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Mikhail Voskresensky / Reuters
Prominent anti-corruption blogger and opposition figure Alexei Navalny leaves the Investigative Committee in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday.
MOSCOW -- Russian investigators charged street protest leader Alexei Navalny with theft Tuesday and banned him from leaving the country, threatening a heavy jail term in what supporters say is a growing crackdown on dissent by President Vladimir Putin.
Navalny, an anti-corruption blogger who has organized demonstrations that have dented Putin's authority, dismissed the charge as absurd and other opposition leaders accused Putin of using KGB-style tactics to try to silence his critics.
Other moves which the opposition depict as a crackdown on dissent since Putin began a six-year term in May include a law increasing fines for protesters, closer controls of the Internet and tighter rules for foreign-funded campaign and lobby groups.
Russia's federal Investigative Committee said in a statement that Navalny, 36, had been charged over the theft of timber from a state firm while he was advising a regional governor in 2009, and he could face a 10-year sentence.
"I have been charged and ordered not to leave," Navalny said after emerging from the Investigative Committee headquarters, where he had been summoned for the presentation of what he had expected would be a less severe charge.
Rock Center Correspondent Harry Smith journeyed to Moscow where he met blogger Alexei Navalny, a vocal opponent of Vladimir Putin and his party United Russia, ahead of the Russian presidential elections. Navalny galvanized protesters through social media and uses his website to expose alleged political corruption.
"This is really quite absurd and very strange because they have completely changed the essence of the accusation, compared to what it was before," Navalny, who had been questioned repeatedly since the case was opened in 2010, told reporters.
He made clear he would not be silenced. "I will continue to do what I have been doing, and in this sense nothing changes for me," said Navalny, who is also a lawyer. "We believe that what is happening now is illegal. We will use the methods of legal defense at our disposal. What else can we do?"
From March 2012: Anti-Putin activists pay high price, but refuse to back down
Leading voice of dissent
Navalny is one of the few people seen as capable of emerging as a viable leader of the fractious opposition, although critics say he has nationalist tendencies.
He gained prominence by fighting corruption at state-controlled companies and used the Internet to do so, appealing to a tech-savvy generation of urban Russians who have turned away from the mainstream media.
Before parliamentary elections last December he helped to energize a struggling opposition, popularizing a phrase referring to the ruling United Russia party, then headed by Putin, as the "party of swindlers and thieves."
'Serious problems' with vote that kept Putin in power, monitors say
He was also among the leaders of large protests prompted by allegations of fraud in the election on behalf of United Russia, which saw its big majority in parliament cut to a handful of seats despite the accusations that it had cheated.
'Mortal fear'
"This case has been fabricated from beginning to end," said Boris Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister who is a prominent Putin opponent. "The true reason for what is happening is Putin's mortal fear of losing power. ... He is wildly afraid of the opposition, including Navalny."
More Europe coverage from NBCNews.com
In a reference to the Cheka secret police, a precursor of the Soviet KGB, Nemtsov said: "Putin is using traditional Chekist methods. ... Fabricated cases, charges, arrests, jail."
Putin won a presidential election on March 4 despite the largest protests since the start of his 12-year rule, during which he has served as president for eight years and as prime minister for four. At times attendance at the rallies reached more than 100,000, witnesses said, although they have become less frequent since Putin returned to power.
But opponents say a series of steps he has taken in recent months to tighten control show the former KGB agent is worried about losing his grip on the world's largest country.
Punk rockers go on trial over anti-Putin church protest
Tough censorship law
Putin, who has repeatedly warned against rocking the boat in speeches since his election, signed a law on Monday toughening punishment for defamation and another on Tuesday that opponents say could be used to censor the Internet.
More Russia coverage from NBCNews.com
In a case which critics say will indicate how he plans to treat opponents during his new term, three women from the punk band "Pussy Riot" went on trial Monday over an unsanctioned protest performance at the altar of Russia's main cathedral, where they called on the Virgin Mary to "throw Putin out!"
Three female punk rockers are put on trial in Russia after taking over the pulpit at an Orthodox cathedral and performing a controversial song criticizing President Putin. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Their trial entered its second day Tuesday in a Moscow court, and they face up to seven years in jail over a protest they say was aimed against the close relationship between Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church.
Navalny had been detained and served brief terms in custody several times over administrative offenses linked to the protests, but had never been charged with a more serious crime.
