GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday December 24, 2013
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Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of AK-47, dies at 94
(CNN) -- Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Russian gun designer whose AK-47 rifle became the weapon of choice for many national armies and guerrillas around the world, died yesterday, the Kremlin announced on its website. He was 94. Kalashnikov designed his first machine gun in 1942 after suffering injuries as a tank commander for the Soviet Union’s Red Army during World War II, but it wasn’t until 1947 -- after years of tweaks -- that the AK-47 was introduced for Soviet military service. The weapon, recognizable by its banana-shaped ammunition magazine, became known for its simple effectiveness. It was easy to use and maintain, and it was reliable in extreme conditions, be they hot, cold, wet or sandy. From the early 1950s, it became the standard weapon for Soviet and Warsaw Pact countries, according to IHS Jane’s. The gun also proved popular with paramilitary groups: It was so successful in Mozambique’s successful rebel movement of the 1960s and 1970s that its image appears in the national flag. Russia stopped producing AK-47 models in the late 1960s, but production of variants continued there and in other countries. The Guinness World Records book recognized the AK-47 -- AK
being a Russian acronym for “Kalashnikov’s machine gun” and 47 standing for its debut year -- as the world’s most common machine gun. Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday “expressed his deepest condolences to the family of Mikhail Kalashnikov in connection with his death,” a post on the Kremlin’s website read. In 2009, Kalashnikov told CNN that two main qualities described the AK-47: simplicity and reliability. “It is very important because a soldier doesn’t have university degrees,” he said. “He needs a simple and reliable weapon. Just as an academic, for that matter, in a combat situation. There’s simply no time to figure how to operate a complicated weapon and press many buttons when the enemy is advancing on you.” He said the question he hated most was whether he felt sorry about the hundreds of thousands of people that were killed as a result of his invention. He had a standard answer: “I’ve designed my weapon to defend the borders of our Fatherland, and let it continue to serve this purpose.” In 2011, Izhmash, the Russian manufacturer of the AK-47 family of weapons, said it was abandoning the design in favour of a new one for its next-generation assault rifles.
Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Russian gun designer who invented the AK-47 rifle Kalashnikov’s 90th birthday, in November 2009, was celebrated in Russia nearly like a national holiday. In a televised Kremlin ceremony, then-President Dmitry Medvedev decorated him with the country’s highest order, the Hero of Russia.
DIGICEL acquires submarine fibre assets across the Caribbean region
DIGICEL yesterday announced that it has reached an agreement with the Guadeloupe-based Loret Group and with Caribbean Fibre Holdings to acquire a submarine fibre network across the Caribbean region. Digicel will acquire Middle Caribbean Network, Southern Caribbean Fibre, Antilles Crossings and a number of related assets from Global Caribbean Fibre. This deal will provide Digicel with a wholly owned submarine fibre optic cable network of approximately 2,100km providing capacity from Trinidad to Guadeloupe, according to a statement from the company yesterday. Digicel said it has also entered into a transaction with Global Caribbean Fibre and Global Caribbean Network to provide submarine fibre capacity from Guadeloupe to Puerto Rico with onwards connectivity to the mainland United States. With these new capabilities, Digicel is underpinning its commitments to delivering best network, best service and best
Dying girl’s Christmas ... From page 4 the wonderful music. “I can hear you now!!! Love you!” she said through a photo her family posted to a Team Laney Facebook page showing the girl, two thumbs up despite a breathing mask, lying in bed. Laney was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia seven months ago. Last week doctors told her family that she has 70% cancer cells in her blood. She came home from the hospital on Thursday and said she wanted to hear Christmas carols. So two days later people came from all over. Her dance team was there to honor her through one last number. Even Santa showed up. Many of them held back tears. “I can’t even express how I feel,” Krysta Rebe, who has a daughter Laney’s age, told WFMZ. It was only an hour of singing, but it lifted the spirits of everyone who jammed the block outside the Browns’ home. On Facebook one woman wrote that she had seen and taken part in a miracle. “As much as I want that miracle to be saving the life of an 8-year-old little girl, Laney, the miracle was an 8-year-old little girl teaching an entire community, town, city and the whole country the true meaning of Christmas,” Marianne Franken wrote. Laney’s parents issued a statement Thursday thanking the public for its support and asking for privacy in the difficult days ahead.
- driving choice and innovation for data hungry customers
value and will once again be at the forefront of driving competition and consumer choice in the region. In total, Digicel has secured access to a robust network comprised of 15 submarine segments with a reach of some 3,100km across the Caribbean region. Digicel will also have extensive onwards capacity on other submarine networks connecting locations such as Miami, Paris and New York. The financial terms of the contract are not being disclosed Mr Colm Delves, CEO of and the transaction is subject to Digicel Group regulatory approval. Digicel Group CEO, Colm Delves, said: “We are always looking for new ways to ensure that we deliver choice and innovation to our valued customers. The acquisition of this submarine network secures significant additional broadband
capacity for Digicel. This additional capacity is central to our continued drive to offer innovative services and products to our customers in a data hungry world.”