Venezuelan police clash with students

Police in Venezuela used tear gas, plastic bullets and a water cannon to break up a protest by university students against President Hugo Chavez’s attempt to eliminate term-of-office limits.

Officers in riot gear scattered more than 2,000 students after they set out from a Caracas plaza to demonstrate against a proposed constitutional amendment that would lift term limits for all elected officials, including Mr Chavez.

The president recently ordered authorities to break up student protests if they turned violent but student leader Juan Mejia said: “We didn’t provoke the police. We’ve been victims of violence just as Chavez ordered.”