Russians won't tell gun-maker his services are no longer needed.
The death is announced of Wilson Greatbatch, 92, the American inventor of the cardiac pacemaker, a revolutionary device which has, since the 1960s, pumped life into millions of people. And there's some news about Mikhail Kalashnikov, also 92, inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, a revolutionary device which has, since the 1950s, done the exact opposite. A Russian newspaper reports that, although the Russian army is no longer buying his weapon â?? the most effective killing machine in human history â?? the company has told its staff not to tell Mr Kalashnikov about it, in case the shock kills him.
