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Delhi's ex-women's minister arrested on rape charge

Sandeep Kumar was arrested on Saturday, days after he was dismissed as women’s and children’s minister of the region covering Delhi following the video leak to television channels which showed him kissing two women.

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NEW DELHI // The former women’s minister of the Indian capital – who was sacked over a “sex tape” – has now been arrested following a claim by a woman shown in the tape that he raped her, an investigator said on Sunday.

Sandeep Kumar was arrested on Saturday, days after he was dismissed as women’s and children’s minister of the region covering Delhi following the video leak to television channels which showed him kissing two women.

“He was arrested on a complaint filed by one of the woman seen in the video. She has alleged Kumar raped her. The investigations have just started,” Vikramjit Singh, deputy police commissioner of Delhi, said.

The married woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said in her complaint to police that Mr Kumar spiked her drink with sedatives before sexually assaulting her last year at his residence, the officer said.

She alleged the minister had promised her a job and help in securing a government benefits card.

Mr Singh said the second woman seen in the video has yet to be identified and efforts are being made to contact her for her testimony.

The nine-minute video was sent on Wednesday to a local news channel and to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who immediately sacked him from his cabinet.

Only snippets of the tape were aired on the channel, showing Mr Kumar on a bed wearing only shorts and kissing one of the women. A set of photographs allegedly show him kissing another woman.

Mr Kumar, a married father of one, denied the allegations. He said the tape was fabricated and a political conspiracy to tarnish his image.

Delhi’s ruling Aam Admi Party (AAP) led by anti-corruption campigner Mr Kejriwal, routed prime minister Narendra Modi’s BJP in last year’s elections in the capital. But it has been hit by a series of controversies involving its legislators.

Thirteen of its legislators have been charged with various crimes including rape, attempted murder and corruption since winning the elections in February 2015.

A former minister has been arrested for allegedly faking his law degree last year and another was held on corruption charges.

* Agence France-Presse

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

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Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world

New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.

The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.

Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.

“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.

"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."

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