Latest news with #SunnyKaushal
RNZ News
17-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Concerns about amount spent by retail crime prevention group
The amount spent by a group set up to look at retail crime continues to come under scrutiny. It's been revealed that the Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime, set up three and a half months ago amid a worrying spike in retail crime, has cost around half a million dollars. That includes nearly $330,000 on personnel costs; admin of $65,000; travel and accommodation of nearly $10,000; and $102,000 pay for group members fees, with most of that going to chairperson Sunny Kaushal's $92,000 paycheque. Mr Kaushal has defended the cost, saying that with $1.8 million available to the group, they're actually under-budget. Retail NZ chief executive and member of the Ministerial Advisory Group Carolyn Young spoke to Melissa Chan-Green. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
News18
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Sunny Kaushal Shares A Sweet Photo To Wish Katrina Kaif On Her Birthday
Last Updated: Sunny Kaushal, Katrina's brother-in-law, also took to his Instagram to post an adorable birthday message. Katrina Kaif has turned a year older, and warm wishes are pouring in from across the industry. Sunny Kaushal, Katrina's brother-in-law, also took to his Instagram to post an adorable birthday message that instantly captured hearts online. Taking to his Instagram stories, Sunny Kaushal shared a photo of Katrina Kaif posing with Vicky Kaushal and wrote, 'Happy birthday". Recently, Sunny Kaushal shared video of his latest rap song titled Mid Air Freeverse, in collaboration with Mass Appeal. The Shiddat actor took on the roles of both lyricist and vocalist for this dynamic track. Produced by UpsideDown and ICONYK, this song uniquely showcases Sunny Kaushal's Punjabi essence, which is evident in the rap's overall appeal. So far, Sunny Kaushal has shown his dynamic side with his performances in Shiddat, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, Mili, and others. But, 'Mid Air Freeverse' showcases him in an unexpected and free-spirited avatar, something that's never-seen-before by the audience. A day ago, Sunny treated his viewers with the song's teaser, giving a glimpse of what's to come. Not only did it raise curiosity among his fans, but left them mind-blown with his appearance. Sunny Kaushal, celebrated for his versatility and screen presence, embarked on his acting career with Sunshine Music Tours and Travels (2016). He garnered wider recognition with the critically acclaimed Gold (2018), where he portrayed a young hockey player alongside Akshay Kumar. Sunny further demonstrated his range in Bhangra Paa Le (2020), which combined dance, drama, and Punjabi culture. Katrina's journey in the industry has been remarkable. Starting right from her first film, Boom, in 2003, Katrina has time and again proven that she's more than just a glamorous face — she's a powerhouse performer. Whether it's high-octane action, heartfelt drama, or quirky rom-coms, Katrina has pulled off every character with ease, carving a unique space for herself in Bollywood. On the work front, Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt and Priyanka Chopra, Jee Le Zaraa is a much-anticipated film of the actress. Directed by Farhan Akhtar, the film revolves around the three female protagonists on a road trip. It has gone through multiple delays, and the filmmaker has revealed that he plans to begin production after finishing Don 3 with Ranveer Singh. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
RNZ News
16-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Retail crime advisory group costs $500k in three months
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says he is confident the group has done what it was set up to do. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii The justice minister is defending the amount of money spent on the government's retail crime advisory group in 100 days, saying the group has come up with ideas the government will implement to better deal with retail crime. The Labour Party says the half-million dollar sum is hard to stomach, and that ideas the group came up had previously been dismissed as being too dangerous. But the group's chair says its budget is strictly managed and controlled, and he had robust checks and accountability measures in place. The government has announced a suite of law-and-order reforms designed to crack down on retail crime, including on-the-spot fines for shoplifters, citizen's arrest powers, and toughened trespass laws. The reforms were suggested by the ministerial advisory group, chaired by Sunny Kaushal. Answering a parliamentary question from Labour's police spokesperson Ginny Andersen, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said "The Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime has spent $507,468.71 from 1 March 2025 to 10 June 2025." Those costs include personnel costs ($329,900.93), chair and member fees ($102,788.26), travel and accommodation ($9,605.71), and admin ($65,173.81). Member remuneration is in accordance with the Cabinet fees framework, with the Ministry of Justice reimbursing invoiced fees. On Tuesday, Goldsmith