The Indian Weekender| 13 February 2026

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BALLOT TIME

Papatoetoe by-election: Where you can vote & where you can’t

URJITA BHARDWAJ

Auckland Council has responded

to concerns over the removal of

the ‘Vote on the Go’ option for the

upcoming Papatoetoe subdivision byelection,

outlining measures to boost voter

participation and procedures for eligible

voters who do not receive their voting

papers in the mail. Voting opens on March 9.

Preliminary results will be announced on 9

April, and final results are expected to come

by 10 April.The election will be conducted

using the first-past-the-post (FPP) system.

The option (Vote on the Go), which

allowed voters to enrol and cast their

vote on the spot without identification

or paperwork, will no longer be available.

This option also helped voters whose

voting papers had not arrived in the mail,

got lost, or those who could not enrol in

time. Auckland Council has provided a list

who could cast a special vote.

“We will not be holding Vote on the Go

events this time; however special voting

will be available throughout the month-long

voting period at both our Papatoetoe and

Manukau libraries and at the Electoral Office.

This service will be provided by fully trained

staff,” Oliver Roberts, Head of Governance

Programmes and Policies at Auckland

Council, told The Indian Weekender.

Raj Pardeep Singh, Labour candidate for

the upcoming by-election, told The Indian

Weekender that he “supports” the council’s

decision.

Representational image

Singh noted that protecting “electoral

integrity, particularly in response to the

voting irregularities, fraud risks, and

concerns about vote stealing identified

by District Court in the previous election

and out of 53 Special votes 50 votes cast

for Action team (94.3%) Unexplained 3254

extra votes.” He added that safeguarding

public confidence in the democratic process

is essential.

All four Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team

candidates from the voided October election

— Kunal Bhalla, Kushma Nair, Sandeep

Saini, and Jeet Singh, have re-nominated

for the by elections. On the removal of the

“Vote on the Go” option, Papatoetoe Ōtara

Action Team spokesperson Kunal Bhalla

said he was “disappointed”, noting that the

option had been effective in encouraging

participation from community members.

Bhalla said it was the first time “we

saw voting facilities set up in places that

people already trust and regularly attend—

such as gurdwaras on Sundays. In areas

like Papatoetoe, where more than a third

of the community is of Indian origin, this

made a real difference.” He added that

members of the community were able to

enrol and vote while attending their place

of worship, “something that removed longstanding

barriers to participation.” Bhalla

also noted that an increase in special votes

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Friday, February 13, 2026 3

Controversial Ministerial Advisory Group

led by Sunny Kaushal disbanded

IWK BUREAU

The Government will dissolve

its Ministerial Advisory Group

(MAG) for victims of retail crime

in early May, three months earlier

than planned, Justice Minister

Paul Goldsmith has confirmed.

The group had been scheduled

to conclude its work around

September but will now wrap

up ahead of time. The decision

follows the resignation of three

of its five members and the

minister’s move not to appoint

replacements.

“I’m very relaxed about the

Ministerial Advisory Group

wrapping up in May,” Sunny

Kaushal, chair of MAG, told The

Indian Weekender.

Kaushal said his priority as

chair was to deliver reform for

victims of retail crime rather than

allow the group to become an

“endless talking group”.

“To this end, I made sure the

MAG delivered our advisory work

quickly, so that victims could see

legislation in the House before we

wrapped up,” he added.

“I thought this more important

than pursuing endless

‘frameworks’ that other MAG

members would have prioritised,”

Kaushal said.

Last month, Carolyn Young,

Photo: Supplied

Michael Bell and Lindsay

Rowles stepped down from the

group, leaving Kaushal as chair

and Hamilton liquor retailer

Ash Parmar as the only other

remaining member.

Following the resignations,

India raises concerns with NZ

over disruption of Nagar Kirtan

IWK BUREAU

The Indian government has flagged with its

New Zealand counterpart the disruption of

Sikh Nagar Kirtans in Tauranga and Manurewa,

with the Ministry of External Affairs informing

Parliament on 6 February that the matter

relates to concerns over the Indian diaspora’s

security and wellbeing. Minister of State

for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, in a

written reply, confirmed that the matter had

been raised diplomatically and said the High

Commission of India in Wellington remains in

close contact with local community leaders,

including members of the Sikh community.

“Yes, it has come to our notice that a Nagar

Kirtan organised by ‘Gurdwara Sikh Sangat’

located on Burrows St Tauranga, New Zealand,

was allegedly disrupted by a group named ‘The

True Patriots of New Zealand’,” Margherita said.

He added that the group is known for its strong

social conservatism and is said to be linked to

Destiny Church, a New Zealand Christian group,

describing itself as “Guardians of the Kiwi Way

of Life; Defenders of Faith, Flag & Family”.

The clarification came in response to a

question on whether the government was

aware of an incident in Tauranga, where a

Nagar Kirtan organised to mark Parkash Purab

of Sikh Guru Gobind Singh Ji was confronted by

a local group. The Indian Weekender reported

in January that the procession had received

prior approval from the City Council, and

prior permissions and information had been

provided to local law enforcement authorities.

The New Zealand Police were present at the

site, and the procession continued “without any

confrontation with the protesters”, Margherita

said. Parliament was also informed that this

was not an isolated incident. It noted the first

incident that came to light, also reported by

The Indian Weekender on 20 December, 2025,

where a Nagar Kirtan organised by the Sikh

community in Auckland was disrupted. The

Kirtan started from the Nanaksar Sikh Temple,

in Manurewa, located on Great South Road,

included hundreds of participants walking

about five kilometres.

“Yes, on December 20, 2025, a Nagar

Kirtan, organised by the Sikh community from

Nanaksar Gurudwara, in Manurewa, Auckland,

was also confronted by the same group named

‘The True Patriots of New Zealand’,” the minister

said. He noted that the group, comprising

around 50 people, performed a haka as a form

of protest. “However, after the intervention of

the New Zealand Police, the protesters were

escorted out of the area, and the Nagar Kirtan

was allowed to continue safely,” he added.

Addressing concerns raised by Sikh

organisations and political leaders that such

incidents “pose a threat to religious freedom

and the security of the Indian diaspora”,

Margherita said New Delhi had formally raised

the matter with Wellington.

“Yes, the government of India has taken

up this issue with the government of New

Zealand,” he said, reiterating that the Indian High

Commission maintains regular engagement

with local community leaders. He further noted

that “following both incidents, the New Zealand

Police has held meetings with the Nagar Kirtan

organisers, local Sikh community leaders and

High Commission of India assuring them of full

cooperation.”

MAG told The Indian Weekender

last month that it was continuing

its work while the Justice Minister

“considers his next steps on

appointing new members”.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith

had earlier indicated the group

was nearing the end of its

mandate and said he would “take

stock” of its future.

“For various reasons, three

of the members have left, and

we could either go through the

performance of reappointing

them, or just wind it up early,”

Goldsmith told 1News.

He described the advisory

group as “very successful in

getting all the work done”,

pointing to changes to the Crimes

Act currently before Parliament.

Looking ahead, Kaushal said

the focus of MAG beyond May

would have been to continue to

keep the “pressure on Ministers”

to progress its final reports into

Government policy.

“We’re currently working on

our last few reports, which we

will deliver before May. That

was always our plan, and in

truth the MAG would have been

winding down at that stage

anyways,” Kaushal told The Indian

Weekender.

“That’s something I look forward

to doing whether or not I am chair

of the MAG,” he added.

Established in July 2024 for

a two-year term, the advisory

group was tasked with engaging

directly with victims of retail

crime, workers, business

owners, industry experts and

advocacy groups, and providing

the Government with proposals

to address urgent retail crime

issues.

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4 Friday, February 13, 2026 Read online www.iwk.co.nz

NEW ZEALAND

IWK BUREAU

Understanding the past, engaging

in the present, and shaping New

Zealand’s multicultural future.

Waitangi Day isn’t just a day

off work. For Kiwi Indians,

it’s a moment to pause and

reflect on what it means to be part of

New Zealand, a country with a rich,

layered history, diverse communities

and ongoing conversations about

partnership, identity and belonging.

It’s a day that invites us to engage

with Māori heritage, acknowledge

the nation’s complex past and

consider how our own stories fit into

the broader tapestry of the journey

of New Zealand, from a bicultural

society to a multicultural society.

The Significance of Te

Tiriti

At the heart of Waitangi Day lies

Treaty of Waitangi, signed on

February 6, 1840, between Māori

chiefs and representatives of the

British Crown. The treaty was

intended to establish partnership,

acknowledge certain Māori rights

and guide governance in the new

colony.

Over time, its interpretation has

sparked debate and reflection, as

many Māori communities claim

cultural marginalization and social

inequities despite the treaty.

For Kiwi Indians, understanding

this history is crucial. It highlights

that the story of New Zealand is not

a single narrative but a layered one,

where recognition of historical truths

and commitment to justice are part

of what it means to belong.

Waitangi Day also presents a

paradox worth examining: How

do we Kiwi Indians honour the

foundational relationship between

Māori and the Crown when our own

ancestors fought to sever such

relationships entirely?

The contrast is stark and

instructive. When India achieved

independence, it was a complete

severance, that starting with

dominion status on 15th August

1947, followed by adoption of the

constitution and declaration of

republic status on 26th January

1950. This meant full dismantling

of the Raj, the departure of colonial

What every Kiwi Indian needs

to know about Waitangi Day

Representational image

administrators, the reclamation of

full sovereignty.

The Treaty of Waitangi took a

fundamentally different path. Signed

in 1840, it wasn’t independence but

rather an agreement between Māori

and the British, which to this day

remains complicated by significant

translation differences. In the English

version, Māoriceded sovereignty;

in te reo Māori, they retained tino

rangatiratanga (chieftainship/

sovereignty). What followed wasn’t

Britain’s departure, but its deeper

involvement in governance, resulting

in modern democratic New Zealand.