Complete international coverage on NBCNews.com
Lawyers for Navalny had said Friday they expected he would be charged over the case in Kirov province. But they had expected him to face a different charge punishable by up to five years in jail, rather than 10.
The Investigative Committee said more than 10,000 cubic meters of timber were stolen as the result of a plot between Navalny and two company chiefs, causing the regional government to lose more than 16 million roubles ($497,000).
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Vlad Raz_Putin strikes once again!
"tighter rules for foreign-funded campaign and lobby groups."
huh, sounds like an anti-corruption act to me.
I agree, foreign money should not be allowed to enter into campaigns. Here in the US, candidates for office are not allowed to accept contributions from foreign donors or sources. Remember when money that was donated to the Clinton campaign was determined to have come from China, Clinton had to return the donation. To me it makes perfect sense to stop foreign money from being used in political campaigns in any country, not just in Russia. The fact that people are trying to portray efforts on Putin's part to stop foreign money from being used in politics shows just how anti-Putin some people are. I am not saying that Putin is an angel, there are a lot of things he does that I do not like, but this is one case where he is definitely on the right side of the issue. I also do not have a problem with Putin signing a law toughening the punishments for defamation. I think that people who make up lies about others to hurt them get off far too lightly.
Is Putin using his old KGB methods in an attempt to maintain power in Russia??? I would not doubt it one bit. I think that Putin will control Russia for as long as Putin wants to control Russia. He knows where all the skeletons are and knows how to manipulate the system to his advantage. The real question is whether or not this is a good or bad thing for Russia. Russia has been on quite a wild ride since the fall of the Soviet Union and have had some disastrous results from well meaning attempts at reform so maybe a little stability is not a bad thing. I do not believe in rigging elections and if Putin is guilty of that he should be exposed. The opposition has made a lot of accusations, but the significant weakening of the United Russia party's majority in parliament to just a few seats seems to indicate that if they are rigging elections, they are not very good at it. Putin may not be very popular with a lot of the younger generation of Russians, but he is extremely popular among older Russians. This is how he manages to maintain control even though you seem to see so much negative about him. The younger generation is more media savvy than the older generation, and this is particularly true in Russia. There is a large, relatively silent group that strongly supports Putin and they are the ones that voted for him and kept him in power. If the new generation wants to unseat Putin they need to realize that internet media campaigns can't get the job done because too many people in Russia, particularly the older Russians do not see these campaigns and may not even use the internet at all - but that does not mean they do not vote. It will take real face to face, old style politics to unseat Putin.
JS,
Putin staying in power is absolutely a bad thing. Putin wants a return to the USSR, he wants Russia to become a militant authoritarian country and another superpower. He's been making the former Eastern bloc countries very very nervous.
Remember annexation tends to be initiated by a statement of "we're helping our lost brothers return to the X / Y / Z".
Putin making Russia strong is a good thing for the world's political balance. Those who claim he wants to go back to a Soviet Union style are ignorant.
Russia has no debt and its economy continues to grow, they just need to diversify some more, most of their revenue comes from selling natural resources, they need to go back to developing high tech. There was a lot of corruption during Boris Yeltsin years, some foreigners would like a weak Russia.
Putin is not an angel, but he is the tough guy Russia needs to move forward, that is why people vote for him.
Russia is corrupt today! One of the world's most corrupt countries, led by a dictator named Vladimir Putin, who has been in power for more than a decade and will rule for at least 14 more years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index
Critical times hard to deal with, will be here.
when will putin get cancer? comon team cancer where are u!?!?
Putin's authoritarian ways will continue unheeded. Are we sure the SU is gone forever?
So this is the guy that Barry Obama told that he'd more flexibility after the election? Sounds to me like they both need the boot.
romney raised million in israel just now while he was there.
Putin -- once KGB, always KGB ...
The man has been killing journalists and jailing political opponents for years. It's quite obvious he is a fully fledged dictator at this point and the people of Russia should fight for their freedom.
The man has been killing journalists and jailing political opponents for years. It's quite obvious he is a fully fledged dictator at this point and the people of Russia should fight for their freedom or suffer the dire consequences.
Somehow nobody caught the memo that the KGB was supposed to be disbanded. Believe me, it is still there and Putin will use it to get everything he wants. How can anyone argue with a spy agency that 'doesn't exist' any more?
