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The UK parliamentary election was held on the 4th, and the results were out: the ruling Conservative Party suffered a devastating defeat. The Labour Party secured 412 out of 650 seats in the House of Commons, and its leader, Keir Starmer, is set to become the new Prime Minister with an overwhelming majority. The results were delayed by a few hours and were announced by 11 am London time on the 5th, with 2 seats still unaccounted for. However, exit polls had already predicted a major victory for Labour, which gained 211 more seats than in the last election, achieving 33.8% voter support.

The Conservative Party won only 121 seats, fewer than the 131 predicted by exit polls, and a significant drop of 250 seats compared to the previous election. This marked the worst result in history for the party that has been in power for 14 years, dealing a catastrophic blow.

The centrist Liberal Democrats were another big winner, increasing their seats from an expected 61 to 71, ranking third and gaining 63 seats. The right-wing populist party Reform UK, led by "Brexit champion" Nigel Farage, was predicted to win 13 seats but only secured 4. The nationalist Scottish National Party (SNP) suffered a major loss of 38 seats, winning only 9.

Following the announcement of the exit polls, the reaction of the British pound's exchange rate was calm, unlike the responses to the Scottish independence referendum and Brexit referendum, indicating that the election results met market expectations. A few days later, at the 75th anniversary summit of NATO in Washington, the new Prime Minister Starmer will make his debut on the world stage. He will also meet French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the European Political Community meeting on the 18th in England.

Twelve former U.S. government officials resigned on principle, disagreeing with the Biden administration's strategy on the Israel-Palestine conflict. They collectively issued a statement condemning the administration, emphasizing that the U.S.'s diplomatic cover and arms supply to Israel amount to persecution of Palestinians in Gaza. They argued that these actions jeopardize U.S. national security and destabilize the Middle East, likening it to "painting a target on America's back."

Among these officials is Maryam Hassanein, a former special assistant at the Department of the Interior who resigned on Tuesday. The statement asserts that the U.S. government is adhering to a "failed policy" that has caused devastating damage to the Palestinian people, endangered Israelis, stifled free speech, and compromised America's commitment to maintaining international order. Other signatories include Josh Paul, who resigned in October and was responsible for overseeing congressional relations on arms transfers. The statement was also signed by a former White House official, two former Air Force personnel, and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer.

Last month, the State Department submitted a 46-page unclassified report to Congress as required by President Biden's new National Security Memorandum issued in early February. The report claimed that Israel did not block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. Stacy Gilbert, an expert in this field, resigned from the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration on the same day the report was published. She told Reuters, "The right and wrong are clear, and the report's content is incorrect." The United Nations and relief organizations have continuously faced dangers and obstacles, preventing them from delivering aid across Gaza.

According to Hamas's Ministry of Health, over 37,900 people have been killed since Israel's attacks on Gaza began, the majority of whom are women and children. Andrew Miller, the top State Department official responsible for Israel-Palestine affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, also resigned this week. Although not a signatory to the statement, he supports Palestinian statehood and disagrees with the U.S.'s unconditional support for Israel, citing "personal reasons" for his resignation.

On July 1st, the Nordic country of Sweden introduced an innovative bill that has garnered global admiration from parents. This bill allows grandparents to apply for up to three months of paid "grandparental leave" while taking care of grandchildren under the age of one.

Under Sweden's current laws, after the birth of each child, parents are entitled to up to 480 days (about 16 months) of parental leave. Of these, 390 days of parental leave are paid based on the parent's current full salary, and the remaining 90 days are subsidized by the government with a fixed daily allowance of 180 Swedish kronor (approximately 482 New Taiwan dollars). Additionally, to ensure parents are sufficiently involved in childcare, 180 days of the parental leave (90 days per parent) cannot be transferred to the spouse.

According to the new bill, starting from July 1st, families with newborns can transfer part of their paid parental leave to grandparents. Specifically, each parent can transfer up to 45 days of parental leave to the grandparents, while single-parent families can directly transfer up to 90 days of leave.