This has led to ongoing dialogue

about Treaty obligations and the

establishment of processes like the

Waitangi Tribunal in 1975 to address

grievances.

As Kiwi Indians it is imperative that

we appreciate these dynamics, as

this will deepen our understanding

of New Zealand society and the

responsibilities that come with being

part of it.

Reflection and Respect

Waitangi Day is as much about

reflection as it is about celebration.

For many Māori, it is a day of

remembrance, acknowledgment,

and sometimes protest, a stark

reminder that the promises of

partnership are ongoing, not

historical footnotes. For Kiwi

Indians, participating in Waitangi

Day events or learning more about

Māori history and culture is a

meaningful way to show respect

for tangata whenua, the people of

the land, and to align ourselves with

values of partnership and shared

responsibility.

Connecting Cultures

Since the 1800’s, The Indian

diaspora has long contributed

to New Zealand’s social and

cultural landscape. From vibrant

festivals and cuisine, to community

initiatives and entrepreneurial spirit,

Kiwi Indians enrich the country

in countless ways. Waitangi

Day offers an opportunity to see

parallels between our heritage and

the principles at the heart of New

Zealand society.

Take the Indian philosophical

concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,

“the world is one family”

This ethos of interconnectedness

resonates strongly with the spirit

of Te Tiriti, which emphasizes

partnership, mutual respect and

collective responsibility. By drawing

these parallels, Kiwi Indians can

better understand their place in

Aotearoa, seeing themselves as

active participants in shaping a

shared, inclusive future.

Despite the distance between

India and New Zealand, Māori and

Indian cultures share remarkable

common ground. Both stem from

ancient civilizations with deep

spiritual connection to nature, seeing

mountains, rivers, seas and the sky

as sacred. Just as Māori traditions

honour the land and waterways as

living ancestors, Indian philosophy

teaches reverence for nature as a

manifestation of the divine. These

shared values are anchored around

respect for life, harmony with the

environment and the understanding

that humans are part of a greater

whole, This creates a bridge between

our communities, reminding us that

though our journeys are different, our

beliefs and aspirations often walk

hand in hand.

Participation Matters

Engagement on Waitangi Day is

about more than tokenism. It can

take many forms: attending public

ceremonies, supporting Māori

initiatives, learning te reo Māori, or

even having conversations within our

own communities about inclusion

and cultural understanding. Each

act of participation contributes to

the ongoing journey of New Zealand

becoming a society that respects

its history while embracing its

multicultural present.

Shaping the Future

Together

Ultimately, Waitangi Day reminds

us that New Zealand is built on

many stories, some proud and

some painful. For Kiwi Indians,

it is a chance to reflect on our

responsibilities as part of a diverse

nation and to recognize that genuine

belonging requires understanding

and active contribution.

Being Indian and Kiwi isn’t a

contradiction. But it does require

us to carry two histories forward:

the memory of our ancestors’

anti-colonial struggle and our

responsibility towards tangata

whenua. That double consciousness,

properly engaged, might be precisely

what this country needs as it

navigates its complex past and its

commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Being part of a multicultural

New Zealand means more than

living here; it means engaging

with the country’s story, honouring

the heritage of tangata whenua

and bringing our own traditions

and values to the table. Through

thoughtful engagement, Kiwi

Indians can help ensure that New

Zealand remains a place where

different cultures don’t just coexist,

but enrich one another, thereby

contribute meaningfully to a nation

built on partnership and shared

purpose for an inclusive future.

RACHEL GRAHAM/RNZ

People will be discouraged

from doing the right thing if

a Christchurch couple who

found more than $200,000 in the

ceiling of their house do not get

to keep any of the money, a court

has heard.

The couple, whose names are

suppressed, found the mystery

money sealed in plastic bricks

tucked in insulation at their

property in 2021.

They reported the cash to the

police who said the money should

be forfeited because it was the

proceeds of crime, probably from

drug dealing.

At a High Court hearing on

Monday, the couple’s lawyer

Mike Lennard said they

should keep the money

because they had no part

in any criminal activity

and withholding the cash

would discourage other people

reporting similar finds to police.

“It will send a message to

people in my client’s position,

Police

said the

money was

likely the proceeds

of crime. (File

photo) Photo:

Unsplash

Couple fight to keep more than $200k

cash they found in ceiling

don’t cooperate with

the police, don’t tell the

police, just spend it. Just

pay cash for your groceries for

the next few years,” he said.

Lennard told the court

homeowners get the “good and

the bad” when they buy a house.

He said the Proceeds of Crime Act

had a number of aims, including

deterring criminal activity, but his

clients had not broken the law.

Police lawyer Klaudia Courteney

said the money was tainted by

criminal activity and should

therefore be forfeited to the

Crown. She said the case differed

to occasions when someone

found a wallet in the street,

handed it in and later received the

money if it remained unclaimed.

Courteney said the couple were

immediately concerned the cash

was a result of criminal activity

and reported it to the police

because of safety concerns.

“They weren’t just being good

citizens. They were very concerned

that it involved criminal activity

and they were worried about who

might turn up,” she said.

Courteney said police searched

the property and installed security

alarms because of the safety

concerns and changed access

to the attic so it was no longer

accessible from the outside.

She said it was clear the couple

thought the money was from

criminal activity and therefore

tainted. Justice Osborne observed

in a number of other countries

when people had found drug

money a percentage of the cash

could be returned to them.

If the couple had not handed the

money in then the police would

have nothing, he said.

“It seems to me odd for the

commissioner (of police) to take

the position of an absolute no,

there is no opportunity for relief,

when there is a real public good

here,” he said. Justice Osborne

reserved his decision.


NEW ZEALAND


Waitangi Day: A bridge between two worlds

KHARAG SINGH

When I stand at the Treaty

grounds in Waitangi

and witness the pōwhiri,

surrounded by whānau from every

corner of Aotearoa, I am moved

by something profound. As a Sikh

Kiwi Indian New Zealander who

has called this country home since

1987, Waitangi Day has become

one of the most meaningful

occasions in my life, not despite my

heritage, but because of it.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi, signed in

1840 as a covenant of partnership

and protection between Māori and

the Crown, is not merely a historical

document. It is a living promise

that shapes the kind of nation

we are building together. And

as someone whose ancestors

knew the pain of broken

promises, I understand what it

means when agreements are not

honoured.

A Shared History of

Sovereignty

Sikhs once governed our own

empire in Punjab. Under Maharaja

Ranjit Singh in the early 1800s,

the Sikh Empire flourished as a

sovereign state renowned for

religious tolerance and pluralism.

Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs lived

and served together in his court.

The Maharaja, known as Shere-Punjab

(the Lion of Punjab),

was recognised in a 2020 BBC

World Histories Magazine poll as

the greatest leader of all time—a

Photo:

Supplied

testament to his vision of

unity in diversity.

But in 1849, following wars

and treaties that were ultimately

dishonoured, the British Empire

annexed Punjab. Our sovereignty

vanished. That loss remains

etched in our collective memory,

passed down through generations.

It shapes how we understand what

it means when indigenous peoples

fight to protect their rights, their

land, and their mana.

Blood Shed on Foreign

Shores

My family’s connection to this

part of the world runs deeper

than many might imagine. My

father served in the Royal British

Air Force and fought alongside

ANZAC forces. He was one of

hundreds of thousands of Sikh

soldiers who served in both World

Wars. Over 80,000 Sikhs died in

World War I alone. Our turbans

and beards became familiar sights

in the trenches of Gallipoli, the

deserts of North Africa, and the

jungles of the Pacific.

When I attend Waitangi Day

commemorations, I think of my

father’s service and sacrifice. I think

of the Sikh soldiers who fought and

died believing in values of justice

and partnership. That legacy of

service connects me to this land

and to the deeper meaning of what

we commemorate each February.

Why Te Tiriti Matters to

All New Zealanders

Some ask why migrants should

care about Te Tiriti. The answer is

simple: because integrity matters.

Because when we choose to make

Aotearoa our home, we inherit not

just its beauty and opportunities,

but also its responsibilities and its

history.

Honouring Te Tiriti is not about

division or dwelling in the past.

It is about having the courage to

acknowledge where promises

were broken and the wisdom to

do better going forward. It is about

recognising that Māori are tangata

whenua - the people of this land,

and that true partnership requires

us to listen, learn and act with

respect.

For those of us who come from

communities that have experienced

colonisation, supporting tino

rangatiratanga and Te Tiriti is not

a burden. It is an act of solidarity

rooted in our own struggles for

dignity and self-determination.

Building a Stronger

Nation Together

In our local community, honouring

Te Tiriti means supporting te reo

Māori education in our schools,

ensuring Māori have genuine

influence in decisions affecting

their whenua and waterways, and

creating spaces where all voices,

Māori, Pasifika, Asian, Pākehā can

contribute to our shared future.

Aotearoa is strongest when

it faces its history honestly and

chooses partnership over prejudice.

We build trust not by ignoring

difficult truths, but by addressing

them with open hearts.

As the son of a man who

served alongside ANZACs, as a

descendant of a community who

lost their sovereignty, and as a

grateful resident of this land, I stand

for dignity, justice and enduring

commitment to our shared values.

When a nation keeps its word,

it becomes truly great. When we

honour Te Tiriti, we honour the best

of who we can be.

Kia kaha te Tiriti. God bless

Aotearoa and all our whānau.

Police arrest

Auckland woman

over long-running

$500k romance

scam

MP for Panmure-Ōtāhuhu

Electorate office:

7 Fulton Cres, Ōtara

09 274 9231

Panmure.OtahuhuMP@parliament.govt.nz

Police arrest Auckland

woman over long-running

$500k romance scam

IWK BUREAU

44-year-old Auckland woman has been

A arrested for allegedly defrauding a

Dunedin man of more than half a million

dollars in what police describe as an

“elaborate” romance scam that lasted nearly

two decades.

