Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007 | 11:45 a.m.
Violent protests and demonstrations roiled Georgia, Venezuela and Pakistan on Wednesday. A brief look at each:
GEORGIA: Riot police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon Wednesday to disperse thousands of protesters in Georgia's capital of Tbilisi calling for the ouster of President Mikhail Saakashvili. The pro-Western leader declared a state of emergency and banned all news broadcasts except state-controlled television.
Saakashvili, a U.S. ally who has tried to integrate Georgia with the West, also expelled three Russian diplomats and accused Moscow of fomenting the protests, which began last week. He now faces the worst political crisis of his four years in office in this former Soviet republic, where a low-level tug-of-war between Russia and the West is being played out.
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VENEZUELA: Gunmen opened fire on students returning from a march in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas in which 80,000 people denounced President Hugo Chavez's attempts to expand his power. At least eight people were injured, including one by gunfire, officials said.
The violence broke out after anti-Chavez demonstrators marched peacefully to the Supreme Court to protest proposed constitutional amendments that would abolish presidential term limits, give the president control over the Central Bank and let him create new provinces governed by handpicked officials. Protesters say the amendments would weaken civil liberties in one of South America's oldest democracies and give Chavez unprecedented power to declare states of emergency.
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PAKISTAN: Supporters of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto clashed with police in Islamabad after she urged party activists into the streets to protest emergency rule, deepening the uncertainty engulfing a country already shaken by rising Islamic militancy.
Thousands of Pakistanis have been jailed or put under house arrest since President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a key ally in the U.S.-led fight against terrorism, assumed emergency powers Saturday. The general said suspending the constitution was necessary to prevent a takeover by Islamic extremists, but political opponents contend the crackdown is really meant to protect his hold on power.
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