At least 20 die in bombings in Iran

At least 20 die in bombings in Iran

TEHRAN, Iran

Twin bombings killed at least 20 people outside a mosque in southeastern Iran on Thursday — including members of the powerful Revolutionary Guard — in attacks that came less than a month after Iran hanged the leader of a militant insurgent group in the region.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted the deputy governor of the Sistan-Baluchistan province, Jalal Sayyah, as saying the explosions tore through a crowd of Shiite worshippers near the main mosque in the provincial capital of Zahedan.

Europe wilts in heat wave

MOSCOW

It’s so hot that women in bikinis are sunbathing in Moscow.

A heat wave across much of Europe also is causing crops to wither, forest fires to ignite and roads to melt, while refrigerators and fans are buckling in the searing sun.

From Russia’s Ural mountains to western Germany, a week of temperatures hovering stubbornly in the mid-90s F has baked northern parts of Europe, which are usually spared the heat of the Mediterranean — and forecasters are warning of more to come over the next week.

Vatican revises rules on sex abuse

VATICAN CITY

The Vatican revised its in-house rules to deal with clerical sex-abuse cases Thursday, targeting priests who molest the mentally disabled as well as children and doubling the statute of limitations for such crimes.

Abuse victims said the rules are little more than administrative housekeeping since they made few substantive changes to current practice, and what is needed are bold new rules to punish bishops who shield pedophiles.

No ruling in hearing on immigration law

PHOENIX

Arizona’s impending immigration law went before a federal judge for the first time Thursday, and attorneys for both sides sparred over who had the right to enforce immigration law: local officials or the federal government.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton didn’t rule on whether to block the law from taking effect July 29, or whether to dismiss the lawsuit, one of seven. Hearings in two other lawsuits — including one filed by the federal government — are set for Thursday, and the judge has been careful to give no hints on who she might favor.

Obama promotes job creation at plant

HOLLAND, Mich.

Searching for an economic success story that can resonate with the public, President Barack Obama put his hopes Thursday in the fledgling electric-vehicle battery industry, a sector with a promising but uncertain future.

Obama’s quick trip to Michigan underscored the White House’s efforts to spur job creation with the help of public money. Speaking at a muddy construction site where work soon will begin on a plant producing batteries for Chevrolet and Ford electric cars, Obama said U.S. manufacturing is poised for a comeback.

Gibson’s wife: Mel never abused us

LOS ANGELES

Mel Gibson’s estranged wife has filed a court declaration stating she and her children never experienced any abuse by the Academy Award winner.

A source familiar with the case but not authorized to speak publicly tells The Associated Press that Robyn Gibson filed the statement in a custody hearing between her husband and his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva.

Robyn Gibson filed to divorce her husband of 38 years in April 2009. The divorce is ongoing.

Associated Press