told media the MAG's budget was $1.8m a year, so it was under budget. "The point of the advisory group is to come up with well-thought-through, oven-ready legislation for us to get on with, and that's what they've done," he said. However, some of the policies still needed time to work through before the bill is introduced, or during the select committee process. When announcing the trespass law changes, Goldsmith said the government would explore how best to support retailers when distributing notices to those who refuse to engage. He also said the precise details on the use of facial recognition or CCTV to identify shoplifters would be "argued out" over the select committee process. Andersen said it was unclear why that amount of money had been spent by the group. She said when she was police minister, Kaushal had come to her suggesting a citizen's arrest policy, but it was dismissed as police had advised it was dangerous. "It does seem an exorbitant amount for ideas that were given to our government for free, and ideas that have been advised as dangerous," she said. Goldsmith, however, said he was confident the group had done what it was set up to do, and criticised Labour for not implementing such ideas. "A lot of them weren't taken up because their government was frankly soft on crime and they weren't actually listening and making the changes that needed to be made." Kaushal said the group operated under a clearly defined and stringently managed operating budget, controlled and overseen by the Ministry of Justice's finance team. "In line with public expectations around the responsible use of funds, I have robust checks and accountability measures in place across all areas of expenditure," he said. Kaushal said the group's "strict cost control and efficient operations" had already delivered a significant savings underspending from its allocated annual operating budget. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
16-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Retail crime advisory group spends $500k in three months
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says he is confident the group has done what it was set up to do. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii The justice minister is defending a half-million dollar spend-up in 100 days by the government's retail crime advisory group, saying the group has come up with ideas the government will implement to better deal with retail crime. The Labour Party says it is a hard sum of money to stomach, and that ideas the group came up had previously been dismissed as being too dangerous. But the group's chair says its budget is strictly managed and controlled, and he had robust checks and accountability measures in place. The government has announced a suite of law-and-order reforms designed to crack down on retail crime, including on-the-spot fines for shoplifters, citizen's arrest powers, and toughened trespass laws. The reforms were suggested by the ministerial advisory group, chaired by Sunny Kaushal. Answering a parliamentary question from Labour's police spokesperson Ginny Andersen, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for Victims of Retail Crime had spent $507,468.71 from 1 March to 10 June. On Tuesday, Goldsmith told media the MAG's budget was $1.8m a year, so it was under budget. "The point of the advisory group is to come up with well-thought-through, oven-ready legislation for us to get on with, and that's what they've done," he said. However, some of the policies still needed time to work through before the bill is introduced, or during the select committee process. When announcing the trespass law changes, Goldsmith said the government would explore how best to support retailers when distributing notices to those who refuse to engage. He also said the precise details on the use of facial recognition or CCTV to identify shoplifters would be "argued out" over the select committee process. Andersen said it was unclear why that amount of money had been spent by the group. She said when she was police minister, Kaushal had come to her suggesting a citizen's arrest policy, but it was dismissed as police had advised it was dangerous. "It does seem an exorbitant amount for ideas that were given to our government for free, and ideas that have been advised as dangerous," she said. Goldsmith, however, said he was confident the group had done what it was set up to do, and criticised Labour for not implementing such ideas. "A lot of them weren't taken up because their government was frankly soft on crime and they weren't actually listening and making the changes that needed to be made." Kaushal said the group operated under a clearly defined and stringently managed operating budget, controlled and overseen by the Ministry of Justice's finance team. "In line with public expectations around the responsible use of funds, I have robust checks and accountability measures in place across all areas of expenditure," he said. Kaushal said the group's "strict cost control and efficient operations" had already delivered a significant savings underspending from its allocated annual operating budget. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Citizens arrest changes unlikely to improve safety: ministry