According to a report by 1News, Police

said the Ellerslie woman allegedly began the

scam in 2006 after meeting the man online

and continued it over an 18-year period.

During that time, she is accused of obtaining

$525,537 from the “unsuspecting” victim.

The woman was taken into custody after

police, assisted by the Auckland City Financial

Crime Unit, executed a search at an Auckland

property today, as reported by 1News.

She has been charged with obtaining by

deception and is scheduled to appear in the

Auckland District Court on February 17.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Ramsay

said romance-fraud investigations can be

challenging because offenders are often

located overseas. “At the very heart of this

are victims whose good nature is taken

advantage of, causing emotional and

financial stress, 1News has quoted.

“Our colleagues in Dunedin have been

investigating this case, and we’re glad to have

assisted in this result,” as quoted by 1News.

Police also reminded the public to “be

extremely cautious when meeting new people

online or through dating applications”.

Ōtāhuhu and Riverside Clinic:

Ōtāhuhu Town Hall,

10-12 High St

Monday Mornings

9.30am to 11.30am

Panmure and

Point England Clinic:

By Appointment

Phone 09 274 9231


NEW ZEALAND

IWK BUREAU

Rotorua residents came

together on Sunday, 8

February, for the Hindu

Heritage Centre’s first vegetable

harvest of 2026, celebrating

fresh produce grown in its

flourishing community garden.

The event highlighted the Centre’s

commitment to sustainability,

self-sufficiency, and community

wellbeing, while promoting

healthy eating and community

engagement.

Attendees were invited to

take part in the harvesting from

10.30 am to 12.00 noon, with

all vegetables shared among

participants to support the

community. The event showcased

a wide variety of produce,

including eggplant, sweet corn,

cabbage, Brussels sprouts,

beetroot, silver beet, perennial

spinach, chillies, capsicum, apple

cucumber, and laukee (bottle

gourd), along with herbs such as

mint, basil, lemon balm, spring

onion, celery, and mint basil, and

fruits including passion fruit,

watermelon, rhubarb, blueberries,

and strawberries.

Dr Guna Magesan, President of

the Hindu Council of New Zealand,

spoke on the significance of the

harvest. “This event is more than

just gathering food; it symbolises

our connection to the land and

to one another. By sharing the

garden’s bounty, we demonstrate

self-reliance, generosity, and

sustainability,” he said.

The community garden was

established with support from

the Rotorua Lakes Council

Eggplant, sweet corn, cabbage

& more: Rotorua celebrates first

vegetable harvest of 2026

Photo: Supplied

Community Matching Fund, which

funded construction, and the

Rotary Club Rotorua North, which

provided vegetable seedlings and

seeds for the season.

Sandy Cleland, owner of

Palmers Rotorua Garden Centre

and committee member of Rotary

Club Rotorua North, attended the

event and planted a seedling.

Support from Rotary was initiated

following encouragement from

Thomas O’Leary of Rotary Club

Rotorua North after observing

the Centre’s community work. Dr

Margriet Theron, President of the

Rotorua Multicultural Council,

also attended.

The event was open to all and

promoted through social media

platforms including Facebook

and WhatsApp. Attendees also

learned about organic gardening

practices and the importance of

giving back to the community.

A dedicated Taro Leaves

Garden has been established

as a fundraising initiative to

support Hindu Heritage Centre

programmes, with funds raised

directed toward services for Hindu

elders. Shri Vijay Chand, President

of Hindu Elders, attended the

event to provide guidance and

receive donations.

The Centre plans to introduce

gardening workshops for early

childhood centres, schools, and

families to encourage home

gardening and volunteering,

continuing its efforts to build

community connections through

sustainable practices.

Papatoetoe by-election: Where

you can vote & where you can’t

FROM PAGE 1

reflected higher engagement. “Removing

these options risks reversing that progress,

and I do have concerns that it could lead

to lower voter turnout—particularly among

communities that were only just beginning to

feel included in the process,” he said.

“If we are serious about improving

democratic participation, we should be

expanding accessible voting options, not

scaling them back,” he added.

Auckland Council said it is working with

local libraries and internal teams to develop

a communications and engagement strategy

to raise awareness of the re-run election and

encourage eligible voters to watch for their

postal votes. “The plan is likely to include

posters and flyers at local events, held up

to and during the voting period, local social

media and community pages, and adverts

at libraries and bus stops,” Roberts told The

Indian Weekender.

“Our engagement at events, along with

social media and other communications,

will include a focus on younger voters, and

we will also promote voting through local

networks,” Roberts added. Raj Singh also

weighed in on the importance of accessible

voting, noting it would “ensure that reforms

do not unintentionally make voting harder for

eligible residents.” “Auckland Council should

work closely with communities — especially

seniors, young people, migrants, and people

with disabilities — to provide secure, trusted,

and accessible voting options, whether by

post, at libraries, or through well-supervised

and transparent voting arrangements,” he

told The Indian Weekender.

“The upcoming by-elections is a critical

opportunity for the community members to

restore trust in local democracy,” Singh said.

“It also underscores that voter participation

must improve,” he added. Council said its

marketing strategy will help ensure voters

look out for their ballot papers. “We also

encourage people to vote as soon as they

receive their papers, rather than put them

aside for action later,” Roberts explained.

Addressing concerns about missing ballot

papers, the council clarified that if someone

has not received their voting pack by March

21, they can call Election Services, who can

confirm whether a pack was sent. Voters

in this situation can cast a Special Vote at

either Papatoetoe or Manukau Library.

Candidates contesting the by-election have

also encouraged voter participation. Singh

said, “My personal message to residents is

simple: your vote matters — local decisions

impact schools, parks, transport, safety, and

community wellbeing. No matter what your

background, every voice counts in shaping

Papatoetoe’s future.” Bhalla added that

despite challenges regarding local board

elections, “public engagement and support

on the ground has only strengthened. I

expect strong community participation in the

by-election.”

In an earlier report by RNZ, local board

candidate Vi Hausia said ahead of

nominations closing that he wanted the focus

to remain on community issues rather than

past allegations. “I don’t want this election to

be overpowered by fraud allegations. I want

the focus to be on our vision for Papatoetoe,”

RNZ quoted Hausia as saying.


NEW ZEALAND


IWK BUREAU

recovery support worker who

A was dismissed after being

filmed sleeping during night shifts

has been awarded compensation

and lost wages, according to

a decision by the Employment

Relations Authority, as reported

by Stuff on 5th February 2026.

Lillian Shorter, 70, who worked

night shifts for the Waiheke

Island Supported Homes Trust

(Wish), was found to have been

unjustifiably dismissed. She

had worked at the charity’s 24-

hour residential care facility for

residents with high needs for

18 years, completing three night

shifts a week, Erin Johnson of

Stuff has reported.

Shorter was dismissed on

February 12, 2025, after being

recorded sleeping during three

shifts between January 23 and

25, 2025. A camera placed on

top of lockers in a multi-purpose

room captured the footage.

“During those shifts, in addition

to some time relaxing watching

a device, Ms Shorter appears

to sleep 3 hours and 5

minutes the first shift, 1

hour and 50 minutes on

the second and 3 hours on

the third (in two periods),” the

decision said, as quoted by Stuff.

Wish had written to Shorter

on February 10 alleging she

slept on duty in a premeditated

manner, which it considered

serious misconduct. Following

a disciplinary meeting two days

later, she was dismissed with

immediate effect.

Shorter challenged the

Worker

awarded

compensation

after dismissal for

sleeping on duty

Worker fired for sleeping on duty

awarded compensation

decision, arguing there

had been an agreement

or understanding that staff could

sleep during combined breaks on

12-hour night shifts.

In her ruling, Employment

Relations Authority member

Nicola Craig said night staff had

developed an understanding from

a 2021 meeting that sleeping

during breaks was permitted.

“They had a legitimate

expectation of it even though there

is insufficient [sic] to establish

a contractual entitlement to

sleep,” Craig said. “I conclude

that there was an awareness by

management that sleeping was

going on but although general

reminders were given at a staff

hui not to sleep, it could be said

that a blind eye was being turned

to it,” Stuff has quoted.

Craig noted that weekend

night shifts had been reduced

from 16 hours to 12 hours in

September 2024, “at least in part

to encourage staff to stay awake

and recognising that that was

harder on a 16-hour shift,” said

Craig.

“Wish was entitled to draw

the line and tell staff explicitly,

preferably in writing, that it was

changing from what could have

been seen as turning a blind eye

to sleeping, to requiring there

was no sleeping, with disciplinary

action to be taken if sleeping was

observed. But it did not do that,”

as quoted by Stuff.

While Craig found that, “by a

relatively fine margin”, there was

a basis for the video recording,

“given the difficulties of properly

investigating [the sleeping]”, she

determined that Shorter was

unjustifiably dismissed, Erin

Johnson of Stuff has reported.

Shorter had sought

reinstatement, but the authority

declined the request after

Wish managers indicated they

would resign if she returned and

described her as “unmanageable”.

Craig said she did not “consider it

reasonable to order Ms Shorter’s

reinstatement”, particularly

because of the “extreme nature”

of her comments regarding the

general manager.

Wish was ordered to pay

Shorter $18,750 in compensation,

along with six months of

lost wages, holiday pay, and

KiwiSaver contributions, minus

a 25% reduction reflecting her

contribution to the situation.

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An innovative curriculum encompasses

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offer a wealth of extracurricular activities.

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Sunday 8 March, 2pm

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Sunday 29 March, 2pm

Register online at dilworth.school.nz

For great young men


NEW ZEALAND

Travellers heading to India to get new

flight option via Bangkok

IWK BUREAU

Travellers heading to India

and other parts of Asia

will soon have another

convenient option, with Thai

Airways confirming it will resume

daily non-stop flights between

Auckland and Bangkok in the

second half of 2026.

According to a report by Stuff,

the return of the route restores a

long-standing connection between

New Zealand and Southeast Asia

and reopens an important transit

pathway for passengers travelling

onward to destinations such

as India, Europe and the United

Kingdom.

