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Russia Extends Residence Permit for Snowden

by Associated Press

   MOSCOW --

   Russian authorities have extended a residence permit for U.S.
   intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked thousands of secret
   documents from the National Security Agency.

   Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a post on
   Facebook late on Tuesday that Snowden's residence permit has been
   extended for "a couple of years."

   Snowden has been living in Russia since 2013 when he got stuck in the
   transit area at a Moscow airport after the United States canceled his
   passport.

   The announcement comes as U.S. President Barack Obama has commuted the
   prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, who was convicted for leaking more
   than 700,000 U.S. documents.