Save the rubbish
"I don't see the need to tip something out just because it looks as though it's been there for a long time." — New Zealand foreign minister Don McKinnon, supporting continued ties to the British crown.
And the winner is ...
"Zhu was overjoyed by his success but suddenly felt dizzy and dropped to the ground dead." — China Commercial News, reporting on a contest in rural China, won by Zhu by smoking continuously for three hours.
Including Uganda
"I said he was the most impressive head of government in the English-speaking world." — Fairfax 25% owner Conrad Black, correcting a report that he had called Paul Keating "the most impressive head of government in the Western world".
Ecumenical
"Mind you, I rather like the leader of the opposition as well." — Conrad Black, touching all bases.
Now you know
Frontbencher John Howard warns in a Liberal Party discussion paper that Paul Keating's "real" republican agenda includes "a broad-based campaign to rewrite Australian history marginalising the contribution of the Liberal/conservative side of politics".
What matters
"It was chaos. People with car doors open — they didn't care if they were going to be hit." — Paramedic in Chicago, describing the scene as bags of money fell on an expressway from an armoured van whose driver had forgotten to shut the door. More than half a million dollars is still missing.