Briefly . . . NATION/WORLD

SANAA, Yemen

- The U.S. has sharply escalated its drone war in Yemen, with military officials in the Arab country reporting 34 suspected al Qaeda militants killed in less than two weeks, including three strikes yesterday alone in which a dozen died.

The action against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemen branch is known, comes amid a global terror alert issued by Washington. One Mideast official says the uptick is due to its leaders leaving themselves more vulnerable by moving from their normal hideouts toward areas where they could carry out attacks.

The U.S. and Britain evacuated diplomatic staff from the capital of Sanaa this week after learning of a threatened attack that prompted Washington to close temporarily 19 diplomatic posts in the Middle East and Africa.

SOPCHOPPY, Fla. - A small Florida Panhandle town best known for its annual Worm Grunting Festival is at the center of an investigation into charges that the white city clerk suppressed the black vote in an election where the black mayor lost by a single vote and a black city commissioner was also ousted.

Both losing candidates and three black voters have filed complaints, now being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, that City Clerk Jackie Lawhon made it more difficult for blacks to cast ballots by questioning their residency.

The candidates also allege Lawhon abandoned her duty to remain neutral and actively campaigned for the white candidates.

DAMASCUS, Syria

- Rockets and mortar shells hit an upscale Damascus neighborhood yesterday where Syrian President Bashar Assad was visiting a nearby mosque, laying bare the ability of rebels to strike one of the most secure areas of the capital despite an ongoing government offensive.

At least two rebel brigades claimed to have hit Assad's motorcade on its way to the mosque, but this appeared to be untrue. Two opposition figures said the route was hit but not the convoy itself. The regime also denied the reports, and state TV broadcast images of Assad praying at the mosque.

There were no reports of casualties or damage in the shelling of the Malki district, a largely pro-regime neighborhood where Assad used to live before the uprising began more than two years ago.

FORT HOOD, Texas - The soldier on trial for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood was allowed to continue representing himself yesterday after the judge ordered his standby attorneys to stay on the case, despite their claims that the Army psychiatrist was trying to secure his own death sentence.

The military lawyers ordered to help Maj. Nidal Hasan had asked the judge to either scale back their advisory duties or allow them to take over his defense. They believe Hasan is trying to convince jurors to convict him and sentence him to death for the attack that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others at the Texas military base.

The judge, Col. Tara Osborn, denied that request yesterday in a heated exchange with the lead standby attorney, saying it was clear that the lawyers simply disagreed with Hasan's defense strategy. Hasan has been largely silent during the trial, and he objected only once yesterday as nearly a dozen witnesses testified.

ROSEVILLE, Minn.

- A Minnesota man claimed his third of a $448 million Powerball jackpot yesterday, wasting no time before revealing his good fortune to the world and saying he had "been waiting for this day my entire life."

Paul White, 45, a project engineer from Ham Lake, said his family often gave him a hard time for frequently playing the lottery, and he had a tough time convincing many of them that he had finally won.

"The only person who didn't feel I was BS-ing them was my mother," White said.

- Daily News wire services