Thai Airways had operated

services to Auckland for more than

three decades before suspending

flights in March 2020 due to the

Covid-19 pandemic. Since then,

travellers have relied largely on

connecting flights through Australia

or other Asian hubs.

Auckland Airport chief executive

Carrie Hurihanganui described the

airline’s return as an important

step in rebuilding international

travel connections.

“Thailand continues to be

one of Kiwi travellers’ most loved

destinations,” she said, Stuff has

quoted.

The service will connect through

Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport,

a major aviation hub offering

extensive onward connections

across Asia, including India, as

well as Europe. Thai Airways

Popular

Asia flight

route returning

to Auckland.

chief commercial officer

Kittiphong Sansomboon

said the reinstated route

forms part of the airline’s broader

long-haul expansion strategy and

will strengthen Bangkok’s role as a

regional gateway.

Tourism figures show strong

demand between the two

countries. According to Tourism

New Zealand, about 48,000 New

Zealanders visited Thailand in

the year ending November 2025,

close to pre-pandemic levels,

while around 20,000 Thai visitors

travelled to New Zealand during the

same period, as reported by Stuff.

Flight Centre general manager

Heidi Walker said travellers were

increasingly seeking meaningful

and affordable experiences in

Thailand beyond traditional tourist

hotspots.

Tourism New Zealand chief

executive René de Monchy said the

resumed flights would also support

passenger growth from connecting

markets, particularly India and the

United Kingdom, with Bangkok

serving as a key transit point, Stuff

has reported..

Auckland Airport estimates the

direct service could generate more

than $250 million annually in visitor

spending for New Zealand.

Thai Airways has not yet

confirmed the exact start date,

aircraft type or ticketing details for

the route.

Four teenagers charged after allegedly

stolen vehicles collide in Auckland

IWK BUREAU

Four teenagers have been

charged after two allegedly

stolen vehicles they were

travelling in collided early Tuesday

morning in Auckland.

According to a report by 1News,

Police said that just before 3.30 am,

a member of the public reported a

group allegedly “interfering” with

four vehicles on Stanaway St in

Hillcrest on Auckland’s North

Shore. Five boys, aged between

13 and 16, then fled in another

vehicle, Inspector Jason Edwards

said. Officers who attended the

scene found an ignition barrel on

the ground.

About 30 minutes later, the

Police Eagle helicopter spotted a

group of youths walking onto Zefiro

Dr in Massey after abandoning

an allegedly stolen vehicle.

“Ground units were

directed to their location

with all five quickly taken

into custody,” Edwards said,

1News has reported.

“We have established this

group had just been travelling with

two stolen vehicles in tandem,

before colliding with each other

on the Royal Rd offramp. “They

Four

teenagers

charged after

allegedly stolen

vehicles collide

in Auckland.

(Representational

Image)

abandoned one

vehicle and had carried

on a short distance.” Four

boys appeared in the Waitākere

Youth Court on Tuesday charged

with unlawfully getting into a

vehicle. Police said the group was

also being spoken to in relation to

other vehicle crimes across west

Auckland and the North Shore, as

reported by 1News. Police urged

residents to report suspicious

activity in their neighbourhood.

“Police acknowledge the

vigilant member of the public for

reporting the suspicious activity

in the first instance,” Edwards

said, as quoted by 1News.

“We know that stolen vehicles

are used to commit further

offending against the community,

so to be able to disrupt this group

is a great outcome,” 1News has

quoted.


NEW ZEALAND

Ōpōtiki residents call for council

action as stray cat numbers surge

IWK BUREAU

Residents in Ōpōtiki say

their neighbourhoods are

being overrun by cats and

are calling on the Ōpōtiki District

Council to introduce a policy to

limit numbers. Reported by 1News.

Neil Ericksen told the council he

had been dealing with stray cat

issues since moving into his home

two years ago.

“There have been times when I

have found five cats on my patio,”

he said.

Ericksen said patio furniture he

inherited from his mother had been

ruined by the animals. Despite

trying various deterrents,

including repellents, pepper,

water, and anti-cat mats, the

problem persisted.

After borrowing animal

traps from the Ōpōtiki Society

for the Care of Animals (ŌSCA),

he trapped seven cats in two weeks,

but said it made little difference.

“Still, they come and come.”

He said the issue appeared

particularly severe around Bracken

Street and claimed he had seen

up to 10 cats at once on the lawn

of the Anglican Church in Church

Street. Ericksen also pointed to

clusters of stray cats near Elliot

Street’s laundromat and around

Mitre 10.

Julie van der Veer said her street

had seen a surge in cats and kittens

over the past year, mostly linked to

a single property.

“[The cats] defecate on everyone

else’s garden and urinate on our

Taken

in January,

this photo shows

at least eight cats

basking on a

Bracken Street

driveway.

porches.”

Reg Taia, who lives near

a property where dozens of cats

are fed, said the animals frequently

entered his home if doors were

left open. “We don’t hate cats, but

we hate what dozens of cats that

don’t belong to us are doing to our

properties,” he said.

“They chase away and kill the

birds that used to frequent our

backyard.”

Residents praised the

council’s animal control team for

successfully reducing barking dog

complaints but said they were told

no action could be taken on cats

due to the absence of a formal

policy.

Ericksen submitted research

showing other councils — including

Whanganui, Palmerston North, Hutt

City, Wellington City, Ruapehu and

Selwyn — had cat control policies.

These included limits on

household cat numbers,

compulsory microchipping and

desexing, and rules requiring cats

to be kept indoors at night. He also

called for a ban on feeding cats on

non-residential properties.

He said feral cats were also

affecting rural areas, claiming

locals blamed them for a decline in

kiwi calls.

Councillor Barry Howe said

he supported a cat policy,

while Councillor Dean Peterson

questioned whether staff had the

capacity to enforce it. Council

staff said resources were already

stretched managing dog and horse

control and livestock on roads.

Chief executive Stace Lewer

asked councillors to consider

whether staff should investigate

the issue further as part of

the upcoming long-term plan.

Mayor David Moore said central

government also needed to be

involved.

“We’ve got a current government

that’s making lots of noise about

us sticking to core business,

and whether dog control is core

business is even debatable to them,

so we need them to step up and do

their bit.” He added that without

ŌSCA, the town’s cat problem

would be far worse.

ŌSCA representative Kathleen

Young said she supported

desexing and microchipping for all

companion animals.

“Certainly, that is what we have

been working on for the last 15 to

20 years.”

She said ŌSCA desexed around

140 cats last year and about 180

dogs since 2022, but warned the

cost of enforcing a council-run cat

policy would be high.

“I don’t see that ever happening,”

she said. “It is quite a complex

problem, and I don’t see an easy

solution, to be honest.”

IWK BUREAU

The identity and image of a

Hamilton Uber driver convicted

of raping a 17-year-old passenger

can now be publicly disclosed.

Satwinder Singh, 37, received a

sentence of seven years and two

months in Hamilton District Court in

December following his conviction.

Judge Tini Clark had previously

found him guilty of rape and three

counts of indecent assault in a

judge-alone trial.

While the Waikato Times could

report Singh’s name and case

details, it was barred from publishing

his photo, until a recent ruling lifted

the restriction.

According to a report by Mike

Mather of Waikato Times, the

paper had photographed Singh

in court during sentencing, but

his lawyer, Nadine Baier,

objected. She argued that

“even though Singh’s name

and details have already

been published - a photo

of him in the paper would

have a harmful effect on the

mental health of his wife.”

Judge Clark delayed her

decision, awaiting an affidavit from

Singh’s wife and related documents.

In a judgment released Thursday,

she approved media publication

of his photos. This followed

instructions to his new counsel

that Singh no longer opposed the

requests. Key details of the February

11, 2023, incident remain restricted

Uber driver

Satwinder

Singh, pictured at

his sentencing in the

Hamilton District Court in

December. Image- MARK

TAYLOR / WAIKATO

TIMES

Uber driver Satwinder Singh’s photo

to protect the victim’s statutory name

suppression. The teen had ordered

an Uber from Speights Ale House

to a friend’s home in Hamilton East,

Mike Mather of Waikato Times has

reported.

Singh picked her up after some

confusion, from the Pak’nSave car

park on Mill St. As she got in, her

revealed after rape conviction

clothing shifted, prompting him to

ask if she was wearing underwear.

“from that moment his interest

was piqued,” Judge Clark observed.

He soon touched her inner thigh.

She protested, “No, can you not?”,

but he persisted, bypassing her

destination, disabling the GPS,

and claiming he was heading to

a “special place”, a nearby street,

Mike Mather of Waikato Times has

reported. There, he locked the doors,

kissed her, touched and sucked

her breasts, then raped her before

dropping her off. She disclosed the

assault to her friends immediately,

prompting police involvement and a

sexual assault probe.

At trial, Baier contested the

victim’s reliability due to intoxication,

claiming the thigh touch was

accidental, the kiss was victiminitiated,

breast contact consensual,

and no intercourse occurred. Singh

had declined her invitation to “come

over her,” as reported by Mike Mather

of Waikato Times. The impact on the

victim was profound. In her victim

impact statement, she described

an “overwhelming rage.” A short trip

became a “lifelong ordeal,” leaving

her fearful of people and public

spaces, derailing her university plans.

“She is now having her life coming to

a grinding halt, at a time when she

should be at her most carefree,” the

judge noted.

Sentencing, originally set for

July, was delayed for defencerequested

background reports

on Singh, worsening the victim’s

distress. Judge Clark described

his “unfortunate background”

as fostering a “distorted view

of New Zealand women who he

considered to be forward and

promiscuous,” Mike Mather of

Waikato Times has reported.


NEW ZEALAND


Laneway food truck seeks contact

after food poisoning complaints

IWK BUREAU

A

food vendor operating at

Laneway festival has urged

anyone who believes they

may have suffered food poisoning

to contact them, following online

complaints from festivalgoers

about illness after eating at a

Mexican food truck. Reported by

Poppy Clark from Stuff.

