BBC News - Confusion over Edward Snowden travel papers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23437059

Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has not been given Russia

an travel documents, his lawyer has said, contradicting earlier reports.

Anatoly Kucherena told reporters his client would remain in the transit zone at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where he has been for the past month.

Earlier, airport officials said that Mr Kucherena had given Mr Snowden the travel documents.

The US wants him extradited for leaking details of surveillance programmes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to hand him to the American authorities, but said he could stay in Russia only if he stopped leaking US secrets.

Mr Snowden has stayed in the airport's transit area since arriving from Hong Kong on 23 June.

He has requested temporary asylum in Russia, and said recently that his favoured final destination was Latin America.

Mr Kucherena visited his client at the airport on Wednesday and told a news conference later that the 30-year-old would not yet be leaving the airport.

He said the application for temporary asylum had not been processed, and no travel documents had been received.

"He is not planning to leave for now. He asked for temporary asylum, which in the case of a positive decision is granted for a term of one year," said Mr Kucherena.

The lawyer said Mr Snowden wanted to study Russian culture, and claimed he had dropped off books including Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Mr Kucherena's account contradicted that of airport officials, who earlier told local media that the lawyer had handed Mr Snowden the documents he needed to leave the airport.

so what are they doing playing Marco Polo or where's Waldo?  it sounds like Russia might be holding things up to maybe get something they think he may know, why else all the musical chairs?

who's zoomin' who?

The Snowden affair has caused diplomatic ructions around the world, upsetting America's close allies and its traditional enemies.

Leaks by the former CIA worker have led to revelations that the US National Security Agency (NSA) is collecting Americans' phone records, which civil liberties campaigners say is an unwarranted invasion of privacy.

The White House is urging Congress to reject an attempt to end the practice.

Congressman Justin Amash has introduced an amendment to a defence spending bill that would block funding for the controversial programme. A vote is due shortly.

now congress wants to take out another agency devised to help keep us safe they have been operational since 1965 but so was the voter rights act and look what the right wing has done to that.