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AFGHANISTAN

• The UN Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to keep international troops in Afghanistan’s capital for another six months, but rejected pleas from Afghan leaders to expand the force throughout the war-battered country. While declaring that "the situation in Afghanistan still constitutes a threat to international peace and security," the resolution adopted by the Security Council says "the responsibility for providing security and law and order throughout the country resides with the Afghans themselves." (AP 231940 May 02)

• Warning of possible violence as another shift in Afghanistan’s government nears, the head of the international force guarding the capital said on Thursday that he has refocused its primary mission of urban security to put more emphasis on fighting terrorism. Maj. Gen. John McColl, chief of the International Security Assistance Forces, said the loya jirga meeting, in which Afghans will choose a transitional administration to replace a UN-installed one, adds new responsibility to ISAF’s mission. "It’s reasonable to assume that as we move toward the loya jirga, there will be those who move to disrupt the process, interfere with the process. And therefore I think we have to be ready for an increase in the level of terrorism," Maj. Gen. McColl told a news conference in Kabul. (AP 231136 May 02)

NATO

• Ukraine’s State Defense and Security Council declared on Thursday that this former Soviet republic will start the process to seek membership in NATO. Council chief Yevhen Marchuk said that President Leonid Kuchma attended the meeting where the decision was made and is expected to sign a corresponding document. "Today we talked about the necessity to of developing a long-term strategy, at the end of which Ukraine should join the collective security system on which NATO is based," Marchuk was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. Ukraine wants to officially inform NATO about its decision on July 9 during a visit by alliance Secretary-General George Robertson, Marchuk added in Kiev. (AP 231626 May 02)

• German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer would be interested in taking over as foreign policy chief of the European Union, according to an interview to be published in a German newspaper on Friday. "If that post were offered to me, I would seriously have to consider it," Fischer told the Maerkische Allgemeine newspaper. (Reuters 232020 GMT May 02)

BALKANS

• The top UN official in Kosovo, Michael Steiner, struck down efforts by the province’s fledgling assembly to act as a sovereign state on Thursday, rejecting an effort by legislators to define Kosovo’s boundaries. The ruling - endorsed by the United States and the European Union - came after lawmakers challenged a recent border agreement between Yugoslavia and Macedonia (sic). "The resolution has no legal status," said Simon Haselock, the spokesman for the UN mission in Kosovo. "It’s outside the responsibilities of the assembly and that’s why it was overruled." In New York, the UN Security Council backed Steiner’s decision. (AP 232357 May 02)

OTHER NEWS

• Moving swiftly to get a key piece of security legislation to President George W. Bush for his signature, the Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill to improve U.S. defenses against bioterror attacks using smallpox, anthrax or other lethal germ agents. Recognizing the breadth of the potential threats, the bill also expands safety inspections of imported food and helps communities assess the vulnerability of their water supplies. (Reuters 232252 GMT May 02)

• The Ministry of Defense said Thursday night that it was studying the implications of a landmark legal ruling that officially recognized for the first time in Britain that Gulf War Syndrome is a disease. The decision could theoretically affect several thousand veterans. (AP 232344 May 02)

• Within six years, the U.S. Army plans to outfit its soldiers with a new battle uniform incorporating stronger and lighter armor, a climate-control system, medical sensors and a computer display on the helmet visor. The new uniform would eliminate the need for rucksacks, distribute the weight of a soldier’s gear more evenly and halve the weight each soldier must carry. (AP 231915 May 02)

• The Boeing Co’s X-45, the first robotic plane designed specifically to fly combat missions, has successfully made its maiden flight at Edwards air force base. Air Force officials envision the X-45 taking part in strikes against enemy radar and surface-to-air missile batteries. (AP 231518 May 02)

• Iran recently conducted a successful flight test of its Shahab-3 ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching Israel, U.S. officials said in Washington. "It shows they are continuing to move forward with their missile programs," said one U.S. official, speaking Thursday on the condition of anonymity. The Shahab-3 has a range of 1,300 kilometers, enough to reach Israel and U.S. troops stationed in the region - including Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Turkey. (AP 232325 May 02)

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