The appeal came after several

attendees posted on social media

alleging they became sick after

eating from the SheppardsNZ

food truck. One woman said she

experienced “the world’s worst

diarrhoea” and claimed others

she knew had similar symptoms.

Another festivalgoer wrote that she

waited an hour and a half for her

order before spending the following

day “fighting for your life with food

poisoning”. When contacted by

Stuff, SheppardsNZ encouraged

anyone who believed they had

become unwell after consuming

their food to get in touch so the

matter could be investigated.

“Food safety is our number one

priority. We take the utmost care in

food safety and our trucks adhere

to the strict health guidelines for

events,” a spokesperson said.

The operator added that

they work with premium food

wholesalers and that all food is

purchased fresh and cooked fresh

each day.

“Currently looking into this

situation and encourage anyone

who may have been affected to get

in touch so we can investigate it

further,” the spokesperson said.

Laneway 2026 was held at

Western Springs in Auckland on

February 5.

Among the headline performers

was Chappell Roan, who spoke

candidly to the crowd about the

political climate in the United

States. She said she had not

realised how frightened she felt

until arriving in New Zealand.

“It’s tough in my country right

now. It’s tough. It’s always been

tough, but Jesus f...ing Christ.

“Like when I saw the pride flags

here... I was just like, mum, I’m so

scared in the United States, f... but

like to be here and like to see so

many businesses with pride flags.

This is f...ing awesome.

“I’m just so grateful that this is

like a community that accepts and

values queer people, so thank you

for that.”

IWK BUREAU

Auckland Transport and police

have launched an investigation

after a child fell from a moving

school bus in West Auckland on

Thursday afternoon.

According to police, the incident

occurred on Laingholm Drive

shortly after 3.30 pm when the

rear door of the bus unexpectedly

opened, causing a 12-year-old

student to fall onto the road.

Emergency services responded to

the scene, and the child was taken

to the hospital.

According to Stuff, a police

spokesperson said the back door

“inadvertently opened” before the

student fell from the vehicle.

“The young person suffered

moderate injuries and was

transported to the hospital in a

stable condition,” they said.

“Enquiries are ongoing to

determine the circumstances

around the incident,” Stuff has

quoted.

Auckland Transport confirmed

the bus was travelling from Glen

Eden Intermediate School at the

time of the incident and was

moving slowly when the fall

occurred.

Duncan McGrory, AT service

operations manager, said the

driver acted quickly after the

incident. “After the incident

occurred the bus driver pulled

over, checked on the student,

and radioed the bus depot for

Child

injured

after falling

from moving

school bus in

Auckland

Child injured after falling from

moving school bus in Auckland

assistance,” McGrory said,

as quoted by Stuff.

“The bus company immediately

called emergency services for

assistance and informed Glen

Eden Intermediate about the

incident. “Auckland Transport and

our bus contractor are urgently

investigating this incident and

working to get to the bottom of what

happened as soon as possible,” he

added, Stuff has quoted.

12 ENTERTAINMENT

Friday, February 13, 2026 Read online www.iwk.co.nz

At baby shower,

Sonam stuns in

lime green

AGENCIES

Actor Sonam Kapoor refined maternity fashion as she hosted

a star-studded godh bha- rai ceremony (baby shower) for

her second pregnancy in a custom lime green lehenga.

Ditching the heavy dupatta for a modern floor-length cape, the

40-year-old mom-to-be chose an ensemble featuring delicate

pastel embroidery that perfectly matched the event’s breezy,

sophisticated aesthetic. The high-waisted lehenga was designed

to cradle and highlight her baby bump.

Sonam wore her hair in a sleek bun, paired with a small red bindi

and striking red lips. Heavy gold jewellery, including a statement

necklace, matching earrings, stacked bangles, and rings completed

the look. The actor’s Mumbai residence turned into floral sanctuary,

complete with whimsical hanging paper birds that added an

ethereal backdrop to Sunday afternoon’s soulful puja. The décor

combined quiet luxury with traditional charm as Sonam was joined

by husband Anand Ahuja and father Anil Kapoor. The guest list was

a blend of close-knit family and industry royalty, including cousins

Arjun Kapoor, Khushi Kapoor and Anshula Kapoor and B-Town

icons Kareena Kapoor Khan and veteran actor Shabana Azmi.

This celebration marked a perfect fusion of maternity couture

and heartfelt family traditions. Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja

got married in 2018.

The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Vayu, in 2022.

Sonam shared the news of her second pregnancy in November

2025 with a stylish social media post that quickly went viral.

She posted pictures in a pink outfit inspired by Princess Diana

and wrote “Mother” with a kissing face emoji. Many friends from

B-town sent their love. Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Kareena Kapoor

congratulated the couple, while Parineeti Chopra wrote, “Congrats,

mamacitaaa.”

Anand Ahuja also shared a sweet message for his wife, writing,

“Baby ma.. also chicccccc mama!”

Pratibha, Konkona

team up for

‘Accused’

IWK BUREAU

Actors Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Rannta are coming

together for Anubhuti Kashyap’s directorial film “Accused”.

The film, a project of Dharma Productions, focuses on a renowned

London-based doctor who is accused of sexual misconduct.

The film delves into the suffocating weight of public scrutiny,

highlighting how relentless attention can fracture even the most

intimate relationships. By exploring the fragile space where

perception replaces certainty, the story navigates complex themes

of trust and loyalty. According to a press release, the film offers a

layered examination of human behaviour and the moral conflicts that

arise when one’s private life becomes a public spectacle.

The makers said in a statement, “’Accused’ is the kind of story

that stays with you because it refuses to simplify human behaviour

or moral conflict. Anubhuti has crafted a deeply nuanced film that

places women at the centre of a narrative we rarely explore, one

where power, perception, and belief are constantly shifting.


KNOW THIS

Friday, February 13, 2026

13

SUMO WRESTLING

Religious Practices Define The Sport

Avisitor to Japan who wanders into a

sumo tournament might be forgiven

for thinking they had intruded upon a

religious ceremony.

Tournaments begin with a line of burly

men wearing little more than elaborately

decorated aprons walking in a line onto a

raised earthen stage. Their names are called

as they circle around a ring made of partially

buried bales of rice straw. Turning toward the

centre, they clap, lift their aprons, raise their

arms upward, and then exit without a word.

Then two of those men face each other,

crouching, clapping their hands together

and stomping on the ground. They pause

repeatedly to rinse their mouths with water

and toss salt into the ring. Overseeing their

movements is a man dressed in a colorful

kimono and a black hat resembling that of

a Shinto priest, holding a tasseled fan. After

a subtle gesture with his fan, they finally

grapple – and only then would the uninformed

observer realise that the performance was

an athletic event.

Every sport has its rituals, from the All

Blacks rugby team’s pregame haka to

the polite handshake between victor and

vanquished over the tennis court net.

Some, like many sumo rituals, have roots

in religious practices. A few hundred years

ago, competitions were frequently held at

temples and shrines as part of festivals.

Today, sumo is a modern sport with

records, rules and a governing institution

that celebrated its 100th anniversary in

October 2025. But those religious roots are

still visible. The salt the wrestlers throw, for

example, is a purifying element. The clapping

is a way of drawing the attention of the gods.

First impressions

The first sumo tournament known to have

been observed by American spectators

was held in March 1854, in honour of a

treaty establishing diplomatic relations

between the United States and Japan.

Described in the personal journal kept by

Commodore Matthew Perry, the leader

of the mission to Japan, the exhibition

before gawking American sailors seemed

designed to impress.

Before the matches began, the athletes

put on a performance of strength, loading the

American ships with a gift of some 200 bales

of rice from the Japanese government. Perry

describes how two dozen huge men, “naked

with the exception of a narrow girdle around

the loins,” paraded before the American crew

before getting to work, each shouldering two

135-pound bales.

If the actual sumo competition was

intended to inspire appreciation of

Japanese culture, it backfired. Perry’s

descriptions of the wrestlers were full of

unflattering animal metaphors. He wrote

that they resembled “stall-fed bulls” more

than human beings and made noises like

“dogs in combat.” At the time, sports as

we know them today were just emerging in

England and the United States.

Some of the earliest rules of soccer

were recorded in the 1840s, and baseball’s

growing popularity led to the development

of professional leagues after the U.S. Civil

War. With this American idea of sports in

Perry’s mind, the sumo tournament did not

impress him. He called the bouts a “farce”

and judged the wrestlers’ physique as one

that “to our ideas of athletic qualities would

seem to incapacitate him from any violent

exercise”.

The first sumo tournament known

to have been observed by American

spectators was held in March 1854,

in honour of a treaty establishing

diplomatic relations between the

United States and Japan.

In the mid-19th century, Japan was

relatively isolated from the Western world.

Most Americans knew almost nothing

about the country and considered it

backward, even barbaric. The two cultures’

differing ideas of sports meant that sumo

only added to American views of Japan as

strange and uncivilized.

A competing sport

Sports diplomacy had a more positive impact

on American views of Japan in the early 20th

century, thanks to a different game: baseball.

After the fall of the shogunate in 1868, the

new Japanese government – made up of

oligarchs ruling in the name of the Meiji

Emperor – employed Americans to help

implement reforms; some of them brought

along America’s pastime, which became very

popular within a few decades.

By the 1910s and ‘20s, Japanese college

teams were regularly traveling to the U.S.,

where news- papers praised their skills

and their sportsmanship. Some of the

rituals in a Japanese baseball game, like

a ceremonial first pitch, were familiar to

American observers. Others, like a team bow

toward the umpire, were quite a contrast, but

struck them as superior to the rowdiness of

American players and fans.

