Thousands Rally in Delhi Demanding India's Election Chief Resign Over Voter List Revision

Thousands of people protested in New Delhi on Sunday (November 1), demanding the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a revision of voter lists, Reuters reported. The rally is the latest in more than a month of opposition demonstrations challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

What happened at the rally

Led by Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi, protesters marched from central Delhi to the historic Ramlila Maidan ground as hundreds of security personnel, some carrying batons and shields, surrounded the venue. Authorities had tightened security and warned of traffic diversions beforehand. Speaking from the stage, Gandhi said Kumar would have to vacate his post and described the removal of names from voter rolls as an attack on every citizen's voice. Protesters say the revision benefits Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The dispute over voter rolls

According to Reuters, the revision removed more than 130 million names from the rolls, more than the population of Japan. Opposition parties allege that the deletions disproportionately affected Muslim voters and members of other minorities who are unlikely to support the BJP. The Election Commission says the aim is to update the lists by removing duplicate and ineligible voters. It has denied favouring any party and says wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol. One protester told Reuters that four members of her family were deleted because of a false record that they had moved away.

Government response

Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda called the protest a carefully orchestrated drama and a calculated conspiracy, while the BJP has accused rivals of undermining democracy by questioning legitimate electoral processes. The near-daily protests, involving opposition parties, student groups and a youth-led group, began in late September after the Indian Express reported that Kumar's two deputies had raised internal concerns about the revision.

The bigger picture

Reuters describes the protests as the worst crisis for Modi since he came to power in 2014, although his government remains stable and the next general election is not due until 2029.

Source: The Star (Reuters) - Thousands join Indian opposition protest demanding poll chief's resignation

Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Strikes Off Japan's Mie Prefecture, No Tsunami Warning Issued

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 struck off the south-east coast of Mie Prefecture in central Japan on Sunday morning (November 1), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The report was carried by Xinhua and republished by The Star. No tsunami warning has been issued.

Key details

According to the JMA, the quake occurred at around 7.15am local time at a depth of about 350 kilometres. It registered 3 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, which runs from 0 to 7, in parts of Fukushima Prefecture. The epicentre was located at 33.7 degrees north latitude and 137.1 degrees east longitude, in the waters off the coast.

What the numbers mean

As general background, Japan's intensity scale measures how strongly the ground shakes at a particular location, unlike magnitude, which describes the energy released at the source. A reading of 3 is generally considered light to moderate shaking that people indoors can clearly feel, but it rarely causes significant damage. The great depth of this earthquake is also relevant. Deep earthquakes tend to spread shaking over a wide area while producing less intense surface motion than shallow quakes of similar magnitude, and they are less likely to generate tsunamis. The initial report did not mention any damage or casualties.

Living with seismic risk

Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences earthquakes regularly, so its building codes, early warning systems and public drills are among the most developed in the world. Residents and visitors are encouraged to follow official updates from the JMA, since preliminary figures such as magnitude and depth can be revised as more data becomes available.

Malaysians who have family members, students or travel plans in Japan may wish to check advisories from the Malaysian embassy in Tokyo and local authorities. This post will be updated if further information is released.

Source: The Star (Xinhua) - Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes off Japan's Mie Prefecture

Hong Kong Leader Apologises for Tai Po Fire as Housing Chief Resigns

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has apologised for last year's deadly Tai Po fire and promised sweeping reforms, while Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho resigned to take political responsibility. The developments were reported by the South China Morning Post and republished by The Star on October 31.

The apology

Lee and seven other top officials bowed their heads at the start of a press briefing, the first time his administration directly expressed regret since the blaze at Wang Fuk Court on November 26 last year. The fire killed 168 people and displaced 1,984 families. Lee said the tragedy had caused pain and sorrow to the affected families and to society, and he apologised on behalf of the government.

The independent report

The briefing took place on the same day the government released a 1,154-page report by a judge-led independent committee, published 11 months after the fire. The committee concluded that the disaster resulted from faults and deliberate misconduct by private sector players, as well as decades of failure by government bodies overseeing construction, building management and fire safety. It named four government departments as bearing part of the blame, with the Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit receiving the biggest share of responsibility. The report suggested that the tragedy could have been avoided.

