Venezuela Police Free Noted Journalist After Overnight Detention

A top government official had accused Diaz of taking part in a plot to cause a nationwide blackout. The arrest is an escalation of President Nicolas Maduro’s attempts to silence and intimidate the press, which include the recent temporary detentions of Univision journalist Jorge Ramos and U.S. freelance reporter Cody Weddle, deported last week. Diaz’s release was confirmed by the national press workers union, known as SNTP, on Twitter.