THIS WEEK THEY SAID

A look back at the week in the words of those who made the headlines.

A look back at the week in the words of those who made the headlines.

"We will continue, God permitting, the fight against the Israelis and their allies . . . and will not give up a single inch of Palestine as long as there is one true Muslim on Earth."- A message purported to come from Osama bin Laden as Israel marks its 60th anniversary.

"I am not getting a bonus. I felt it would be inappropriate."- Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways, says he won't take a bonus after T5's disastrous opening.

"Say yes to openness, yes to the new Europe and yes to the end of totalitarianism, and don't listen to those who say we will be overwhelmed."- Taoiseach Brian Cowen calls for a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum.

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"In a way, we are now at a kind of zero hour."- President Mary McAleese says the days when Ireland was dominated by one or two faiths are at an end.

"The nice decade is behind us."- Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, says the world economy faces a rocky patch ahead.

"The Democratic voters in America have made their choice and so have I."- John Edwards endorses Barack Obama for the Democratic party nomination.

"No foreigners allowed."- A Burmese security officer prevents aid workers bringing relief to cyclone-hit parts of the country.

"The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish."- From a newly published letter by Albert Einstein.

"So much for the weak dollar."- Amy Cappellazzo of Christies as a Lucian Freud canvas fetches $33.64 million at auction.

"Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease and where water is in irregular or short supply."- World Wildlife Fund director general James Leape. The WWF has found that the number of species on the planet has declined by one-third since 1970.