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San Antonio bounced back after squandering a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 93-89 in overtime on Tuesday, taking a 2-0 lead in the NBA Western Conference finals. Tony Parker had 15 points and a career playoff-high 18 assists while Tim Duncan scored San Antonio's first six points of overtime. Duncan opened the extra period with a layup, then made a tiebreaking putback on Parker's missed jumper before making a runner that bounced high of the back iron and rattled...

(Best-of-7) CONFERENCE FINALS Tuesday, May 21 San Antonio 93, Memphis 89, OT, San Antonio leads series 2-0 Wednesday, May 22 Indiana at Miami

The A-League season will extend into May for the first time in 2013-14 in a move designed to bring Australia more into line with European competitions and to give domestic players as much preparation as possible for the World Cup. The season has been getting longer each year since 2009, when the season concluded in February. FFA chief executive David Gallop said next season would start Oct. 11 with defending champion Central Coast Mariners against Western Sydney Wanderers, and the grand final...

Bands of young people hurling firebombs and stones clashed with police outside Chile's congress Tuesday after thousands of students and workers staged a protest march before President Sebastian Pinera's final state of the nation speech. The president was not exposed to the violence around the legislature, which is in the port city of Valparaiso. Authorities said more than 130 people had been arrested and two police motorcycles were set on fire. About 10,000 people marched peacefully earlier...

It took 40 years for Boston and New York to face off again in the playoffs, and now it looks like being over in a hurry, as the Bruins beat the Rangers 2-1 on Tuesday to take a 3-0 series lead. Daniel Paille scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:31 left in the third period to take what has historically been a nearly unbeatable series lead. Only three NHL teams have come back from 3-0 down and the Rangers will try to start that comeback at home on Thursday. The Bruins need no reminding of the threat,...

Kellie Pickler came into the final "Dancing With the Stars" episode in second place but finished in first. The 26-year-old country singer won the TV dancing competition show's mirror ball trophy Tuesday. "This is amazing!" she beamed to her professional partner, Derek Hough. The pair earned two sets of perfect scores Monday night and another on Tuesday. Judges' scores combined with viewer votes determine the winner. Because there were problems with voting on the ABC website during Monday's...

Aretha Franklin is taking off the month of June. A spokesman for the 71-year-old singer says Franklin will reschedule two shows and resume her touring schedule in July. Publicist David Brokaw provided no other details Tuesday. Franklin announced earlier this month that she would cancel scheduled performances in Chicago and Connecticut this week to undergo medical treatment. She did not specify what type of treatment she was receiving. Franklin appeared on the season finale of the TV singing...

Today is Wednesday, May 22, the 142nd day of 2013. There are 223 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 22, 1913, the American Cancer Society was founded in New York by a group of doctors and business leaders under its original name, the American Society for the Control of Cancer. On this date: In 1813, composer Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany. In 1860, the United States and Japan exchanged ratifications of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce during a ceremony...

The most far-reaching U.S. immigration legislation in about two decades moved forward on a solid bipartisan vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee after supporters avoided a controversy over the rights of gay spouses. The 13-5 vote cleared the way for a full Senate showdown on one of President Barack Obama's top domestic priorities _ and gives the opposition Republican Party a chance to recast itself as more appealing to minorities. "Yes, we can! Si, se puede" immigration activists shouted after...

Sergio Garcia's feud with Tiger Woods has deepened, with the Spaniard denying accusations of racism after "fried chicken" comments during an awards dinner. Garcia appeared on stage at the European Tour's awards dinner in England on Tuesday and was asked in jest if he would invite Woods to dinner during the U.S. Open. News reports said Garcia replied: "We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken." Fried chicken is a food typically associated with black Americans. Garcia...

Rescuers have recovered all 28 bodies from a collapsed underground room inside the giant U.S.-owned gold and copper mine in Indonesia's province of Papua. Thirty-eight workers were undergoing safety training inside the Big Gossan facility when the roof collapsed May 14. Ten injured miners were rescued. A statement from the mine operator PT Freeport Indonesia said its Emergency Response Team recovered and identified the last victim early Wednesday. Mining operations at the Grasberg mine have...

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the odds for the second time in three years by winning Tuesday's lottery to give them the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. The Orlando Magic fell back one spot to No. 2, while the Washington Wizards vaulted from the No. 8 spot to third. It was 16-year-old Nick Gilbert, son of the team's owner, who again proved the lucky charm for the Cavaliers. Representing the team for the ceremony, Gilbert was handed the No.1 pick, just as he was in 2011, when the Cavs used the selection...

Rescue workers neared the end of the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children. Scientists concluded the storm was a rare and extraordinarily powerful type of twister known as an EF5, ranking it at the top of the enhanced Fujita scale used to measure tornado strength. Those twisters are capable of lifting reinforced buildings...

FC Seoul, Buriram United, Al Shabab and 2012 finalist Al Ahli advanced to the Asian Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday. Seoul scored three second-half goals to beat Beijing Guoan 3-1 on the night and by the same margin overall to qualify for the quarterfinals for the third time in five years. Buriram drew 0-0 with Bunyodkor but won 2-1 at home last week, becoming the first Thai team to reach the last eight in 10 years. Sebastian Tagliabue scored twice and Mohannad Assiri added a third...

