Venezuelan protests persist

Hundreds of students rallied on a street in east Caracas demanding an end to the government crackdown on protests and the release of those jailed in recent weeks. In Valencia, roughly 170 kilometers west of the capital, protesters manned burning street barricades and clashed with police. Thursday's student protest was intended to send the government a message that demonstrators would not be distracted by a vacation. President Nicolas Maduro announced this week that he would add Thursday and Friday to the already scheduled long Carnival weekend that includes Monday and Tuesday off, and many interpreted it as an attempt to calm tensions. The start of a week-long string of holidays leading up to the March 5 anniversary of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's death did not completely pull protesters from the streets Thursday. What began as student-led demonstrations this month in several cities have taken a death toll that the government puts at 16. The mostly middle class opposition joined the protests.