All these stories in the breaking news section of the Sunday London Times, and more:

UN confirms Iraq missile destruction

UN inspectors says Iraq has begun destroying its Al Samoud 2 missiles and agreed to a timetable to scrap the rest of them within a matter of weeks. UN spokesman Hiro Ueki said the procedure went more slowly than expected because the rockets were so sturdy, but four missiles were destroyed. Ueki said two interviews -- with a biological weapons expert and with a missile engineer -- were conducted on Friday night, the first since February 7. Deputy chief inspector Demetrius Perricos said other interviews were under way, although he gave no further details.

Turkish vote on US troops overruled

A vote by the Turkish parliament to allow in 62,000 US troops in readiness for a war against Iraq has been overruled by the speaker. Bulent Arinc ruled that a majority of legislators present had not voted in favour, and closed parliament until Tuesday. The decision is a serious blow to the US. The vote was 264-250 with 19 abstentions, four short of a simple majority. The bill's rejection is likely to seriously increase tensions with the United States which had been expecting a positive vote.

Americans want UN backing for war

Almost half of US citizens believe war should be launched on Iraq only with the backing of the UN, according to a new poll. Some 44% of Americans polled for BBC1's Panorama said there should be a unanimous UN mandate before military action, against 31% who were ready to see war waged without UN backing. US President George Bush has made clear that he reserves the right to lead a "coalition of the willing" against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, with or without the support of the UN.