Israeli ambassador says Thai bombs similar to ones used in India, Georgia attacks
BANGKOK (AP) -- The homemade "sticky" bombs discovered in a Bangkok house after an accidental blast were similar to devices used against Israeli Embassy targets in India and Georgia, Israel's ambassador said Wednesday, building on his country's claims the incidents are part of a covert terror campaign by Iran.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast called the allegations "baseless," saying Israel was trying to damage its relations with Thailand and fuel "conspiracy" theories.
Thailand's government was struggling to piece together what a trio of Iranian men were plotting when a cache of explosives detonated by mistake in their home in Bangkok's busy Sukhumvit Road area a day earlier. Bomb disposal teams searched the Iranians' house again Wednesday looking for more evidence, while security forces were searching for an Iranian woman they said had originally rented it.
Two of the men were detained, and Thai immigration police chief Lt. Gen. Wiboon Bangthamai said a third suspect who fled the destroyed house escaped to Malaysia after boarding a flight bound for Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night. He identified the man as Masoud Sedaghatzadeh, but had no other details.
Israel has accused Iran of waging a campaign of state terror and has threatened military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran has blamed the Jewish state for the recent killings of Iranian atomic scientists and has denied responsibility for all three plots this week.
Congressional bargainers reach tentative deal on extending payroll tax cut, jobless benefits
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congressional leaders are gauging lawmakers' reactions to a tentative deal extending a 2 percentage-point payroll tax cut and extra jobless benefits through 2012, a pact bargainers reached after House Republicans conceded that the tax cut would not have to be paid for with spending cuts.
Both sides cautioned late Tuesday that the agreement was not final and still could be altered. If completed, final congressional approval was possible by Friday, which would be an election-year victory for President Barack Obama, who made the payroll tax cut a keystone of his largely ignored jobs creation plan in September.
House Republicans emerging from a closed-door meeting said reaction to the package was generally positive, with some saying it reflected a desire to avoid spending months debating an issue that cost them dearly last year. In December, the House GOP initially opposed a two-month extension of the tax cut and other benefits that were about to lapse, only to retreat under pressure from outside party leaders and conservatives.
"We've got to move onto another issue," said Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla. "I think that's what the mood is."
"I'd say most people are for it, at least accepting it," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.
Syria to hold referendum over new constitution on Feb. 26
BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian President Bashar Assad has ordered a referendum on Feb. 26 on a new constitution that would open the way to political parties other than the ruling Baath Party, the state news agency said Wednesday.
Amendments to Syria's constitution were a key demand by the opposition at the beginning of the country's 11-month-old uprising against Assad.
But in the wake of the military's deadly assault on dissent, many opposition leaders are demanding nothing less than Assad's departure.
The current Syrian constitution enshrines Assad's Baath Party as the leader of the state. But according to the new draft, obtained by The Associated Press, "the state's political system is based on political pluralism and power is practiced democratically through voting."
The draft also says the president can hold office only for a maximum of two seven-year terms. Assad, who inherited power from his father, has been in power for nearly 12 years.
US closely watching Syrian chemical arms, portable missiles, other weapons sought by militants
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. and its allies are closely monitoring Syria's stockpiles of chemical arms and portable anti-aircraft missiles, a State Department official says, amid concerns that the country's unconventional weapons could fall into the hands of terrorist or militant groups while the 11-month-old uprising continues.
"Syria is a country of significant proliferation concern, so we monitor its chemical weapons activities very closely," the State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence-related matters. "We believe Syria's chemical weapons stockpile remains under Syrian government control, and we will continue to work closely with like-minded countries to impede proliferation (of) Syria's chemical weapons program."
The official added that the U.S. is in discussion with its allies on ways to ensure that Syria's stockpile of portable anti-aircraft missiles, called Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADS, aren't stolen or diverted. "We are consulting with allies and partners as we plan for a variety of contingencies," the official said.
Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, have been critical of U.S. efforts to secure Libya's chemical and unconventional arsenals, saying the Obama administration should have responded more quickly during that crisis and now faces the task of trying to account for thousands of missing portable anti-aircraft missiles.
"We got off to a slow start with Libya," Rep. Edward Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on terrorism, nonproliferation and trade, said in a recent interview.
Attend college at age 8? It's not that hard if you really want to, says boy scholar's book
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The one thing 14-year-old Moshe Kai Cavalin dislikes is being called a genius.
All he did, after all, was enroll in college at age 8 and earn his first of two Associate of Arts degrees from East Los Angeles Community College at age 9, graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
Now, at 14, he's poised to graduate from UCLA this year. He's also just published an English edition of his first book, "We Can Do."
The 100-page guideline explains how other young people can accomplish what Cavalin did through such simple acts as keeping themselves focused and approaching everything with total commitment. He's hoping it will show people there's no genius involved, just hard work.
"That's always the question that bothers me," Cavalin, who turned 14 on Valentine's Day, says when the G-word is raised. "People need to know you don't really need to be a genius. You just have to work hard and you can accomplish anything."
