And in papers filed yesterday, Federal prosecutors asked Judge Baer in unusually critical language to reverse his decision.

Jeffrey L. Friedman, a lawyer for Shearson, declined to comment on the appeals court's unusually critical language regarding his client.

Senator McCain, knowing he was facing defeat and clearly deflated by the experience, gave a speech unusually critical of his own party.

Lynch was unusually critical during the rehearsal.

A preliminary report by an Indonesian inquiry team into the November massacre in East Timor was unusually critical of the armed forces.

One ministry official was unusually critical of the bank last week, saying its policies "might lead to instability in the markets."

El Salvador's government originally issued the unusually critical report last August, but withdrew it from circulation the next day, saying it was technically flawed.

The communique did include an unusually critical assessment of Japan, saying that its "challenges have intensified significantly in recent months."

Justice Breyer's opinion, Lonchar v. Thomas, No. 95-5015, was unusually critical of the panel for going outside the rules.

The dictators whose close ties with Paris have come under unusually critical scrutiny from the French press and human rights groups here were in the spotlight.