As crisis escalates, Venezuela's Maduro may meet opposition

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro was expected to sit down on Sunday with members of the opposition and foreign mediators, a gesture his foes suspect is a time-wasting tactic to ease pressure on the unpopular socialist leader. The opposition Democratic Unity coalition has stepped up protests since authorities scuttled its push for a referendum this year on Maduro's rule, which polls showed he would have lost, triggering a presidential election. Critics say 17 years of socialist rule have wrecked the OPEC nation's economy and crushed democracy, while the government says a U.S.-backed elite is seeking a coup. More…