Venezuelan protests persist at start of holiday

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The start of a weeklong string of holidays leading up to the March 5 anniversary of former President Hugo Chavez’s death did not completely pull protesters from the streets Thursday as the government apparently hoped.

Hundreds of students rallied on a leafy street in east Caracas demanding an end to the government crackdown on protests and the release of those jailed in recent weeks. When some of the protesters later moved toward a major highway, government security forces fired with tear gas.