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Traffic Police have taken action against 2,746 people  in the last 24 hours.

As of this morning, during checks conducted by traffic police at various locations in the Kathmandu Valley, 79 drivers were penalized for driving under the influence of alcohol, 225 for  violating ride sharing rules, 175 for running red lights, 148 for speeding, 324 for lane crossing, 149 for driving on footpaths, 55 for no-horn violations, 54 for U-turns and overloading, and 1,537 for other offences, totalling 2,746 drivers, said Traffic Police spokesperson and Superintendent of Police Naresh Raj Subedi.

"In the past twenty-four hours, 2,746 vehicle drivers were penalised for violating traffic rules in the Kathmandu Valley. A total revenue of Rs 2. 96 million has been collected from these penalties," he added.

Driving under the influence of intoxicants is illegal and punishable, and the Traffic Police have urged passengers to immediately report it to the nearest police station, the traffic control room hotline number 103, or the police hotline number 100, if they suspect that the driver has taken intoxicants or drugs.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has forecast rain with thunderstorms and lightning in most parts of the country today.

The Division stated that based on updated weather information from various stations, rainfall is expected from the Tarai to the hilly and mountainous regions.

According to the weather bulletin, there is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall during the day in cities of the Tarai region including Bhairahawa, Simara, Janakpur, and Biratnagar, and the rain is expected to continue at night as well.

The Division stated that the maximum temperature in these areas is expected to be around 30 to 36 degrees Celsius.

There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning throughout today in the Kathmandu Valley as well.

The maximum temperature in the Valley is expected to be between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius, while the night temperature will drop to between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius.

The effects of rain will also be seen in Dhankuta, Jiri, Taplejung and Okhaldhunga of the eastern hilly region. In these areas, there is a likelihood of moderate rainfall especially in the evening and night.

Similarly, light rain with thunderstorms is forecasted in Pokhara, Jomsom, and Jumla areas.

In the western region, Dhangadhi, Nepalgunj and Birendranagar may experience light rain during the day, but it will likely be partially cloudy during night. 

The likelihood of rain in these areas appears relatively low.

Meteorologist Saroj Pudasaini said that due to the influence of the local wind and the Westerly wind system across the country, cloudy and rainy conditions have developed. 

The Division has urged the public to take precaution as there is a risk of thunderstorms and lightning.

The Supreme Court has issued an order to produce businessman Shekhar Golchha in the court within 24 hours.

The apex court ordered the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police to produce Golchha, who is in police custody, before the court within 24 hours.

A team of the Nepal Police Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) detained Golchaa, a resident of Nagarjun Municipality-8, from Naxal, Kathmandu on Thursday. 

Golchha's wife, Sima Golchha, filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court on Monday, alleging that her husband is being detained illegally.

Hearing the writ petition, a single bench of Justice Nripadhwaj Niraula issued an order to submit a written response through the Attorney General's Office within 24 hours.

Senior advocate Ramesh Prasad Dhital and advocates Pankaj Kumar Karna and Suryaraj Dahal argued on behalf of Golchha.

In a bid to conserve an endangered species of bird, owl, a two-day festival is being organized in Dang. 

An owl festival is being held in the Biodiversity Park of Lamahi in Dang on May 1-2.

The Ajammari Community Forest Users' Group of Lamahi and the Prakitika Sathiharu, an organization in Kathmandu, are jointly organizing the festival. 

They have aimed at conserving the owl, a bird known as the friend of farmers. 

It is the first time such a festival is being organized in Dang district, according to Director of the Prakitika Sathiharu, Raju Acharya. 

He stressed the urgency of public awareness to curb poaching and illegal trade of owls.

The Eurasian barn owls are endangered species of birds. 

The event also makes the people aware of biodiversity and need to advance initiatives to conserve the bird for environmental balance. 

Director Acharya further shared that the festival was earlier held in Dhading, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Gorkha, Karki, Kapilbastu, Dolakha and Khotang district.

Chairman of Forest Users' Group of Lamahi, Pavan Sharma Rijal, said that local people would be given orientation on how they could work for protecting the valuable birds for environmental balance. 

The loss of habitat with construction of modern houses and deforestation is threatening owls' existence. 

The two-day festival also features birds watching, mini museum, robot exhibition and screening of a documentary. Even the sports of indigenous Tharu, Magar and Kumal communities would be played on the occasion.  

Although owls are found in all geographies- southern plains to mountain- of Nepal, exact number of this species is unknown. 

Hunting and selling of this bird is illegal in Nepal. If anyone is found involved in such acts, he/she is subjected to a fine of Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 and jail terms from six to 12 months. 

It is estimated that 23 species of owl are found across the globe. 

In Nepal, among 886 species of birds found in Nepal, 39, including owls, are endangered ones.