers near the border with Gaza on Sunday.Menahem Kahana / AFP via Getty Images But a senior Israeli security official said in a statement Monday that the “humanitarian blockade will continue, and only later — after the operational phase begins and a large-scale civilian evacuation to the south is completed — will a humanitarian plan be implemented.” They added that unlike in the past the military “will remain in every area it secures to prevent the return of terror.” The Israeli army has begun calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers to “intensify and expand” its fight against Hamas in an attempt to get the militant group to return hostages still being held since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. “We are increasing the pressure with the aim of returning our men and defeating Hamas,” Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said in a statement, adding that the troops would “operate in additional areas and destroy all infrastructure above and below the ground.” However, some reservists have indicated they will refuse to serve in a war they increasingly view as politically motivated, and at a Knesset committee meeting Monday, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is being held hostage, called on soldiers “not to report for reserve duty for moral and ethical reasons.” More than 51,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive, including thousands of women and children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The war has also decimated Gaza’s medical facilities and infrastructure and driven most of its population from their homes — often several times. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, recently warned that nearly a half-million Palestinians in Gaza have been newly displaced. Meanwhile, the families of the 59 remaining hostages under Hamas' captivity issued a "red alert" Monday over the impending expansion in Gaza. “The expansion of military operations puts every hostage at grave risk,” the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, said in a statement, adding, “It also threatens the lives of our soldiers and deepens the toll on countless Israeli families already carrying the burden of this war.” Some 1,200 people were killed during Hamas' terrorist attacks in southern Israel, with around 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli counts, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. Israel resumed launching airstrikes in Gaza after a fragile eight-week truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed March 18, just more than two weeks after the first phase of the three-part ceasefire deal came to an end. Negotiations on the second phase of the deal, meant to establish a permanent end to the fighting, have since stalled. The ceasefire and hostage release talks could resume before a planned visit by President Donald Trump to the region next week, Israeli Minister Ze'ev Elkin told the public broadcaster Kan on Monday. “There is still a window of opportunity until President Trump concludes his visit to the Middle East, if Hamas understands we are serious,” Elkin said. Trump said last month that he and Netanyahu were “on the same side of every issue” in a post on Truth Social, shortly after the two leaders spoke over the phone. In February, Trump announced that the U.S. would seek ownership of the Gaza Strip to develop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” after saying Palestinians have no choice but to leave their homes there. He reiterated those plans after a meeting with Netanyahu at the White House in April, saying that the Gaza Strip was “an incredible piece of important real estate” and that U.S. control and ownership of the territory would “be a good thing.”

About 1,300 members of the British armed forces were joined by troops from the United Kingdom’s NATO allies and Ukraine. Thousands of people lined the roads around London's Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace on Monday as British and allied troops paraded past at the start of four days of pageantry to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. After Big Ben tolled at the stroke of noon, actor Timothy Spall recited the victory speech that Winston Churchill delivered to a roaring crowd in central London on May 8, 1945. Britain started its commemorations of V-E Day three days early, because Monday is a public holiday in the U.K. The Cenotaph, the nation’s war memorial, was covered with Union Jack flags. It was the first time that the memorial had been draped in the flags since it was unveiled by King George V in 1920, two years after the end of World War I. About 1,300 members of the British armed forces were joined by troops from the United Kingdom’s NATO allies and Ukraine — a nod to the present war in Europe. The procession started in Parliament Square and swept past Buckingham Palace, where King Charles III took the salute. Maria Crook, 69, who wore a hat with red, white and blue ribbons, traveled from Devon to London to watch the procession. “I think it’s extremely important to pay our respects and honor those who have died for us,” she said. Elsewhere, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made an impassioned plea for European and transatlantic unity Monday in a speech marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands from German occupation. “The experience gained 80 years ago tells us that only when (we) stand together can we overcome,” Tusk said. He added that “in the face of the threat posed by (President Vladimir) Putin’s Russia we need to deepen our European and transatlantic life, and we need genuine solidarity.” Tusk spoke at a Dutch Liberation Day ceremony where WWII veterans were given a standing ovation by crowds who lined streets to watch a military parade as modern and wartime aircraft flew overhead. Polish troops were among Allied forces who helped liberate the Netherlands. Festivities in Wageningen centered on a square outside the Hotel de Wereld, where German top brass signed papers on May 5, 1945, that formally ended the brutal five-year occupation as the war drew to a close across Europe. A small group of veterans, their chests decorated with medals and legs covered in blankets, sat on the front row watching the ceremony. More veterans took part in the parade, some saluting, others blowing kisses to the crowds. Some held tulips and other flowers. Germany finally surrendered on May 8, now known as Victory in Europe Day. Liberation Day in the Netherlands is celebrated on May 5, a day after the country observes two minutes of silence to honor its war dead. Like Tusk, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans used the occasion to call for renewed efforts to nurture peace. “War and aggression are back in Europe and it is up to us to protect peace,” he said. Events across Europe marking the end of the 1939-45 war come as the traditional friendly links with the United States, whose forces helped liberate the Netherlands and much of the continent, are fraying. The European Union and the administration of President Donald Trump are now embroiled in a trade war. Tusk appealed for unity at a time of global insecurity. “Genuine solidarity between people and nations that will prevent the evil from shaping our present and future,” he said. “The time of Europe’s carefree comfort, joyous unconcern is over. Today is the time of European mobilization around our fundamental values and our security.”