France, Switzerland, and Italy were hit by severe storms and heavy rainfall last weekend. The downpours triggered landslides in mountainous regions and caused flash floods, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes urgently, resulting in at least seven deaths.

In the southern Swiss cantons of Ticino and Valais, severe thunderstorms on the 30th caused a landslide in the Valle Maggia area of Ticino, resulting in four deaths and two missing people. Swiss authorities have deployed helicopters to evacuate people from nearby campsites in the disaster area. In Luxembourg, local homes were inundated with mud, leaving the areas from outside to inside covered in sludge. In the evening of the 30th local time, authorities issued an orange rain warning and evacuated 500,600 people. No casualties have been reported so far.

Heavy rainfall also affected northern Italy, causing flash floods. Small cars were trapped in the mudflows, and authorities deployed helicopters to successfully rescue a family of three. In the Aube department of the Grand Est region in France, local authorities reported that on the 29th, three elderly individuals in their 70s and 80s died after their car was crushed by a fallen tree. Another person in the car is currently in the intensive care unit.

Scientists attribute these extreme weather events, such as floods and storms, to climate change caused by human activities, which have become more severe, frequent, and prolonged compared to the past.

To curb record-breaking immigration numbers and ease the housing market strain, Australia suddenly announced on the 1st of the month a 125% increase in student visa application fees, while also prohibiting students holding stay visas and temporary graduate visas from applying for student visas within the country. This has dealt a heavy blow to international students.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil stated in a declaration, "From July 1st, student visa application fees will increase from AUD 710 to AUD 1,600. The changes coming into effect today will help restore the integrity of our international education system, creating a fairer, smaller, and more beneficial immigration system for Australia."

Official data released by Australia in March showed that in the year ending September 30, 2023, net immigration increased by 60%, reaching a record 548,800 people. The current student visa fee in the United States is approximately USD 185, and in Canada, it is approximately CAD 150. After the increase, Australia's student visa fees have become the highest among major study-abroad destinations.

Other immigration-related policies previously announced and now in effect include: shortening temporary graduate visas and lowering the age limit for work visa applications; closing loopholes that allowed students and other temporary visa holders to extend their stay indefinitely; raising the English proficiency requirements for international students;

increasing the required savings amount for international students from AUD 24,505 to AUD 29,710; and raising the income threshold for temporary skilled migrants from AUD 70,000 to AUD 73,150.

South Korea has the lowest fertility rate among the OECD members, with low birth rates and an aging population becoming a national crisis. According to the latest report, Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, has become the first major city in the country to enter the "at risk of extinction" stage, as the population over 65 years old accounts for 23% of the entire city.

This report uses an "extinction risk index," which evaluates the number of women aged 20 to 39 divided by the population over 65 years old. An index below 0.2 indicates "high extinction risk," 0.2-0.5" is at risk of extinction," 1.0-1.5” is normal, and above 1.5 is low extinction risk. Busan's index is 0.49, categorizing it as "at risk of extinction."

The Busan city government is actively taking measures to address this trend and encourage young people to settle and live in the area. The changes in Busan's population structure affect not only social welfare, healthcare, and elderly care but also have an impact on the economy, employment, and the real estate market. With the increasing proportion of the population over 65, Busan needs to develop more comprehensive policies to ensure the well-being of the elderly and promote employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for the youth.

Moreover, Busan needs to improve its education system to address the challenges of an aging population. Enhancing education quality, encouraging young people to learn new skills, and creating more job opportunities will help mitigate the impact of population aging on the economy and society.

The leaders of the 27 EU member states reached an agreement at the summit on the 27th to nominate Ursula von der Leyen for another term as President of the European Commission. Additionally, they nominated former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as the next President of the European Council and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Although these three key EU leaders have the support of the majority of EU member state leaders, von der Leyen and Kallas still need to secure the approval of a majority of European Parliament members to assume their positions, while Costa only requires the consent of the EU leaders. It is expected that this process may not be easy. Despite von der Leyen's party, the center-right European People's Party (EPP), being the largest bloc in the European Parliament, it still needs allies' support to ensure von der Leyen's reappointment.

