Clashes in Venezuela

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

Venezuelan opposition protesters clashed with riot police in Caracas on Saturday at the end of large demonstration against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Earlier in the day, thousands of demonstrators had jammed the streets to demand the government step down, while pro-government supporters also rallied.

As dusk fell, some opposition supporters hurled stones at police who fired back teargas near east Caracas' Plaza Altamira, a hot-bed of opposition activism that has seen similar scuffles most nights in the last week.

The latest protests came as the death toll from the violence rose to eight.

Large pro-opposition protests were also reported in other major cities.

Maduro says the protests are a pretext for a planned coup