SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau took 9 seconds to turn a tight game into a laugher and move the San Jose Sharks to the brink of their first playoff sweep in franchise history.

By Yantoultra Ngui and Jongwoo Cheon KUALA LUMPUR/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Malaysian stocks surged nearly 8 percent to a record high and the local currency jumped to its strongest in 20 months on Monday after the Barisan National (BN) coalition extended its 56-year rule and fended off a strong opposition challenge that had unnerved investors. Prime Minister Najib Razak's BN won 133 seats in the 222-member parliament, well short of the two-thirds majority it lost in 2008. ...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A limousine taking nine women to a night on the town to celebrate a newlywed bride erupted in flames, killing five of the passengers who were trapped inside as the other four escaped with burn and smoke inhalation injuries, authorities said Sunday. Relatives said the bride was among the dead.

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — California and federal public health officials say valley fever, a potentially lethal but often misdiagnosed disease infecting more and more people around the nation, has been on the rise as warming climates and drought have kicked up the dust that spreads it.

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets rose Monday after an unexpectedly strong U.S. jobs report pushed Wall Street to new highs. Malaysian shares jumped after the country's ruling political alliance won national elections.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has said she wants to be called just "Sonia from the Bronx."

By Dominic Evans and Oliver Holmes BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israeli jets devastated Syrian targets near Damascus on Sunday in a heavy overnight air raid that Western and Israeli officials called a new strike on Iranian missiles bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah. As Syria's two-year-old civil war veered into the potentially atomic arena of Iran's confrontation with Israel and the West over its nuclear program, people were woken in the Syrian capital by explosions that shook the ground like an earthquake and sent pillars of flame high into the night sky. ...

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights investigators have gathered testimony from casualties of Syria's civil war and medical staff indicating that rebel forces have used the nerve agent sarin, one of the lead investigators said on Sunday. The United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria has not yet seen evidence of government forces having used chemical weapons, which are banned under international law, said commission member Carla Del Ponte. ...

OTTAWA (AP) — After getting his first NHL hat trick, Jean-Gabriel Pageau was left with a bloody smile after the Senators' Game 3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — Investigators have ruled out arson as the cause of a huge Southern California wildfire that was 75 percent contained Sunday after burning through coastal mountains and threatening thousands of homes.

VIENNA, Ill. (AP) — This is the Illinois that many people never see — the sparsely populated southern tip where flat farmland gives way to rolling hills, rocky outcrops, thick forests and cypress swamps.

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — The uncle of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev arrived in Massachusetts on Sunday to arrange for his burial, saying he understands that "no one wants to associate their names with such evil events."

By Greg Roumeliotis NEW YORK (Reuters) - A private equity group made up of Bain Capital and Golden Gate Capital Corp are nearing a deal to acquire BMC Software Inc and an announcement could come as early as Monday, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The negotiated price is around $46 per share, said one of the people who wished to remain anonymous because they are not permitted to speak to the media. That would value the deal at $6.55 billion. Discussions are ongoing and the terms could still change, the sources said on Sunday. ...

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Rain and wrecks pushed NASCAR to the edge of darkness Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, where three of the biggest names in the sport led the field to final flag.

BEIRUT (AP) — Israel rushed to beef up its rocket defenses on its northern border Sunday to shield against possible retaliation after carrying out two airstrikes in Syria over 48 hours — an unprecedented escalation of Israeli involvement in the Syrian civil war.

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James was at his best this season, and the voters tasked with selecting the NBA's Most Valuable Player took notice.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's long-governing coalition won national elections with a weakened majority to extend its unbroken, 56-year rule, fending off the strongest opposition it has ever faced but exposing vulnerabilities in the process.