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In today's bulletin: An Indian court's ruling acquits senior ruling party members in the Babri mosque demolition case, Japan's military seeks hike in funding to counter threat from China; America's plan to increase Taiwan's clout; millions take to flying in China for annual holidays, and more.

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INDIAN COURT ACQUITS RULING PARTY LEADERS IN MOSQUE DEMOLITION CASE

A special trial court in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh has acquitted senior leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for their role in the demolition of the 16th Century Babri mosque in the town of Ayodhya in 1992, in a move that could spark tensions afresh between Hindus and Muslims in the country.

Those acquitted include former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, BJP parliamentarians Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, and 29 other politicians and Hindu activists.

Mr Advani led the campaign to build a temple to replace the mosque in Ayodhya. His march also marked the rise of the ruling party that was then not in power. The demolition led to clashes that left nearly 2,000 people dead.

As such, the 92-year-old leader is no longer active in the ruling party's decision-making process and in November the country's top court handed the disputed land at Ayodhya to Hindu groups to build a temple. The issue, however, continues to be a reason for religious polarisation in the country.

JAPAN'S MILITARY SEEKS MORE FUNDING TO STRENGTHEN ARMED FORCES

Japan's military has proposed a hike in the country's defence spending to begin building an advanced stealth fighter to counter new aircraft being deployed by China.

The request - for a 3.3 per cent increase to a record 5.49 trillion yen (S$71 billion) for the year starting April 1 - if approved would be Japan's ninth straight annual budget increase.

Previous hikes in defence spending has allowed Japan to buy planes, missiles and aircraft carriers to give its Self-Defence Forces greater range and potency as neighbouring China expands its navy and air forces in East Asia.

Also read:

Japan Correspondent Walter Sim's article: Japan turns to Abe's brother to further defence goals

AMERICA'S PLANS TO HELP TAIWAN GAIN GREATER CLOUT

America unveiled a new plan to help Taiwan build its clout in Asia and Latin Africa focused on infrastructure, in a move certain to annoy China.

Washington will cooperate with Taiwan to fund projects in the Indo-Pacific region and Latin America and will promote the restructuring of regional supply chains.

The announcement was made by Taiwanese finance minister Su Jain-rong at a briefing in Taipei together with Brent Christensen, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy in Taipei.

It comes as China has taken a lead role in meeting the region's infrastructure needs through President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative.

Also read:

Global Affairs Correspondent Goh Sui Noi's article: Taiwan's quest for international space

MILLIONS TAKE TO THE SKIES FOR HOLIDAYS IN CHINA

Airlines in China have begun looking towards a better future as millions of people took to the skies for national holidays, which starts with the Mid-Autumn festival and National Day tomorrow and runs till Oct 8.

The so-called Golden Week is typically a time for families to reunite, and will add momentum to a domestic rebound that's lifting air travel within China back towards usual levels.

Still, it will be a while before they can report promising results. The three biggest airlines posted combined losses of almost US$4 billion (S$5.48 billion) in the first half and experts say their balance sheets are unlikely to look up before year end.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, there was a spike in the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases as South Koreans began travelling for the annual harvest holidays.

Here are the latest updates on Covid-19 cases elsewhere:

Jakarta sets up cemetery for additional Covid-19 graves as burial space runs out

Malaysian experts raise Covid-19 alarm over holding snap general election

RUNNING AWAY FROM PYONGYANG TOWARDS S. KOREA ONLY TO BE ABUSED

When she first met a mysterious South Korean man who introduced himself as Dr Seong, the woman thought she had found a father figure to help her start a new life after fleeing from her home in North Korea. But things went bad when Seong and a colleague, identified by his surname Kim, began to sexually abuse her. She couldn't speak up for fear of more misfortune. Defectors like her are now seeking more protection.

Also read:

After fleeing North Korea, women get trapped as cybersex slaves in China

IN OTHER NEWS

JAPAN'S 'TWITTER KILLER': A Japanese man dubbed the "Twitter killer" for luring his victims on social media admitted in court today to killing nine people. Lawyers for Takahiro Shiraishi, 29, however, have argued that the charges should be reduced because the victims gave their consent to be killed.

CHINA'S ANTITRUST PROBE INTO ALPHABET'S GOOGLE: China is preparing to launch an antitrust probe into Alphabet's Google, looking into allegations that it has leveraged the dominance of its Android mobile operating system to stifle competition, in a case proposed by telecommunications equipment giant Huawei Technologies last year.

SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT GOTABAYA RAJAPAKSA FACES CHALLENGE: Sri Lanka's Supreme Court is considering petitions from as many as 40 individuals and organisations challenging President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's plan to restore sweeping executive powers to his office.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading the Asian Insider newsletter. We'll be back with you tomorrow.

Shefali