Flyhalf Dan Carter says New Zealand is developing a more attacking game plan for next season in the hope of confounding opponents' analysis and holding on to their No. 1 world ranking. Speaking after a three-day training camp for next month's three-test series against France, Carter said he had been given authority to launch attacks from anywhere on the field. He said the All Blacks were looking to build on their attacking systems of last season, to keep their edge on their nearest rivals. Carter...

Carole King todav??a no ha dado todo en la m??sica. La cantautora de 71 a??os conocida por ??xitos como "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" y "You've Got A Friend" recibir?? el mayor galard??n oficial a la m??sica popular en Estados Unidos. Las celebraciones comenzaron el martes con un concierto en el que participaron, entre otros, el jazzista cubano Arturo Sandoval y el cantautor peruano Gian Marco. King es la primera mujer en obtener el Premio Gershwin a la Canci??n Popular en la Biblioteca...

Carole King isn't done with music _ not yet anyway. The 71-year-old singer-songwriter known for such hits as "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "You've Got A Friend" was awarded the nation's highest prize for popular music at a concert Tuesday. She received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the Library of Congress and will be honored Wednesday by President Barack Obama at the White House King told The Associated Press it's a tremendous honor to be recognized at such an historic...

Vice President Joe Biden is praising Jewish leaders for helping change American attitudes about gay marriage and other issues. Biden says culture and arts change people's attitudes. He cites social media and the old NBC TV series "Will and Grace" as examples of what helped changed attitudes on gay marriage. Biden says, quote, "Think _ behind of all that, I bet you 85 percent of those changes, whether it's in Hollywood or social media, are a consequence of Jewish leaders in the industry." Biden...

Twitter is booming as a social media destination for U.S. teenagers who complain about too many adults and too much drama on Facebook, according to a new study about online behavior. It said teens are sharing more personal information about themselves even as they try to protect their online reputations. "The key is that there are fewer adults, fewer parents and just simply less complexity," said Amanda Lenhart of the Pew Research Center, one of the study's authors. "They still have their Facebook...

The U.S. has identified five men who might be responsible for the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and has enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists, officials say. But there isn't enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian court as the Obama administration prefers. The men remain at large while the FBI gathers evidence. But the investigation has been slowed by the reduced U.S. intelligence presence in the region since the...

Wind, humidity and rainfall combined precisely to create Monday's massive killer tornado in Oklahoma. The awesome amount of energy released dwarfed the power of the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima. On Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service gave the tornado the top-of-the-scale rating of EF-5 for wind speed and breadth and severity of damage. Wind speeds were estimated at between 200 mph (320 kph) and 210 mph (337 kph). Several meteorologists contacted by The Associated Press used...

Police in Beijing say they have arrested 13 people for allegedly spreading rumors and disrupting public order following a protest over a migrant worker's death. The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau says the woman surnamed Yuan committed suicide when she fell to her death from a clothing market building in the capital on May 3. The 22-year-old's death sparked a rare protest by hundreds of migrant workers who believed she may have been slain and said police bungled the investigation. The...

A look at the 867-page immigration overhaul bill approved Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee: ___ BORDER SECURITY _The bill sets goals of surveillance of 100 percent of the border with Mexico, and catching or turning back 90 percent of would-be crossers. _Within six months of enactment of the bill, the Homeland Security Department must develop a border security plan to achieve those goals, including the use of drones, additional agents and other approaches; and develop a plan to identify...

The principal's voice came on over the intercom at Plaza Towers Elementary School: A severe storm was approaching and students were to go to the cafeteria and wait for their parents to pick them up. But before all of the youngsters could get there, the tornado alarm sounded. The plan changed quickly. "All the teachers started screaming into the room and saying, `Get into the hallway! We don't want you to die!' and stuff like that," said sixth-grader Phaedra Dunn. "We just took off running."...

Today is Wednesday, May 29, the 149th day of 2013. There are 216 days left in the year. Highlights in history on this date: 1453 - Turks capture Constantinople, capital of Byzantine Empire. Some historians list date as end of Middle Ages. 1692 - British fleet defeats French Navy at La Hogue, ending attempted invasion of England. 1765 - Peter II, grandson of Peter I and son of Alexis, becomes czar of Russia. 1903 - King Aleksander Obrenovic of Serbia and his wife Draga Masin are assassinated...

Donald Trump's Miss USA pageant will be hosted by a Jonas brother and an E! News personality. Pageant officials announced Tuesday that Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers pop act and Giuliana Rancic, co-anchor of "E! News," will host the June 16 pageant. The winner of the 62nd annual pageant in Las Vegas goes on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. Jonas' brother Joe Jonas was among the judges last year, and Rancic hosted. Contestants will be judged in swimsuit, evening gown and interview...