As Whitney Houston's family seeks private time to grieve, fans seek a place to do the same
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- In Whitney Houston's hometown, her family plans a private church service, with no public memorial set. In Los Angeles, where she died, there's not even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for fans to pile flowers. So for the legion of music lovers mourning a global superstar, where do broken hearts go?
Fans who have gathered outside the church where Houston will be eulogized Saturday at an invitation-only service -- and outside the funeral home where her body now rests -- say they understand why the family wants to keep the world out the best they can. But they also yearned for the chance to fully share in the grief and the remembrance of a native daughter who made it big and made them proud.
Samuel Turner Jackson, of Newark, said he was looking forward to heading down to "The Rock," as the Prudential Center is known. Before, that is, the funeral home announced Tuesday that no public service would be held at the 18,000-seat arena, an option that had been discussed.
The arena, home to home to the NHL's New Jersey Devils, displayed an image of Houston on a screen outside Tuesday.
"We don't know what the circumstances are, but we're sure that the family did want to share something with the community that she gave so much to," he said. "But they have their reasons, and we're going to do the best we can to pay our respects and to mourn her."
Medicare puzzle: Fewer amputations, but bill for artificial feet rises nearly 60 percent
WASHINGTON (AP) -- What's wrong with this picture? Medicare's bill for artificial feet rose nearly 60 percent in recent years, although foot and leg amputations due to diabetes continued a dramatic decline.
Medicare paid $94 million for artificial feet in 2010, according to research conducted for The Associated Press. That was nearly $35 million more than in 2005, even though in 2010, Medicare covered about 1,900 fewer such prostheses.
Artificial feet represent a tiny slice of the $550 billion program that covers health care for 49 million older and disabled people. But the spending spike highlights basic questions about affordability, technology and appropriate care that confront Medicare as lawmakers look for a way out of its broader financial troubles.
Industry says there's nothing wrong. Patients are benefiting from new technology in artificial limbs used for wounded troops returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Others dispute that conclusion, saying there's no body of scientific evidence to back it up.
Fundraising up for colleges in 2011 -- especially the already rich
For the 99 percent of colleges, it was a pretty good fundraising year.
For the 1 percent of super-wealthy elite, it was a much better one that catapulted them even farther ahead of the pack.
The latest annual college fundraising figures out Wednesday show donations to colleges and universities rose 8.2 percent in fiscal 2011, crossing back over the $30 billion mark for just the second time ever, and improving many schools' financial footing after several lean years due to the economic downturn.
But the very richest universities accounted for nearly half the growth: Of the $30.3 billion collected by colleges and universities nationwide, $8.2 billion -- or 27 percent -- was raised by just the top 20 institutions. At those universities, fundraising was 15.3 percent higher than the year before, widening an already yawning wealth gap at the top of higher education.
Stanford University, which recently broke an all-time record by completing a 5-year, $6.2 billion fundraising campaign, led with $709.4 million collected in fiscal 2011, followed by Harvard ($639.2 million) and Yale ($580.3 million). Rounding out the list were private universities such as Columbia and Johns Hopkins, as well as elite public universities such as UCLA and the Universities of Texas, Wisconsin and North Carolina. Most campuses on the list have major medical schools and affiliated research centers, though No. 4 MIT ($534 million) is an exception.
Peak performance: Pekingese becomes America's top dog, wins best in show at Westminster
NEW YORK (AP) -- The crowd at Madison Square Garden grew louder with every tiny step Malachy took, and he sure took a lot of them just to get halfway around the dog show ring.
That was perfect for this Pekingese. Gave him more time to soak in the cheers and look around the stands at his adoring fans Tuesday night.
Moments later, the Peke whose smushed-in face frames a mop of flyaway fur and whose pace rivals a snail's, became America's top dog by winning best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club.
This little stump of a dog beat out the likes of a Dalmatian, German shepherd, Doberman pinscher, Irish setter, a Kerry blue terrier and wire-haired dachshund. A 4-year-old pompom, Malachy wobbled to his 115th overall best in show title.
"He saved all his energy for the ring today," handler David Fitzpatrick said.
Jeremy Lin hits game-winning 3-pointer as Knicks beat Raptors 90-87, extend streak to 6 games
TORONTO (AP) -- Even after his amazing week, this one took Linsanity to a whole new level. Against Toronto on Tuesday, it was Lin for the win!
Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with less than a second to play to cap his finishing flurry of six straight points and New York rallied to beat the Raptors 90-87, extending its winning streak to six games.
"I'm just glad it went like this so we can calm the Linsanity down," cracked Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni.
No chance of that. The NBA's first American-Taiwanese player, Lin scored 27 points and added a career-high 11 assists in his first game since being named Eastern Conference player of the week.
"He continues to impress every night," New York's Jared Jeffries said. "Every game he plays better, he does more and more to help us win basketball games. You can't ask any more of a kid coming into this situation."