Thousands of Libyans have staged a

rally

in the eastern city of Benghazi in support of democracy and against Islamist militias. Protesters urged the Libyan government to ban the militias which refused to give up their weapons since the uprising against Colonel Gaddafi last year. They demanded that the army and police be strengthened and

paid tribute to

the US ambassador killed last week in the city. A rival demonstration by Islamist militias who have been blamed for the ambassador's death attracted far fewer people.

A day of violent protest across major cities in Pakistan has left at least 19 people dead as thousands demonstrators against an anti-Islamic video made in the United States. In Karachi, police clashed with

rioters

as they set fire to banks and cinemas. In Islamabad, police fired tear gas to prevent thousands of demonstrators from getting close to the American embassy. At a news conference in Washington, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again condemned the video. The visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar thanked Mrs. Clinton.

Your condemnation has given a strong message that the United States government not only condemns it but has absolutely no support to such

blasphemous

videos or content anywhere. I think that is an important message, and that message will go a long way in ending the violence on many streets in the world.

World news from the BBC.