The Pentagon is asking Congress for more than $450 million for maintaining and upgrading the Guantanamo Bay prison that President Barack Obama wants to close. New details on the administration's budget request emerged on Tuesday and underscored the contradiction of the president waging a political fight to shutter the facility while the military calculates the financial requirements to keep the installation operating. The budget request for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 calls for $79 million...

Concert giant AEG Live LLC did not conduct any background checks or supervise the doctor who was later convicted of killing Michael Jackson, a corporate attorney testified in a lawsuit claiming the promoter was negligent in hiring him. AEG Live General Counsel Shawn Trell told jurors that no legal or financial checks were done involving Conrad Murray or anyone else who worked as an independent contractor on the "This Is It" comeback shows. Jackson's mother, Katherine, is suing AEG claiming it...

World Cup-winning coach Sir Graham Henry faces potential disciplinary action after making a blistering attack on the standard of refereeing in Super rugby. Henry, who now works as defense coach of the Auckland-based Blues, made the criticisms after a series of contentious decisions in the game against the Crusaders last weekend. Chief among his complaints was the decision of the television match official not to award a try to Blues winger Frank Halai when replays suggested he had grounded the...

A man accused of vandalizing a 1929 Pablo Picasso painting in a Texas museum _ an act that was caught on cellphone video _ agreed Tuesday to a two-year prison term as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. His lawyer called his act "an artistic statement." Uriel Landeros had faced felony graffiti and criminal mischief charges accusing him of spray-painting "Woman in a Red Armchair" with an image of a bullfighter, a bull and the word "conquista," the Spanish word for conquest. Landeros, a 22-year-old...

Stoke says Tony Pulis has left as manager by mutual consent, ending his seven-year tenure at the Premier League club. By guiding Stoke to a 13th-place finish this season, Pulis secured the team's status in England's top division for a fifth straight year but he came under increasing fire for failing to change its direct and physical style of play. Pulis was the second longest-serving manager in the Premier League, behind Arsene Wenger of Arsenal, in the wake of Alex Ferguson's retirement from...

Rays manager Joe Maddon changed course Tuesday, saying he has no problem with the way shortstop Yunel Escobar celebrates home runs. Escobar, who played for Toronto last season, drew loud jeers after he hit a homer in the ninth inning of Monday's 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays, and then made an exaggerated safe sign as he crossed home plate. He had been booed in every at bat. After the game Maddon said he would speak to Escobar about the gesture, adding that he was "certain" Escobar would not do it...

Juventus coach Antonio Conte and captain Gianluigi Buffon have led a club delegation to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican. Pope Francis is a football lover and an avid fan of Argentine team San Lorenzo, although he is also said to like Juventus because of his family's roots from the Piedmont region. Juventus president Andrea Agnelli was also at the private meeting late Monday, and afterward Buffon said: "It was a great opportunity and I have to say I didn't expect there to be so many Juventus...

The Pentagon wants more than $450 million for maintaining and upgrading the Guantanamo Bay prison that President Barack Obama wants to close. New details on the administration's budget request for next year and other expenses emerged on Tuesday. The cost of the facility that houses 166 prisoners indefinitely includes $200 million for military construction work that could stretch over a decade. The request also includes $40 million for a fiber optic cable and millions more for other projects at...

The number of people calling PGA Tour events after seeing possible rules violations has gone up since Tiger Woods took what turned out to be an illegal drop at the Masters. That doesn't mean the number of violations is increasing. "The rate of irrelevant call-ins has gone up dramatically, too," said Tyler Dennis, the tour's vice president of competition. What might seem like a simple solution _ have a rules official monitor the telecast to look for any violations that cause fans to call from...

Lawyers in the court-martial of an Army private who sent more than 700,000 classified U.S. documents to WikiLeaks said Tuesday they have reached a deal that may eliminate the need for testimony from a member of the military team that killed Osama bin Laden. Prosecutors also agreed to accept Pfc. Bradley Manning's guilty plea to a lesser version of one of the 22 counts he faces. Under the agreement, both the prosecution and defense teams would acknowledge at Manning's trial next month that there...

In a significant move, a prominent Republican senator said Tuesday he plans to let key sanctions legislation against Myanmar lapse because of the country's progress toward democracy. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell made the announcement after meeting the nation's President Thein Sein who is making a landmark visit to Washington. On Monday, Thein Sein became the first Myanmar leader to visit the White House in nearly 50 years and received strong backing from President Barack Obama. Thein...

The U.S. government has given the job of compiling statistics used by the State Department to analyze trends in global terrorism to an academic group, a move that may complicate accurate unclassified assessments of patterns of terrorist activity for years to come. As President Barack Obama prepares to deliver a major speech on counterterrorism this week and the State Department readies its annual terrorism report for release at the end of the month, officials said Tuesday that the switch also...

"Daring" isn't a word you would use very much to describe 2011's "The Hangover Part II," the disappointingly lazy, beat-for-beat rehash of the wild and wildly successful original "Hangover" from 2009. And yet, here we are with "The Hangover Part III," which runs a different sort of risk by going to darker and more dangerous places than its predecessors, both artistically and emotionally. It dares to alienate the very audience that made "The Hangover" the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all...

