In a surprise move, a Russian court has bumped up the date of its ruling in the high-profile trial of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, seemingly to avoid protests in his support.
Along with his brother Oleg, Alexei Navalny is charged with defrauding a French cosmetics company, though the cosmetics company says that no crime has been committed by the two men. Prosecutors are asking that the brothers be sentenced to between eight and ten years in prison for stealing 30 million rubles (about $535,00)
Navalny and his supporters say the charges are politically motivated. The anti-corruption crusader and blogger has long been an outspoken critic of the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin. Read more...
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