Reforms announced

The government said it will pursue reforms in seven areas and revise six pieces of legislation, including giving the Competition Ordinance more power to criminalise bid-rigging in major building repair works. The Independent Checking Unit will be scrapped and replaced with a public housing control unit. A Public Service Commission team will also investigate 40 to 50 officers and interview about 100 civil servants over possible errors or misconduct.

Reaction

Beijing's liaison office praised the government's response, while Lee was repeatedly asked at the briefing whether the apology came too late and whether more officials, or he himself, should be held accountable.

Source: The Star (SCMP) - Hong Kong leader John Lee apologises for Tai Po fire, unveils reforms as housing chief resigns

Amadeus Data Breach: Cathay Pacific Joins Growing List of Airlines Affected

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways has said it is among a growing list of global airlines affected by a data breach at a major software provider, Amadeus IT Group. In a statement on Friday (October 30), the airline said around 53,000 bookings were affected by unauthorised access to reservation data held by Amadeus between August 2023 and September 2026, according to a Bloomberg report carried by The Star.

What data was involved

Cathay said most of the affected records contained booking references, passenger names and flight details. A smaller subset potentially included email addresses, phone contacts and travel document information. The airline said the incident is under investigation and is not affecting its own systems or operations.

Other airlines hit

The report said the breach has touched a number of major carriers. Japan Airlines has said about 92,000 customer records were exposed in a cyberattack, while ANA Holdings said information of up to 37,800 passengers was leaked. Korean Air Lines and Germany's Condor have also said their data was affected. It remains unclear whether more airlines will come forward, since Amadeus software is widely used across the global aviation industry. Deutsche Lufthansa, which entered a partnership with Amadeus this year, had not immediately responded to a request for comment at the time of the report.

Why this breach matters

Airlines rely on a small number of technology vendors to handle bookings, check-in and passenger records. When one provider is compromised, the impact can spread to many airlines at once, even if each airline's own network remains secure. The long period covered by the unauthorised access, nearly three years according to Cathay's statement, also highlights how difficult it can be to detect this kind of intrusion.

Advice for travellers

Passengers who have flown with affected airlines should watch for phishing messages that use real booking details to appear convincing. Avoid clicking links in unexpected messages, and verify any request for information through the airline's official channels. Malaysian readers can also read about the statement issued by Malaysia Airlines in our related post.

Source: The Star (Bloomberg) - Cathay Pacific joins growing list of airlines hit by data breach

Malaysia Airlines Says Its Systems Were Not Compromised in Vendor Data Breach

Malaysia Airlines has said that its own systems were not compromised despite a cybersecurity breach at a vendor, according to a report published by The Star on Sunday (November 1). Malay Mail also ran a headline the same day saying the airline warns customers of data exposure in the breach at Amadeus, the travel technology provider that supplies reservation software to many airlines around the world.

What is known

The distinction the airline is drawing is important. A breach at a third-party vendor does not necessarily mean the airline's own network was hacked, but it can still affect passenger information that is stored or processed on the vendor's platform. The reports I reviewed do not spell out exactly what types of information were involved for Malaysia Airlines customers or how many people may be affected, so readers should rely on the airline's official notice for those details.

The wider picture

The Amadeus incident has hit several carriers in Asia and Europe. Bloomberg, in a report carried by The Star on October 30, said Cathay Pacific had around 53,000 bookings affected by unauthorised access to reservation data held by Amadeus between August 2023 and September 2026. Japan Airlines said about 92,000 customer records were exposed, ANA Holdings reported that information of up to 37,800 passengers was leaked, and Korean Air Lines and Condor have also said their data was affected.

What travellers can do

General cybersecurity advice applies when an airline announces a vendor-related breach. Be cautious about unexpected emails, text messages or phone calls that mention your booking, even if they appear to come from the airline. Do not click links or share one-time passwords. Consider updating passwords for any frequent flyer accounts and monitor them for unusual activity. When in doubt, contact the airline using the contact details printed on its official website or app.

The situation may develop as the airline and the vendor complete their investigations.

Sources: The Star - Our system not compromised despite vendor's cybersecurity breach, says Malaysian Airlines | The Star (Bloomberg) - Cathay Pacific joins growing list of airlines hit by data breach