The BJP and its allies are set to win Tripura and Nagaland while Conrad Sangma's National People's Party is short of a majority in Meghalaya, results shared by the Election Commission show.

The ruling BJP-IPFT (Indigenous Progressive Front of Tripura) alliance are leading on 34 of Tripura's 60 seats. But the score is down by 10 from 2018, when the BJP alone won 36 seats. The Left-Congress alliance is ahead in 14 seats, just two seats ahead of Pradyot Manikya Debbarma's Tipra Motha.

In Nagaland, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP have improved their tally from last time and are currently leading in 36 seats. The state also has got a woman MLA - a first since Independence.

Though its decision to go solo did not reap any results for the BJP in Meghalaya, the party has reportedly opened up backchannel talks with former ally Conrad Sangma's National People's Party, which is short of halfway mark with 26 of the state's 60 seats.

Top diplomats from the world’s major industrialized and developing nations on Mar 2 opened what are expected to be contentious talks dominated by Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s moves to boost its global influence.

Host India appealed for all members of the fractured Group of 20 to reach consensus on issues of deep concern to poorer countries even if the broader East-West split over Ukraine cannot be resolved.

In a video address to the assembled foreign ministers in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged them not to allow current tensions to destroy agreements that might be reached on food and energy security, climate change and the debt crisis.

In a nod to fears that the increasingly bitter rift between the United States and its allies on one side and Russia and China on the other appears likely to widen further, Modi said that "multilateralism is in crisis today.”

So far, though, India has refrained from directly criticizing Russia, its major Cold War-era ally, while increasing imports of Russian oil, even as it has increasingly faced pressure to take a firm stand on Moscow. India has also abstained from voting in U.N. resolutions that condemn the Ukraine invasion.

Taking serious note of the alleged attacks on Bihar's labourers in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Mar 2  asked the state chief secretary and director general of police to talk to their counterparts in the south state so that the security of labourers could be ensured.

Bihar chief secretary Amir Subhani said that he had spoken to his counterpart and similarly, state DGP RS Bhatti also held discussions with his counterpart in Tamil Nadu regarding this matter.

The chief secretary said that Tamil Nadu officers assured him of stern action against those involved in the attacks on labourers from Bihar.

Meanwhile, BJP MLAs protested in the assembly over these attacks, allegedly for speaking Hindi in Tamil Nadu. The issue was raised in the Bihar legislative council too. BJP legislators alleged that these were targeting killings of labourers from the state.

They also demanded the resignation of CM Nitish Kumar over the issue and also targeted Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav for 'celebrating' the birthday of Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai. Yadav had left for Tamil Nadu on  Mar 1 to attend the function held by Stalin.

Two labourers were allegedly killed and several others injured in Tamil Nadu.

Gauri Khan, a well-known interior designer and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's wife, has found herself in legal trouble as an FIR has been registered against her in Lucknow .

The FIR, which has been registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 409 (criminal breach of trust), was registered at the Sushant Golf City police station in Lucknow.

The managing director of Tulsiyani Construction and Development Limited, Anil Kumar Tulsiyani, the director, Mahesh Tulsiyani, and the brand ambassador, Gauri Khan, have all been named in the FIR.

They have been accused of not delivering a flat to a buyer even after receiving payment of approximately Rs 86 lakhs.

Kirat Jaswant Shah, a resident of Mumbai, has filed the complaint, claiming that he had paid the entire amount for the flat, but had not been handed over possession. The flat in question is located in the Tulsiani Golf View project in the Sushant Golf City area of Lucknow.

The three men accused in the Hathras gang rape and murder case, which sparked outrage across the country and worldwide, have been acquitted by an SC/ST court in the district while one has been held guilty, whose sentence will be announced post lunch on Mar 2 .

The case pertains to the 2020 incident where a Dalit minor was brutally gang-raped by four upper-caste men in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras on September 14, 2020.

She died on September 29 at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital during treatment.

Not just that, the victim was cremated in the middle of the night in her village by the district administration, sparking accusations of a cover-up and widespread condemnation of Yogi Adityanath’s government.

All four accused – Sandeep (20), Ravi (35), Luv Kush (23), and Ramu (26) – were produced before the court.

The court acquitted Ramu, Luv Kush and Ravi in the case, while Sandeep - the prime accused - has been convicted.

The girl's family reportedly said they are not satisfied with the court's verdict and would appeal the case in the High Court. 

SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Mar 2, including the first person from the Arab world going up for an extended monthslong stay.

The Falcon rocket bolted from Kennedy Space Center shortly after midnight, illuminating the night sky as it headed up the East Coast.

Nearly 80 spectators from the United Arab Emirates watched from the launch site as astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi — only the second Emirati to fly to space — blasted off on his six-month mission.

Half a world away in Dubai and elsewhere across the UAE, schools and offices planned to broadcast the launch live.

The USD 245-billion Indian technology industry on Mar 1 flagged the "employability gap" in engineering graduates, saying that the education system is not focusing on building strong foundational and professional skills.

Debjani Ghosh, the president of the technology industry lobby Nasscom said  that the gap in skillsets forces IT companies to spend more time in training the freshers before they are deployed, which results in significant costs.

Over the last two decades, Indian IT companies have been rendering services for the world courtesy of cost arbitrage and the number of engineering graduates which the country puts out into the market every year.

But the changing nature of requirements seems to have led to disappointments.

Ghosh said that today's engineers are not working in backoffice any more, but sitting with the customers as the industry shifts from service provider to digital transformation partner.

Decorated Australia cricket captain Meg Lanning will skipper the Delhi Capitals in the inaugural Women's Premier League.

The 30-year-old has led her country to four Twenty20 World Cup titles -- the latest in South Africa last month -- and a one-day crown.

The WPL, a T20 competition, begins on Mar 4 and has been touted as a game-changer for women's cricket.