Venezuelan opposition leader Machado praises US action against Maduro

BBC update

VENEZUELAN opposition leader María Corina Machado says the arrest of Nicolás Maduro is "a huge step for humanity, for freedom and human dignity".

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were seized from their Caracas compound on Saturday and flown to the US as part of a special forces operation.

Speaking to Fox News, hours after Maduro appeared in a New York court, Machado says she is "grateful" for US President Donald Trump's actions.

Machado left Venezuela last month to accept the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against what the Norwegian Nobel Committee called a dictatorship - she hasn't returned since.

Appearing in court alongside his wife on Monday, Maduro told a judge, "I am still president," as he pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges.