Two killed in Venezuela as recall petition rejected

TWO people were killed in violent unrest in Venezuela after electoral officials said there were insufficient signatures to hold a referendum on recalling President Hugo Chavez, authorities said, as the sharply divided country awaited the opposition's next move.

Two youths, aged 21 and 22, were killed in clashes between opposition activists and National Guard troops in the Plaza Altamira, a hotbed of anti-Chavez protests, said Col Rodolfo Briceno, Caracas' fire chief.

He added that two additional deaths were under investigation in Caracas to determine if they were related to the unrest. And former presidential candidate Enrique Salas Romer reported that an opposition leader died during unrest in the western state of Carabobo.