鈥淩evealing the sex of a fetus is against professional ethics but it is not up to the level of criminal offence.鈥�
Qiu Xinglong, a law professor at Xiangtan University in Hunan province, on proposals to readjust China鈥檚 gender imbalance by making abortion of female fetuses a criminal offence (Xinhua News Agency, 28 February)
鈥淢y dad has put his hand up and will be 90 at the time. My kids want to come, and if there is room for my mum she will come as well.鈥�
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Entrepreneur Richard Branson on some of the 7000 potential takers he claims for his commercial space flights, due to start in 2008 (BBC online, 28 February)
鈥淚 would strongly advise people to take their own towel to the gym. In a hospital you know towels are cleaned to a certain level. But in a gym you have no idea.鈥�
Microbiologist Ron Cutler of the University of East London, commenting on reports of 100 community-acquired cases of the MRSA super-bug (Daily Mail, London, 1 March)
鈥淚 thought I was cursed, a black sheep in the family.鈥�
Cynthia Leshomo, after being crowned Miss HIV Stigma-Free in the world鈥檚 first beauty pageant for HIV-positive contestants held in Gaborone, Botswana (Chicago Tribune, 28 February)
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think they are really looking for nuclear weapons. They realise they would be smashed by Israel or by us.鈥�
US diplomat Henry Precht, who directed the State Department鈥檚 Iran desk in the late 1970s, on Iran鈥檚 deal with Russia to buy nuclear fuel for a nuclear power plant (The Independent, London, 28 February)