Around the world
CHANGES: Britain's House of Commons has opted to change its hours, curbing the number of times lawmakers work into the wee hours of the morning. At present, business in the 651-seat Commons starts at 2:30 p.m. and often continues past midnight. Nighttime sittings - a leftover from the past when the House was all-male and members dined at London clubs before returning late to vote - are blamed by some legislators for a high rate of divorce among members. Legislators adopted a package of measures, including more daytime sittings, some starting at 10 a.m., and night sessions ending at 11:32 p.m.COLD SHOULDER: The Socialist Party of former Communists encouraged other Bul-gar-i-an parties Tuesday to join a government coalition but got the cold shoulder. The Socialists won 125 seats in the 240-seat parliament in elections Sunday, trouncing the main anti-Communist party, the Union of Democratic Forces, which garnered only 69 seats, according to near-complete returns. Despite their absolute majority, the Socialists were trying to form a multiparty government, which they say is necessary to deal with Bulgaria's deeply rooted economic problems.
Across the nation
CONVICTED: A Colombian man portrayed as an assassin for the Medellin cocaine cartel has been convicted in New York of planting a bomb on an Avianca jet in 1989 that killed 110 people, including two Americans. Dandeny Munoz-Mosquera, 29, was found guilty of all 13 counts, including two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of the Americans. Munoz-Mosquera was convicted by a federal jury Monday, concluding a two-month trial. He was first brought to trial in April, but the case ended in a hung jury in July.
TIFF: A Braintree, Mass., man apparently upset after a tiff with his girlfriend told her to "watch this" as he doused himself with gasoline, set himself on fire and died. The Boston Herald Tuesday said Maureen A. Burns, 28, watched in horror as flames engulfed Mark McKeaugue and his car on her front lawn in Braintree. Neighbors trying to reach him in the burning car were driven back by the flames just before the vehicle exploded, showering the area with glass.