June 11, 2004

Engines From Iraq Missiles Seen in Jordan Washington Post, DC - U.N. weapons experts have found 20 engines used in banned Iraqi missiles in a Jordan scrapyard along with other equipment which could be used to make weapons of mass destruction, an official said Wednesday. The discoveries were revealed to the U.N. Security Council by acting chief U.N. inspector Demetrius Perricos during in a closed-door briefing. The text was obtained by The Associated Press. The U.N. team was following up on an earlier discovery of a similar Al Samoud 2 engine in a scrapyard in the Dutch port of Rotterdam. Perricos said inspectors also want to check in Turkey, which has also received scrap metal from Iraq. 4:58:08 PM

Sudan war prompts peacekeeping plan Leaders of the G8 announced plans last night to train 75,000 African peacekeeping troops, and expressed their grave concern at the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. Amid reports of ethnic cleansing in the Sudanese civil war, the G8 said it wanted to help Africa to police its own conflicts. Under the plan, the new troops would be trained and ready for deployment by 2010. International aid groups suspect that the Sudanese government is backing nomadic militiamen, known as janjaweed, who have been sweeping through villages and carrying out massacres. "We are on the verge of a grave humanitarian crisis and it's time to sound the alarm," a French official said on condition of anonymity.  8:43:12 AM

Ray Charles: 1930-2004 Chicago Sun Times, IL - There was always a wonderful moment of sheer joy and pure attitude in Ray Charles' best songs, a seemingly parenthetical aside when the devilishly playful life force of this American treasure could be glimpsed in full effect. 8:31:17 AM