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AFGHANISTAN

• Britain said on Thursday it is unlikely to hand over leadership of the international security force in Afghanistan before June. Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon told the House of Commons in London that no firm date had been agreed for the handover of the force to Turkey, which has agreed in principle to take over. He also said that the numbers of Britons involved would fall when Turkey took over as lead nation, "but I should emphasize that our commitment to ISAF will continue and that a significant number of British troops will remain in Kabul under Turkish command." (AP 111500 Apr 02)

• Osama bin Laden will be considered alive until forensic evidence proves the contrary, U.S. officials said on Thursday as DNA testing continued on tissue samples from Afghanistan. U.S. authorities have obtained DNA that could identify bin Laden and were testing tissue samples from a site in the Zawar Kili area of Afghanistan where a small group of men, believed to include a senior al Qaeda official, was struck on Feb. 4 by a missile from an unmanned "Predator" plane. "I believe ultimately that we with our allies will find Osama bin Laden. I personally believe he’s alive and I will believe that until the forensic evidence shows otherwise," said Sen. Richard Shelby, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. (Reuters 112341 GMT Apr 02)

• The U.S. Navy has been using NASA satellite data to help guide ships and planes in the war in Afghanistan, marking the first time the military has employed the space agency’s up-to-date information in combat, Navy officials said on Thursday. The images have been especially helpful in spotting swirling clouds of dust that cause hazardous conditions for U.S. pilots and ships involved in the battle, Navy officials said. (AP 112308 Apr 02)

BALKANS

• The United States on Thursday cautiously welcomed Belgrade’s passage of a law to hand over suspects to the UN war crimes tribunal but made no decision on whether it would open the way for new U.S. aid. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said Yugoslavia already was obliged under international law to hand over the suspects and Washington would be waiting to see if Belgrade "followed through with urgent and effective action." (Reuters 111822 GMT Apr 02)

• Former Serbian Interior Minister and accused war criminal Vlajko Stojiljkovic shot himself outside the Yugoslav parliament on Thursday, hours after it passed a law to send him and other suspects to a UN court. He put a bullet through his temple, police said, and was fighting for his life in hospital after emergency surgery. His ministry was in charge of the units widely accused of atrocities in Kosovo. (Reuters 112212 GMT Apr 02)

• The Balkans are still a threat to the rest of Europe, breeding crime and corruption despite the fine rhetoric of regional leaders, European Commissioner Chris Patten said on Thursday in Thessaloniki. The EU’s external relations commissioner told a Balkans conference in Greece that the area had made progress since emerging from the communist bloc, but had far further to go - and words were not enough. (Reuters 112135 GMT Apr 02)

• About 3,000 angry Serbs took to the streets for the third straight day on Thursday to demand the release of a Serb recently arrested by UN police amid violent riots. The protesters gathered in the center of the ethnically divided city of Kosovska Mitrovica and then marched to the office of UN police officers. On Thursday the protesters demanded the release of Slavoljub Jovic and another Serb, Stevan Zigic, who was arrested last month on charges that he took part in an assault that led to the death of an ethnic Albanian. (AP 111355 Apr 02)

OTHER NEWS

• The United States restated its opposition to the International Criminal Court on Thursday and said it was reviewing policy on the tribunal, which took a major step toward reality at a UN ceremony in New York. Spokesman Philip Reeker said the Bush administration continued to have objections to the treaty and would not submit it to the Senate for ratification. "The United States is concerned that its military and civilian personnel will be exposed to politically motivated investigations and prosecutions," he added. (Reuters 112037 GMT Apr 02)

• Greece and Turkey launched a new round of talks on Thursday in a bid to heal deep rifts that have kept the strategically placed NATO neighbours at loggerheads for decades. "This is the second round of exploratory talks between the political directors of the foreign ministries," according to a Greek foreign ministry official. It was not immediately clear what was on the agenda of discussions, scheduled to wrap up later in the day. (Reuters 111738 GMT Apr 02)

• Russian and Indian defense ministers praised their countries’ cooperation after meeting Thursday in Moscow, and Russia said it is prepared to deliver a new batch of tanks (T-90S) ordered by India already this month - ahead of schedule. Defense Minister Ivanov stressed that the level of relations between Russia and India also made possible joint production of arms and military equipment. (AP 111913 Apr 02)

 FINAL ITEM