Scientists say two of the deadliest pandemics in history were caused by strains of the same plague and warn that new versions of the bacteria could spark future outbreaks.

Researchers found tiny bits of DNA in the teeth of two German victims killed by the Justinian plague about 1,500 years ago. With those fragments, they reconstructed the genome of the oldest bacteria known.

While he rotted away on Chelsea's substitutes' bench this season, Juan Mata could see his chances of playing for Spain at the World Cup slip away.

Mata had already been dropped from Spain's squad once this season and with the country blessed with so many playmakers, he was in real danger of being overlooked for the trip to Brazil to defend their title.

Seven years ago, Vladimir Putin traveled all the way to Guatemala to woo Olympic leaders with his grandiose vision: hosting the Winter Games in Russia's little-known Black Sea summer resort of Sochi.

Putin's personal pitch — delivered partly in English and French — did the trick as Sochi beat out bids from South Korea and Austria for the right to stage the 2014 Games on the so-called "Russian Riviera."

Ask a Brazilian how their national team will fare at the World Cup and chances are they will predict a run at least to the July 13 final, if not a win. Understandable optimism, given that Brazil will be playing at home and has won more World Cups (five) than any other football power.

But what if the host nation is booted out early? Very possible with defending champion Spain or 2010 runner-up the Netherlands looming for Brazil in the first knockout game and a tough path beyond that. Are Brazilians good losers? Would they sour the tournament mood in defeat? Or swallow their disappointment with a few morale-boosting caipirinha cocktails, crank up the samba and party on?

Miami rolled to a surprisingly comfortable 113-101 win over San Antonio on Sunday in a reprise of last year's NBA Finals, with Chris Bosh scoring 24 points on 9-for-10 shooting for the Heat.

Among the day's other games, Golden State beat Portland to drop the Trail Blazers two games off the Western Conference lead, Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas past Detroit, and Phoenix recovered from a big half-time deficit to overrun Cleveland.

Barcelona was unfazed by the recent departure of its club president amid a lawsuit as it eased to a 3-0 win over Malaga on Sunday to reclaim its share of the Spanish league lead.

Lionel Messi didn't score but he played a part in two goals, setting up Pedro Rodriguez to make it 2-0 in the 55th after Gerard Pique had opened the scoring five minutes before halftime. Pedro then took Messi's pass and crossed for Alexis Sanchez to tap in the hosts' third in the 61st.

Patrick Dempsey's acting and racing careers will be intermingled for the foreseeable future.

Dempsey, a driver/owner racing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance event this weekend, confirmed Saturday night that he has signed a two-year contract extension to continue with the popular television series "Grey's Anatomy." The show has not officially been picked up beyond its 10th season, but Dempsey's deal provides a strong indication that it will be back.

Pop star Justin Bieber is relaxing at the beach in Panama after being charged in Florida with driving under the influence.

Panamanian radio and television host Eddy Vasquez was filming a show at the Pacific Coast resort in Punta Chame when he spotted Bieber and his entourage walking on the beach. He and his crew took pictures of the singer and his companions, who got on personal watercraft and traveled to a nearby island.

Spain's government Friday slashed a tax on sales of works of art as a "first step" to help the cultural industry, which has been howling about the impact of a 21-percent sales tax.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government decided at a ministerial meeting to cut the sales tax for works of art by more than half, to 10 percent.

A jury on Friday rejected a defamation case against Courtney Love over a Twitter post that suggested one of her attorneys had been "bought off" for not pursuing a lawsuit over her late husband's estate.

The verdict came after roughly three hours of deliberation in a case that spanned eight days and focused on the Hole frontwoman's postings on the social networking site. The case centered on one 2010 post that suggested that San Diego attorney Rhonda Holmes had been "bought off" and that was why she wasn't representing the singer anymore.