At the “Choose Europe for Science” event in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron offered researchers grants and new policy plans if they move to Europe. The European Union launched a drive on Monday to attract scientists and researchers to Europe with offers of grants and new policy plans, after the Trump administration froze U.S. government funding linked to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. “A few years ago, no one would have imagined that one of the biggest democracies in the world would cancel research programs under the pretext that the word diversity was in this program,” French President Emmanuel Macron said at the “Choose Europe for Science” event in Paris. “No one would have thought that one of the biggest democracies in the world would delete with a stroke the ability of one researcher or another to obtain visas,” Macron said. “But here we are.” Taking the same stage at the Sorbonne University, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU’s executive branch would set up a “super grant” program aimed at offering “a longer-term perspective to the very best” in the field. She said that 500 million euros ($566 million) will be put forward in 2025-2027 “to make Europe a magnet for researchers.” It would be injected into the European Research Council, which already has a budget of more than 16 billion euros ($18 billion) for 2021-2027. Von der Leyen said that the 27-nation EU intends “to enshrine freedom of scientific research into law” with a new legal act. As “the threats rise across the world, Europe will not compromise on its principles,” she said. Macron said that the French government would also soon make new proposals to beef up investment in science and research. Last month, hundreds of university researchers in the United States had National Science Foundation funding canceled to comply with U.S. President Donald Trump’s order to end support to research on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the study of misinformation. More than 380 grant projects have been cut so far, including work to combat internet censorship in China and Iran and a project consulting with Indigenous communities to understand environmental changes in Alaska’s Arctic region. Some terminated grants that sought to broaden the diversity of people studying science, technology and engineering. Scientists, researchers and doctors have taken to the streets in protest. While not mentioning the Trump administration by name, von der Leyen said that it was “a gigantic miscalculation” to undermine free and open research. “We can all agree that science has no passport, no gender, no ethnicity, no political party,” she said. “We believe that diversity is an asset of humanity and the lifeblood of science. It is one of the most valuable global assets and it must be protected.” Von der Leyen’s drive to promote opportunities in Europe in the field of science and take advantage of U.S. policy shifts dovetails with the way that she has played up the potential for trade deals with other countries since Trump took office in January and sparked a tariff war last month. The former German defense minister, and trained doctor, vowed that the EU would also address some of the roadblocks that scientists and researchers face, notably excessive red tape and access to businesses. Macron said that science and research must not “be based on the diktats of the few.” Macron said that Europe “must become a refuge” for scientists and researchers, and he said to those who feel under threat elsewhere: “The message is simple. If you like freedom, come and help us to remain free, to do research here, to help us become better, to invest in our future.”

