Two American oil executives held in an overcrowded Venezuelan prison for almost three years have been placed in house arrest, a sign that the embattled government of Nicolas Maduro may be easing its stance toward the detainees. Gustavo Cárdenas and Jorge Toledo were released to house arrest on Thursday evening, days after a humanitarian visit to Caracas by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and a team of nongovernment negotiators. Richardson said in a statement that it is "a positive and important first step" and thanked Maduro for the gesture, while also calling for the release of all six oil executives d ... (full story)