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The ASEAN Summit took place in Vientiane, Laos, from October 6 to 11, with numerous Southeast Asian leaders in attendance. Key discussion points included the Myanmar crisis and the situation in the South China Sea. Leaders also held multilateral talks to discuss economic cooperation and regional security.

Among the attendees were Japan's newly appointed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Thailand's recently elected Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, representing President Biden at the 44th ASEAN Summit. Ishiba held individual talks with leaders from South Korea, China, and India, particularly with Premier Li Qiang, following the tragic stabbing of a Japanese schoolchild in Shenzhen, for which Ishiba called for a thorough investigation. During the plenary session, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also shared his views, highlighting three key areas that should be strengthened: environmental sustainability, human security, and regional integration.

Additionally, the Myanmar crisis and tensions in the South China Sea were significant topics of concern. Despite ASEAN leaders' efforts over the past three years to resolve the Myanmar crisis through negotiation, no success has yet been achieved. Furthermore, Secretary Blinken discussed China's pressure on relevant countries in the South China Sea during the summit, an issue of great concern to Southeast Asian leaders.

Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, President of FOWPAL, led the FOWPAL delegation to Suriname to promote a culture of peace with love and conscience from October 9, 2024. They pose for a group photo in front of the Presidential Palace of Suriname. It is the 112th nation that FOWPAL has visited for cultural exchange.

Group photo at the opening ceremony of EduComunidad 2024 in Ecuador. From left: Pablo Ponce, Manager of the Johannes Kepler Educational Institution; Alegría Crespo, Ecuador’s Minister of Education; Rosalía Arteaga Serrano, former President of Ecuador; Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, President of the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL); Rómulo López, President of the Ecuadorian Confederation of Catholic Education Establishments (CONFEDEC); and Marcos Zambrano, Rector of ULEAM.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce recently announced that, starting October 11, it will implement temporary anti-dumping measures on brandy imported from the EU, with a maximum deposit rate of up to 39%. This move is seen as retaliation against the EU's recent decision to impose countervailing duties on Chinese electric vehicles. On October 4, the European Commission passed a resolution accusing the Chinese government of providing subsidies that create unfair competitive pressure on the European automotive industry, deciding to impose tariffs of up to 45% on Chinese electric vehicles.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce emphasized that this anti-dumping measure is in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations and complies with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Additionally, China is investigating whether imports from the EU, such as pork and dairy products, are subject to dumping or subsidization.

The investigation into brandy indicates that EU brandy poses a dumping threat to the Chinese market. Major brandy-exporting countries include France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, with French brandy accounting for 99% of China's brandy imports. France is also a key advocate for the electric vehicle tariffs.

France expressed dissatisfaction, criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping for promising not to impose temporary tariffs during his visit to Paris, only to now go back on that commitment. The European Commission also announced plans to protest at the WTO, stating that China’s actions lack justification, and the EU will resolutely defend its industry against trade protectionism.

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced on the 7th, awarded jointly to American developmental biologist Victor Ambros and American molecular biologist Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNAs and their role in gene regulation.

Ambros, a 70-year-old professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Ruvkun, a 72-year-old professor at Harvard Medical School, collaborated on research involving the one-millimeter-long *Caenorhabditis elegans* (nematode) to identify the causes and timing of cellular mutations. They were recognized for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNAs and their critical role in gene regulation. This year's Nobel Prize money amounts to 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately 34.14 million TWD), with each recipient receiving about 1.7 million TWD.

The Nobel Prize committee emphasized that research on the regulation of gene activity has been an important goal for several decades. Abnormalities in gene regulation can lead to severe diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, or autoimmune disorders. The scholars' groundbreaking findings reveal a completely new mechanism of gene regulation, allowing each cell to select relevant instructions, which is crucial for multicellular organisms, including humans.

Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of FOWPAL, delivers a speech on “sustainable development: promoting a culture of peace with love and conscience” at the 10th International Forum on African-Caribbean Leadership (IFAL).

According to a Reuters report, the mayor of Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero state in Mexico, Alejandro Arcos, was assassinated on the 6th. His body was found decapitated, with his head placed on top of a truck. Arcos had only been in office for six days as mayor.

Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado confirmed the news, stating that Arcos was killed on the 6th, and that the case is currently under investigation by authorities. Disturbingly, a photo of a severed head placed on a truck, believed to be Arcos' head, went viral on social media. This is the latest in a series of attacks on political figures. Just three days before Arcos' murder, Francisco Tapia, the newly appointed city secretary, was shot and killed, having only served for four days. Violence is rampant in Mexico, and before the June 2 elections, six public office candidates were murdered in Guerrero alone.

In southwestern Mexico’s Guerrero state, violence has been rampant for years. The city of Chilpancingo has long been a battleground for two major drug cartels, Ardillos and Tlacos, engaged in a bloody turf war. These cartel clashes have resulted in numerous horrific murders and scandals. The cartels' influence in the area is so strong that they have even organized protests demanding the release of their imprisoned leaders.

In July 2023, hundreds of members of the Ardillos cartel protested, calling on the government to release two cartel leaders who had been arrested for drug and weapons possession. The protest blocked the highway between Mexico City and the popular tourist destination of Acapulco for two days. Demonstrators clashed with security forces, seizing government armored vehicles to ram into buildings, and even kidnapping 10 police officers and officials as hostages. Since the government deployed troops to combat drug trafficking in 2006, over 450,000 people have been murdered across Mexico, with tens of thousands still missing.

On the 6th, Israel launched another airstrike on the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital, Beirut. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati issued a statement on the 6th, saying: "We continue to support the ceasefire calls jointly issued by France and the United States, with the support of the European Union, Arab countries, and other foreign nations, and we call for pressure on Israel to comply with the ceasefire and immediately implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701."

October 7th marks the anniversary of the Israel-Hamas conflict, with related events taking place globally. Israel is on high alert, and on the 6th, it bombed northern Gaza and southern Lebanon. The Israeli military reported that several soldiers were injured in the fighting in northern Gaza. A mosque and a school shelter in Gaza were bombed, resulting in at least 24 deaths and 93 injuries, and Israel claimed to have eliminated Hezbollah commander Tavil. The Israeli military also reported that its own territory was under air attack, with about 130 rockets launched, some of which were intercepted. Hezbollah stated that it had successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers in northern Israel, launching a large number of rockets and hitting them accurately.

Explosions continued to be heard in the southern suburbs of Beirut, specifically in Dahiyeh, suggesting that an ammunition depot may have been hit. Red and white flashes could be seen from kilometers away, lasting nearly 30 minutes. The attack resulted in significant civilian casualties and was the most severe bombing since September 23rd. According to Lebanon's National News Agency, the southern suburbs of Beirut were hit by more than 30 airstrikes, targeting a gas station on a major highway leading to Beirut's airport and a medical supplies warehouse. The Israeli military stated that it had attacked Hezbollah weapons depots and other military infrastructure.

Pastor Dr. Francis A. M. Mambu from Sierra Leone rang the Bell and expressed his wish: "I wish peace to every man, woman, and child, and to pray that the image and likeness of peace be formed in everyone so that we will live with immense dignity and love."

With the U.S. presidential election approaching, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris met with local Arab-American voters in Flint, Michigan, on the 4th, following a campaign rally, in an attempt to gain support from this community. Arab-American voters have expressed growing frustration over the U.S.'s delayed and insufficient intervention in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon conflicts.

Harris' team issued a statement noting that she listened directly to their concerns regarding the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. She expressed her own concerns about Gaza and discussed efforts to prevent a regional war. Wa'el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Action, a U.S. Muslim advocacy organization that previously endorsed Harris and attended the meeting, said the conversation, originally scheduled to last 10 minutes, ended up lasting 20 minutes. He added that while Harris made no concrete promises, she told them, "She wants the war to end and will do everything she can to work toward that goal."

As Israel continues its offensive in the Gaza Strip and has recently shifted its focus northward toward Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran, where several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in airstrikes, the Middle East conflict appears to be escalating. Traditionally, Arab-Americans have tended to support the Democratic Party, but the Biden administration's handling of the Middle East crisis has weakened this community's support for the Democrats. Polls show that among likely Arab-American voters, Trump leads Harris by 46% to 42%. Michigan is home to nearly 400,000 Arab-Americans, the highest percentage of Arab citizens in the U.S. Since Biden narrowly won Michigan in 2020, the state is once again a critical battleground in this election.