Guan Tianlang has decided not to try to play in the U.S. Open. The USGA said Tuesday that the 14-year-old from China has withdrawn from sectional qualifying in Dallas on June 3. Guan informed the USGA shortly after he received a sponsor's exemption to play in the Memorial, which ends June 2. The USGA offered to move Guan's qualifier from Texas to the Ohio to help with travel, but the teen declined. Guan was exempt from the first stage of U.S. Open qualifying by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur....

Sixth-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy rallied past Marco Cecchinato 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 Tuesday in an all-Italian match in the first round at the Nice Open. Fognini won only three points on his opponent's serve in the first set, but broke twice in the second set and three times in the third. He faces French wild card Gael Monfils, who came from behind to beat Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine defeated Brazilian qualifier Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-2, 6-3, breaking serve...

Bolivia's culture minister calls it actor-activist Sean Penn's "worst performance" ever. He isn't talking about a movie. Minister Pablo Groux is slamming Penn's proposal to a U.S. congressional subcommittee Monday that Bolivia be cut out of the Dakar motor sport rally unless it frees a U.S. citizen under house arrest two years after he was jailed without charge in a money-laundering probe. Penn suggested that unless Jacob Ostreicher is freed, sponsors should drop their backing for the January...

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says Mozambique has made tremendous progress in 20 years of peace but must put to good use the new natural resources income of an impoverished nation with one of the world's fastest growing economies. Ban Ki-Moon told reporters after meeting President Armando Guebuza that "new-found resources create new opportunities but generate heightened expectations." Mozambique descended into civil war after independence from Portugal in 1974. The United Nations helped...

A Swiss oil company says it will start selling regular gasoline mixed with ethanol as part of a pilot program in Puerto Rico. Puma Energy Caribe LLC says 56 gas stations across the island will participate in the program starting Wednesday. Puma says that if the program is successful, it will extend it to all its gas stations in the U.S. territory. Ethanol is routinely mixed with gasoline on the U.S. mainland as part of a 2007 federal renewable fuels law. Puma last year bought all of Chevron's...

The quotation from the proud father was a version of Ralph Waldo Emerson's famous words, "Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." The path of Peter Uihlein took him inside a cage below the surface of the Indian Ocean, where a Great White Shark with jaws wide open approached while closing in on a tuna. The jagged, triangular teeth gnashed at the tuna's head against the cage, and the former U.S. Amateur champion could see black eyes roll over to white. "That was the coolest," Uihlein...

Cuba has authorized individual imports of appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators and microwave ovens, lifting a ban imposed in 2005 amid a wave of energy shortages and blackouts. Islanders can now bring up to two such appliances per person into the country for noncommercial purposes, according to a law enacted with its publication Monday in the Official Gazette. The list of approved items includes air conditioners with a capacity of less than 1 ton, ovens that consume less than 1,500...

For fans of the boy wizard, this could be the most coveted copy of all the "Harry Potter" books in the world. A first edition copy of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" that contains author J.K. Rowling's notes and original illustrations fetched 150,000 pounds ($228,000) at a London auction on Tuesday. Sotheby's said the work, offered as part of a charity book sale jointly organized with the English PEN writers' association, was sold to an anonymous bidder by telephone. Rowling peppered...

U.N. officials said Tuesday that the number of Syrian refugees arriving in Jordan has suddenly fallen from an average of 2,500 a day to fewer than 20, and they are trying to quickly figure out why. Millions of people have been displaced in Syria as the civil war there has engulfed large areas, and Jordan has become a main refuge for Syrians who choose to flee their country. U.N. officials said they are unsure what has led to the drop in the flow of refugees to Jordan this week, and because they...

The price of corn fell after U.S. farmers planted record amounts of corn last week, easing concern that earlier planting delays would harm this year's crop. Corn for July delivery dropped 9.5 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $6.40 a bushel. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said late Monday that 71 percent of the U.S. corn crop had been planted as of Sunday, compared with only 28 percent a week earlier. "The farmer's did a spectacular job in making up for lost time," said Sterling Smith, a commodities...

App Store Official Charts for the week ending May 20, 2013: Top Paid iPhone Apps: 1. A Beautiful Mess (Red Velvet Art LLC) 2. Heads Up! (Warner Bros.) 3. WhatsApp Messenger (WhatsApp Inc.) 4. Minecraft - Pocket Edition (Mojang) 5. Survivalcraft (Igor Kalicinski) 6. Plague Inc. (Ndemic Creations) 7. Wood Camera (Bright Mango) 8. AfterLight (Simon Filip) 9. Kick the Buddy: No Mercy (Crustalli) 10. TETRIS, (Electronic Arts) Top Free iPhone Apps: 1. Candy Crush Saga (King.com Limited)...

Egypt's president signed a new tax law Tuesday that cuts the amount paid by poorer Egyptians in the latest move aimed at reforming the country's economy. The changes, which are more favorable than the previous tax law for the country's most vulnerable, could boost Islamists in parliamentary elections slated for later this year. The interim parliament, led by Islamist allies of President Mohammed Morsi, approved the measure last week. Ahmed el-Sayyed el-Naggar, an economic expert at the Ahram...

