Volcano holdouts are forced to flee

SANTIAGO - Police and soldiers cleared the last remaining people from the shadow of a Chilean volcano yesterday after a strong, overnight explosion spewed glowing-hot rocks from its crater. The week-old eruption at the Chaiten volcano has scattered ash across a wide swath of South America, closing regional airports and driving more than 7,000 people from their homes. Armed with a court order for people within a 30-mile radius of the mountain to leave, authorities forcibly removed about 130 holdouts, mostly small farmers, who had refused to abandon their livestock. (AP)

LONDON - A radical Muslim preacher accused of having close ties to Al Qaeda was granted bail by a British immigration appeals commission yesterday. Abu Qatada, who was jailed in 2002 over accusations that he played a key role in raising money for extremist groups and provided spiritual advice to militants planning terror attacks, will remain in custody until arrangements for his release are completed. Judge John Mitting ruled the cleric should be released after the Court of Appeal ordered the government in April to stop extradition proceedings, claiming he faced the threat of torture if returned to his native Jordan. (AP)

LA PAZ - President Evo Morales called yesterday for urgent talks with regional leaders to ease divisions over mounting demands for autonomy, but some said they were not yet ready for negotiations. Bolivia's richest region, Santa Cruz, voted heavily in favor of autonomy from the central government in a referendum Sunday and the leaders of at least three other regions said they would not meet with Morales until they held similar votes over the next two months. The eastern lowland regions of Tarija, Beni, and Pando plan referendums before the end of June. (Reuters)