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 CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Protests erupted across Venezuela's capital Wednesday with demonstrators blocking streets and police responding with tear gas as the slaying of three young brothers by kidnappers set off an outcry against violent crime and police corruption.
At least five areas in the city were hit by demonstrations. Hundreds of protesters gathered to block a highway Wednesday night near the affluent neighborhood of Altamira in eastern Caracas, a stronghold for opponents of President Hugo Chavez.
National Guard troops arrived shooting rubber bullets above protesters' heads and launching canisters of tear gas into the air, witnesses said. As the protesters were pushed back off the highway, some began setting tires and trash bins afire on nearby roads.
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