WASHINGTON -- A growing number of Republican U.S. congressmen are backing a children's health insurance package the president has vowed to veto.At issue is the five-year, State Children's Health Insurance Program for children living in poverty.Senate sources told the Washington Post the bill appears to have at least 69 bipartisan votes, which would make it veto-proof by President George Bush, who maintains a White House measure that addresses the same issue through a different bill ... [full story]

KABUL, Afghanistan -- At least 125 militant Taliban members were killed in fighting with coalition forces in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Wednesday.A statement Wednesday said 65 insurgents were killed in Uruzgan province in a six-hour battle Tuesday night and another 60 were killed in neighboring Helmand.The statement said Afghan and coalition convoys came under attack from entrenched Taliban fighters armed with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars.Air support was called in and villagers ... [full story]

BAGHDAD -- Sunni Muslim militants in Iraq are using the holy month of Ramadan to mount a campaign of assassinations against public officials, The New York Times reported.As of Wednesday morning, Iraqi Interior Ministry officials told the newspaper Sunnis had staged 10 attacks within the past 48 hours in the province of Diyala and the cities of Basra, Mosul, Kirkuk, Fallujah, Kut and Samarra.Many of the attacks are linked to al-Qaida and target Shiites or ... [full story]

TOULON, France -- Two Chinese warships headed for home port Wednesday after completing a joint exercise with the French Navy in the Mediterranean Sea.The guided missile destroyer Guangzhou and supply ship Weishanhu arrived at the port city of Toulon on Friday, and Tuesday, worked jointly with French ships in five search and rescue operations, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.Major General Su Zhiqian, commander of the two Chinese naval vessels, said the exercise had explored ... [full story]

MOSCOW -- The contentious issue of U.S. missile systems in Europe will be discussed in Moscow next month by Russia's and U.S. foreign and defense ministers.The meeting was announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said he and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov will meet Oct. 12 with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates for talks.Russia is adamantly opposed to U.S. plans to build missile sites in Poland and the ... [full story]

JERUSALEM -- An EU project will oversee joint training of senior Israeli and Palestinian police officers in Jerusalem in a bid to spur cooperation.The EU team known as EUCOPPS, formed to help Palestinians with policing and security will conduct the conference next month, Haaretz reported.The team leader, Colin Smith, said the main topic would be dealing with traffic violations and accidents, which could renew ties between the two sides, the report said.The EUCOPPS mission has ... [full story]

NEW YORK -- U.S. President George Bush praised Afghanistan's move from a country of "brutal tyranny" to one of hope Wednesday during a meeting with the Afghan president."I appreciate your full understanding that a government that responds to its people is a government that is -- provides hope and opportunities," Bush told Afghan President Hamid Karzai during their side meeting capping the opening of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Noting the strides Afghanistan ... [full story]

Oregon State Police detectives, with the assistance of Polk County Sheriff's Office and Marion County Medical Examiner, are completing the death investigation of a man found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday afternoon at Holman Wayside State Park along Highway 22. On September 25, about 5:45 p.m. a bicyclist found the body of a 56-year old Keizer man in the parking lot of Holman Wayside State Park. Polk County Sheriff's Office and Oregon State ... [full story]

A Milwaukie, Oregon-area man was killed and his wife injured Monday night after their motorcycle collided with a Black Angus cow on Highway 7 about 35 miles southwest of Baker City. The cow was also killed in the crash, Oregon State Police (OSP) reported.   A man was killed and his wife injured when their motorcycle struck a cow in open range territory on Highway 7 about 35 miles southwest of Baker City, Oregon - OSP ... [full story]

A 21-year old man was arrested early Wednesday morning after he allegedly fired several shots outside a residence in north Bend and tried to break into the home after he was asked to leave and was locked outside, police said.   Seth Daniel Burts - DCJ photo According to a news release prepared by Bend Police Sgt. Greg Owens, officers responded to the 63300 block of Lava Crest Street about 1 a.m. when the residents, Martha Fuchs ... [full story]