http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/archive/usa/latest/2654/2654.html Voice of America Tibetan news reporting on the United States. Text in English. Audio in Tibetan. http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/archive/usa/latest/2654/2654.html en 2012 - VOA 60 Sat, 16 Apr 2016 10:14:31 +0800 Pangea CMS – VOA Police have arrested more than 400 protesters who were demonstrating by the U.S. Capitol in Washington against the role of money in politics, saying the protesters engaged in "unlawful demonstration activity." Video of the protest Monday showed a police officer saying "If you don't want to be arrested, move on back to 1st street." U.S. Capitol Police said the demonstrators are being processed using mass arrest procedures. Some of the protestors were led away from the east front of the Capitol in plastic handcuffs. The protest was organized by a coalition of groups calling itself "Democracy Spring" which said on its website that the demonstration was held "to demand Congress take immediate action to end the corruption of big money in our politics and ensure free and fair elections in which every American has an equal voice." The demonstrators chanted slogans like "money out of politics." Some of them had marched from Philadelphia to Washington over the past week. WATCH: Related video of protesters at U.S. Capitol http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/hundreds-of-protesters-arrested-at-us-capitol/3281120.html http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/hundreds-of-protesters-arrested-at-us-capitol/3281120.html Tue, 12 Apr 2016 21:44:02 +0800 USAhttp://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/hundreds-of-protesters-arrested-at-us-capitol/3281120.html#relatedInfoContainer The United States is "very very concerned" about the increased fighting in Syria ahead of more peace talks and blames the Assad military for the violence. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the violence contravenes the cessation of hostilities signed in February ahead of the next round of talks to start Wednesday in Geneva. Toner said Monday that Secretary of State John Kerry wants to make sure "every extra effort is made in order to sustain and solidify the cessation of hostilities." Syrian forces signed the temporary cease-fire with several opposition groups, but not with Islamic State or Nusra Front. The United States and United Nations are worried that Syrian government assaults on the extremists could spread to opposition forces that are part of the cessation of hostilities. Toner said more clarity is needed on exactly what the Syrian army has planned and who it is targeting. The U.N. peace envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, says this week's talks in Geneva are "crucially important" because they will focus on a political transition  - a  major issue that has held up any true progress in ending the five years of civil war. The United States has called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a murderer who kills his own people and says he cannot be a part of Syria's future. Russia has said only Syrian people can make that decision. http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/us-very-concerned-about-increased-fighting-in-syria/3281115.html http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/us-very-concerned-about-increased-fighting-in-syria/3281115.html Tue, 12 Apr 2016 21:43:45 +0800 USAhttp://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/us-very-concerned-about-increased-fighting-in-syria/3281115.html#relatedInfoContainer U.S. President Barack Obama will likely ask for contributions to rebuild damaged areas of war-torn Iraq when he speaks with Gulf allies in Riyadh next week, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters Monday. Speaking aboard the USS Blue Ridge during a visit to India, Carter said repairing the destruction that has occurred in Iraq is necessary to making the eventual "defeat" of Islamic State “stick.” “That’s a global effort in which many countries can make a contribution,” Carter told reporters. Carter said the low price of oil has also made things more difficult for the Iraqi government. He added the U.S. will continue to provide support to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, as the success of the campaign against IS depends upon political progress as well. Secretary Carter will meet with defense leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council next week in Riyadh, where they will discuss how to advance the fight against the Islamic State. “We’re going to accelerate the military campaign as fast as we can,” Carter said. http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/obama-to-ask-gulf-nations-to-help-finance-iraq-rebuilding/3280176.html http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/obama-to-ask-gulf-nations-to-help-finance-iraq-rebuilding/3280176.html Tue, 12 Apr 2016 04:37:36 +0800 USAhttp://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/obama-to-ask-gulf-nations-to-help-finance-iraq-rebuilding/3280176.html#relatedInfoContainer U.S. President Barack Obama is guaranteeing he won't intervene in the government's investigation of how the leading Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, used