People

Joseph Yuvaraj Pillay, an Indian-origin veteran civil servant, was today appointed as Singapore's acting president until a new head of state is sworn in later this month.

Princess Diana revolutionised the royal dress code with the help of some of the world's greatest designers during a glamorous life that came to a tragic end 20 years ago on Thursday.

Self-styled "godman" Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was a far cry today from the villain-punching, alien-fighting hero he played on screen, pleading "Mujhe maaf karo" (have mercy on me) and breaking down as he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two women followers over a decade ago.

As self-styled spiritual guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 20 years in jail today, an appeal to his followers to abide "peacefully" by the court order came from Vipassana Insan, the chairperson of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect that the baba heads.

She likes to describe herself as "Papa's angel, philanthropist, director, editor and actress" on social media. Honeypreet Insan is the adopted daughter of Ram Rahim Singh whose conviction in a rape case triggered mob violence that killed 36 people across Haryana.

He glides through the air dressed in pink robes in his promotional videos and in real life is known to ride powerful, souped up bikes to congregations, the persona as flashy as the vehicle itself. But today was judgement day for Gurmeet Ram Rahim, head of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, who was convicted in a rape case and left two states in a state of siege.

A music video - Love Charger - got self-declared spiritual leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh international prime time. Last year, it was featured on The Tonight Show in the US, with host Jimmy Fallon mocking it as must-not-hear music.

Balkrishna Doshi began his illustrious career as India was born, and many of the architect's most influential projects in the intervening 70 years have involved building almost nothing.

Veteran diplomat Anatoly Antonov, appointed Russia's new ambassador to the US on Monday, at a time when ties are at dangerously low ebb, has the reputation of being a tough negotiator with a deep suspicion of Washington.

A 12-year-old of Indian-origin won the first round of the latest series of 'Child Genius', a show broadcast by Channel 4. Rahul, who has an IQ of 162, which is believed to be higher than the likes of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, got all 14 of his questions correct in the first round of the latest series of the show broadcast by Channel 4.

Indian-American businessman Rohit Saksena from New Hampshire has been fined USD 40,000 and put on three years of probation by a federal court on charges of filing false H-1B visa applications.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who pulled off a victory in the bitterly fought Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat, has the reputation of being a trouble-shooter and strategist for the party.

An eight-year-old Indian-American transgender girl and her family are suing a private school in California for forcing her to dress as a boy and preventing the child from expressing her preferred gender identity.

Tormented by blisters, illness and injuries, ultra-marathoner Samir Singh got to within 36 kilometres of his goal of running 10,000km in 100 days when pain and exhaustion beat him.

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.