China welcomes Doraiswami’s appointment as new envoy
Beijing, March 20: China on Friday welcomed the appointment of veteran diplomat Vikram Doraiswami as the new Indian Ambassador, expressing hope that he will make a positive contribution to the sustained improvement of Sino-India ties. Doraiswami has a Chinese name: Wei Jiameng, which denotes auspicious or praiseworthy ally. Doraiswami, a 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, was appointed India’s new envoy to China on Thursday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing on Friday that he noticed that the Indian envoy has chosen a Chinese name for himself: Wei Jiameng. “China welcomes India’s new ambassador to China Wei Jiameng, and stands ready to provide every convenience for him to take up his post in China,” he said. According to Chinese scholars, the loose translation of the name in Mandarin is Wei, a common Chinese surname that phonetically matches “Vi” in Vikram. Long ago, Wei was a powerful state during the Warring States period in Chinese history. “Jia” means “auspicious or praiseworthy”, “Meng” means “alliance”. All put together, it can be said as “one who forms an excellent alliance”, according to a Chinese scholar, which carries diplomatic significance in the present context of India-China relations. (PTI)
23 Indians rescued from brick kiln in Nepal
Kathmandu, March 20: Twenty three Indian nationals have been rescued from a brick kiln in Nepal’s Madhesh province, police said on Friday. Human Rights Commission Madhesh Province Office rescued the Indian nationals from Assam from Baba Dharmaraj Brick Kiln in Dakneshwori Municipality-9, the police said. The commission investigated at the kiln following a complaint registered online regarding forced labour and exploitation, the police quoted Chief of Human Rights Commission Madhesh Province Buddha Narayan Sahani as saying. It said the commission’s team rescued the Indian labourers in collaboration with the district police. Of the 23 rescued, 12 are females, seven males, and four are children. (PTI)
Fire at South Korean auto parts factory injures 53
Seoul, March 20: IA fire at an auto parts factory in South Korea’s central city of Daejeon injured at least 53 people on Friday as officials warned the the number of those hurt could rise. Nam Deuk-woo, fire chief of the city’s Daedeok district, said 24 of those people were seriously hurt and authorities were searching for at least 14 others believed to have been inside the facility when the fire broke out. Officials could not immediately confirm whether any of the injured were in life-threatening condition. Video from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the complex. The fire was reported at about 1.17 pm, and Nam said the cause was not immediately known, but the blaze appeared to have spread rapidly with witnesses reportedly hearing an explosion. He said the fire destroyed a factory building that firefighters were unable to enter because of concerns over the possible collapse of the structure. (AP)
