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Israeli authorities announced today that a football field in the occupied Golan Heights was hit by a rocket attack, resulting in the deaths of 12 people. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has denied involvement in the attack, while Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned that a "full-scale war" with Lebanon and Hezbollah is imminent.

According to a Reuters report, the Israeli military has announced preparations to respond to this attack. This incident marks the deadliest attack on Israeli territory or its occupied lands since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict.
The Israeli ambulance service reported that a rocket fired from Lebanon struck a football field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, killing 10 people, including several children, and injuring 13 others.

News website Axios reported that Israeli Foreign Minister Katz stated Israel is about to launch a "full-scale war" against Hezbollah and Lebanon. He emphasized, "Today's attack by Hezbollah has crossed all red lines, and we will respond accordingly."
Hezbollah, in a written statement, refuted these claims, stating, "The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hezbollah) has absolutely nothing to do with this incident and categorically denies all such false accusations."

Dr. Hong Tao-Tze, president of FOWPAL, visits Christos Veronis (third from right), Mayor of Mykonos, Greece. He acknowledges Dr. Hong’s long-term commitment to promoting love, peace and conscience.

Against the backdrop of the sunset, the Bell of World Peace and Love rang in front of the largest Orthodox church on the island, Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, blessing the world.

The Paris Olympics has officially commenced, marking the first time in Olympic history that the opening ceremony is held in an open venue. This year, the traditional method of athletes marching into the stadium was replaced by delegations appearing on boats along the Seine River. The opening ceremony fused French artistic performances, with highlights including spectacular performances by Lady Gaga and Celine Dion.

A total of 39 members of the Chinese Taipei delegation participated, with badminton star Tai Tzu-Ying and breakdancer B-Boy Sunny serving as flag bearers. Taiwanese athletes wore ocean blue suits designed by Taiwanese designer Chou Yu-Ying, which were featured in Forbes' top ten Olympic uniform designs. They embarked on the 74th boat in the parade. Although they competed under the name Chinese Taipei, they entered in alphabetical order under "T," alongside countries like Tajikistan, Tanzania, and Chad. During the introduction of the Taiwanese delegation, the France 2 television host remarked, "Chinese Taipei, known to us as Taiwan." Athletes passed by famous landmarks such as the Louvre and Notre-Dame Cathedral before heading to the Trocadéro Gardens for the grand opening ceremony.

Following the Bahrain delegation's entrance, Lady Gaga appeared on the banks of the Seine River, singing the French song "La Vie en rose," dancing, and playing the piano. She concluded with "Bonsoir, bienvenue à Paris!" officially opening the Paris Olympics.

During the opening ceremony, the Olympic flame made its way towards its final destination at the Tuileries Garden. French football legend Zinedine Zidane handed the torch to Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal. The 100-year-old Charles Coste, France's oldest Olympic gold medalist, passed the torch to French judo champion Teddy Riner and track and field star Marie-José Pérec, who lit the cauldron under a 30-meter-high hot air balloon. The hot air balloon's ascent symbolized a tribute to the first hydrogen balloon flight.

The opening performance included athlete parades and classic works such as "Les Misérables," "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame," and "Carmen." The popular animated characters, the Minions, also made an appearance, with a video showing the Minions as athletes and attempting to steal the "Mona Lisa," eliciting laughter from the audience.

As the hot air balloon-shaped cauldron slowly ascended, Celine Dion, who has publicly disclosed her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome and has not appeared publicly for nearly two years, performed "Hymne à l'amour" by Edith Piaf from the Eiffel Tower. This was her first Olympic performance since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024. This marks the first time in 100 years that Paris is hosting the event again and makes it the second city, after London, to host the Olympics three times. Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, athletes from Russia and Belarus can only compete as neutral individuals and are barred from participating in the opening and closing ceremonies.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently declared that anti-camping laws are constitutional. Following this decision, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on the 25th, directing state agencies to address the issue of homeless encampments. Newsom communicated through social media, instructing local governments to enhance public health and safety by managing the homeless encampments in a safe and humane manner. He emphasized the importance of collaboration and urged the use of state funds to quickly dismantle these encampments.

California has the largest homeless population in the United States, accounting for about one-third of the nation's homeless. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of homeless individuals in California surpassed 180,000 in 2023 and continues to grow. From 2021 to 2022, the state government allocated $24 billion (approximately NT$780 billion) for street cleanup and housing reform, with an additional $7.2 billion (approximately NT$234 billion) budgeted to address homelessness. However, the number of homeless individuals has increased, leading to widespread concerns that the situation is out of control.