Colombian authorities say a middle-aged Spanish man and woman are missing in a northeastern border region where a car they rented three weeks ago was found. Spain's foreign minister said Tuesday in Madrid that two Spaniards had been kidnapped in Colombia. But Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo did not provide any additional details, including their names. Maj. Cesar Gonzalez of Colombia's anti-kidnapping unit says officials found the car Friday in Guajira state. The car contained documents indicating...

A lawyer for a former board member at Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble Co. urged an appeals court panel Tuesday to give his client a new trial, saying a judge had excluded evidence that might have led a jury to acquit him on insider trading charges. Attorney Seth Waxman told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan that Rajat Gupta never got a fair chance to prove his innocence because his daughter was not permitted to testify about how angry her father was at a billionaire hedge...

iTunes' Official Music Charts for the week ending May 20, 2013 Top Songs: 1. "Can't Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton)," Ryan Lewis, Macklemore 2. "Blurred Lines (feat. T.I. & Pharrell), Robin Thicke 3. "Just Give Me a Reason (feat. Nate Ruess)," P!nk 4. "Come & Get It," Selena Gomez 5. "Mirrors," Justin Timberlake 6. "Radioactive," Imagine Dragons 7. "Cruise (Remix) (feat. Nelly)," Florida Georgia Line 8. "I Love It (feat. Charli XCX)," Icona Pop 9. "Young and Beautiful," Lana Del...

Dozens of Indian guest workers are suing a U.S.-based marine and fabrication company, saying it financially exploited them and forced them to live in squalid conditions after bringing them to work at Gulf Coast shipyards after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Three federal lawsuits backed by the Southern Poverty Law Center were filed Tuesday in Mississippi and Texas on behalf of 83 people who were recruited to work as welders and pipefitters for Signal International LLC. The center filed a similar...

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed five Yemenis convicted of crimes and displayed their bodies in public as a deterrent for future criminals, the government said. The Interior Ministry said the five were convicted of setting up a gang that carried out several crimes, including the murder of a Saudi man. They were executed on Tuesday and their bodies were put on display at a square in the southern city of Jazan. The ministry says the court ordered the bodies displayed because the crimes "indicate...

Promoted Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin has extended coach Jos Luhukay's contract through to 2016. Hertha general manager Michael Preetz says the Dutchman is the club's "architect of success" and that his consistent methods and way of integrating players represent the future of the club. Luhukay, who joined Hertha from Augsburg last season, led the team back into the top flight after one year by winning the second division with a record 76 points.

Four peregrine falcon chicks roosting high on a bridge connecting New York and New Jersey were pronounced healthy Tuesday and fitted with tracking bands to help biologists keep tabs on them. Their mother's squawks competed with the din of morning-rush hour traffic on the George Washington Bridge as wildlife biologist Chris Nadareski gently lifted the fluffy chicks out of their nesting box and used pliers to fasten metal bands around their legs. Nadareski, of the New York City Department of Environmental...

Stocks are closing higher on Wall Street as investors bank on continued support from the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 52 points to close at 15,387 Tuesday, an increase of 0.3 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose three points to 1,669, or 0.2 percent. The Nasdaq composite rise five to 3,502, or 0.2 percent. Stock indexes wobbled between gains and losses in early trading, then took a turn higher after James Bullard, head of the Fed's St. Louis branch, said...

The National Weather Service says the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma was a top-of-the-scale EF-5 twister with winds of at least 200 mph (322 kph). Spokeswoman Keli Pirtle said Tuesday the agency upgraded the tornado from an EF-4 on the enhanced Fujita scale to an EF-5 based on what a damage assessment team saw on the ground. The weather service uses the word "incredible" to describe the power of EF-5 storms. The weather service says the tornado's path was 17 miles (27 kilometers) long and 1.3...

Two endangered sea turtles that are shells of their former selves after getting stranded on Cape Cod during a cold spell are getting some help easing back into the wild _ from an acupuncturist. Dexter and Fletcher Moon, juvenile Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, remained calm as acupuncturist Claire McManus gently tapped more than a dozen needles into their grayish-green, leathery skin during a therapy session intended to decrease inflammation and swelling on their front flippers, restore a full range...

The White House says President Barack Obama opposes a House of Representatives bill that would speed approval of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. The White House said Tuesday that the bill "seeks to circumvent longstanding and proven processes" by removing a requirement for a presidential permit. The legislation also says no new environmental studies are needed. Republicans say the bill is needed to ensure the long-delayed pipeline is built. The project would carry...

The price of oil fell Tuesday as investors waited for the Federal Reserve's latest views on the U.S. economy. Benchmark crude for June delivery dropped 55 cents to $96.16 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Wednesday, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke will appear before Congress and the central bank will release minutes of its most recent policy meeting. Traders will be looking for hints on what the Fed might be preparing to do in light of recent data that has pointed toward a sustained...

