DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — At least 112 people were killed in a fire that raced through a multi-story garment factory just outside of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, an official said Sunday. The blaze broke out late Saturday at the eight-story factory operated by Tazreen Fashions Ltd., a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, which supplies Walmart and other major retailers in the U.S. and Europe.

AP PHOTOS: Scenes from Bangladesh factory fire

The blaze broke out at the seven-story factory just outside Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka late Saturday. More than 100 bodies had been found by Sunday morning. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, and authorities have ordered an investigation.

Egypt's stock market tumbles after Morsi's decree

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s benchmark stock index plunged by nearly 10 percent Sunday in the first trading session since the country’s Islamist president issued decrees to assume sweeping new powers, while police in central Cairo fired tear gas at protesters who accuse the Egyptian leader of a blatant power grab. President Mohammed Morsi’s edicts, which were announced on Thursday, place him above oversight of any kind, including that of the courts. The move has thrown Egypt’s already troubled transition to democracy into further turmoil, sparking angry protests across the country to demand the decrees be immediately rescinded.

Benefits fight brings lesbian couple to high court

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Like a lot of newlyweds, Karen Golinski was eager to enjoy the financial fruits of marriage. Within weeks of her wedding, she applied to add her spouse to her employer-sponsored health care plan, a move that would save the couple thousands of dollars a year. Her ordinarily routine request still is being debated more than four years later, and by the likes of former attorneys general, a slew of senators, the Obama administration and possibly this week, the U.S. Supreme Court.

Syrian rebels capture air base near Damascus

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian rebels captured a helicopter base just outside Damascus Sunday in what an activist called a ‘‘blow to the morale of the regime’’ near President Bashar Assad’s seat of power. The takeover claim showed how rebels are advancing in the area of the capital, though they are badly outgunned, making inroads where Assad’s power was once unchallenged. Rebels have also been able to fire mortar rounds into Damascus recently.

Utility worker pierced pipe before Mass. gas blast

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — A utility worker responding to reports of a natural gas leak in one of New England’s largest cities punctured a pipe and an unknown spark ignited a massive explosion that injured 18 people and damaged 42 buildings, the state fire marshal announced Sunday. Friday night’s natural gas blast in Springfield’s entertainment district was caused by ‘‘human error,’’ State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said at a news conference. He didn’t name the Columbia Gas Go. worker who pierced the high-pressure pipe.

Gaza cease-fire raises hopes for reconstruction

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Mohammed Falah Azzam has been through this before. His mother’s home was bombed in the 2008-09 Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which left hundreds dead and thousands of homes destroyed. In renewed fighting last week, an entire block of buildings housing his extended family was badly damaged in an airstrike that Israel said was aimed at a militant.

AP IMPACT: Will NYC act to block future surges?

Think Sandy was just a 100-year storm that devastated New York City? Imagine one just as bad, or worse, every three years. Prominent planners and builders say now is the time to think big to shield the city’s core: a 5-mile barrier blocking the entryway to New York Harbor, an archipelago of man-made islets guarding the tip of Manhattan, or something like CDM Smith engineer Larry Murphy’s 1,700-foot barrier — complete with locks for passing boats and a walkway for pedestrians — at the mouth of the Arthur Kill waterway between the borough of Staten Island and New Jersey.

UN to launch new round of talks on global warming