Oscar-winning actress Maggie Smith, best known for her impeccable performances in the ‘Harry Potter' franchise, ‘Downtown Abbey’ and others passed away at the age of 89.

On Friday, the veteran actress took her last breath in the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. The news was shared by her two sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephen, although, the reason for her death has not been disclosed yet.

In the statement issued by Maggie’s two sons mentioned, “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

“The wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days. We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time." They concluded.

After Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, holding of ‘Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra’ remains uncertain in Meghalaya as the District Magistrate, East Khasi Hills district promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 163 BNSS banning assembly of five or more people in the district.

Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati earlier announced to holding of the ‘Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra’ in different northeastern states demanding to declare the cow as the mother of the nation and to enact a central law to stop cow slaughter.

But the ‘Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra’ is facing stiff opposition from different organisations in several states of the region.

Nagaland and Meghalaya are Christian-majority states while beef is one of the most common and popular meats consumed by people in several northeastern states.

A total of 32,407 cases of monkeypox, including 6,441 confirmed cases and 840 deaths, have been reported across the African continent since the start of this year, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

During an online media briefing on the multi-country mpox outbreak in Africa Thursday evening, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said the continent reported 2,910 new cases in the past week alone, including 436 confirmed cases and 16 deaths, bringing the total number of cases this year to 32,407.

Kaseya warned that monkeypox cases in Africa are steadily increasing across all affected countries, saying that gaps and challenges are hindering the continent's response efforts, such as limited surveillance, contact tracing, follow-up, and poor data quality.

Pakistan reported another polio case, increasing the overall tally to 23 in 2024, said an official statement on Friday.

Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister's focal person for polio eradication, said that the country reported its 23rd polio case of the year from the Kohat district of northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

"Polio is a terrible disease that alters a child's life forever, and it is devastating that too many children are suffering the consequences of missed vaccination opportunities," he said,news agency reported.

The focal person reiterated the importance of repeated polio vaccination to protect children from the crippling poliovirus, and urged parents, caregivers and communities to collectively take responsibility for the well-being of all children around them.

At least three people lost their lives and 20 others sustained injuries as flash floods swept through parts of eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province on Friday morning, a local official said.

Heavy rains triggered flash floods in the outskirts of the province's Koz Kunar district, said Provincial Director for Information and Culture Qurishi Badlon.

According to Badlon, the floods also caused heavy financial damage to local people, as 150 residential houses have been destroyed throughout the district,news agency reported.

Afghanistan's weather department has forecast more rains and warned of flooding in 12 out of the country's 34 provinces in the next two days

Union Minister Giriraj Singh and his district representative in Begusarai received WhatsApp calls from Pakistan-based numbers and the caller threatened them with dire consequences on Friday.

Amrendra Kumar Amar, the representative of Union Minister Giriraj Singh, said that they received a WhatsApp call from a Pakistan-based number (+923276100973) on Friday at around 11:28 AM.

“The caller initially assumed he was speaking with Giriraj Singh and began threatening with dire consequences. Upon learning that he was speaking to me, the caller continued to threaten both me and the Union Minister,” said Amar.

He said that he wrote a complaint to the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Begusarai, requesting them to register an FIR and initiate an investigation into the matter.

Amar urged the authorities to take the necessary steps to identify the caller and assess any potential security threats.

India went down to four-time champions Iran by a solitary goal in their second Group G match of the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers 2025 at the Lao National Stadium KM16 on Friday.

After keeping their potent rivals at bay for most of the match, the Indian goal finally fell in the 88th minute when Yousef Mazraeh managed to beat Indian custodian Priyansh Dubey.

It was definitely a creditable show by the Blue Colts against a team considered traditional powers of Asian football. India were beaten but were in no way disgraced. With three points from two matches, India U20s also kept alive their hopes of finishing second in the group and moving into the proper tournament.

The top teams of the 10 groups, along with the five best second-place finishers, will qualify for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025. India, currently second in the group with a 4-2 goal difference, will play hosts Laos in their final match on Sunday. Laos lost 0-8 to Iran in their first match. Iran, with six points, remain at the top of the group.

It was more or less an evenly contested first half in which the Indians did a good job against their skilled rivals and broke into the Iranian territory on more than one occasion. As usual, the Iranians began aggressively and earned their first corner kick in the fifth minute, though it was dealt well by the Indian defenders.

The students of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College Fatehgarh Sahib celebrated the birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The event was graced by Jagdeep Singh Cheema, National General Secretary of Shiromani Akali Dal, Manmohan Singh Mukaronpur, District President and Jathedar Avtar Singh Ria as chief guests.Principal Dr. Lakhvir Singh welcomed the guests and thanked them for their presence. Addressing the gathering, Jathedar Jagdeep Singh Cheema highlighted Bhagat Singh's life and legacy. He emphasized that the youth should follow Bhagat Singh's ideals and thoughts. An interactive question-answer session was also held between the students and the guests. Gunjot Singh efficiently managed the stage proceedings.Prominent personalities present on the occasion included Dr. Amarpreet Singh Sethi, Dr. Jatinder Singh (Head, Computer Department), Sukhwinder Singh Zaildar, Jaswant Singh Mandofal, and Gurdeep Singh Naulakha.

As the strike by more than 1,000 workers at Samsung India’s plant in Sriperumbudur entered its third week, the South Korean electronics major on Friday said the management is willing to negotiate with the workers directly for an amicable resolution of the dispute.

A Samsung India lawyer, representing the company in Madras High Court as well as the Kanchipuram District Court, said in a statement that workers at the factory in Tamil Nadu get all statutory benefits and their wages are far higher than what is prescribed by the government for the electronics industry.

“I want to inform you that the ongoing strike is illegal because, the conciliation process regarding the demands made by workers is in progress and the workers’ union is unregistered till today,” the lawyer said.

He further stated that under such circumstances, the management of Samsung India is justified in imposing appropriate action on the striking workers.

The Indian hospitality sector is witnessing a boom and in FY25, the industry's revenue per available room is estimated to grow by approximately 8-9 per cent, a report showed on Friday.

According to rating agency CareEdge, the industry's revenue per available room registered a strong growth of 14 per cent during fiscal 2024.

For FY25, it is expected to grow by 8-9 per cent, building on the high base set in FY24.

CareEdge expects industry to report average revenue per available room growth to Rs 5,200-Rs 5,400 on a high base of FY24 and followed by a 5-6 per cent rise even in FY26.