Television
This TV actress drives her own auto rickshaw to work instead of car!

Celebrities are generally in news for the costly and flashy cars they buy but TV actress Yashashri Masurkar is in the news for just the exact opposite! Yashashri, who has acted in popular shows like ‘Rang Badalti Odhani’ and ‘Chandragupta Maurya,’ sold her car and now uses an auto rickshaw to travel.
In an interview with Bombay Times Yashashri spoke about her decision to ditch the car and use an auto rickshaw. Yashashri said, “It all started when a friend asked me to show his friend from Denmark around the city. I was fascinated by his (Kristian Walters) travel stories, as I am a travel enthusiast, too. He had travelled from Denmark to Mumbai on a bicycle, which took him one-and-a-half years. So, we decided to go to Agra in an autorickshaw. It wasn’t easy as they had stopped issuing licences for private auto rickshaws a few years ago. So, we had to acquire an NOC from the owner. A few months later, when Kristian left India, he gifted me the three-wheeler.”
Also read: Amitabh Bachchan to unveil first look of Ram Kamals Seasons Greetings: A tribute to Rituparno Ghosh
Speaking about the benefits of using an auto rickshaw to commute Yashashri said, “I can save both money and time, so I felt that it was a great option. When I owned a car, I had hired a driver as I didn’t know how to drive it, and would feel helpless if he didn’t turn up. So, I decided to do away with my car and ride an auto instead.”
COVID-19
Thane Municipal Corporation adds 25 beds as COVID cases rise
Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) added 25 additional beds in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital Kalwa apart from arranging a special ward dedicated to COVID-19 patients. The total number of active patients in the city stood at 252 while five succumbed to the virus. Meanwhile, TMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar said a ‘death audit’ of patients who died of COVID would be conducted. The TMC has ensured it has additional stock of oxygen concentrators, testing kits, medicines, to name a few. Bangar told HT, “Due to the increasing number of Covid patients, it is necessary for everyone to be alert.”
He added, The number of Covid tests should be increased to stay one step ahead of the disease. As a result, the number of patients is likely to increase due to increased testing. However, as per the ‘test, isolate, treat’ protocol for Covid, it becomes necessary to isolate and treat more and more patients. The testing centres will not remain closed even for a single day. At the same time, more arrangements for testing will be made immediately in public places, markets, railway stations, malls.”
India recorded 3,095 new COVID cases and five deaths in last 24 hours.
Also read: Nagpur records 22 COVID cases in 24 hours
Politics
After Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, his namesake who contested from Wayanad disqualified

Rahul Gandhi
An independent candidate for Lok Sabha elections named Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from contesting polls for failing to lodge account of election expenses. Gandhi, who’s name figures as ‘Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma’ in an Election Commission list of persons, had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent and had received 2196 votes from the Wayanad seat in Kerala – a constituency from where ex-Congress MP Rahul Rajiv Gandhi had won with over seven lakh votes.
However, since it is mandatory for all contestants to submit their account of election expenses among other mandatory requirements under EC rules and the Representation of the People Act.
Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma stood disqualified to contest polls from September 13, 2021 till September 13, 2024. According to Section 10A, the Election Commission can disqualify a contestant for a period of three years from the date of the order if he/she has failed to lodge an account of election expenses within the time and in the manner required by law and has no good reason or justification for the failure.
Also read: ‘CBI under UPA govt. pressurised me to frame Modi,’ recalls Amit Shah
Nagpur News
Nagpur records 22 COVID cases in 24 hours
A total of 22 patients tested positive for COVID-19 in Nagpur in past 24 hours on Thursday. Almost 242 people were tested in the city, out of which 15 belonged to urban area while and 6 were from the rural areas, and one from outside Nagpur district.
At present, there are 72 active patients in the city. Three new cases of the new XBB.1.16 variant of COVID-19 were detected that took the total tally to five in the district.
India recorded 3,095 new COVID cases and five deaths in last 24 hours.
Also read: CELESTIAL! Unique alignment of Moon and 5 planets