Admitted leaker Edward Snowden took flight

Nelson Mandela's health has deteriorated and he is now in critical condition, the South African government said Sunday.

The office of President Jacob Zuma said in a statement that he had visited the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader at a hospital Sunday evening and was informed by the medical team that Mandela's condition had become critical in the past 24 hours.

"The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve and are ensuring that Madiba is well-looked after and is comfortable. He is in good hands," Zuma said in the statement,kapton tape  using Mandela's clan name.

Zuma also met Graca Machel, Mandela's wife, at the hospital in Pretoria and discussed the former leader's condition, according to the statement. Zuma was accompanied on the visit by Cyril Ramaphosa, the deputy president of the country's ruling party, the African National Congress.

Mandela was jailed for 27 years under white racist rule and released in 1990. He then played a leading role in steering the divided country from the apartheid era to democracy, becoming South Africa's first black president in all-race elections in 1994. He was hospitalized on June 8 for what the government said was a recurring lung infection.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Admitted leaker Edward Snowden took flight Sunday in evasion of U.S. authorities, seeking asylum in Ecuador and leaving the Obama administration scrambling to determine its next step in what became a game of diplomatic cat & mouse.

The former National Security Agency contractor and CIA technician fled Hong Kong and arrived at the Moscow airport, where he planned to spend the night before boarding an Aeroflot flight to Cuba. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said his government received an asylum request from Snowden, and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said it would help him.

"He goes to the very countries that have, at best, very tense relationships with the United States," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., adding that she feared Snowden would trade more U.S. secrets for asylum. "This is not going to play out well for the national security interests of the United States."

The move left the U.S. with limited options as Snowden's itinerary took him on a tour of what many see as anti-American capitals. Ecuador in particular has rejected the United States' previous efforts at cooperation, and has been helping WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, avoid prosecution by allowing him to stay at its embassy in London.

Snowden helped The Guardian and The Washington Post disclose U.S. surveillance programs that collects vast amounts of phone records and online data in the name of foreign intelligence, but often sweeping up information on American citizens. Officials have the ability to collect phone and Internet information broadly but need a warrant to examine specific cases where they believe terrorism is involved.

5 things to know about the travels and future of the man behind the NSA surveillance leaks

Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency contractor behind the disclosures of the U.S. government's sweeping surveillance programs, left Hong Kong on Sunday and was seeking asylum in Ecuador. Five things to know about his admitted leaker and his future:

THE LEAK: Snowden disclosed surveillance programs that collect vast amounts of online data and email, sometimes sweeping up information on ordinary American citizens. Officials have the ability to collect phone and Internet information broadly but need a warrant to examine specific cases where they believe terrorism is involved. The revelation sparked debate about government surveillance and post-Sept. 11 civil liberties.

Since revealing himself as the principal source for reports in The Guardian and The Washington Post, Snowden had been in hiding in Hong Kong. The United States had sought his extradition but officials in Hong Kong rejected that, saying the U.S. petition didn't pass muster. The former CIA operative and NSA contractor has had his passport revoked, although that alone was unlikely to thwart Snowden's travel if he could find a friendly government to host him.

Before the first stories were published, Snowden left Hawaii for Hong Kong. While there, he continued speaking to reporters and disclosing other details. This weekend, he left Hong Kong with advisers from WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that helped disclose a trove of diplomatic cables that embarrassed Washington. He is said to have arrived in Moscow but did not leave the airport. His allies say he is en route to Ecuador, which has an extradition treaty with the United States but permits exemptions for political asylum. Ecuador's embassy in London has housed and protected WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange.

The United States unsuccessfully sought cooperation from Hong Kong to extradite Snowden to the United States to face criminal charges. Instead, Snowden shuttled to Russia, with which the United States does not have an extradition treaty. His potential next stops were just as dicey for the United States: Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador. All three have extradition treaties with the United States, but none are strong allies. U.S. lawmakers said Sunday there would be consequences for countries that harbor Snowden.
Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com/smart-card-IC-card_c504 for more information.