The EU leadership trio represents a balanced position both politically and geographically. Von der Leyen belongs to the center-right, while Costa belongs to the center-left, and Kallas to the European liberal camp. As she aims for a second term, von der Leyen is expected to first address how the EU can continue to support Kyiv in its fight against Russian forces amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Additionally, her continued implementation of the EU's "Green Deal" will be closely watched. While this was a major achievement of her first term, it has faced criticism from farmers, some political groups, and voters, sparking political controversy.

Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of FOWPAL, left, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople had a meaningful interaction during the 27th Eurasian Economic Summit in Istanbul.

The first televised debate of the 2024 U.S. presidential election concluded on the 27th. According to a survey commissioned by CNN, Donald Trump received approval from 67% of voters, while 33% thought the current president, Joe Biden, performed better.

The debate lasted 90 minutes. After it ended, CNN conducted a survey via text message of 565 registered voters from before the debate. The results showed that 57% had no confidence in Biden's leadership abilities, compared to 44% for Trump. These figures were not significantly different from pre-debate polls, which showed 55% lacked confidence in Biden and 47% in Trump.

This poll only reflects the views of voters registered before the debate, with a sampling error of approximately ±5.5 percentage points, and cannot represent the opinions of all voters. Political analysts stated that the two candidates participating in the debate were merely performing for their supporters. They did not change voters' opinions, and overall, there was no winner in this debate.

The 29th Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) for the year 2024 is scheduled to take place at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, starting from the 27th of July until the 1st of August. The exercise will involve 40 surface ships, 3 submarines, land forces from 14 countries, over 150 aircraft, and more than 25,000 personnel.

RIMPAC, which began in 1971, is currently one of the largest global maritime military exercises. China was invited to participate in RIMPAC in 2014, but since 2018, due to China’s rising comprehensive national power threatening U.S. hegemony, the U.S. has stopped inviting China to this international military exercise.

Despite Taiwan expressing its willingness to participate in RIMPAC multiple times, and with U.S. lawmakers advocating for Taiwan’s inclusion, Taiwan is not among the 29 participants in this year’s exercise. Former U.S. President Trump’s National Security Advisor, Robert O’Brien, recently published an article in Foreign Affairs calling for Taiwan’s inclusion in future RIMPAC exercises.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet is hosting this edition of RIMPAC, with Rear Admiral John Wade, the newly appointed commander of the U.S. Third Fleet, serving as the Combined Task Force commander. Before the exercise officially begins, several surface task groups will depart from their respective homeports and sail to Hawaii in a multinational formation.

According to a news release from the U.S. Third Fleet provided to Voice of America, the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), an aircraft carrier, arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on the 26th. The Carl Vinson is the largest participating vessel in this year’s RIMPAC, capable of carrying over 5,000 crew members and more than 60 aircraft.

The U.S. Navy emphasizes that RIMPAC, as the world’s largest international maritime exercise, showcases the integrated capabilities of participating forces in dynamic maritime environments, demonstrating enduring interoperability in comprehensive military operations.

The participating aircraft in this edition include F-35 Lightning II fighters, P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, and V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. They will conduct flight exercises outside Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii.

The exercise scenarios cover anti-submarine warfare, multi-ship surface combat, multinational amphibious landings, and carrier strike group operations against live missile threats in various multi-domain warfare scenarios. The “Sink Exercise” (SINKEX) is a highly anticipated segment of RIMPAC, where participants use anti-ship weapons to engage target vessels with live ammunition.

This year’s SINKEX target is the decommissioned 40,000-ton Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship, often referred to as a quasi-aircraft carrier due to its nearly 40,000-ton displacement. According to reports from The War Zone and the U.S. Naval Institute, this marks the first time in 10 years that an amphibious assault ship has been used as a target in RIMPAC. Additionally, it is the first time in almost 20 years that a large vessel resembling an aircraft carrier has been selected for SINKEX since the sinking of the USS America (LHA-6) during RIMPAC 2005. Compared to the 26 countries and 38 ships in the 2022 lineup, this year’s RIMPAC is even more massive.