Do you want drugey female punk rockers to make government policy? Get a grip people! This is Putins Russia
Gross Domestic Product: CNBC Explains
Published: Thursday, 3 Nov 2011 | 10:50 PM ET
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By: Mark Koba
Senior
Editor
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The gross domestic product or GDP,
is arguably the most important indicator on the health of a country's economy.
So what statistics are used to
determine GDP? How does it affect the markets and the average citizen? CNBC
explains.
What is
GDP?
GDP represents the total dollar
value of all goods and services produced over a specific time period. In short,
it's everything produced by people and businesses, including salaries of
workers.
GDP figures are calculated and
released every business quarter by the Bureau of Economic
Analysis, which is part of the Department
of Commerce. The BEA often revises estimates—either up or down—as it receives
better data throughout the next quarter. (More on this later)
Usually, GDP is a comparison to
the previous quarter or year. For example, if the second quarter GDP is up 3
,percent this means that the economy has grown by 3 percent over the first
quarter.
How is GDP Calculated?
Measuring GDP is a bit complicated
but the calculation can be done in one of two ways—by adding up what everyone
earned in a year, or by adding up what everyone spent. Both measures should
arrive at about the same total.
The income method is arrived at by
adding up total compensation to employees, gross profits for incorporated and
non incorporated firms, and taxes less any subsidies from the government.
The expenditure method, which is
more commonly used by the BEA, is calculated by adding total consumption,
investment, government spending and net exports.
All the statistics for either
measurement are gathered by the BEA.
What is nominal GDP and
what is real GDP?
This may be a bit technical, but
in essence, nominal GDP does not take into account
inflation,
and real GDP does. But it is an important
distinction because this is why some GDP reports get revised.
Nominal GDP measures the value of
output during a given quarter or year using the prices of that time period. But
the general level of prices can rise due to inflation, leading to an increase in
nominal GDP even if the volume of goods and services produced is unchanged.
However, the nominal GDP figures won't reflect the increase in prices. This is
where real GDP comes in.
The BEA will go back to a quarter
or yearly period and measure the value of goods and services adjusted for
inflation. This is real GDP. For year over year GDP growth, "real GDP" is
usually used, as it gives a more accurate view of the economy.
Both nominal GDP and real GDP
statistics are released by the BEA.
How does the GDP affect
the average citizen?
When the economy is healthy, there
is usually low unemployment
and wage increases, as businesses demand
labor to meet the growing economy.
However, if the GDP growth rate is
speeding up too fast, the Federal Reserve
may raise interest rates to stem
inflation—or the rising of prices for good and services. That could mean loans
for cars and homes would be more expensive. Businesses too would find the cost
of borrowing for expansion and hiring to be on the rise.
If GDP is slowing down, or is
negative, it can lead to fears of a recession
which means layoffs and unemployment and
declining business revenues and consumer spending.
The GDP report is also a way to
look at which sectors of the economy are growing and which are declining. It can
also help gear workers toward training in those sectors that are growing.
How does the GDP affect
investors?
Investors look at GDP growth to
see if the economy is changing rapidly so they can adjust their asset
allocation. A bad economy usually means lower profits for companies, which in
turn means lower stock prices for some firms.
Do you want female punk rockers with the name of Pussy Riot to make government policy? This is Putins Russia
Do you want a drugey female punk rock group to make Russian policy. Get a grip people. This is Russia's Putin:
http.//www.youtube.com/embed/k9
Let me try that again:
http.//www.youtube.com/embed/KgoapkOo4vg?rel=0
There are some extremely courageous people in today's Russia, true Freedom Fighters.....may their numbers increase!
Putin is like an old book. In reality he is a pure throwback to the Communist days of the Red Terror, a true worshipper of Stalin and his butcher, Dzerzhinskiy, whose writings and methods are more than "biblical" to him. He can be expected to follow the old SMERSH and NKVD/KGB "rules of engagement" once he gets to the point of pure Stalinism.
However, its is the "martyrs" that continue to lay their dwindling freedoms on the line that are the ones whose statues will adorn the halls of a Free Russia someday; Putin will become an embarrassment to the Russia of the Future.
Putin should try to learn from Mussolini, Kaddafi and Assad...but alas, he is too caught up in trying to "relive the past"......the "past" of Stalin.
God Bless the Russian People in their latest ordeal!