MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat have been in this less-than-ideal spot before.

LONDON (AP) — When Ray Harryhausen was 13, he was so overwhelmed by "King Kong" that he vowed he would create otherworldly creatures on film. He fulfilled his desire as an adult, thrilling audiences with skeletons in a sword fight, a gigantic octopus destroying the Golden Gate Bridge, and a six-armed dancing goddess.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators on Tuesday warned several companies that the quick, easy background checks they are providing online might violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

CAIRO (AP) — Nine new Egyptian ministers joined President Mohammed Morsi's Cabinet on Tuesday, including three members of his Muslim Brotherhood, in a reshuffle that officials said was aimed at addressing the country's financial woes and securing a much-needed international loan.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — John Reifsteck looks out at his muddy 1,800-acre central Illinois farm and wonders when he'll get to plant.

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A New York community group that raised $1.3 million in a six-week online fundraising effort has purchased a laboratory once used by visionary scientist Nikola Tesla.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Coordinated attacks by Islamic extremists armed with heavy machine guns killed at least 42 people in northeast Nigeria, authorities said Tuesday, the latest in a string of increasingly bloody attacks threatening peace in Africa's most populous nation.

PARK RIDGE, N.J. (AP) — Hertz will move its headquarters from New Jersey to Florida, putting the company in the heart of a key travel market and trimming corporate expenses after its $2.3 billion buyout of one-time rival, Dollar Thrifty.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's attorney general is blaming defense motions for delays in the criminal case against former Penn State administrators accused of covering up child sexual abuse complaints about Jerry Sandusky.

By Arshad Mohammed and Thomas Grove MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and the United States agreed on Tuesday to convene an international conference, possibly by the end of this month, to try to end the civil war in Syria and prevent bloodshed tearing the country apart. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry announced the agreement after talks in Moscow, despite their countries' differences over Syria, and said the Damascus government and the rebels fighting it should be invited. ...

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie, who has both joked about his weight and said that it's a real concern, secretly underwent a weight-loss surgery in February that experts say could help him if he gets exercise and watches what he eats.

By Alonso Soto and Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Roberto Azevedo, picked on Tuesday to head the World Trade Organization, is in every respect the quintessential Brazilian diplomat: a well-spoken, competent and smooth negotiator with a knack for wooing adversaries into his corner. A career diplomat with two decades of experience dealing with trade disputes, Azevedo will need those qualities more than ever to bridge the gap between developed and developing nations if he wants to reboot stalled global trade negotiations and breathe new life into the Geneva-based WTO. It is a huge task. ...

BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian regime on Tuesday dispatched an obscure proxy, a Damascus-based Palestinian militant group, to threaten retaliation for two Israeli airstrikes over the weekend.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a story May 6 about proposed regulations for tanning beds, The Associated Press reported erroneously that an FDA proposal would not require warnings on tanning beds themselves, but on related promotional materials. The proposal, if finalized, would require warning labels on tanning beds within a year of taking effect.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican signed an agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday to exchange financial information as part of its efforts to comply with international anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing norms.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Weight-loss surgery such as the type that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie underwent may not just improve people's waistlines, but their health.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gun-related homicides and other crimes involving guns have fallen sharply over the last two decades in the United States, but most Americans believe firearms crime is higher now than 20 years ago, according to an analysis and a separate poll released on Tuesday. Some 11,101 gun-related homicides were reported in the United States in 2011, a figure that is down 39 percent from the 1993 peak, the Justice Department reported. Nonfatal firearm crimes declined by 69 percent to 467,300 in the same period. ...

NEW YORK (AP) — Carrie Underwood will take over the theme song for "Sunday Night Football," with NBC sticking to the formula of a female country music star for its intro.

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Delaware state Senate votes to become the 11th state to allow same-sex marriage.

NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft is preparing an update to Windows 8 for release later this year. It says the changes are designed to address complaints and confusion with the new operating system.