10 Things to Know for Wednesday January 15, 2014

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. NEW SPENDING BILL IS ABOUT MORE THAN MONEY  "We need to rack up some achievements here," Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., says about assuaging disgruntled voters before next fall's midterm elections.   BUDGET BATTLE

2. DEADLY DAY IN IRAQ  A wave of bombings across Iraq strike busy markets and a funeral north of Baghdad, killing more than 40 people.   IRAQ

3 REPORT: NSA HAS SURVEILLANCE SOFTWARE IN COMPUTERS AROUND WORLD  The New York Times says the agency has used the technology on the Chinese army, the Russian military, drug cartels, EU trade institutions and more.   NSA SURVEILLANCE-COMPUTERS

4. GANG RAPE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT IN INDIA  Police say a Danish tourist was attacked after she asked a group of men for directions near a popular shopping area in New Delhi.   INDIA-TOURIST RAPE

5. HOW GOOGLE'S PURCHASE OF NEST COULD PLAY OUT  One analyst's scenario: Digital mapping software could "learn" a house's layout — then delegate vacuuming to a robot.   GOOGLE-GETTING SMARTER

6. NO GOOD OPTIONS FOR FLEEING CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC  Bordering countries like Chad, Congo and South Sudan are desperately poor and unstable too. "I just want to go somewhere there is peace," one man says.  CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC-EVACUATIONS

7. SUPREME COURT CONSIDERING ABORTION CLINIC BUFFER ZONES  Justices hear arguments on a Massachusetts law that keeps protesters at least 35 feet from clinic entrances.  SUPREME COURT-ABORTION BUFFER ZONE

8. WHAT STATE IS FIGHTING A BIG HEROIN PROBLEM  Tiny Vermont — home of quaint village greens and low unemployment — ranks second in the U.S. for the rate of people being treated for opiate abuse.   HEROIN ABUSE-VERMONT

9. MONSTER BEVERAGE GETTING SOME QUESTIONS  Officials in San Francisco and New York state are looking into whether the company is marketing its highly caffeinated drinks to children.    MONSTER BEVERAGE-ADVERTISING

10. FUTURE OF MEDIEVAL GOLD AND SILVER TROVE GETTING CLOSER  A German commission convenes to recommend ownership of the Guelph Treasure, an issue Israel calls of great importance to Holocaust survivors. GERMANY-DISPUTED ART