At the time, Japan’s Westernizing reforms

and recent military victories over China and

Russia had already improved Americans’

impressions of the country. Former baseball

player Harry Kingman, writing about a game

he watched during a 1927 stint coaching a

Tokyo college team, explained the Japanese

turn towards baseball as part of the nation’s

modernisation.

Sumo, however, continued to be the most

popular sport in Japan until the 1990s,

when baseball took that title. But the initial

popularity of this American import caused

some anxiety within the sumo world: A

foreign game seemed to be taking over and

stealing sumo’s fans.

Amid these changes, professional sumo’s

governing institutions, which were divided

into competing associations based in Tokyo

and Osaka, joined forces. They officially

unified in 1925 as the organisation that would

become today’s Japan Sumo Association.

Can sumo be cool?

Japanese popular culture now captivates

people around the world. In 2002, journalist

Douglas McGray wrote about the soft power

conferred by what he called the nation’s

“gross national cool”. But he noted sumo as

an exception, blaming its leadership’s insular

attitudes.

Perhaps sumo’s biggest hurdle to

building an international fan base is its

attitude toward foreigners. Immigration

is controversial in Japan. The population

is relatively homogeneous and barriers to

naturalisation are high.

In contrast to sports like baseball, soccer

and rugby, where “imported” players abound,

there are few foreign sumo wrestlers, and

their success seems to rankle. In 1993, a

Hawaiian named Akebono became the first

foreigner to reach the top rank of “yokozuna,”

sparking a temporary hold on recruiting

sumo wrestlers from outside Japan.

Constraints were gradually softened, and

the number of non-Japanese professional

wrestlers has been rising. They still represent

a small minority, but their success often

sparks discussions about the place of

foreigners in the sport.

Though sumo has gained some traction

outside of Japan, its rituals still occasionally

create negative impressions of Japanese

culture. At a tournament in 2018, for

example, a local official collapsed while

giving a speech. Female medics who rushed

to help him were told to leave the sumo

ring, considered a sacred space polluted by

a woman’s presence. The chairman of the

Japan Sumo Association later apologised,

but the incident brought criticism that the

sumo world was clinging to anachronistic

traditions.

Sumo continues to change. A 1926 Tokyo

government ban on women’s sumo is no

longer in force, and there are now some

female wrestlers in amateur clubs. But

women are still barred from professional

competition.

Tournaments are certainly popular with

tourists, but they generally go for a onetime

experience. One might ask if sumo

can change enough to play an effective

role in Japan’s sports diplomacy. The

answer depends on whether sumo leaders

are more interested in maintaining the

sport’s Japanese identity or building global

connections.

Via The Conversation


VIEW POINT

Vikrant Parmar

Editor, Writer & Media Mentor

X @vikrantparmar17

Organic farming has built a

powerful image over the

years. It’s clean, natural,

eco-friendly, and supposedly better

for you and the planet. For many

consumers, “organic” feels like the

obvious ethical choice. But when

you move past the labels and look

at the data, the story becomes far

less romantic. In fact, many of the

biggest claims around organic

farming don’t hold up under scrutiny.

Let’s start with productivity. On

average, organic farms produce 20–

35% lower yields than conventional

farms, depending on the crop and

region. Staples like wheat, rice, and

maize show particularly large gaps.

This matters because food demand

is expected to rise sharply over the

next few decades. Lower yields

mean more land is required to grow

the same amount of food, which

increases pressure on forests,

wetlands, and biodiversity. From

a land-use perspective, organic

farming can actually have a larger

environmental footprint per unit of

food produced.

The idea that organic farming

is “chemical-free” is another

Why Organic

Farming Is

More Myth

Than Miracle

misconception. Organic agriculture

allows the use of dozens of

approved pesticides and fertilizers,

many of them derived from natural

sources. However, “natural” does

not automatically mean safer or

more sustainable. Some organic

pesticides are less effective and

must be applied more frequently

or in higher doses. Copper-based

fungicides, commonly used in

organic farming, can accumulate in

soil over time and harm earthworms

and beneficial microbes.

When it comes to climate

impact, the picture is mixed at best.

Because organic systems often

rely on manure and compost, they

can generate higher methane and

nitrous oxide emissions per unit

of output, especially in livestockheavy

systems. Lower yields also

mean more emissions per kilogram

of food when land-use change is

factored in. In other words, organic

farming isn’t inherently climatefriendly—it

depends heavily on how

and where it’s practiced.

Nutrition is another area where

perception outpaces reality. Largescale

reviews comparing organic

and conventional food have

found no consistent or significant

differences in vitamins, minerals, or

protein content. While organic foods

may show slightly lower pesticide

residues, conventional produce

already falls well within established

safety limits in most countries. The

health advantage, if any, is marginal

rather than transformative.

Then there’s cost. Organic

farming requires more labour,

more land, and stricter certification

processes. These costs are passed

on to consumers, making organic

food 30–100% more expensive in

many markets. This raises serious

questions about scalability and

equity. A global food system cannot

rely on models that price out large

sections of the population.

None of this means conventional

farming is flawless. Overuse of

fertilizers, water depletion, and soil

degradation are real problems. But

pretending organic farming is the

single answer ignores advances

in precision agriculture, improved

seeds, data-driven inputs, and

climate-smart practices that are

already delivering better outcomes.

The real solution isn’t organic

versus conventional. It’s efficiency,

science, and balance. The myth is

believing that going “back to nature”

alone can feed a modern world. The

future of farming will be built not on

labels, but on results.

(The writer can be reached at

vikrant.webs@gmail.com)

Flexible Offices Make a Power Move on D-Street

Dr Neeraj A Sharma

Honorary Consul General of the

Republic of Palau to India

X @Neerajpalau

The flexible office sector

has transformed from its

original real estate disruptive role

into a complete capital market

development. The global demand

for hybrid work and short-term

leases and plug-and-play offices

has grown so rapidly that flexible

workspace operators now need

to access stock markets and

institutional funding through the

D-Street approach to achieve

faster and more efficient growth.

The flexible office market

has advanced beyond its initial

coworking period which marked

the beginning of its development.

The industry now generates

multiple billion dollars in revenue

while providing services to

startups and mid-sized companies

and Fortune 500 corporations.

More than half of flexible office

demand in mature markets now

comes from large enterprises

which represents a major change

from the user patterns that existed

ten years ago when most users

were freelancers. The sector has

become more appealing to public

investors because enterprise

adoption has created stable

revenue streams which public

investors can predict.

The worldwide survey which

included corporate tenants

and real estate decisionmakers

shows that flexible

office spaces have become a

standard office solution in all

market areas. More than 60%

of worldwide respondents plan

to increase their flexible office

space usage during the next

two years because of hybrid

work arrangements together

with their need to reduce costs.

The United States and United

Kingdom exhibit the strongest

trend because businesses

establish flexible workspaces

to handle their employee count

fluctuations. Companies in

India and Singapore select their

adoption of flexible office spaces

because they want quick market

entry and access to talent hubs

while professional services

and technology companies in

Australia show strong demand

for these spaces. Germany

and France both experience

a transition from coworking

spaces to managed office

solutions which people use

because they prefer private areas

with branded environments.

Multinational corporations

use flexible office spaces in

Southeast Asia especially

in Indonesia and Vietnam to

establish test operations for

their new business markets. The

survey results demonstrate a

development path which shows

that flexible office spaces started

with startup companies but today

70% of demand comes from midsized

and large companies which

now consider flexible office

spaces as essential elements of

their international corporate real

estate operations.

The United States market

serves as an example. The

world’s biggest flexible

workspace provider IWG uses

public stock offerings to finance

its global business growth.

IWG operates more than 120

countries through its publicly

traded business model which

enables the company to expand

its brand portfolio through

partnerships with landlords and

asset-light business growth. The

United States market currently

has flexible office spaces which

make up 2 to 3 percent of its total

office inventory; this percentage

will reach 6 percent within the

next ten years.

The situation in Europe

resembles the one found in other

regions. UK businesses now

consider flexible office providers

as essential components of the

commercial real estate industry

instead of viewing them as niche

solutions. London alone hosts

millions of square feet of flexible

workspace, and listed operators

are using capital markets to

enter secondary cities such

as Manchester, Birmingham,

and Bristol. Public funding has

provided these companies with

essential support during economic

downturns, enabling them to

maintain their development of

advanced technology and design

projects along with their premium

site acquisitions.

The D-Street strategy is

currently experiencing its

strongest development in Asia.

The flexible office market in

India has experienced major

growth because companies

listed on stock exchanges are

establishing their presence

in tier-II and tier-III cities to

support the business growth of

startups and global capability

centers and distributed teams.

Major Indian cities already

experience a high demand for

flexible office space which

continues to grow each

subsequent year. Public capital

enables operators to acquire

larger leases which allows them to

develop their business operations

rapidly and challenge traditional

developers directly in the market.

Southeast Asia shows the same

development pattern.


SPIRITUAL CORNER


Designed by Freepik

In the

coming

week…

ARIES

(March 23–April 22)

TAURUS

(April 23–May 22)

GEMINI

(May 23–June 22)

This week wants you to slow your roll (yes,

even you). Career-wise, think strategy over

speed. Midweek brings a conversation that

clears the air—finally. Don’t impulse-spend

to feel better; retail therapy is not therapy.

Lucky Day: Friday, Vibe: Playful and bold

Comfort is calling, but growth is texting too. You

may feel torn between staying put and trying

something new. Relationships benefit from

honesty, not stubborn silence. By the weekend,

your patience pays off—snacks included.

Lucky Day: Tuesday, Vibe: Disciplined but tired

Your calendar is loud this week. Expect calls,

messages, and last-minute plans. Choose

wisely—every invite doesn’t deserve a yes.

Mentally stimulating conversations bring

unexpected inspiration.

Lucky Day: Thursday, Vibe: Inventive and bold

Astrology Explained Through a

Conscious Energy Framework

RAVI K DHAR

Astrology is often dismissed

either as superstition or

defended as a predictive

science. Both positions misunderstand

what astrology actually is. To explain

astrology coherently, it must be

situated within a deeper model of

reality—one in which the universe

is understood as a single field of

conscious energy in continuous

kinesis, rather than a collection of

disconnected material objects.

