WASHINGTON — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she's not only staying involved in national politics, she plans to jump back into the national scrum when she leaves office at the end of the month.

The former Republican vice presidential nominee said during an interview published yesterday in The Washington Times she plans to write a book, campaign for political candidates from coast to coast — even Democrats who share her views on limited government, national defense and energy independence — and build a right-of-center coalition.

Palin shocked critics and allies alike when she announced on July 3 she would leave the governor's office in the middle of her first term. She has not said whether she is building toward a presidential campaign for 2012.

CAR BOMB KILLS 4 NEAR BAGHDAD CHURCH

BAGHDAD — A car bomb exploded near a church as worshippers left Mass yesterday, killing at least four civilians and injuring 18 in one of several attacks on Iraq's beleaguered Christian minority.

The coordinated assault came as the Iraqi military predicted that insurgent attacks could continue for a few years, raising the prospect of militant violence after the scheduled withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2011.

Also yesterday, a bomb exploded near a convoy of U.S. personnel that included U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill, though no one was injured. A State Department spokeswoman said the bomb exploded as the convoy was traveling through Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq.

SWIM CLUB TO INVITE MINORITY KIDS BACK

PHILADELPHIA — The swim club that sparked a racial furor when it disinvited a Philadelphia day camp of black and Hispanic children last month intends to invite the group back, a club official said yesterday.

Club president John G. Duesler Jr. told Philadelphia's Channel 6ABC there was "near-unanimous approval" from the club's members.

In response, a lawyer whose firm filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley, Pa., said yesterday it would put the suit on pause, pointing to reports the club intends to allow the 65 campers from Creative Steps Inc. and two other groups to return to its pool.

JAPAN PREMIER CALLS FOR AUGUST ELECTIONS

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso told ruling party leaders today he will dissolve parliament and hold general elections next month, following a crushing defeat for his party in Tokyo municipal polls considered a barometer of voter sentiment.

The decision came as opposition parties, emboldened by a surge in popularity, submitted a joint no-confidence motion in parliament against the prime minister and his Cabinet.

Aso told leaders of his Liberal Democratic Party he would likely dissolve the powerful lower house of the legislature next week, with a general election to be held on Aug. 30, according to Osamu Sakashita, a spokesman at the prime minister's office.

The move was widely seen as a last-ditch attempt to keep the ruling party in power after the Liberal Democrats and their coalition lost their majority yesterday in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly.

DEMOCRATS SAY CHENEY'S SECRECY ILLEGAL

WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers criticized former Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday for allegedly ordering a CIA counter-terrorism program be kept secret from congressional leaders, and a top senator called for an investigation. Republicans were far more circumspect, but some acknowledged the White House should have briefed Congress.

At least two Democratic senators said they believe the failure to inform Congress violated the law. Exactly what the secret intelligence program is remained a mystery.

HONDURAS COUP LEADERS END CURFEW

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduran authorities yesterday lifted a curfew imposed since the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya two weeks ago — a sign the interim government is trying to restore normality to life in the crisis-gripped country.

In a nationally broadcast announcement, the interim government said the curfew had reached its objective to "restore calm" and curb crime. The de facto administration of Roberto Micheletti imposed the curfew after soldiers escorted Zelaya out of the country at gunpoint on June 28, plunging Honduras into political turmoil.