'I'm still the president of Venezuela' - Nicolas Maduro and his wife plead not guilty to drug trafficking charges in New York court

"At the UN, the US insisted it is "not at war" with Venezuela nor staging a coup and tried to insist its capture of Maduro was a "law enforcement operation". UN Chief Antonio Guterres raised concerns about instability in Venezuela and the legality of Trump's strike, the most dramatic US intervention in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion. US Special Forces swooped into Caracas by helicopter on Saturday, shattered his security cordon and dragged him from the threshold of a safe room."

"On Monday morning, Maduro - his hands zip-tied - and his wife Cilia Flores were escorted by armed guards in tactical gear from a Brooklyn detention centre to a helicopter bound for Manhattan federal court. Maduro is accused of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network that partnered with violent groups including Mexico's Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombian FARC rebels and Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang. Maduro (63) has long denied the allegations, saying they were a mask for imperialist designs on Venezuela's oil."

"While world leaders and US politicians grappled with the extraordinary seizure of a head of state, an emergency order in Venezuela, published in full on Monday, orders police to search and capture anyone who supported the US attack. Amid global consternation at Trump's seizure of a foreign head of state - albeit an unpopular one - the UN Security Council was due to debate its legality and implications. Russia, China and leftist allies of Venezuela have condemned the raid."

US forces conducted a helicopter raid in Caracas and seized President Nicolás Maduro. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as Venezuela's next leader. The US described the operation as a law enforcement action and said it was not at war with Venezuela. UN Secretary-General António Guterres and several countries raised concerns about instability and the strike's legality. Maduro faces charges alleging oversight of a cocaine-trafficking network tied to regional criminal groups; he denies the accusations as a pretext to seize oil. Venezuela issued an emergency order to detain supporters of the US action. Russia, China and leftist allies condemned the raid. President Trump signaled possible further military action if Venezuela does not cooperate.

Read at Irish Independent