Modern science already tells us

that matter is condensed energy.

As energy expands outward from a

state of maximum equilibrium, its

vibrational intensity weakens, giving

rise to stable forms such as particles,

planets, and galaxies. If this energy is

not merely mechanical but intrinsically

conscious, then matter, life, and mind

are not separate substances but

different density regimes of the same

underlying field. Apparent separation

is a function of scale and perception,

not of reality itself.

Within this framework, celestial

bodies are not external agents exerting

mysterious forces on human life. They

are large-scale, stable condensations

of the same conscious field that also

manifests locally as biological and

psychological processes. Because

of their immense stability and

predictable motion, planets function

as reliable reference patterns within

the field. Astrology does not treat them

as causes, but as markers of phase

relationships in the overall energetic

configuration of the cosmos.

Astrology therefore operates through

correlation and resonance rather than

causation. The movement of planets

reflects shifts in the geometry of the

conscious energy field as it appears

from Earth. Human consciousness,

being a localized modulation of that

same field, resonates with these

configurations. Astrology reads this

resonance symbolically. It does not

claim that planets compel events, but

that they indicate tendencies, pressures,

and momentum within which human

experience unfolds.

This also explains why astrology is

geocentric. Conscious experience is

always situated. Meaning arises relative

to an observer, not from an abstract,

detached coordinate system. Astrology

is concerned with how the cosmic field

is experienced from Earth, not with

modeling orbital mechanics. Using the

Earth as the reference point is not a

scientific error; it is an epistemological

necessity for a system concerned with

lived reality.

The zodiac and astrological houses

are often misunderstood as literal

divisions in space. In fact, they are

symbolic segmentations of a continuous

field, mapping qualitative modes of

expression and domains of experience.

These symbols are interpretive tools, not

ontological compartments. Astrology

fails only when these symbolic maps

are mistaken for fixed realities.

At the moment of birth, individual

consciousness becomes anchored

to a body-mind system within a

particular phase configuration of the

field. The natal chart records this

configuration. It is not an imprint of

destiny, but a snapshot of momentum.

Free will remains intact because

consciousness, especially at higher

levels of awareness, can reorient its

relationship to these patterns.

Seen this way, astrology is neither

magic nor failed science. It is a

phenomenological language that

helps human beings recognize their

phase relationship with a dynamic,

conscious cosmos. Its purpose is

not to remove agency, but to increase

intelligibility—revealing the larger

rhythms within which choice, growth,

and transformation occur.

(The writer is a spiritual guide)

CANCER

(June 23–July 22)

LEO

(July 23–August 22)

VIRGO

(August 23–September 22)

LIBRA

(September 23–October 22)

SCORPIO

(October 23–November 22)

SAGITTARIUS

(November 23–December 22)

CAPRICORN

(December 23–January 22)

AQUARIUS

(January 23–February 22)

PISCES

(February 23–March 22)

Money and self-worth take center stage. You’re

rethinking what (and who) deserves your

emotional investment. A practical decision

midweek brings long-term peace. Weekend

vibes are cozy and validating—lean into them.

Lucky Day: Monday, Vibe: Sensitive but strong

Main-character energy activated. This is a

great week to pitch ideas, express feelings,

and be seen. Just remember: confidence lands

better without steamrolling others. Romance or

compliments arrive when you least expect them.

Lucky Day: Wednesday, ibe: Bold but mindful

You’re in clean-up mode—emotionally

and mentally. Let go of what’s draining

you quietly. Work rewards detail, but

don’t micromanage everything. Rest isn’t

laziness; it’s maintenance.

Lucky Day: Friday, Vibe: Grounded growth

Social energy is high, but so is decision

fatigue. Pick depth over people-pleasing.

A creative idea or collaboration clicks

beautifully. By the weekend, balance

returns—along with your mood.

Lucky Day: Tuesday, Vibe: Curious & clever

Power moves only. Career or personal

authority issues come up, and you handle

them with calm intensity. Don’t overanalyze

texts or silences. Trust what’s consistent,

not what’s dramatic.

Lucky Day: Sunday, Vibe: Nurturing but firm

Your curiosity is restless. This week

favors learning, travel planning, or deep

conversations. Say yes to experiences, not

chaos. A truth drops midweek—liberating,

not scary.

Lucky Day: Thursday, Vibe: Radiant

Focus turns inward. Emotional boundaries,

shared responsibilities, and long-term

planning need attention. It’s not about

control; it’s about clarity. Financial

decisions benefit from patience.

Lucky Day: Monday, Vibe: Focused & helpful

Relationships—romantic or professional—

take the spotlight. Communication

matters more than being right. A surprise

reconnection or message shakes things up

(in a good way). Stay flexible.

Lucky Day: Wednesday

Vibe: Intense but revealing

Your intuition is loud this week—listen to

it. Work routines improve if you simplify

instead of overdoing. Prioritize health and

sleep.

Lucky Day: Saturday, Vibe: Balanced and open


LIFESTYLE

Raising Overachievers On High Heat

Dr Mehak Jonjua

Journalist, Author & Media Mentor

X @janjuamehak

Welcome to Pressure

Cooker Parenting, a

bold lifestyle choice

where love, snacks, and crushing

expectations are all applied at high

heat. The goal? The perfect child

must be achieved through study

until the age of seven who can play

violin and speak Mandarin and lead

soccer teams while demonstrating

natural leadership skills at group

activities which use glue sticks.

The parents in Pressure Cooker

Parenting need to view their children

as suspicious when they take breaks

from activities. Your child who says

they are bored does not express

a feeling but rather shows a need

for better time management. They

arrive at their coding camp through

underwater basket weaving and

competitive chess and mindfulness

class and then transform into

coding camp students. The short

duration of childhood leads people

to believe that their résumés will last

their entire life.

Homework has transformed

from a student activity into a

shared family time. Parents watch

their children with the same focus

that NASA engineers use when

they monitor rocket launches. The

parents ask their question about

the answer’s correctness while

their eyes show their uncertainty

through eye twitching. The parent

reacts to the 98 score by showing

a fake smile while whispering

about the missing two points.

The true strengths of Pressure

Cooker Parenting demonstrate

themselves through athletic

activities. The sidelines of the

game contain multiple adults

who shout out commands that

contradict both the coaching

staff and the established game

regulations and basic physical

principles. The adults shout

“HUSTLE!” to six-year-olds who

already run in different directions.

The gathering concludes with

everyone receiving orange slices

while they carry their emotional

bags from the past. The process of

enrichment comes next. Pressure

Cooker Parents maintain strong

fears that their child will develop

into an ordinary person. The

standard of normality must not

be achieved. Normal children will

develop interests which will bring

them tranquility throughout their

lives but this will not assist them in

gaining admission to their desired

preschool program. The parents

select specific activities for their

child which include museum visits

music classes and STEM toys

that exceed the child’s age limit

and travel experiences that aim

to extend their knowledge yet the

child only wanted to eat chicken

nuggets.

The pressure cooker functions

as a love product according to its

marketing. Parents say they want

the best for their children while they

check the grade portal at 2 a.m. Love

becomes a performance metric.

People give love without conditions,

but they award praise through

different achievement levels. People

refuse to acknowledge their role

as Pressure Cooker Parents. They

use phrases like, “We stay very

active in her life,” and “She enjoys

participating in activities,” and “He

chose to enroll in five AP classes

during middle school.” Sure it was.

Children perform well when adults

reduce pressure because children

need space to explore and rest.

The result makes them content.

The situation lacks any entertaining

elements. I need to leave now

because my child is about to have

five minutes without any scheduled

activities which requires me to start

my panic response.

Modern Mess: A Witty, Thoughtful Examination

Of Life In An Overstimulated World

BOOK REVIEW

Utkalika Priyadarshini

The essay collection Modern Mess

presents an exacting portrayal of

modern emotional experiences and

intellectual patterns that people develop

in response to contemporary digital

environments which offer constant

sensory stimulation. The book does not

attempt to organize contemporary life

which exists in disarray, but it examines

this disarray through its three main

approaches, which include study through

curiosity and study through humor and

study through restraint. The essays

examine how people present themselves

and manage their emotional state and

think excessively and act against their

own beliefs during social situations

and private moments, which include

their regular activities of reading and

working and scrolling and messaging.

The initial chapters of the book which

include “Bibliophilia or Barefaced

Braggadocio?” and “Much Ado About

Morphemes” create the book’s initial

impression through their examination

of language and books and intellectual

display through a combination of humor

and self-awareness. The essays explore

how people use their reading skills and

vocabulary to show their skills but they

maintain their essential value of reading

as an enjoyable activity. The book

maintains a relationship between love

and criticism, which helps its readers

develop a positive view of its findings

instead of experiencing a negative

attitude.

The collection

validates its

movement into

work time and

ethics through its

three essays which

include “Life After

9 to 5” and “Myriad

Manifestations

of Morality” and

“Splitting the Spoils”

resulting in a writing

style which delivers

precise insights. The

author demonstrates

how contemporary

people experience

anxiety about their

ambitions and their

need for fairness

and their capacity

for productive work

because they choose to build their moral

beliefs and work identity to match their

current situation in which they face

pressure and fatigue. The chapters which

follow create a powerful impact because

they describe a society that accepts

burnout as normal while organizations

reduce their essential values to simple

slogans. Several essays stand out for

their commentary on digital culture and

public behavior. The sources “Tyranny

of Timelines” “Pedantry Power and

Public Posturing”

“Democracy in DMs”

and “Nationalism

Now in 4K”

investigate the

online emergence

of political outrage

and virtue based

behaviors. The

book avoids making

loud statements

because it wants

to show readers

how attention and

algorithms and

cultural standards

of performance

affect their ability to

understand complex

discussions. The

writer presents

sharp observations

which create a light

atmosphere that gives readers time to

think instead of experiencing guilt.