The government's proposed citizen's arrest changes are unlikely to have much impact on public safety, according to the justice ministry's analysis. It says there are also risks people would be more likely to use unreasonable force, particularly on children who - being physically smaller - are easier to catch and restrain. In February, the justice minister unveiled proposals for changing up the citizen's arrest regime, after a Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) led by Sunny Kaushal came up with the recommendations. The changes would remove an old limitation on making citizens arrests at certain hours of the day, and clarify other aspects of the law including that restraints and reasonable force could be used, and requiring people to call police and follow their instructions as soon as practicable. They are set to be combined with a raft of changes to Crimes Act announced this week, including instant fines for shoplifters, higher penalties for assaulting first responders, and making a "coward punch" a specific offence. The ministry's Regulatory Impact Statement showed the approach taken by the government was more conservative than what the MAG initially proposed, but more ambitious than what the ministry would have wanted. It found the changes likely to improve how people understood the law, but unlikely to materially improve public safety. "The changes are coherent, and somewhat minimise the scope for unintended consequences. In of themselves, these proposals are not expected to reduce offending levels but will provide more clarity around how intervention can occur, what should be done following an arrest, and remove confusion as to what degree of force can be used to defend one's property," it said. It found clarifying the rules - that people making citizen's arrests can use restraints and should contact police as soon as practicable - was likely to "codify (but not change) the status quo". However, people could also be encouraged by the changes to use force and restraints to make such arrests, which "may lead to unreasonable use of force and unlawful detention". The ministry said this could be seen as inconsistent with the Bill of Rights, and the use of restraints "is inconsistent with laws regulating the use of force on children and young people". "Agencies believe that specifying the use of restraints (although already allowed under the law) may lead to unreasonable use of restraints, which is especially concerning in relation to alleged youth offenders (who may be more likely to be arrested given they are typically physically easier to restrain that alleged adult offenders). "Further, Māori are more likely to be disproportionately impacted by these changes (if more arrests occur)." Removing restrictions on hitting or doing bodily harm when making an arrest would also mean less confusion about the law and make it more workable and consistent - but again, with no material change to public safety. "No impact on public safety expected as the proposal does not allow for more than reasonable force and there is a minimal risk that retailers or the public will interpret this as allowing excessive force in applicable defence of property scenarios." A cost-benefit analysis suggested the changes would make retailers and security guards' rights and obligations clearer, but this could also come with "minimal" one-off costs and the changes would overall have a "low" level of impact. It also said police had raised concern about several aspects of the changes: a. the inconsistent use of arrest powers and the relative lack of training retailers are likely to have in relation to arrests; b. the risk that more than reasonable force is used - and that prosecutions follow, undermining the policy objectives; c. the vulnerability of children and young people and how they may be detained; d. offenders targeting places with less security (e.g., lone retail operators) or an escalation of violence (that would otherwise not occur) aimed at deterring arrests by retailers; e. that citizens will perform arrests where Police would not, due to evidentiary or public interest thresholds for arrest and charging a suspect not being met - undermining confidence in the criminal justice system; and f. that situations of low-level theft escalate into more serious violent situations. The document said limited time, a narrow scope, few options to consider and a lack of broader consultation all limited the depth of the analysis, and said it would be difficult to assess how effective it was. "This data may be difficult to gather, even with an excess of time, as police are unlikely to record the occurrence of 'citizens' arrests', for example." While police would continue monitoring things like rates of shoplifting, "it will not be possible to determine whether any changes in offending rates are attributed to the changes proposed here, due to the many factors that give rise to offending behaviours". The government is also looking at making sentences for a "coward punch" - a single-strike surprise attack on the head or neck - more strict. An Auckland law professor has previously warned it would be easy for people making citizen's arrests to stray into using unreasonable force - including, for example, a deadly punch.
