WORLD BRIEFS

PAKISTAN: Drones attack border region

Drone aircraft unleashed two missile attacks in a lawless tribal region on the Afghan border, making September the most intense period of U.S. strikes in Pakistan since they began in 2004, intelligence officials said. The campaign including Tuesday's strikes is focused on a small area of farming villages and mountainous terrain controlled by the Haqqani network, a ruthless American foe in Afghanistan, U.S. officials say. The missiles have killed more than 50 people in 12 strikes since Sept. 2 in North Waziristan, according to an Associated Press tally.

AFGHANISTAN: Fighting rages before national vote

Up to 30 insurgents have been killed in fighting ahead of Saturday's parliamentary elections, which the Taliban want to undermine, NATO and Afghan officials said. The alliance said up to 23 militants were killed in southern Helmand province Monday and three in eastern Wardak province Tuesday. An Afghan official said four Taliban were killed Tuesday in southeastern Zabul province.

FRANCE: Eiffel Tower evacuated after threat

The Eiffel Tower and its immediate surroundings were evacuated Tuesday evening after an anonymous caller phoned in a bomb threat. Explosives experts scoured France's most-visited monument and found nothing suspicious, Paris police said. Parts of the Saint-Michel subway station near Notre Dame Cathedral were briefly evacuated following a similar threat, police said.

Ban on veils in public advances

The French Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday banning the burqa-style Islamic veil in public places, a measure that affects fewer than 2,000 women but that has been widely seen as a symbolic defense of French values. The Senate voted 246 to 1 in favor of the bill.

JAPAN: Prime minister defeats challenger

Prime Minister Naoto Kan fended off a challenge from Ichiro Ozawa, a politician in his own party Tuesday, winning a 721-491 vote for party chief.