Protests take over capitals of Chile, Lebanon

Protests have rocked both Chile and Lebanon this weekend.

A state of emergency has been declared in Santiago, the Chilean capital, after protests stemming from a hike in public transportation fares became violent Friday evening — the state of emergency is a result of Chile's dictatorship-era constitution and can last for 15 days. Soldiers reportedly returned to Santiago's streets Saturday for the first time since a devastating earthquake hit the country in 2010, The Guardian reports. There reportedly is no curfew at the moment, though the government does have the power to implement one.

Police have reportedly detained more than 300 people, while 156 officers have been injured, 49 police cars have been damaged, and 41 metro stations have been damaged, as the entire transport system was temporarily shut down. "We are assuming control, deploying our forces in a way that we can prevent continuing acts of vandalism and having a better sense in the morning of what is happening," Javier Iturriaga del Campo, a Chilean general said.

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Meanwhile, in Lebanon, thousands of demonstrators reportedly gathered Saturday in downtown Beirut for a third consecutive day of protests. The protesters are calling for the resignation of the government, which is considered to consist of the same political ruling class that has led the country since 1975.

At least 136 people have been detained since the protests began Thursday evening. Nearly all of them were reportedly released Saturday, but many reportedly appeared to have sustained significant injuries.