An Uzbek national facing terrorism-related charges will remain jailed pending his trial after waiving his right to a detention hearing. Lawyers for Fazliddin Kurbanov on Tuesday waived a hearing where a U.S. District Court judge was to have considered whether he should stay in jail until his July 2 trial. Kurbanov is a refugee from Uzbekistan in Central Asia who arrived in Idaho in 2009. He was arrested last Thursday. The 30-year-old truck driver was indicted by a federal grand jury on...

Eighth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko lost his fourth straight match Tuesday, falling 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to "lucky loser" Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia in the first round of the Power Horse Cup. Bedene replaced Dmitry Tursunov of Russia in the main draw and needed less than 2 hours to add to Davydenko's opening-round losses in Munich, Madrid and Rome. Seventh-seeded Viktor Troicki defeated Michael Russell of the United States 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Serb will play Grega Zemlja of Slovenia, who saved 13 of 15 breakpoints...

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Goetze pulled out of training on his comeback from a hamstring injury Tuesday, putting his participation in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in doubt. Goetze took part in individual jogging exercises in the morning before joining the team session in the afternoon, but he could only complete an hour with teammates before withdrawing. German magazine Kicker reported that Goetze's injured right hamstring that forced him off against Real Madrid in...

Police in suburban Atlanta say rapper Chief Keef, whose name is Keith Cozart, has been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Police spokesman Timothy Fecht says officers arrested Cozart after responding to a call about illegal drug activity at the Le M??ridien hotel just north of Atlanta Monday afternoon. Fecht says officers saw smoke and smelled marijuana wafting from a room. It wasn't immediately clear what Cozart was doing in Georgia. Representatives at his booking agency said they...

Spain's development minister is urging Brazil to hire some of the engineers that her own economy doesn't have room for. Brazil is beefing up its infrastructure ahead of soccer's World Cup and the Olympics. And Minister Ana Pastor says Spanish engineers could help, if allowed. She told Brazilian journalists on Tuesday that she has talked with Brazilian officials about cutting red tape that hinders hiring of foreigners. Among the problems is a lengthy process for certifying university degrees....

Officials say a 59-year-old German mountaineer has died of cardiac arrest while climbing Alaska's Mount McKinley. National Park Service officials say Klaus Bielstein of Muenster, Germany, was climbing North America's tallest peak with an 11-member expedition team Sunday evening when he suddenly collapsed at the 13,500-foot (4,000-meter) level of the roughly 20,000-foot (65,600-feet) mountain. Expedition guides radioed for help and began CPR on the unconscious man. Officials say rangers reached...

Sprint Nextel Corp. is offering 14 percent more than before for the stake in wireless data network operator Clearwire Corp. it does not already own, but a large shareholder said the offer was still inadequate. Sprint said Tuesday that it is offering $3.40 per share, or $2.5 billion, for the remainder of Clearwire Corp. Its previous offer, from December, was for $2.97 per share. Sprint said this is its best and final offer, but investors appear to hold out some hope of an even better offer. Clearwire...

Republicans are trying to block Obama administration overtures to Russia on missile defense, creating a potential obstacle to arms control talks. Lawmakers are proposing a measure that would bar the administration from sharing classified missile defense data with Russia. That would undercut a path that arms control advocates have urged to restart nuclear talks, which have been set back by a missile defense dispute. They say that if the United States releases classified data, it could persuade...

The parents and guardians stood in the muddy grass outside a suburban Oklahoma City church, listening intently as someone with a bullhorn called out the names of children who were being dropped off _ survivors of a deadly tornado that barreled through their community. For many families in Moore, the ordeal ended in bear hugs and tears of joy. Others were left to wait in the darkness, hoping for good news while fearing the worst. At least seven children are among the 24 reported dead so far in...

Willy Moon, "Here's Willy Moon" (Cherry Tree/Island) Willy Moon will soon be gyrating his way into your music collection. Fact. His distinct features, tall frame, fancy footwork, dapper suits and infectious 1960s pop grooves make this New Zealander hard to miss. The 23-year-old's self-produced debut album, "Here's Willy Moon," is sharp and slick, much like Moon himself. His album packs a punch, from his unique tone and string section on "Get Up" to surf guitars on "I Wanna Be Your Man." This...

Wireless company Sprint Nextel Corp. says it can now let Dish Network Corp. see its books and talk with Dish to see whether its competing offer to buy Sprint is better than its current deal with Japan's SoftBank. Sprint said late Monday that SoftBank had waived provisions of its deal with Sprint that will allow Sprint to talk with Dish. SoftBank currently has a $20.1 billion deal with Sprint to buy 70 percent of the company. Dish last month offered $25.5 billion for the whole company. Softbank...

Top-seeded Marion Bartoli and No. 2 Tamira Paszek were beaten Tuesday in the first round of the Strasbourg International. Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon finalist, lost 6-3, 6-2 to the 88th-ranked Camila Giorgi after dropping serve six times. Paszek was beaten 6-1, 6-4 by wild-card entry Virgine Razzano. Lauren Davis upset sixth-seeded Christina McHale 7-5, 6-3, Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor downed No. 8 Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4), and fourth-seeded Hsieh Su-wei rallied to beat Annika Beck 6-7...

