In brief: Three sentenced in jet bomb plot

LONDON – In a case that altered airport security worldwide, three British Muslims were imprisoned Monday for at least 30 years each for a plot to kill thousands by blowing up trans-Atlantic airliners with liquid explosives hidden in soda bottles.

The judge described the foiled suicide bombings – meant to rival the Sept. 11 attacks – as “a grave and wicked” conspiracy, likely the most serious terrorist case ever dealt with by a British court. The plot’s disclosure prompted an immediate ban on taking some liquids onboard passenger jets.

Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28 – the plot’s ringleader – was given a minimum of 40 years in prison, one of the longest sentences ever handed out by a British court. Assad Sarwar, 29, and Tanvir Hussain, 28, were imprisoned for a minimum of 36 years and 32 years respectively at London’s high security Woolwich Crown Court.

Voting indicates re-election likely

OSLO, Norway – Norway’s left-leaning government appeared to have narrowly won re-election Monday after using oil money to shield the Nordic welfare state from the global recession, near-complete results showed.

If the results are confirmed, it would be the first time a government in Norway has survived an election in 16 years.

An official projection with 99 percent of votes counted showed Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s Labor-led coalition winning 86 seats to keep a slim majority in the 169-seat Parliament. Final results were expected today.

Outcry triggers release of dolphins

TOKYO – A Japanese fishing town that holds an annual hunt to kill and sell dolphins for meat has released 70 of the animals following international outcry, a conservationist group said today.

The outcry has been growing against the hunt in Taiji, western Japan, since the award-winning American documentary “The Cove” this year showed dolphins being herded into an inlet and killed with spears.

The released dolphins were part of a catch of about 100 on Sept. 9. The Taiji fishing association had said it would sell about half to aquariums and set the rest free.