Although Newsom's statement does not grant him the authority to directly order local governments to take action, the state government can leverage funding to compel compliance. The order aims to address the problem of homeless tents and temporary shelters along highways, in shopping center parking lots, and in parks, as well as to respond to public dissatisfaction with the homelessness issue.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his fourth speech to the U.S. Congress on the 24th, seeking American support in the Israel-Palestine conflict. He emphasized the strong U.S.-Israel relationship by stating, "Israel's victory is America's victory," and urged continued U.S. military assistance. Netanyahu expressed confidence in the demilitarization and de-radicalization of Gaza after the conflict, believing that victory would lead to the release of hostages.

Despite his address, dozens of Democratic lawmakers, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who had a prior commitment, did not attend. Some Democratic members inside the chamber protested with signs calling Netanyahu a "war criminal," while outside, demonstrators also expressed their opposition. During his speech, Netanyahu referred to the protesters as "a bunch of useful idiots for Iran."

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, Netanyahu expressed gratitude to both Joe Biden and Donald Trump for their support of Israel. He thanked President Biden for his relentless efforts on behalf of the hostages and their families, expressing optimism that these efforts would succeed. He also acknowledged Trump's actions, including recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, countering Iran's aggression, and recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital by moving the U.S. embassy there.

Netanyahu strongly linked the fates of the U.S. and Israel, stating, "We are not only defending ourselves; we are also defending you. Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, our victory is your victory."

On the 25th, Netanyahu met separately with Biden and Harris. On the 26th, he is scheduled to visit Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for further discussions. According to the White House, Netanyahu and Biden discussed "the situation in Gaza," "the progress of ceasefire efforts," and "the agreement to release hostages." Netanyahu expressed gratitude for Biden's continued support for Israel throughout his 50-year public service career and looked forward to further cooperation on current challenges in the coming months. Harris, who is set to succeed Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate, is not as pro-Israel as Biden. After the meeting, she described their conversation as "frank and constructive." While reaffirming U.S. support for Israel and Israel's right to self-defense, she also conveyed concern for the humanitarian situation in Gaza and stated that she would not remain silent on the issue.

Aris Gavrielatos (left), Consultant at the Ministry of Tourism in Greece, responds by endorsing "The Declaration of World Day of the Power of Hope".

On the 22nd, two landslides occurred in Gofa Zone, southwestern Ethiopia, due to heavy rainfall, resulting in 229 deaths. Among the victims, 148 were men, and 81 were women. The number of missing persons is currently unknown, and the death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue.

Gofa Zone is one of the 17 zones in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia, located about 320 kilometers from the capital. The area is rugged and hilly, making it difficult to establish large-scale agricultural economies. The residents have long suffered from poverty and food insecurity.

Reports indicate that heavy rain began in Gofa Zone on the night of the 21st, with the first landslide occurring at 10 AM on the 22nd. Many volunteers rushed to the scene to rescue people trapped in their homes. Unfortunately, a second landslide occurred soon after, leading to the deaths of volunteers, including local officials, police officers, teachers, and experts from the health and agricultural sectors.

FOWPAL visits the Municipality of Athens, where they are welcomed by Kostis Papaioannou, Chairman of the Technopolis City of Athens (second from the right), and Ioanna (Jeannie) Yennimata, President of the City of Athens Reception & Solidarity Centre (second from the left), on behalf of the Mayor.

On the 21st, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh revoked the regulation reserving job quotas for privileged groups, hoping to quell the anti-government protests and riots triggered by the job quota privileges. The protests have resulted in 174 deaths. The student leaders of the protests called for a pause in the demonstrations, which had been ongoing for a week. At the students' request, the Bangladeshi government lifted the curfew and restored internet access that had been cut off.

The primary cause of the protests was the government's policy, in place since 1971, of reserving 30% of government jobs for the families of those who participated in the 1971 independence war. This privilege was abolished by the Hasina government in 2018, but last month a lower court unexpectedly reinstated the job quota system, sparking large-scale student protests. The authorities responded to the unrest with suppression measures, including curfews, a nationwide internet and social media shutdown, a suspension of television news broadcasts, and blocking access to local newspaper websites.

According to foreign reports, the job quota system in Bangladesh has long been controversial. On the 21st, the Supreme Court overturned the lower court's decision, mandating that 93% of government jobs be available to the general public, reducing the quota for independence war families to 5%, and reserving 2% for disadvantaged groups and persons with disabilities. This decision aims to calm the protests. However, the protesting students are not satisfied and have stated that they will not stop their demonstrations until the quota system for the descendants of independence war veterans is completely abolished.