President Nicolás Maduro has intensified a crackdown on opponents ahead of Thursday’s major opposition rally to demand a referendum on his rule amid a deepening economic crisis. On Tuesday, police from the government’s intelligence agency detained Carlos Melo, a leader of the Progressive Advance party, on a Caracas street, the party’s spokesman said. The agency declined to confirm the detention. The arrest followed Monday’s detention of Yon Goicoechea, an organizer for the Popular Will opposition party, for allegedly carrying bomb-making materials, according to a top government official. At least four other Popular Will leaders went into hiding in the past week after authorities raided their houses or issued arrest warrants, according to the party. The actions against opposition parties are raising tensions in a deeply polarized country as thousands of Venezuelans descend on […]