A federal appeals court Tuesday backed the U.S. government's decision not to release photos and video taken of Osama bin Laden during and after a raid in which the terrorist leader was killed by U.S. commandos. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington turned down an appeal from Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, which had filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the images. The Defense Department said it didn't turn up anything pertinent to the...

Tornadoes are a part of life in Moore, Oklahoma, something country star Toby Keith was reminded of when a deadly, devastating one leveled parts of his hometown on Monday. "It's happened so many times through my life, I've been in so many," Keith said in a phone interview Tuesday. "During my life, probably on average every four or five years, you probably have one that's devastating. ... It affects you, somebody you know, every time." This time it affected his sister, Tonni. Keith flew out of...

Lawmakers are seeking to prohibit the U.S. from removing missile defense equipment from East Asia, even if the threat posed by a nuclear-armed North Korea is eliminated. The legislative proposal is a response to remarks last month by Secretary of State John Kerry that the U.S. could reduce its heightened defense posture in the region if North Korea abandoned its nuclear weapons. That drew criticism from Republicans who are also concerned about China's military power. The wording is included...

Guyana's chief judge is holding hearings on whether to eliminate a colonial-era law that prohibits cross-dressing in the conservative South American country. The case was filed by a local gay rights group following a 2009 conviction and minor fines imposed on seven of its members. "The law is plainly at odds with the ethos and provisions of the Guyana constitution, which states that it is committed to eliminating every form of discrimination," spokesman Seon Clarke with the Society Against Sexual...

Lawmakers are seeking to prohibit the U.S. from removing missile defense equipment from East Asia, even if the threat posed by a nuclear-armed North Korea is eliminated. The legislative proposal is a response to remarks last month by Secretary of State John Kerry that the U.S. could reduce its heightened defense posture in the region if North Korea abandoned its nuclear weapons. That drew criticism from Republicans who are also concerned about China's military power. The wording is included...

Benat Intxausti of Spain won the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Tuesday, and favorite Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall lead as the race entered the final week. Intxausti won in a time of 5 hours, 52 minutes, 48 seconds, along the hilly 238 kilometers (148 miles) from Valloire, France, to Ivrea beating Tanel Kangert and Przemyslaw Niemiec in a final sprint. Nibali, who finished third and second in his last two Giro d'Italia races, maintained his lead of 1 minute, 26 seconds over Cadel...

Portia de Rossi only believed it was happening when her agent got the good news from the producers. Michael Cera only believed it was happening when the cameras rolled. It happened all right. After years of clamoring from fans and rumors firing them up while the cast hung on for a green light, "Arrested Development" has risen from the dead with 15 half-hours premiering en masse on Netflix on Sunday at 3:01 a.m. EDT. "Arrested Development" is the cock-eyed comedy blessed with a king's ransom of...

A Palestinian report shows human rights abuses by the rival governments in the West Bank and Gaza are on the rise. The Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights said in its annual report Tuesday that incidents of abuse are up 10 percent since last year. Director Ahmed Harb said, "Most of the complaints were on torture, mistreatment, preventing and dispersing public assemblies, preventing reporters from reporting or arresting them." The report said the rift between Palestinian factions...

Israel's chief peace negotiator said Tuesday that the current stalemate with the Palestinians is harmful for Israel, days before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to arrive in Israel for his latest push to restart long-dormant talks. Tzipi Livni told a parliamentary committee that resuming negotiations was "first and foremost an Israeli interest." Direct negotiations have been largely frozen since the two sides were reportedly close to a deal in late 2008. The Palestinians demand...

ESPN is cutting its workforce, the latest Disney division to reduce staff. "We are implementing changes across the company to enhance our continued growth while smartly managing costs," the sports media giant said in a statement Tuesday. "While difficult, we are confident that it will make us more competitive, innovative and productive." The company would not say how many jobs are being eliminated, but they include unfilled positions. ESPN has about 7,000 employees worldwide, with about 4,000...

A new branch of the Venezuela-to-Cuba undersea fiber-optic cable has reportedly come online, linking the island to nearby Jamaica, increasing Cuba's potential international communications bandwidth and providing a backup for the main line. Doug Madory of Internet analysis firm Renesys told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he detected new traffic between Cuban state telecom monopoly Etecsa and Cable & Wireless Jamaica beginning May 13. "They're gaining some physical diversity there, so...

The makers of a diabetes and weight loss drug suspected in the deaths of hundreds of people went on trial Tuesday, facing charges they misled the public about the product's safety. But after years of delays in one of France's biggest recent health scandals, the proceedings could still be pushed back further. Between 1976 and 2009, around 5 million people took Mediator, which was used to treat weight problems among diabetics and also marketed more widely. The European Medicines Agency pulled Mediator...

Olympic leaders held a summit meeting on doping and match-fixing but declined to give any details of the discussions. IOC President Jacques Rogge chaired Tuesday's session, which was attended by the four vice presidents of the IOC and leaders of international sports federations, national Olympic committees and other key groups. One of the key topics was the role of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Some sports federations requested the meeting in February following public spats between WADA and the...

