US whistleblower Snowden leaves Hong Kong

Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks said Sunday it had helped former US intelligence operative Edward Snowden secure political asylum in a "democratic country" after reports that he had left Hong Kong for Russia. "WikiLeaks has assisted Mr Snowden's political asylum in a democratic country, travel papers and safe exit from Hong Kong," it said on Twitter. A source at Russian airline Aeroflot told Interfax news agency that Snowden has a ticket from Moscow to Cuba, before adding that his final destination is Venezuela after a stopover in Havana. Earlier, the Hong Kong government said that Snowden had left its territory "legally and voluntarily" for "a third country." The announcement came after South China Morning Post published a story saying the leaker had left on a commercial flight for Moscow.