a private server email account while she was his secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Obama told Fox News Sunday in an interview taped last week that Clinton did not jeopardize national security through use of the private email server routed through her home in New York, rather than a government email system in Washington. But he added that "there's a carelessness in terms of managing emails" that she has acknowledged. For her part, Clinton has called her use of the private email system while she was the country's top diplomat a mistake, but said that she did not send or receive any documents marked as classified at the time, although dozens have subsequently been redesignated as secret or top secret material. The top U.S. law enforcement agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has for months been investigating whether her use of the private email server compromised classified government documents, leaving a cloud over her campaign to become the country's first female president. Her Republican presidential opponents have often attacked her as endangering national security with the use of the email system. Some critics have suggested the Democratic president would intervene to protect the chances for his fellow Democrat to win the November election and replace him when he leaves office next January. But Obama rebuffed that idea. "I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department, or the FBI, not just in this case, but in any case," Obama said. Clinton has a substantial lead over her lone opponent, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. But Sanders has won eight of the last nine nominating contests, cutting into her lead in the race to claim a majority of delegates to July's national nominating convention. Obama touched on several other issues during the interview, including the nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court and how he deals with the threat of terrorism. On Garland's nomination, Obama said he will stick with him through the end of his term. "What I think we can't have, is a situation in which the Republican Senate simply says, 'Because it's a Democratic president, we are not going to do our job, have hearings, and have a vote,' " he said. On terrorism, Obama said he doesn't think Americans have made too much of the threat of terrorist attack. He also said he hasn't let acts of terror disrupt some of his regular activities because it's important to communicate a message of resilience and "that we don't panic, that we don't fear." On what he most looks forward to when leaving office: "Being able to take a walk outside." On his best and worst day in office. Obama said the best was the day health insurance reform passed and the worst was the day he traveled to Newtown, Connecticut, after the massacre at Sandy Hook. Some material for this report came from AP. WATCH: President Obama's weekly address http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/president-obama-no-political-influence-clinton-email-probe/3280174.html http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/president-obama-no-political-influence-clinton-email-probe/3280174.html Tue, 12 Apr 2016 04:32:01 +0800 USAhttp://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/president-obama-no-political-influence-clinton-email-probe/3280174.html#relatedInfoContainer If you go to just about any Bernie Sanders rally these days, you’ll feel it right away: the 74-year-old Vermont senator is really popular with young people. With his grumpy, plain-speaking demeanor and scraggly patch of white hair, the Democratic presidential candidate has somewhat improbably attracted huge crowds of energetic young progressives to his campaign events. They come to hear Sanders essentially give the same speech every time: He says public colleges should be free. He calls for a single-payer, universal health care system. He wants the minimum wage doubled. He’ll break up the big banks. The proposals are all part of what the Sanders calls a “political revolution,” a self-described democratic socialist vision that in many ways would fundamentally restructure how the U.S. federal government relates to its people. Sanders' campaign also provides a stark contrast, both in terms of policy and approach, to that of his rival, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Sanders dominating youth vote Clinton, who generally takes more centrist Democratic views, has a large delegate lead and likely will emerge as the Democratic nominee. But it doesn’t take much digging into polling data to find a clear trend: young Democrats, especially those in the millennial generation, prefer Sanders to Clinton. And it’s not even close. For months, Sanders’ support among 18-29-year-olds nationwide has hovered around 70 percent, compared to about 30 percent for Clinton, according to Reuters polling data. His dominance of the youth demographic was on display once again in the latest state to hold a primary, Wisconsin, which he won with the help of a stunning 82 percent of those in the 18-29 year old age bracket, according to exit polls. That's a pretty typical result for Sanders in most states this primary season. The septuagenarian senator even has dominated the youth vote in states Clinton