Venezuela, Nicaragua Say Snowden Is Welcome

He wasn't on that plane to Bolivia, but Edward Snowden may yet end up in Latin America. Venezuela and Nicaragua said yesterday they'd be willing to grant asylum to the NSA leaker, reports the BBC. Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega was a little less expansive, saying his country would do so if "circumstances permit," but Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro said his country would be proud “to protect this young man from the persecution unleashed by the world’s most powerful empire," reports the New York Times.

Of course, even when Snowden picks a country, he still has to get there from Russia, and European countries have shown they're willing to shut down airspace to prevent that. WikiLeaks says Snowden applied to six more countries yesterday, reports the Guardian. He had previously applied to nearly two dozen nations, but diplomatic pressure from the US resulted in a series of rejections. Latin America has since united behind him, thanks in part to the treatment of the Bolivian president's plane. (More Edward Snowden stories.)