"This is about helping Haiti, not about occupying Haiti."

Alain Joyandet, French Minister of State for Cooperation and Francophony, protesting on January 16 after U.S. troops turned back a French aid flight to earthquake-ravaged Haiti

"China has taken expanding imports from African countries as the focus of its trade policy toward Africa."

Chen Deming, Chinese Minister of Commerce, during his visit to Tanzania

"I think with the active participation of China in promoting the new challenges in front of UNESCO, we can move forward with a very strong agenda."

Irina Bokova, Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), recognizing China's efforts to preserve its cultural and natural heritage

"By shifting the hand back from midnight by only one additional minute, we emphasize how much needs to be accomplished."

Lawrence Krauss, co-Chair of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' board of sponsors, speaking at a January 14 ceremony to turn back the minute hand of the symbolic Doomsday clock, which was created in 1947 as a barometer of how close the world is to an apocalyptic end

"The restoration of our ecosystems must be seen as a sensible and cost-effective investment in this planet's economic survival and growth."

Hilary Benn, British Environment Secretary, calling for immediate global efforts to preserve the world's biodiversity that, he said, is deteriorating to a point of no return

"Previously, we viewed the large and high-profit-generating firms as good ones. The concept has changed now."

Liu Nanchang, an official with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council of China, on the country's planned use of investment efficiency-based new measures to assess the performances of large state-owned enterprises

"The notion that recreational cocaine use is 'safe' should be dispelled."

Joaquin Lucena, head of forensic pathology at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Spain, on a study that found that over 3 percent of sudden deaths in Europe are related to cocaine use