Moscow — Former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden has been given leave to remain in Russia for another couple of years, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry said. "Snowden’s residency in Russia has just been extended by another couple of years," the spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said in a post on Facebook. Snowden, a former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who is wanted for leaking classified information, has been in Russia since June 2013. Moscow’s announcement comes shortly after US President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, a former US Army soldier who is in jail for leaking classified information. Reuters

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