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Sixteen sheep and three mountain goats were killed in a snow leopard attack near the Temperate Horticulture Development Center at Gharpajong-2, Marfa last night. 

The Annapurna Conservation Area Project Jomsom has reported that a snow leopard entered the sheep pen of Santosh Pariyar, a local, and killed the sheep. 

There were 45 sheep in his farm. 19 sheep among them were killed in the attack by the leopard, informed Rajesh Gupta, head of the ACAP Jomsom office. 

The preliminary estimate indicates a loss amounting to Rs 600,000. 

He shared that representatives from the Annapurna Conservation Area Project Jomsom, and a team from the District Police Office are heading to the incident site. 

As reported, conflicts between humans and snow leopards have been increasingly visible in the area lately. 

During winter, snow leopards search for prey species and come closer to human settlements in lack of grass in grazing areas. 

Snow leopards, following their prey, also approach settlements and cause damage to local herders’ livestock. 

In recent times, establishing coexistence between humans and snow leopards has become tricky due to climate change effects. 

Citing these reasons, some farmers have started abandoning livestock rearing business in the district.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 3, 500 per tola in the domestic market on Friday. 

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 256, 600 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 253, 100 per tola on Thursday. 

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 100 and is being traded at Rs 3, 905 per tola.

MLS Cup champion Inter Miami CF announced a new contract with defender Ian Fray on Thursday, Reuters reported. 

The 23-year-old homegrown player is signed through the 2028-29 season.

Overcoming ACL injuries in 2021, 2022 and 2023, Fray enjoyed a strong season in 2025 with one goal and four assists in 35 matches across all competitions.

Fray was in the starting 11 for Miami's 3-1 win against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Dec. 6 to claim the franchise's first championship, according to Reuters. 

Aston Villa secured a 2-1 victory at Basel on Thursday, with goals from Evann Guessand and Youri Tielemans keeping their Europa League campaign on a strong footing, Reuters reported. 

The result lifted Villa to 15 points, level with Olympique Lyonnais and Midtjylland at the top of the group after six matches. Basel remain below the play-off section with six points.

Villa settled quickly and struck first when a loose ball from a corner fell kindly for Guessand, who finished from close range after 12 minutes, according to Reuters. 

Mohamed Salah will escape the tension at Liverpool for a spell when he heads to Morocco with Egypt next week for the Africa Cup of Nations, following his clash with the Premier League champions’ manager Arne Slot, Reuters reported. 

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan confirmed Salah's place in the side on Thursday when he announced his 28-man squad for the tournament, which kicks off on December 21, and the 33-year-old winger will miss at least two league games for Liverpool.

Club talisman Salah caused a media storm with comments after last weekend's Premier League draw with Leeds United when he said he had been made a scapegoat for Liverpool's poor form and that his relationship with Slot had deteriorated, according to Reuters. 

Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has called on FIFA to immediately halt sales of national team allocations for next year's World Cup, accusing football's governing body of imposing "extortionate" ticket prices that risk shutting ordinary fans out of the tournament, Reuters reported. 

In a statement on Thursday, the European fan umbrella group said prices for tickets allocated to Participating Member Associations (PMAs) – typically distributed via official supporters' clubs or loyalty schemes – had reached "astronomical" levels.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Reuters. 

U.S. nuclear-capable bombers flew over the Sea of Japan alongside Japanese fighter jets on Wednesday, Tokyo said, in a show of force following Chinese and Russian drills in the skies and seas around U.S. allies Japan and South Korea, Reuters reported. 

Japan and the U.S. "reaffirmed their strong resolve to prevent any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force and confirmed the readiness posture of both the Self-Defense Forces and U.S. forces," Japan's defence ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The flight of two U.S. B-52 strategic bombers with three Japanese F-35 stealth fighters and three F-15 air-superiority jets was the first time the U.S. had asserted its military presence since China began military exercises in the region last week amid heightened tensions between Tokyo and Beijing, according to Reuters.

The Nagdhunga-Malekhu road section, which was being partially closed for five hours daily for up-gradation works, has been opened for Friday and Saturday. 

The road stretch will remain open with no mobility restriction in keeping with the inaugural session of the 11th National Congress of the CPN-UML. 

It may be noted that the Nagdhunga-Muglin Road Project had been working on the section since last December 10 by partially closing the road. 

The project has shared the information that the road section would not be closed for two days. 

Chief of the Nagdhunga-Muglin Road Project eastern section Keshab Prasad Ojha informed that after this the road up-gradation works would continue by closing the road operations during the stated time as per the previous schedule. 

"We have been carrying out the works on the road section by restricting the mobility for five hours from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm since December 10 in coordination with the Dhading and Kathmandu district administration offices. We took the decision not to close the road considering possible traffic pressure in view of the UML's National Congress", he shared. 

A group of Youth Association on Wednesday had met Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Kulman Ghising and requested that the road be opened for two days for the party's national congress.