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F-16 sales decision rejuvenates Lockheed Martin
Ailing Pope blesses, fails to speak
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Schiavo's parents take 'last shot' at keeping her alive
Pinellas Park (Florida), March 27 The parents of Terri Schiavo took what one of their lawyers called their ‘‘final shot’’ on Friday, arguing that the brain-damaged woman tried to say ‘‘I want to live’’ minutes before her feeding tube was removed on March 18.
Pak arrests 14 Indian fishermen
Resolve Kashmir issue to avoid a Kargil: Pervez
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F-16 sales decision rejuvenates Lockheed Martin
The Bush administration’s decision to sell F-16s to India and Pakistan comes as a welcome news to the struggling Bethesda-based manufacturer of the fighter jets.
Mike Nipper, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin, told The Tribune on Friday afternoon that the defence contractor had been “closely following” news of the sale of F-16s to Pakistan but had not received any “official notification on the sale from the Bush administration.” Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the F-16 and F-18 at its plant in Fort Worth, Texas, reported $ 35.5 billion in sales in 2004 and a backlog of $74 billion. Company officials say the firm was in “desperate need” of orders for the F-16 failing which it would have been forced to close some of its operations, an action that would lead to the loss of a few thousand jobs. Lockheed Martin has produced more than 4,000 F-16s in over 110 different versions. The F-16 is one of the world’s most sought-after multi-role fighters. The F-16 is a revolutionary fighter when first introduced and has continuously evolved to meet global needs. Twentytwo nations have chosen the world’s first fourth-generation fighter; 14 of those nations have made subsequent purchases of new aircraft; and six have acquired US Air Force inventory aircraft through purchase or lease. Deliveries have been made from five production lines. Mr. Nipper said an F-16 — a single-engine, land-based fighter jet — would cost upwards of $ 35 million. “The cost varies significantly depending on the accessories and how they are equipped,” he said. It takes about three years to build an F-16. The F-18, a more advanced fighter, is a double engine, carrier-based aircraft, which is up to 30 per cent heavier than the F-16. “The cost of the F-18 is considerably higher,” Mr. Nipper said, explaining that the jets sell “by the pound.” Asked about the economic impact of the Bush administration’s decision to sell the jets to Pakistan and India on the US companies, a senior state department official in Washington replied: “They like it.” |
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Ailing Pope blesses, fails to speak
Vatican City, March 27 Aides had brought a microphone to the Pope's mouth. He tried to speak. He made a few sounds but was unable to pronounce any words. The aides then removed the microphone. The scene, broadcast on live television, came after his Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, presided at the solemn Easter Sunday service for tens of thousands of people in an overcast St Peter's Square. During the mass, the Pope's window was left open, as a sign of his spiritual link with the faithful below. His coat of arms was left hanging outside and the curtains wafted in the breeze. Then the 84-year-old Pope, sitting and wearing his traditional white cassock, was rolled up to his window and waited while Sodano read the Pontiff's "Urbi et Orbi" message, Latin for "to the city and to the world". When Sodano finished reading the message, a priest announced
that the Pope would give the crowd a special blessing. He moved his hand in the sign of the cross but did not manage to pronounce any words into the microphone. It was the first Easter Sunday service not presided over by the Pope in the 26 years since he became the Roman Catholic leader.
— Reuters |
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Schiavo's parents take 'last shot' at keeping her alive
Pinellas Park (Florida), March 27 The surprise tactic stirred emotions on yet another day of courtroom decisions, including a ruling by a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta, which on Friday night rejected a request to resume Schiavo's feeding. Hours before the ruling, Schiavo's father, Robert Schindler, with red-rimmed eyes and a weary gaze, said his daughter ‘‘is down to her last hours. Something has to be done and it has to be done quick.’’ On Friday night, Schindler and his wife, Mary, pleaded on television for Gov. Jeb Bush, R, to intervene. The assertions that Schiavo was trying to talk were disputed by attorneys for Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, who accused the Schindlers' legal team of ‘‘crossing the line’’ and questioned why the assertion had not been raised during the hours of impassioned courtroom arguments over the past week. ‘‘This was our last motion,’’ said Barbara Weller, one of the Schindlers' attorneys. ‘‘We figured we go for broke.’’ Weller - who said in an interview on Friday night that she told reporters about Schiavo trying to speak, but was mostly ignored - was both attorney and witness on Friday. She offered an affidavit that said Schiavo responded after she begged her to say ‘‘I want to live.’’ The brain-damaged woman struggled to answer, saying ‘‘Ahhh’’ and ‘‘Waaa’’ before becoming agitated and giving up, Weller wrote. The assertion contradicts the diagnoses of several court-appointed doctors, who have reported that Schiavo is in a vegetative state and have said that people often mistake reflex actions, such as moaning, for true cognitive activity. Earlier on Friday, a federal judge in Tampa refused to order the tube reinserted, saying the Schindlers had not presented enough evidence to support their arguments that Schiavo is an abused disabled person. Public opinion, both nationally and in Florida, strongly favours Michael Schiavo, who says his wife would want the tube removed, and opposes the law passed by Congress during an extraordinary Palm Sunday
session. — By arrangement with the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post |
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Pak arrests 14 Indian fishermen
Islamabad, March 27 Earlier, the reports had given the nationality of all arrested as Indian, but the MSA clarified later that the trawlers had international crew, including 14 Indians. — PTI
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Resolve Kashmir issue to avoid a Kargil: Pervez
Islamabad, March 27 In a detailed reply to an e-mail query sent by an Indian to his Presidential website asking his views on reunification of India and Pakistan as well as his "silence" on Kargil war, Musharraf said the reunification was not possible but the two countries could establish close ties, if the Kashmir issue was resolved. Denying that he was shy of speaking about Kargil, he said "I do not want to enter into debate, who won and who lost. Neither your people will accept nor ours, we will end up debating it". Claiming that India has "misquoted" the casualty figures, which according to him was "very high," he said the reports in the media spoke of several "problems" faced by the Indian Army during the Kargil conflict. Musharraf said the two countries should see the Kargil conflict in its entirety.
— PTI |
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An ailing Pope John Paul appeared at his window to bless the faithful on Easter Sunday, but in a dramatic episode that brought tears to the eyes of many people, he failed in his attempt to speak.