Toxicology tests on the body of the Newtown school shooter did not turn up any alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription medications, an official close to the investigation said Tuesday. Adam Lanza, 20, fatally shot 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14 before killing himself as police arrived. He also killed his mother at their Newtown home before going to the school. The official said the toxicology tests were completed about five weeks ago and the results...

Eminem's song publisher is suing Facebook and an ad agency, saying they copied music from one of the rapper's songs. Eight Mile Style filed a federal lawsuit in Detroit on Monday alleging that a 30-second Facebook ad broadcast online last month copied music from Eminem's 2000 song "Under the Influence." The Detroit Free Press ( http://on.freep.com/10LFB2N ) reports that the ad was featured in a webcast by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to announce Facebook Home, an interface for Android phones....

Italian cyclist Ivan Basso is set to resume training next week after medical tests revealed he doesn't need surgery on a cyst in his seat area. His Cannondale squad said Tuesday that Basso, who pulled out of the Giro d'Italia two days before the May 4 start, will undergo treatment that "should allow him to resume physical activity in the first days of next week." Basso won the Giro in 2006 and 2010. He should be fully fit for the Tour de France and Spanish Vuelta.

The company that resumed riverboat cruises on the Mississippi River a year ago said Tuesday that it will offer seven-night trips starting next year on the Columbia and Snake rivers in Oregon and Washington. It will be the first time the cruises have been offered since 2008, when the previous operator, Majestic America, ceased operations. The new operator, the American Queen Steamboat Company, made the announcement from its Memphis headquarters. The company purchased the same boat that previously...

Laura Mvula, "Sing to the Moon" (Columbia Records) Infused with a range of influences, including African folk and modern pop, English-born singer Laura Mvula is distinctively different on her debut album, "Sing to the Moon." Comparisons to Nina Simone and rising Scottish newcomer Emeli Sande have already been made, but Mvula shouldn't be compared to anyone. The opening track, "Like the Morning Dew," is alluring and appealing, as is the string and brass arrangement on the following song, "Make...

Japan midfielder Hajime Hosogai is leaving Bayer Leverkusen for promoted Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin. Hertha says on its website that the 26-year-old Hosogai signed a four-year deal. Both clubs agreed not to disclose the transfer fee. Hosogai, who has played 18 internationals for Japan, scored five goals in 98 games for J-League side Urawa Red Diamonds. He joined Leverkusen in 2011 but spent his first season in the Bundesliga on loan at Augsburg, making 39 appearances before returning to Leverkusen...

One Pistorius brother is free of charges _ acquitted Tuesday of culpable homicide in the death of a woman in a road accident. The famous younger brother, Olympian double-amputee Oscar Pistorius, still must face his day in court for shooting and killing his girlfriend. Carl Pistorius cried tears of relief Tuesday as a magistrate acquitted him of culpable homicide and negligent driving for the woman's death. The magistrate ruled that Carl Pistorius, 28, was not negligent and that Maria Barnard,...

A homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year in Miami says he doesn't want any more reconstructive surgery. Ronald Poppo spent nearly a month in a hospital after the attack alongside a Miami highway. Since then, he's been living in a long-term care facility. The attack left him blind and disfigured. Poppo's doctors said Tuesday he knows he's lost his nose and his left eye completely, but he's satisfied with the surgeries and skin grafts that have closed his wounds....

The boardwalks are back, and so are most of the beaches, even if some are a little thinner this year. The smell of funnel cakes, french fries and pizza will mingle with the salt air, and the screech of seagulls will be heard, but so will the thwack of hammers repairing what can be fixed and the roar of bulldozers and backhoes tearing down what can't. Welcome to Summer 2013 at the Jersey shore, the first since Superstorm Sandy pummeled the coast and upended hundreds of thousands of lives in October....

There were no bidders and no locksmiths willing to force entry for a scheduled auction Tuesday to sell artworks and other belongings of Nelson Mandela's ex-wife. The bid to force Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to pay an old debt for school fees for her grand-niece failed. Court sheriff John Maluleke and two other officials joined reporters gathered outside her gated home but were denied entry despite repeated ringing of the bell and banging on the metal gate. Lawyer Stephen Karnavos of Alan Levy...

The U.S Peace Corps says it will begin accepting applications from same-sex domestic partners who want to serve together as volunteers overseas. Peace Corps Deputy Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet says the change will diversify the pool of applicants who want to help improve the quality of education, health care and economic development in host countries around the world. Married couples have been serving together in the Peace Corps since the organization was founded in 1961. About 7 percent of...

The following list represents the most viral tracks on Spotify, based on the number of people who shared it divided by the number who listened to it, from Monday, May 13, to Sunday, May 19, via Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify. 1. Five Finger Death Punch, "Lift Me Up" (Prospect Park) 2. Mariah Carey, "Beautiful" (The Island Def Jam Music Group) 3. Robin Thicke, "Blurred Lines" (Star Trak LLC) 4. Lorde, "Royals" (Lava Music/Republic Records) 5. Hoodie Allen feat. Kina Grannis, "Make It...