US condoles Vajpayee's death
Washington, Aug 17 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has condoled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's death and praised his vision for famously characterising US-India ties as a "natural partnership of shared endeavours".
In a statement issued by the State Department on Thursday, Pompeo extended his heartfelt condolences to the people of India on losing Vajpayee.
Recounting the former Prime Minister's many contributions, the US statement said: "He championed tirelessly for his country's development and demonstrated a devotion to improving the lives of every Indian" leading it to become "a global and economic power".
"Standing before the US Congress in 2000, he famously characterised US-India ties as a 'natural partnership of shared endeavours'.
"He recognized early on that the US and India, based on their shared democratic values, could develop a partnership that would contribute to the economic prosperity and security of the region and the world.
"Today, our two countries and our bilateral relationship continue to benefit from Prime Minister Vajpayee's vision, which helped promote expanded cooperation."
Vajpayee, 93, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday following a prolonged illness.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
