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Soundbites

“It was decided to abandon nuclear targets for the moment. I mean, for the moment.â€

Al-Qaida fugitiveKhaled al-Skeikh Mohammed claims nuclear power stations were the original targets of 9/11 (Al-Jazeera TV interview, 8 September)

“It is very difficult to engage him in discussion, and so he has got away with pronouncements that other people would not.â€

Peter Higgson Stephen Hawking, who has bet the Higgs boson doesn’t exist (The Scotsman, 2 September)

“I would hope one could discuss scientific issues without personal remarks.â€

Hawkingon Higgs (also from The Scotsman, 2 September)

“Cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public-health issue.â€

Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, chair of Canada’s Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, which last week called for the legalisation of marijuana (The Globe and Mail, Toronto, 5 September)

“GMO now seems to stand for grain market outcasts.â€

Dan McGuireof the American Corn Growers Association on the fall in US exports (ACGA release, 4 September)

“Theoretically the police can arrest you if you are using your PC for playing games.â€

The Greek Internet Cafe Unionon legislation meant to ban online gambling in Greece (BBC Online, 5 September)

“Yes, we did it.â€

Spokesman Viktor Beltsovclaims Russia’s Emergency Situations ministry made it rain over Moscow, using a 1-cubic-metre ioniser (MSNBC, 6 September)