The later chapters—particularly

“Great Attention Deficit” “Outrage as

Entertainment” and “Performance of

Progress”—present their current themes.

The authors show how people become

exhausted from permanent connections

which create emptiness after they

show strong public displays of personal

development and moral integrity. The

essays “Of Coffee Conversations and

Contradictions” and “Footnotes of Life”

focus on human interactions which

reveal that people discover real meaning

through hidden moments and minor

details. The essential quality that modern

mess presents to its audience through

its depiction of unsystematic life and

unchanging belief systems. The essays

“In Praise of the Glorious Glitch” “Art of

Avoidance” and “Harlequinade of Half-

Baked Hot Takes” create a safe space

for people to show their incomplete

and doubtful thinking processes. The

book allows readers to choose between

skimming the text and stopping to think

and expressing their disagreements

and experiencing uncertainty which has

become an uncommon practice in a

society that prioritizes rapid results and

absolute trust. Modern Mess presents

an unconventional solution through its

messy elements because it allows people

to take their time to understand things

with their full doubt about everything

while they discover beauty through their

uncompleted work. The book contains

no solutions because it presents deep

questions which help readers who want

to think critically about their surroundings.


SPICE ROUTE


Lady Gaga Joins Bad

Bunny At Super Bowl LX

AGENCIES

Pop icon Lady Gaga surprised

fans when she made an

unexpected appearance at

Super Bowl 2026 halftime during

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny’s

performance at Levi’s Stadium on

February 8. The 16-time Grammy

winner took the stage alongside Bad

Bunny, whose real name is Benito

Antonio Martinez Ocasio, midway

through the show and delivered a

show-stopping rendition of her 2024

duet with Bruno Mars “Die With a

Smile”.

Gaga performed the track solo

with a live band, giving it a fresh

arrangement from the original version,

while Bad Bunny danced alongside

her. “It was my absolute honor to be a

part of Benito’s halftime show. Thank

you Benito for inviting me and thank

you to the entire cast for welcoming

me onto your stage. I wouldn’t miss

it for the world,” wrote Lady Gaga on

her Instagram handle as she shared

glimpses of the performance.

Gaga previously headlined her

own Super Bowl halftime show in

2017 and returned for a surprise pregame

performance at Super Bowl

2025. Sunday’s show also featured

performances by Ricky Martin, with

star-studded cameos from Jessica

Alba, Pedro Pascal, and Cardi B, who

joined Bad Bunny on stage for his hit

“I Like It”. Ahead of the performance,

Jennifer Lopez, who co-headlined

the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show

with Shakira and previously brought

out Bad Bunny as a surprise guest,

expressed her support on social

media.

“@badbunnyPR...sending you all

the love, positivity and the biggest

hug in the world! We are all behind you

tonight... Hit it hard, Benito! Like only

you can!” she wrote. Just a week prior,

Bad Bunny received a standing ovation

at the Grammys while accepting the

Best Musica Urbana Album award for

‘DeBI TiRAR MaS FOToS’, using his

speech to deliver a strong message

addressing U.S. Immigration and

Customs Enforcement.

The performance drew mixed

reactions, with US President Donald

Trump earlier stating he was “anti”

Bad Bunny and Green Day, calling

them “terrible” choices for this year’s

halftime show.

Being Slightly Unavailable Is A Power Move

Dr Mehak Jonjua

Journalist, Author & Media Mentor

X @janjuamehak

Psychologists and everyone

who has lost an argument

during a meeting demonstrate

that people gain respect through

their professional appearance

and their ability to speak loudly

and their practice of repeating

information. The method to gain

respect through others requires

you to develop a minor habit which

will become natural after you

practice it. The procedure requires

you to pause until you decide your

answer about the situation. The

procedure requires no more than

waiting until the right moment to

answer. The situation appears

extremely unusual to me. People

tend to say yes to everything when

someone asks them for help

because they do not know how

to decline requests. People make

requests of us we respond by

immediately saying yes until our

minds can process the situation.

The first response of yes actually

creates an impression that you

want to assist others while your

mind interprets it as showing

that you need to work without

interruption. Your message

changes completely when you

take a brief pause to think before

you speak. Your statement shows

that you require your time to

be respected. Your statement

shows that you require your time

to be respected. All people in

your surroundings will begin to

recognize it.

PIC CREDIT: Daiga Ellaby

Psychologists use the term

delayed compliance to describe

this behavior which resembles

a human resources policy but

actually serves as a method of

exerting authority. The brief pause

creates a situation where people

only have limited access to the

system. The process creates

a situation where everything

becomes more valuable when

it becomes less accessible.

The same principle explains

why people buy limited-edition

sneakers and why your scheduled

events become appealing when

you stop sharing your availability

with others. You do not need to

make an impressive statement

to achieve your goal. The two

phrases “Let me check” and “I

will get back to you” serve as

effective responses. People

establish boundaries through their

clothing choice which creates

a strong effect while requiring

little effort. People reach higher

levels of respect for you when you

postpone your decision until later.

People treat you with more respect

because your response appears

more intentional. You evaluated

the request through your adult

adult decision-making process

that follows ethical principles. The

habit creates a system to eliminate

meaningless information. People

stop requesting something after

they learn they need to wait for

approval. The situation created

a situation where everything

disappeared from existence.

The situation shows that urgent

matters prefer to approach

the situation that gives them

easy access. The workplace

psychological domain links this

phenomenon to how people

perceive their power. People who

respond instantly are seen as

reactive. The people who choose

to take a break demonstrate

their ability to choose. The two

statements show identical results

but produce different effects. The

first statement indicates that I have

free time. The second statement

indicates that I have become

popular. The pause creates an

opportunity to make your decision

about yes. The concept brings

about a revolutionary change.

When someone requests you to

handle a call or perform a small

task use the pause technique.

You should count to three before

drinking water. You should blink

slowly while your eyes stay open

like a cat that knows its own

power.

Sometimes respect doesn’t

always have to come from being

louder – it sometimes comes from

being less available momentarily.

Limitation Activated. Shift Aura

Enhanced.


WORLD

AGENCIES

Russia To Respond

Aggressively If EU

Attacks: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister

Sergey Lavrov has said

that Moscow will not

attack the EU unless provoked

with military action. He said

that Russia will respond with full

might in case the EU launches an

attack on the Russian Federation,

challenging its sovereignty.

Western officials have justified

increased military spending by

citing the need to defend NATO’s

eastern flank. Germany’s top

military commander, General

Carsten Breuer, said in December

2025 that the country must be

ready for a potential war with

Russia by 2029.

Moscow has accused the West

of warmongering. “We have no

intention of attacking Europe.

There is no reason to do so, and

it serves Russia no purpose,”

Lavrov said in an interview that

aired late on Sunday.

He added, however, that “if the

EU acts on its threats to prepare

for war against us and initiates

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Germany’s top military

commander, General Carsten

Breuer, said in December

2025 that the country must

be ready for a potential

war with Russia by 2029.

Moscow has accused the

West of warmongering.

a military attack on the Russian

Federation, then it will have

to contend with a full-fledged

military response from our

side, with all available military

capabilities.”

During a year-end press

conference in December,

Russian President Vladimir Putin

dismissed claims that Russia

was planning to attack NATO as

“nonsense”.

Russian officials have since

said that Western military aid to

Ukraine — including its long-range

and advanced weapons used

against Russia — will certainly

bring the two sides closer to a

dangerous confrontation.

Russia has also questioned

the EU’s constant financial aid to

Ukraine as a major hurdle in the

ongoing peace talks. Moscow

has repeatedly accused the EU

of seeking to derail US-brokered

peace talks with Ukraine and

prolong the fighting.

Moscow has remained firm

on its demands that, to reach a

peaceful and lasting solution,

Ukraine must withdraw from the

Eastern Donbas and Donetsk

regions, followed by a reduction

of its troops to under 600,000 —

demands that Kyiv has rejected.

Taiwan Rejects US

Demand To Shift 40 pc

Chipmaking Capacity

AGENCIES

The Taiwanese government

has rejected US demands

to relocate 40 per cent of its

semiconductor production

capacity to the United States,

citing logistical and structural

challenges.

Taiwan’s Vice Premier Cheng

Li-chiun, in an interview that aired

late on Sunday, stated, “I have

made it very clear to the United

States that it is impossible to shift

the decade-old semiconductor

industry to the US.”

She added that the ecosystem

would continue to grow in Taiwan,

while allowing some scope for

expansion of the industry in the

United States.

“Our international expansion,

including increased investment

in the United States, is based

on the premise that we continue

to remain rooted in Taiwan and

expand investment at home,” she

said. Her comments came a week

after US Commerce Secretary

Howard Lutnick emphasised the

need to bring semiconductor

manufacturing back to the United

States.

“It is illogical to have all the

semiconductor manufacturing

Taiwan’s Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun.

facilities 80 miles from

China,” he said, adding, “We

need to bring them back.”

He further stated that the US

government’s primary goal was

to relocate at least 40 per cent

of Taiwan’s semiconductor

industry to US soil.

Earlier, Taiwan and the United

States had reached an agreement

to reduce tariffs on Taiwan’s

exports from 20 per cent to 15

per cent, partly to encourage

greater Taiwanese investment in

the US.

Cheng clarified that there would

be no relocation of Taiwan’s

science parks, but Taipei was

willing to expand cooperation

and share expertise in building

the industry.

Maximise Returns. Minimise Stress

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We Manage: Office Buildings & Mixed-Use Developments, Retail Malls &

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Lalit Arya

Regional Director

Licensee Salesperson

Industrial Sales & Leasing (Auckland)

021 033 2309

lalit@jameslaw.co.nz

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Call us for all your real estate needs

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021 258 1370

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Head of Property Management

027 201 4720

The Indian Weekender| 13 February 2026

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