The world at a glance . . . Europe

London

Airline bombers convicted: A British court has convicted three men of planning in 2006 to blow up airplanes with flammable liquids concealed in soft-drink cans—a plot that resulted in the now-commonplace restrictions on liquids in carry-on bags. If it had been successful, the plot to blow up seven trans-Atlantic planes would have been the biggest terrorist attack since 9/11, possibly killing more than 1,500 people. The men were convicted last year of conspiracy to murder, but the jury in that case could not reach a decision on broader terrorism charges. A new case was brought against them this year, using additional evidence supplied by the CIA. The defendants—Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28; Assad Sarwar, 29; and Tanvir Hussain, 28—are all British nationals with links to Pakistan.

Berlin

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Afghan airstrike fallout: Germany’s government was put on the defensive this week after it emerged that Germans had called for a NATO airstrike that killed some 100 civilians last week. NATO officials said a German commander had ordered the bombing of two stolen tankers based on a single Afghan informant—a possible violation of new NATO rules meant to prevent civilian deaths. With elections coming up in Germany, the German opposition seized on the incident to question the entire Afghan mission. Germany’s 4,200 troops in Afghanistan are supposed to be restricted to peacekeeping duties such as construction. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government wouldn’t accept “premature judgments” about the attack.