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Bus crash in France kills at least 26

GRENOBLE, France, July 22 (UPI) -- At least 26 people died Sunday when a bus carrying Roman Catholic pilgrims from Poland fell into a ravine in France.

The bus crashed near the city of Grenoble in the French Alps, BBC News reported.

The bus was returning from the shrine of Notre-dame-de-la-Salette with 49 pilgrims and two drivers when it broke through a safety barrier, fell 50 feet onto the banks of a river and burst into flames.

Skid marks on a long stretch of road indicate the bus had brake problems, the BBC said.

A number of people were reported missing. Passengers may have been thrown from the bus into the river, authorities said.

The shrine at Notre-dame-de-la-Salette is where the Virgin Mary was reported to have appeared to two children in 1846.

Bush could face first veto override

WASHINGTON, July 22 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush could face his first veto override if he tries to block more health coverage for uninsured children, it was reported Sunday.

Bush has threatened to veto expansion of a program that insures low-income children. The plan has wide support in both houses of Congress, The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

As governor of Texas, Bush tried to put austere limits on the federal-state plan, The Times reported. Now, nearly a decade later, he is threatening to veto federal renewal of the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The plan is considered Washington's most important bill this year on health coverage, The Times said, noting there are nearly 9 million uninsured children in the United States.

"I personally believe there is a reasonable chance he'll be overridden, but I don't want to make any predictions," said Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, one of the authors of the original program.

White House wants Iraqi leaders to unite

WASHINGTON, July 22 (UPI) -- Despite major setbacks, the White House is pressing ahead with efforts to forge a political consensus among Iraq's sectarian leaders.

Officials are trying to develop a negotiating process that will let rival factions sort their differences, enact a national oil law and pass legislation aimed at bringing ex-Baathists into the government, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

Expecting all that to be done quickly is akin to asking the U.S. Congress to handle abortion, gun control and other controversial issues in a matter of months, a senior White House official told The Post.

Instead, the White House aims to set Iraqi leaders on a path to "political accommodation on some of the major issues" and create "a very sound foundation to build upon," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Many remain deeply skeptical the initiative will bear fruit, including Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"I believe we should promote a political settlement that allows the warring factions breathing room in their own regions," Biden told The Post.

Doctor investigated in terror probe

BRISBANE, Australia, July 22 (UPI) -- Police in Australia are investigating whether a doctor linked to failed bomb plots in Britain conspired to launch terror attacks in Australia.

Mohamed Haneef was arrested in Brisbane July 2 and charged with recklessly supporting terrorist activity after his cousins, Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed, were charged with ramming the entrance to the Glasgow, Scotland airport with a flaming car June 30.

Australian Federal Police are examining the contents of two computers seized from Haneef, 27, an Indian doctor who was working in Australia.

Police said 31,000 pages from two hard drives contain images of a building in Australia and its infrastructure and hundreds of e-mail conversations between Haneef and his cousins, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported Sunday.

A hearing in Australian Federal Court in August will determine whether Haneef will remain in custody pending his trial.