The United Nations estimates that 70% of Gaza has been under evacuation orders or in designated “no-go zones,” leaving Palestinians with “no safe place to go.” Bombarded on a near daily basis and with food and medicine increasingly scarce, Gaza has effectively shrunk for its Palestinian population since Israel resumed its military campaign in March and has taken control of more territory. An NBC News analysis of maps, evacuation orders and statements released by the Israel Defense Forces, as well as interviews with experts, humanitarian workers and civilians, shows that people have been pushed into increasingly crowded areas, and that a humanitarian zone once deemed safe is no longer designated as such. Israel broke its fragile truce with Hamas on March 18, just over two weeks after the first phase of the three-part ceasefire deal came to an end. Negotiations on the second phase of the deal, meant to establish a permanent end to the fighting, have since stalled, with Israel also blocking the flow of aid and goods into Gaza for more than 60 days. Along with regular airstrikes and ground operations, its military has also moved to secure more of the enclave, while nearly half a million Palestinians in Gaza have been newly displaced, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, recently warned. After launching its offensive following the Hamas-led terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel created a sweeping buffer zone along the entirety of its western border with Gaza, while cutting off the north from the rest of the enclave with the establishment of the Netzarim Corridor. Sitting to the south of Gaza City it stretches from Israel’s western border with Gaza to the Mediterranean Sea. But since March 18, maps released by the IDF indicate an expansion of its security zone around the corridor. To the south, it has stationed its forces along the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt and taken control of the border crossing in the city of Rafah, once designated a safe zone for Palestinians. On April 12, Israel said it had completed what it calls the “Morag Corridor” to the north of Rafah and south of the city of Khan Younis, effectively sealing Rafah off from the rest of the enclave. 'No longer protective' As well as taking territory, the Israeli military routinely issues evacuation orders or designates areas as “no-go zones.” But the United Nations estimated in mid-April that around 70% of Gaza was under one or both of these. This has left “Palestinians in Gaza with no safe place to go and little to survive on,” it said in a statement. Yaakov Garb, an environmental studies professor at Ben Gurion University in Israel who has been studying the Israeli military’s maps, told NBC News in a phone interview last month that he estimated Israel’s buffer zones and other restricted areas now account for around 48% of the Gaza Strip. “These buffers are no longer protective of Israel,” Garb said. “They’re more kind of moats around enclaves,” he said, referring to the increasingly packed areas that Palestinians are being ordered to evacuate to. Humanitarian zones have vanished The majority of the evacuation orders issued by the IDF since March 18 have seen Palestinians in northern Gaza ordered to move to Gaza City, while those under evacuation orders in central and southern Gaza have been funneled toward “known shelters” in Khan Younis and Al-Mawasi. Prior to the ceasefire that began on Jan. 19, the IDF would frequently refer to Al-Mawasi as the “humanitarian zone” in its evacuation orders. But after it resumed its offensive, those references appeared to vanish. The IDF told NBC News in a statement last week that Al-Mawasi was “currently not defined as a safe zone.” It added that evacuation zones would also change “in accordance with IDF operations” in the enclave. Asked if anywhere in Gaza was considered a “safe zone,” the IDF did not respond. However, Palestinians in Gaza have said nowhere in the enclave has been “safe” throughout the war, which began after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Palestinian health officials say the Israeli offensive has killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza since then. Even when Al-Mawasi was designated as a humanitarian zone, repeated Israeli strikes were reported in the area. “They used to drop leaflets telling us to head to ‘safe zones,’” Ahmed Alam Sobhy Abou Nama said in an interview last week at the camp in Al-Mawasi where he sheltering. He added that they didn’t go “because in Gaza, there is no ‘safe zone.’” Hany Daboor, a member of Gaza’s Civil Defense, said civilians were increasingly calling the agency to express concerns over what they believed was the targeting of safe zones in Israeli strikes. Echoing Abou Nama, he said, “There is no ‘safe zone.’” Now, as Israel continues to expand its security zones in the enclave, fears are growing about the increasingly limited space within which civilians can seek relative safety. “We feel that we are all been blockaded in a small zone,” Abou Nama said. 'Part of the war' But Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, maintained that Israel’s latest measures are aimed at pressuring Hamas — not to “reduce the size of the Gaza Strip for the sake of annexation or something like that.” Still, he said it was likely that Israel would maintain control of buffer zones and seized territory indefinitely, or at least until Hamas’ rule in Gaza is brought to an end, with a new system of authority ushered in. “We are still in a war against Hamas. And this is part of the war,” he said.