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Currently, there is a general impact of westerly winds in the country. 

The Weather Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology stated that the high hills and mountainous parts of Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces are partly cloudy now and the weather is generally fair in other parts of the country.    

According to the Division, some parts of the Tarai belt will be foggy this noon.      

The high hills and mountainous parts of the country will be partly cloudy in different provinces and the weather will remain mostly fair in the rest of the parts of the country today. 

Light rain and snowfall could occur in one or two places of high hills and mountainous areas of Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces, the Division shared in its weather bulletin.  

Tonight, the districts of Tarai belt will remain foggy and the high hills and mountainous areas of Karnali, Sudurpaschim and Gandaki Provinces will be cloudy, and the weather will be generally fair in the rest of the parts of the country.

The number of candidates opening bank accounts for the upcoming House of Representatives (HoR) polls has gradually increased. 

The Election Commission (EC) has made a mandatory provision for candidates to open accounts in the bank and financial institutions (BFIs) to keep records of entire financial transactions of candidates for the election purpose.

As of now, 671 candidates have submitted their bank accounts to the EC, according to the EC's Joint Secretary and Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai.

As per the election laws, the political parties and candidates contesting the HoR elections scheduled for March 5 should spend their money only through the banking channel, a tool to ensure transparency in electoral spending.

Secretary at the EC, Krishna Bahadur Raut, said that some candidates from the remote districts including Kalikot have already submitted their bank account at the EC and expected the candidates from other districts to open and submit their bank account details.

Oscar winner Robert Duvall, a versatile actor who made lasting impressions in a range of parts from starring to supporting roles like the napalm-loving colonel of "Apocalypse Now" or the spectral Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird," has died at age 95, his wife said in a Facebook post, Reuters reported. 

The actor, who played Tom Hagen, a lawyer for the Corleone family, in "The Godfather" and its first sequel, and starred in the TV miniseries "Lonesome Dove," died peacefully on Sunday, according to the statement, which did not give a cause of death.

"For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented," Luciana Duvall said in the post, according to Reuters. 

Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) said on Tuesday it had opened a formal investigation into X's AI chatbot Grok over the processing of personal data and its potential to produce harmful sexualised images and video, including of children, Reuters reported. 

The DPC is the lead EU regulator for X because the U.S. company's European Union operations are based in Ireland. It can levy fines of up to 4% of a company's global revenue under the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The decision to begin the inquiry was notified to X on Monday, the DPC said in a statement and its purpose was to determine whether X had complied with its obligations under GDPR with regard to the personal data processed, according to Reuters. 

French police searched the Arab World Institute in Paris on Monday as part of a probe into its former head, ex-culture minister Jack Lang, and his links to late convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prosecutors said, Reuters reported. 

France's National Financial Prosecutor (PNF) said in a statement that the Arab World Institute was among several locations being raided.

Prosecutors this month opened a preliminary investigation of Lang and his daughter Caroline on suspicion of tax fraud following the release of documents on Epstein in the U.S, according to Reuters. 

New Mexico lawmakers on Monday passed legislation to launch what they said was the first full investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch, where the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is accused of trafficking and sexually assaulting girls and women, Reuters reported. 

A bipartisan committee will seek testimony from survivors of alleged sexual abuse at the ranch, located about 30 miles south of Santa Fe, the state capital. Legislators are also urging local residents to testify.

Epstein died in what was ruled a suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges, according to Reuters. 

An unbeaten fifty by Will Jacks and three-wicket hauls for Sam Curran and Jamie Overton steered England to a nervy 24-run win over Italy in the Twenty20 World Cup on Monday, as the twice champions progressed to the Super Eight stage, Reuters reported. 

Player of the match Jacks hammered 53 off 22 balls to help England score 88 runs in the last six overs and post 202-7, their highest total of the tournament.

Italy's Ben Manenti struck a rapid 60 to keep the T20 World Cup debutants in the game, but their efforts to pull off a huge upset all but ended when Curran dismissed Grant Stewart for 45 in the 19th over and they were all out for 178, according to Reuters. 

Officiating Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said that election expenses will remain transparent via the banking system. 

During a meeting with bankers at the commission today, he noted that measures have been put in place to prevent cash transactions during elections. 

He also revealed that the commission has established a dedicated directory for the purpose. 

The commission has made it mandatory for political parties and candidates to arrange separate bank accounts to manage their election spending in a transparent manner. 

In the previous election, parties and candidates were not mandated to operate bank accounts for their expenditures. However, this year it is required for parties and candidates to make their election spending through bank accounts. 

"A provision has been introduced allowing candidates to spend up to Rs 3.3 million, depending on geographical factors, with monitoring of the funds disbursed from the candidates' accounts to ensure financial discipline," Commissioner Bhandari said. 

Secretary at the commission, Krishna Bahadur Raut, noted that though all candidates from remote districts like Kalikot have successfully opened bank accounts, many candidates from more accessible districts have yet to do so. 

He emphasized that it should not be overly difficult to open an account, given the presence of at least one bank in all 753 local levels. 

Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, joint secretary and spokesperson of the commission, reported that out of 3,406 direct (first-past-the-post) candidates, only 671 have opened bank accounts to date. 

Santosh Koirala, President of the Nepal Bankers Association, indicated that some candidates have faced challenges in opening bank accounts in absence of national identity cards.