Evening brief: Navy chief on veterans on death row in Qatar; IMD's rain alert to states, and all the latest news
A shortlist of the biggest headlines, recommended stories, and a special collection of news items you should check out.
The government is exerting maximum efforts to facilitate the return of former Indian Navy personnel sentenced to death in Qatar, said Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Friday. “There is total support and effort being put in by the government,” affirmed Admiral Kumar during his customary press conference before Navy Day on December 4. In October, a court in Qatar issued the death penalty to seven retired naval officers and a sailor. Admiral Kumar highlighted their collaborative efforts with relevant agencies to safeguard the interests of these veterans. Dig deeper
More related news: Qatar accepts ex-Indian navy men’s appeal against death sentence: Repor
India begins ‘quiet efforts’ after 8 ex-navy veterans get death penalty in Qatar
Amid a depression formed over the Bay of Bengal on Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange’ alert for the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The weather agency has issued the rain warning for Sunday and Monday. The weather department said that the depression will further intensify into ‘deep depression’ on Saturday and is likely to become a cyclonic storm – ‘Michaung’ – by December 3. The storm is likely to cross the coast between Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Chennai around December 4 evening, according to IMD. Dig deeper
More news on this: Cyclone ‘Michaung’ to make landfall in Chennai; here's how it got its name
Low-pressure area formed near Andamans, likely to intensify into cyclone around Nov 29: IMD
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Global Matters
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier was made to wait for half an hour at the gate of his aircraft after reaching Doha. He was in Qatar for an official meeting with its ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. A video of Steinmeier standing at the exit of his aircraft, went viral on social media. On the tarmac, a military honor guard could be seen. Interestingly, the incident happened in the presence of Germany’s ambassador to Qatar, Lothar Freischlader. Dig deeper
Entertainment Focus
Salman Khan's recent film, Tiger 3, has seen a decline in box office earnings during its 19th day, following a successful initial two weeks. According to sacnilk.com, the movie garnered 1.85 crore on its third Thursday, marking its lowest domestic collection thus far. The film's cumulative earnings currently stand at ₹279.90 crore. Thursday's Hindi version of the film recorded an overall occupancy of 9.87%. The upcoming release of Ranbir Kapoor's Animal and Vicky Kaushal's Sam Bahadur poses significant competition for this Salman Khan starrer. Dig deeper
Lifestyle and Health
Be it your daily morning walk or the leisurely afternoon stroll, walking has been recognised as a very effective way to manage diabetes. Walking 10,000 steps has been recommended by The American Diabetes Association to reduce risk of diabetes. However, a new study, offers an interesting insight connecting the pace of your walking to lowering your risk of the metabolic disorder. A new study published in British Journal of Sports Medicine says, brisk walking is associated with around 40% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, emphasizing that it's not just the duration of the walk, but its intensity that can help people keep diabetes at bay. Dig deeper
Sports Goings
The Indian selection committee led by former pacer Ajit Agarkar wanted to hand over the T20I captaincy back to Rohit Sharma for the South Africa tour but the Indian captain requested a break from the white-ball leg of the tour. A report in The Indian Express said Rohit joined the selection meeting held at a New Delhi hotel on Thursday, via a video call from London to make his decision known. The Agarkar-led selection panel, although wanting to give T20I captaincy back to Rohit, agreed to his request. Rohit is currently holidaying in the UK with his family and will return to lead the Indian side for the two-match Test series starting on December 26. Dig deeper
That’s all we have at this hour in our evening briefing. Catch you tomorrow morning.