Snowden renews asylum plea, in line with Putin’s terms

U.S. whistleblower, Edward Snowden has asked for “temporary” political asylum in Russia, agreeing to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s condition to stop “harming” American interests.

Mr. Snowden conveyed his asylum request to 13 Russian rights activists, lawyers and political figures that he invited on Friday to the transit zone at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, where he has been living for the past 19 days. It was Mr. Snowden’s first public appearance since he flew to Moscow from Hong Kong after exposing a global electronic surveillance programme run by the U.S. National Security Agency.

It is the second time Mr. Snowden is asking for Russian asylum. He retracted his first request after Mr. Putin said he could stay in Russia on condition that “he must stop his work aimed at harming our U.S. partners.”