Court orders arrest of Chavez opponent

A Venezuelan court has ordered the arrest of a key opponent of President Hugo Chavez who fled to Peru and is seeking political asylum there, prosecutors in Caracas said.

In Peru’s capital Lima, Venezuelan opposition leader Manuel Rosales made his first public appearance in more than three weeks, calling the charges against him trumped-up and heaping ridicule on Mr Chavez, his political rival in 2006 presidential elections.