People

M Venkaiah Naidu, 68, was elected today as India's Vice President. Like the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance or NDA's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, Mr Naidu comes from a humble background. In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "I am confident @MVenkaiahNaidu will serve the nation as a diligent & dedicated Vice President, committed to the the goal of nation building (sic)." But while Governor Kovind was almost a political unknown, Mr Naidu - a two-time Union minister and four-time Rajya Sabha member - enjoyed cordial relations with colleagues across party lines. He is known to be jovial, has a talent for acronyms and is a good orator.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Pakistan's interim Prime Minister, is a long-time loyalist of ousted premier Nawaz Sharif and one of the wealthiest parliamentarians in the country.

Veteran Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister N Dharam Singh, who died of a massive heart attack on Thursday at the age of 80, will be cremated today.

A seasoned political leader with decades of administrative acumen, N Dharam Singh was known for his gentle demeanour and Urdu shairis and considered an 'Ajatashatru' (with no enemy) in Karnataka's political circles.

As they waited to take oath this morning, Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar Modi chatted with the ease that years of being together begets. Mr Kumar is back as Bihar chief minister 14 hours after he resigned, dramatically ending his alliance with Lalu Yadav and the Congress. Sushil Modi is back as his deputy after four years.

JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar became the chief minister of Bihar for the sixth time as he jilted an uncomfortable ally in the RJD and joined hands again with the BJP after four years, yet again demonstrating his political manoeuvrability.

Former model Barbara Sinatra, a humanitarian activist who was Frank Sinatra's last wife, died Tuesday in California, her foundation said. She was 90.

The scar above John McCain's eye and purplish bruise on his face stood as evidence that all was not normal in the US Senate.

Indira Gandhi and Pranab Mukherjee shared an unspoken bond - not just metaphorically but literally. The story goes that it was difficult, rather impossible, for any outsider to extract any information he did not want to reveal.

M Venkaiah Naidu, 68, was picked today as the BJP's candidate for Vice President -- a post he is almost certain to occupy. Like NDA's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, Mr Naidu comes from a humble background. In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "A farmer's son, M VenkaiahNaidu Garu brings years of experience in public life and is admired across the political spectrum". But while Governor Kovind is almost a political unknown, Mr Naidu - a two-time Union minister and four-time Rajya Sabha member - enjoys cordial relations with colleagues across party lines. He is known to be jovial, has a talent for acronyms and is a good orator.

Iranian media have hailed trailblazing Iran-born mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani following her death from cancer, with her image blazoned across newspaper front pages today.

Two hundred years after Jane Austen's death, Britain is celebrating one of its best-loved authors, who combined romance with biting social commentary that still speaks to fans around the world.

Former governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi was today picked by 18 opposition parties as their nominee for Vice President. Days ago, the 72-year-old former bureaucrat was also proposed by some parties for president, until Meira Kumar emerged as the consensus candidate.

Eminent cartoonist and author Mangesh Tendulkar died in Pune after a brief illness at a private hospital, family sources said today.

Discreet in his youth and invisible as the world's most wanted man, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi rose through the ranks quietly and patiently to become global terror undisputed supremo.