Pakistan

"By no stretch of the imagination does this accord meet “the basic aspirations” of the Palestinian people. “What can I tell my grandchildren?” asked Hikmat Adwan, 60, a Gaza resident who said his family was driven from its village in 1948. “That I gave up my rights? That I gave up my land?” (New York Times, Dec. 3)"

"For Green Party activists and their candidate, the apparent benefits of a presidential run may include the media coverage, which -- however inadequate and slanted -- still beats being ignored."

"The establishment-opposition clash over the LFO mirrored the ongoing power struggle among Pakistan’s civil and uniformed power groups."

"Within a few short years, this balance is liable to change dramatically. As early as 2004, Iran will apparently reach a "point of no return": that phase in its nuclear weapons development wherein it is no longer dependent on the external supply of technology and can construct a bomb using its own resources."

"Washington wants to use India as a counterweight to China, which it sees as its main competitor in Asia. It also wants to establish military bases in India. This became apparent recently from a 153-page Pentagon report, "Indo-US Military Relationship: Expectations and Perceptions", prepared by analyst Juli A Macdonald for US secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld."

"Israeli conventional and unconventional arms superiority in the Middle East will trigger a new phase in the regional arms race. Many Arab states will feel forced to pursue non-conventional mass destruction capabilities, such as chemical and biological weapons, to try to adjust the imbalance of power in the region."

"It seems that before cloning can go any further, the global community should rein in this enterprise if not to consider the ethical implications involved but more importantly to protect the subjects of its experimentation."

"Water scarcity has serious implications on self sufficiency in food and avoidance of famine. There is room for more efficient usage of water, we [Pakistan] can certainly learn from other countries with far less water resources."