WORLD BRIEFS

Radical cleric, freed from U.K. jail, to be monitored

LONDON — Abu Qatada, a radical Muslim cleric whom British officials say is an alQaida figurehead and a threat to national security, was freed from an English prison into virtual house arrest late Monday, British media reported.

Officials acknowledged earlier in the day that the 51-yearold’s release was imminent but declined to comment on the reports from Sky News and the BBC.

The terms of his bail require Abu Qatada, whose real name is Omar Mahmoud Mohammed Othmanto, to wear an electronic tag and to stay inside his home for 22 hours each day.

Greece surveys damage after austerity-vote riots

ATHENS, Greece — Firefighters doused smoldering buildings and cleanup crews swept rubble from the streets of central Athens after a night of rioting during which lawmakers approved harsh new austerity measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the nation from bankruptcy.

Police said Monday that rioters destroyed or damaged more than 110 buildings. About 100 people held a candlelight protest late Monday outside the gutted 1870 structure that had housed one of the capital’s most loved cinemas, the Attikon, since 1916.

Police arrested 79 people and detained 92 in the riots.

Guatemala may legalize drugs as options narrow

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — U.S. inability to cut illegal-drug consumption leaves Guatemala with no option but to consider legalizing the use and transport of drugs, President Otto Perez said Monday, a remarkable turnaround for an ex-general elected on a platform of crushing organized crime with an iron fist.

Molina said he will try to win regional support for drug legalization at an upcoming summit of Central American leaders next month. He got his first public support on Monday at a security meeting with El Salvador President Mauricio Funes, who said he too is willing to consider legalization.