New envoy of Aamerica to India

In the midst of what is seen as a cooling period in relations between India and the US, the Obama administration has named career diplomat Nancy Powell as America’s next ambassador to India.
The appointment of Powell, 64, former US ambassador to Pakistan, will take effect when confirmed by the US Senate. Considered an expert on South Asia, she is currently serving as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources in the Department of State.
In a statement announcing Powell’s appointment, President Barack Obama described her as a fine public servant who would bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to her new role. He said America would be well-served by her and that he looked forward to working with her in the months and years to come.
The US Ambassador’s post in New Delhi has been lying vacant since June when Tim Roemer left India before completing his full term, citing personal reasons. Peter Burleigh has been officiating as Charge d’affaires since then.
The tough-talking Powell served the US in Islamabad from 2002-2004 when tension between India and Pakistan was extremely high in the wake of the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001.
One Indian diplomat recalled her speech in Karachi in January 2003 when she accused Pakistan of serving as a "platform for terrorism" and warned that this must stop. Powell also asked the Pakistan authorities to ensure that militant groups were not able to cross into Jammu and Kashmir.
Powell's comments were then seen as unusually strong for a serving American Ambassador in Pakistan and amounting to a rebuke to the Pervez Musharraf regime in Islamabad. On several other occasions during her stint in Islamabad, Powell was unsparing in her criticism of the Pakistan government on the issue of terrorism.
Apart from Pakistan, she served her country as its ambassador to Nepal, Ghana and Uganda. Her other overseas assignments included service in Ottawa, Kathmandu, Islamabad, Lome, Kolkata, New Delhi and Dhaka.
Once her appointment is approved by the Senate, Powell will take charge of her assignment in New Delhi at a time when the warmth in bilateral ties between India and the US has subsided somewhat after the historic visit of President Obama to India last November.
The landmark India-US civil nuclear deal is languishing due to differences between the two sides over its operationalisation. Washington is not happy with India’s Civil Nuclear Liability Law, contending that American nuclear companies have reservations about the liability clause. New Delhi argues that the act, which provides a ‘level-playing field' to all nuclear players, can’t be amended as it is the property of Parliament.

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Mr. Houlan clearify to PM Bhattarai.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yang Houlan met Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Thursday at PM’s official residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu in order to clarify over the postponement of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s visit to Nepal.

The Chinese envoy clarified the visit of the Chinese leader has been deferred citing Jiabao’s ‘inevitable presence’ in Beijing at this period of time.

Houlan has requested Bhattarai to ‘reschedule’ it for some time. “The Chinese leader will visit Nepal soon,” he added but did not mention when.

“We are really sorry to inform you about our premier’s inability to visit Nepal now,” told Chinese envoy to Bhattarai.

Jiabao’s was slated to arrive in Nepal on a three-day official visit on December 20, until the Northern neighbour cancelled it on Tuesday, citing that his presence in Beijing became necessary to be engaged in economic and budgetary issues.

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Moscow in a show of anger over disputed parliamentary polls.

The opposition says the protest - on an island just south of the Kremlin - could become the largest the country has seen in two decades.

Smaller rallies have taken place in cities across the country.

Protesters allege there was widespread fraud in Sunday's polls - though the ruling United Russia party saw its share of the vote fall sharply.

Hundreds of people have been arrested during anti-Putin protests over the past week, mainly in Moscow and St Petersburg.

At least 50,000 police and riot troops were deployed in Moscow ahead of Saturday's protests.

Authorities have permitted up to 30,000 to attend the demonstration dubbed "For Fair Elections".

Rallies have seen thousands turn out in cities in across the Urals and Siberia and as far east as Vladivostok, seven timezones to the east of Moscow, where several hundred people marched earlier on Saturday.

Protest relocated

Police say at least 15,000 people - among them communists, nationalists and liberals - have so far thronged in Moscow, and more crowds are heading towards the rally.

In Moscow, the two sides reached a deal by which authorities would allow a high turnout if the rally was relocated from central Revolution Square to Bolotnaya Square, a narrow island in the Moscow River where access points can be easily controlled.

Hundreds of police are standing by to make sure they don't rally in Revolution Square.

The BBC's Daniel Sandford in Moscow says in the past week, the city has resembled a police state rather than a democracy.

If the protests come even close to expectations, they will shake the 12-year-long political domination of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, he says.

The authorities permitted demonstrations to take place in specific locations in certain cities after negotiations with opposition leaders.

In St Petersburg, 13,000 people have pledged on the social networking site Vkontakte to take part in protests, with another 20,000 saying they might take part.

An hour before the protest was set to begin, small crowds were forming in an unauthorised spot in St Petersburg, reports the BBC's Richard Galpin - and scuffles had already broken out between demonstrators and police apparently attempting to make some arrests.

Authorities have granted permission for a demonstration in one location, but say protests anywhere else will be illegal and will be dealt with.

Continue reading the main story

RUSSIA'S NEW DISSENT

• 24 Sept: Vladimir Putin announces he is aiming to return to the presidency for a third term, to dismay of liberal opponents
• 20 Nov: Putin booed at martial arts fight
• 4 Dec: Parliamentary elections: United Russia win, but suffer sharp drop in support to under 50%
• 5 and 6 Dec: Mass protests in Moscow and elsewhere; protesters chant "Russia without Putin!" Hundreds are arrested
• 10 Dec: Fresh protests called

The official results of the elections to Russia's Duma showed that the ruling United Russia party saw its share of the vote fall from 64% to 49%, though it remained easily the biggest party.

But there is a widespread view, fuelled by mobile phone videos and accounts on internet social networking sites, that there was wholesale election fraud and that Mr Putin's party cheated its way to victory, our correspondent says.

On Friday, the presidential Council for Human Rights advising Mr Medvedev said the reports of vote-rigging were of deep concern, and that the elections should be rerun if they were confirmed.

However the council has no power to order a fresh ballot, correspondents say.

Earlier this week, security experts said attempts had been made to counter online dissent in Russia, with hijacked PCs being used to drown out online chat on Twitter.

Analysis of the many pro-Kremlin messages posted to some discussions suggested they were sent by machines, according to security firm Trend Micro.

Momentum

The authorities have arrested hundreds of people

These are the most significant street protests against Mr Putin since he took power, our correspondent says - but at this point they are not drawing the big numbers they would need to really put the Kremlin in trouble.

It will be a question of seeing whether the momentum builds and spreads from the metropolitan middle classes.

Even so, our correspondent adds, it is an extraordinary thing to witness Mr Putin under fire like this.

Mr Putin, who was president between 2000 and 2008, remains widely predicted to win a presidential election in March.

On Thursday, he blamed the US for stoking the recent unrest, after Secretary of State Hilary Clinton expressed reservations over the poll.

The prime minister said Mrs Clinton's remarks had "set the tone for some opposition activists".

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