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By Syed M.Aslam
 Aug 06 - 21 , 2001

*** "WHILE ISRAEL is stepping up the killings and the genocide, sparing no living creature in the occupied Palestinian land, whether human or plant, we hear that the US sponsor of the peace process is refusing that Zionism be equated with racism at the forthcoming conference on racism in Durban."

(Syrian official denouncing US pressure to block Arab states from equating Zionism with racism at the upcoming UN conference on discrimination)

*** "THERE IS SOMETHING wrong with this, and these people have reduced him to a fast-food chicken outlet."

(Spokesman of the ruling African National Congress on the use of former president Nelson Mandela's image by South African fast food outlet)

*** "LET US stop thrusting the captive views of captive experts on captive audience. Let the viewers decide for themselves the truth or otherwise of the discourse."

(Letter to the Editor published in a local daily criticising marathon discussions not permitting diversified views and people participation by the state-owned Pakistan Television during the Agra Summit)

*** "UNLIKE FRITZ, I cannot do (process) five million moves per second. I would be happy with one move per second."

(Russian world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik exuding confidence to win against the super-computer ahead of man-versus-machine clash in Bahrain in October)

*** "I HAVE BEEN disappointed in almost everything he has done."

(Former US president Jimmy Carter evaluating the first six-month performance of his most recent successor, George W. Bush)

*** "I HAD GOOD REASON to believe that America used a BZ variant against Iraq during the Gulf War."

(The mastermind behind South Africa's apartheid-era chemical warfare, Wouter Basson, disclosing that the US had used hallucinogenic against Iraq during the Gulf War)

*** "EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL achieves wonders in politics... as Atal Behari Vajpayee's resignation threat so usefully demonstrates."

(Times of India attributing Indian Prime Minister's threat of resignation as a move to silence critics and reassert his authority)

*** "... OUR POSITION is that the representative company must indicate the non-profit organisation making the donation before we can discuss anything further with them."

(Cyprus Education Minister, Ouranios Ioannides, refusing donors to give away 160,000 free computers worth $ 600 million to island's school children only if they remain anonymous)

*** "IF WAHID CAN BECOME PRESIDENT and can lead the country with only 9% of the vote and no sight, why not Megawati."

(Husband of newly installed Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Taufik Kiemas, defending her wife referring to disposed president Abdurrahman Wahid)

*** "WHITE AMERICANS are the least likely to care for their elders (19%), while Asians are the most likely (42%). Blacks (28%) and Hispanics (34%) fall in the middle."

(Findings of a survey conducted in the US showing that caring for aging parents fall along a multicultural divide)

*** "THIS IS MY DREAM COME TRUE."

(Nor Malena Hassan, a 24-year-old Malaysian woman, on setting the national record to live 30 days with 2,700 scorpions)

*** "AS BLACK PEOPLE we should be able to choose whom we listen to ... we are grateful that our leader will be able to come and give us much-needed and valued guidance and instructions."

(British spokesman of Nation of Islam hailing the decision by High Court judge quashing the ban placed on the US black Muslim nationalist firebrand Louis Farrakhan to enter UK)

*** "I HOPE it won't put Kate off. I know people who have seen the ghost and he is definitely friendly."

(Joint owner of the neighbouring hotel warning 'Titanic' actress Kate Winslet that the house she had bought on Tintagel on UK's south east coast is possessed by a friendly ghost)