Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

SINGAPORE (AP) - China's rapid military modernization and assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and growing concerns over American priorities are top issues on the table at Asia's premier defense summit drawing leaders, top diplomats and security officials from around the world. The Shangri-La Dialogue, hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, also comes as the Middle East is increasingly on edge as new attacks have threatened the tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war. Russia, meanwhile, has intensified its war on Ukraine. Vietnamese leader To Lam opens the conference Friday with a keynote address, while U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth starts Saturday's session with remarks focused on the Trump administration's Indo-Pacific strategy.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A Chinese political dissident is in South Korean custody after making a perilous escape from his country in a small rubber boat, officials and his friend said. It was his fourth known attempt to escape China, a risk he reportedly took hoping to be reunited with his family. Dong Guangping, 68, was aboard a 3.3-meter (10.8-foot) rubber boat in the waters off a western South Korean island on Monday night when he was detained by South Korea's coast guard for allegedly violating the country's immigration law. The coast guard sought a warrant to formally arrest him, but a local court on Thursday refused, saying it's "difficult to recognize sufficient grounds and necessity" for his arrest.

BANGKOK (AP) - The International Stabilization Force for Gaza was announced with great aplomb at the inaugural meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace in February. The American general tapped to lead the 20,000-strong force said it would ensure "future prosperity and enduring peace" after the devastating Israel-Hamas war. Three months on, he still has no force to lead as none of the five countries that pledged troops have come through with any significant contributions. Efforts to shore up the fragile ceasefire have stalled as Hamas has refused to disarm and Israel has seized more territory while continuing to strike what it says are militant targets, often killing civilians.

TOKYO (AP) - Japan and the Philippines on Thursday agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation by accelerating talks on Japanese weapons sales and intelligence sharing at a time of fears over China's military activity in Asia. The two countries also upgraded their ties to the highest-tier diplomatic framework of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, meaning that they will cooperate on a broader range of areas, not just on a strategic priorities. Japan treated Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with highest levels of hospitality, including a meeting with Emperor Naruhito, a palace banquet and one of Japan's most prestigious decorations, the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, on Wednesday.

BANGKOK (AP) - A criminal court in Thailand on Thursday acquitted the popular leader of a progressive political movement on charges of defaming the king and violating the law on online activity. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, head of the group Progressive Movement, was charged based on comments he made during a Facebook Live broadcast in 2021 about the awarding of a government COVID-19 vaccine production contract to a company owned by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. His comments were part of a general criticism that the government of then-Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha bungled its vaccination campaign by failing to ensure timely, adequate and effective supplies.

TOKYO (AP) - Mechanical hands dexterous enough to thread a needle, childlike dancing robots and adult-sized ones to help with deliveries were on display Thursday as the Humanoids Summit Tokyo opened. Among the dozens of companies taking part, including well-known players like Boston Dynamics and Toyota Motor Corp., the big stars now were clearly the Chinese. Chinese newcomers, like Booster Robotics and LimX Dynamics, took the technology initially developed in Japan and the U.S. and fine-tuned it, often for cheaper mass production. It's a repeat of what happened in other Japanese industries, from consumer electronics to cellphones and electric vehicles. In humanoids, Japan was initially ahead but then failed to produce major commercial solutions.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - An Australian mother of four was held in custody after she appeared in a court on Thursday charged with traveling to Syria and joining the Islamic State group. Rayann El Houli, 34, was arrested at her Melbourne home eight months after she returned to Australia via Lebanon with her children and another woman, police and her lawyer said. The arrest came two days after seven women and 12 children linked to IS returned to Australia from a Syrian refugee camp against the wishes of the Australian government. Three weeks ago, four women and nine children in similar circumstances returned from the same Roj camp for displaced people, which is located near the area where the frontiers of Syria, Turkey and Iraq converge.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Australia is suing U.S. conglomerate 3M for more than 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion) over so-called "forever chemical" contamination from firefighting foam at defense bases, the government said on Thursday. The government's largest-ever claim for compensation relates to contamination with per- and polyfluoroaklyl substances, known as PFAS, at 28 bases. Human-made PFAS are commonly referred to as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down naturally. Australia filed the suit in the Federal Court of Australia against Minnesota-based 3M Company and its subsidiary 3M Australia. 3M said it would fight Australia's claim. "3M has never manufactured PFAS in Australia and ceased sales of the products at issue in Australia around two decades ago," 3M said in a statement.

BANGKOK (AP) - Five villagers who became trapped in a flooded cave in central Laos more than a week ago have been found alive by divers who discovered them sitting on a rock in the darkness, rescuers said Wednesday, but two others are still missing. The seven villagers entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on May 19, but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit, according to Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation. Thai rescuer Chakkit Taengtang posted video of himself in the cave saying divers were delivering food and water to the five and planning to extract them as soon as possible.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - Judges at the International Criminal Court said on Wednesday that the trial of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity will start on Nov. 30. According to prosecutors, the ex-leader is responsible for dozens of murders, allegedly overseeing deadly anti-drug crackdowns, first as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later as president. "The expediency of the trial is of the upmost importance," presiding Judge Joanna Korner said, rejecting requests from the registry of the court to delay the start date over concerns about a lack of translators. Duterte, who served as president from 2016 to 2022, was arrested in the Philippines last year and flown to The Hague, where the global court is located.