Venezuela’s opposition said on Wednesday that talks with the government were “frozen” after officials failed to attend meetings the previous day, throwing cold water on Vatican-brokered attempts to bridge the country’s deep political crisis. Though the formal talks, which began last month, appeared to have led to the release of a handful of detained activists, hopes for real rapprochement were always slim. The two sides are fundamentally at loggerheads, with the opposition seeking the ouster of Socialist President Nicolas Maduro, while authorities vow he will not leave office before his term ends in 2019. “The government, in an irresponsible manner, froze the dialogue process by not showing up to two technical meetings last night,” opposition coalition leader Jesus Torrealba told Reuters. Opposition activists suggested Maduro backed away after the National Assembly on Tuesday held a heated session in which they slammed him over a drug scandal involving his family. […]