Controversial Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, serving a 20-year jail sentence for raping two of his disciples, may be out on parole before October 5, the day for the Assembly polls in Haryana, sources said on Tuesday, adding that the final call, however, will be taken by the state government.

If he is granted parole, this will be Ram Rahim Singh's 11th parole or furlough in the last four years.

Ram Rahim was patronised by political leaders and parties in Punjab and Haryana for nearly two decades due to his ability to influence the votes of his followers.

Now Ram Rahim has sought 20-day parole, citing the death anniversary of his father Maghar Singh on October 5, which is observed as Parmarthi Diwas, as the reason for the grant of parole.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Antonella Bassani, Vice President of the Europe and Central Asia Region at the World Bank, highlighting the priorities for expanding partnership, the President's press service reported.

The report discussed issues regarding the further expansion of strategic cooperation with the World Bank Group and support from the leading international financial institution for the reform program in Uzbekistan, according to news agency.

It was noted during the conversation that the current high level and fruitful nature of bilateral cooperation was met with deep satisfaction.

In recent years, Uzbekistan has become one of the bank's largest partners, with the project portfolio increasing several times and exceeding $12 billion, the report said.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha has been admitted to a private hospital in Hyderabad for medical tests.

According to a statement from her office, she was admitted recently, with the tests expected to be completed on Tuesday.

Kavitha suffered from several health issues, including gynaecological problems and high fever, when she was in Tihar Jail in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case.

According to the statement, she had previously undergone medical examinations at AIIMS in Delhi for these concerns.

A member of the Telangana Legislative Council, Kavitha is the daughter of BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has warned of an impending new phase in Israel's offensive against Hezbollah, amid reports of planned ground operations in Lebanon.

"The next phase of the war against Hezbollah will start soon and bring a significant change in the security situation," Gallant told local authorities on Monday near the Israel-Lebanon border, adding it would allow Israel's northern residents to return home.

Israeli media reported military build-up along the border, with Channel 12 suggesting preparations for a ground attack.

Senior officials have previously hinted at plans to establish a "buffer zone" between Lebanon and Hezbollah, news agency reported.

Earlier, Gallant told Israeli troops that Israel would "use all the means that may be required... from the air, from the sea, and on land".

US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday that Israel had informed the US it was carrying out "limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border".

Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence has said that an Air Force A321 aircraft flew to Beirut to evacuate German citizens from Lebanon amid rising concerns in the region.

The Federal Foreign Office on Monday warned against travel to Lebanon, advising German nationals to leave the country, news agency reported.

The German Foreign Ministry raised its crisis level for missions in Beirut, Ramallah and Tel Aviv again at the weekend, though the embassies there remain operational.

According to a government statement, the German Embassy in Beirut will stay open, but family members of staff and non-essential personnel are being flown out.

Actor and Shiv Sena leader Govinda on Tuesday was rushed to a hospital in Mumbai after sustaining an accidental bullet injury on his leg with his own revolver.

The incident took place at his residence when the actor was preparing to leave for Kolkata in the early morning hours. Meanwhile, Govinda's manager has confirmed that the bullet has been removed from the actor's leg and his condition is now stable.

Govinda ji was about to leave his residence for the airport when this accident happened,” the actor's manager Shashi Sinha said.

The Nepali government has decided to provide 200,000 Nepali rupees ($1,497) in compensation to each of the bereaved families, as the death toll from monsoon rain-induced floods and landslides hit 209.

A three-day national mourning starting from Tuesday was also announced following a cabinet meeting, news agency reported on Monday.

"The national flag will be lowered to half-mast during the mourning period," said Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, who is also the government spokesperson, on Monday evening.

He told the press that families who have members missing for more than 10 days in the disasters spelt by incessant rainfalls on Friday and Saturday will receive the same amount of compensation.

The Cabinet decided to allocate 1 billion rupees ($7.48 million) to the Prime Minister's Disaster Relief Fund, Gurung noted.

In the early hours of Tuesday, massive Israeli strikes targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut following the initiation of "limited" and "localised" ground operations in the Lebanese capital, according to local media reports.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the commencement of the ground operation in a post on X, stating, "In accordance with the decision of the political echelon, a few hours ago, the IDF began limited, localised, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon."

The IDF elaborated that the operations focused on targets located in villages near the border, which pose an "immediate threat" to northern Israeli communities.

Prior to the raids, Israeli forces issued evacuation warnings to Lebanese residents in Haret Hreik, Mreijeh, and Laylaki, urging them to leave the areas immediately.

Automaker Mahindra & Mahindra on Tuesday said its overall auto sales for September stood at 87,839 vehicles, including exports, which is a 16 per cent growth (year-on-year).

In the utility vehicles segment, Mahindra sold 51,062 vehicles in the domestic market, a growth of 24 per cent. The domestic sales for commercial vehicles stood at 23,706, according to a company statement.

In the month of September, the automaker exported 3,027 vehicles, a 25 per cent YoY growth from 2,419 vehicles last year . For year-to-date, the company exported 14,727 vehicles, a 3 per cent growth for the same period last year.

Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd said they sold 51,062 SUVs in September, a growth of 24 per cent and 87,839 total vehicles, a growth of 16 per cent.

“This month, we launched the all-new VEERO in the LCV<3.5 tonne segment, based on India’s first multi-energy modular CV platform,” he said.

Indian equity indices opened in the green on Tuesday following positive cues from Asian peers and US markets.

At 9:39 a.m., Sensex was at 84,461, up 161 points or 0.19 per cent and Nifty was at 25,858, up 47 points or 0.18 per cent.

The market trend remained positive. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 1560 shares were in the green and 733 shares in the red.

In the Sensex pack, Tech Mahindra, L&T, SBI, M&M, Bajaj Finserv, Power Grid, Wipro, Kotak Mahindra, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank and Tata Motors were the top gainers. Asian Paints, JSW Steel, HUL, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki, ITC, Sun Pharma and IndusInd Bank were the top losers.