National and International Headlines-Thursday

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Police in Baghdad say a pair of mortar rounds followed minutes later by a car bomb have killed a total of 24 people and wounded 46. The explosions occurred at mid-morning in a religiously mixed neighborhood controlled by a major Shiite party.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Officials say more than one American civilian was aboard a helicopter that crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing all 16 people on board. A coalition spokesman says 12 bodies have been recovered so far.

JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli Cabinet minister says he believes his country has the green light to use "tremendous firepower" to push Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon. Most European leaders want a cease-fire now. But Washington is willing to give the Israelis more time to attack Hezbollah.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California is cooling off a bit, though temperatures remain in triple digits. The number of deaths believed linked to the weather has reached 83. Power use has blown out thousands of transformers. Farmers say the heat is killing their animals and scorching their crops.

LAKE MORENA, Calif. (AP) - Nature is assisting firefighters in Southern California. Easing temperatures and calmer winds are helping efforts to douse a wildfire burning between rural communities in east San Diego County.