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Juventus kept themselves in the Serie A Scudetto race with a 2-1 home win over AS Roma on Saturday, with Francisco Conceicao and Lois Openda netting the goals for the home side and Tommaso Baldanzi scoring for the visitors, Reuters reported. 

With the top three clubs all away at the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, Roma were looking to take advantage and move level on points with leaders Inter Milan. Instead, Juventus moved back into the title hunt, one point behind Roma.

Roma remain fourth in the standings on 30 points, with Juventus fifth. AC Milan are in second place, with Napoli third, according to Reuters. 

Arsenal ensured that they will spend Christmas top of the Premier League thanks to a 1-0 away win over Everton on Saturday, retaking first place after briefly being deposed by Manchester City, who beat West Ham United 3-0 earlier in the day, Reuters reported. 

City's win put them on 37 points, one more than the Gunners ahead of their late kick-off, but that lead lasted for only a few hours as Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres scored from the spot midway through the first half after a handball at a corner by Everton's Jake O'Brien.

O'Brien looked like he was trying to rebound a basketball rather than defend a set piece, going up with both hands above his head, and referee Samuel Barrott had no hesitation in pointing to the spot after a VAR review, according to Reuters. 

Kylian Mbappe equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's club record of 59 goals in a calendar year for Real Madrid with a late penalty in his side's 2-0 home win over Sevilla in LaLiga on Saturday, with the French forward celebrating his 27th birthday in style, Reuters reported. 

Mbappe missed several earlier chances before getting his opportunity from the spot four minutes from time and he made no mistake to net his 59th goal in as many games across all competitions in 2025 to level Ronaldo's 2013 haul.

"Today, and because of the record, it's incredible, in my first year to be able to do what Cristiano did," Mbappe told RMTV, according to Reuters. 

Nepal hosted a special side event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to mark the second World Meditation Day. 

The event, titled "Awakening the Mind: Pathways to Peace, Health, and Harmony," was co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the UN and the Jeevan Vigyan Foundation. 

During the event that took place on December 19 at the UN Headquarters, ahead of the official World Meditation Day, Representatives LP Bhanu Sharma and Ramesh Prasad Nepal of the Jeevan Vigyan Foundation represented Nepal and spoke about how Jeevan Vigyan or the science of living helps promote peace and harmony through yoga and meditation.

Speakers highlighted the role of meditation in fostering inner peace, strengthening emotional well-being, and developing conscious leadership amidst global challenges.

The event was part of the UN's observance of World Meditation Day, which was officially declared through a resolution by the UN General Assembly on December 6, 2024. Nepal was part of the core group of countries, along with India, Sri Lanka, Andorra, and Mexico that worked to finalize this resolution.

The event was attended by United Nations Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare, Nepali Permanent Representative to the United Nations Lok Bahadur Thapa, and Jeevan Vigyan Foundation President Devi Guruma, among others, representatives from various countries and communities.

A press release issued by the foundation states that the event has helped spread spiritual awareness around the world, including yoga, meditation, and samadhi, the roots of which are based in ancient Nepal.

Partly cloudy weather prevails across the country with a possibility of mist and fog over the Tarai region today.

Later tonight, the weather will continue to remain partly cloudy across the country. 

Furthermore, mist and fog is likely to be prevalent over the Tarai, says the 24-hour weather forecast released by the Weather Forecasting Division this morning.

Meteorological Analysis by the Division also shows that there is some influence of Westerly wind across the country.

At the call of the United Nations, the World Meditation Day is being observed across the globe, including Nepal today.

To raise awareness about meditation and its benefits, the UN General Assembly last year proclaimed December 21 as World Meditation Day, recalling the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

On the occasion, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is scheduled to host an event at Sainik Manch Tundikhel in Kathmandu this morning. 

Similarly, a group meditation program including interaction on various aspects of meditation is being held at Brahmananda Saraswati Gram in Bosan, Dakshinkali Municipality-1. 

Marking the occasion, various other stakeholders bodies are also hosting a variety of programs today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the significant benefits of meditation, particularly mindfulness meditation. 

The WHO's discussions on stress management underscore the importance of learning coping mechanisms, such as meditation, to support mental and physical well-being.

According to WHO, meditation can be a powerful self-care tool to support treatment and enhance overall well-being, particularly in managing symptoms of anxiety. 

Incorporating mindfulness meditation into your daily routine, even for just a few minutes, can help you achieve a sense of calm and focus. 

Additionally, WHO acknowledges the mental health benefits of practices like yoga, which often incorporate meditative elements.

The U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for an attack on American personnel, U.S. officials said, Reuters reported. 

A U.S.-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes and ground operations in Syria targeting Islamic State suspects in recent months, often with the involvement of Syria's security forces.

President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate after a suspected ISIS attack killed U.S. personnel last weekend in Syria, according to Reuters. 

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that an "armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian catastrophe" in the face of escalating actions from the United States toward regional neighbor Venezuela, Reuters reported. 

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Washington's latest move to increase pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government, targeting its main source of income.

Lula and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the leaders of Latin America's two largest economies, had already urged restraint this week, as tensions escalated, according to Reuters.