has won. In Florida, for example, which Clinton took in a landslide last month, young Democrats supported Sanders over Clinton by a margin of 64 to 35 percent. Democratic Socialism: the future? Sanders’ extreme popularity with youth voters raises the question: do his democratic socialist ideas represent the future of the Democratic Party? One of the most prominent figures in America’s political left, Noam Chomsky, thinks that’s very possible. He says the rise of Sanders represents a return to the Democratic Party of the middle 20th century, which was far more liberal than the party is today. “His campaign has, so far, restored some of the concerns and aspirations of the reformist New Deal Period,” Chomsky told VOA in an email. Chomsky, who identifies as a libertarian socialist, was referring to the “New Deal” domestic relief programs put in place in the 1930s by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The New Deal, a response to the Great Depression, helped bring about many government welfare programs, including the Social Security safety net for seniors, which is widely popular with voters across the political spectrum. There is still support for expanding such programs, says Chomsky, but he is reluctant to predict that Sanders' rise means there will be an organized democratic socialist wing within the party anytime soon. Will the Democratic Socialist trend last? Others argue that many of Sanders’ young supporters will become more moderate, mainstream Democrats as they get older, and eventually reject the more fringe, “socialist” views of their youth. But there's not actually much evidence to suggest that's the case, says John Sides, a political science professor at George Washington University. “Instead, political attitudes mostly tend to harden over the lifespan,” says Sides. “The aging process is mainly reinforcing your views, not moving them in any particular ideological direction.” David Sears, who studies political psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, agrees. "The 'aging produces conservatism' idea is pretty widespread," he told VOA. "But I don't know that there is a lot of positive evidence for it." Sears says political attitudes are determined in large part by the popularity of whoever the president is when voters reach their late teens and early 20s. In this case, that would be Barack Obama, whose popularity has continued to rise as he prepares to leave office in January. As a result, "the young Bernie supporters are likely to look unusually progressive when they are 50," concludes Sears. So does that settle it? Will the Democratic presidential nominee 30 years from now look something like Bernie Sanders and espouse his democratic socialist ideas? Ideology or character? Will Marshall, who heads the Progressive Policy Institute, a research organization that represents more centrist liberal views, doubts that will be the case. He points out that many young Democrats are attracted to Sanders for non-ideological reasons. “Some of them clearly are [motivated by Sanders’ political views], but I don’t think that explains the extraordinarily large margins he’s rolled up with millennial voters,” Marshall says. “What Bernie offers is authenticity, simplicity, principles, clarity – things that people who are deeply estranged from traditional politics are interested in." Sanders’ perceived trustworthiness does seem to be a major factor for many of his supporters, according to polling data. In Tuesday’s exit polls in Wisconsin, 82 percent of Democratic voters said Sanders is more honest and trustworthy than Clinton. And most voters ranked honesty and trustworthiness as their most important concern. Economic concerns Another reason young voters may be attracted to Sanders is that they are often the most affected by a sluggish economy. Sanders has tailored his campaign to appeal to college students and recent graduates who are saddled with massive student loan debt or who have had difficulties entering the job market. If those economic concerns were to be addressed, would there still be such an appetite among young voters for European-style social welfare programs? Marshall says no. He predicts that an economy strengthened through more traditional liberal market policies will “restore the normal balances of American politics.” Anti-establishment sentiment The uniqueness of Sanders' political views, especially during an election that has been dominated by anti-establishment sentiment, may actually be another factor driving his popularity, according to some analysts. No self-described "socialist" presidential candidate has ever had this much success in a U.S. presidential election. Could that actually be one of the things that is actually making him more attractive? According to Peter Hart of the Hart Research organization, many young voters may be for Sanders simply because he represents something they've never tried before. “There’s a willingness to look at what’s going on in America and say, ‘We need to change. We’re unhappy with the status quo. We don’t necessarily know the answer, but we’re willing to look around for solutions,'” Hart says. Unrealistic expectations But what happens if Sanders loses his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination? Will his supporters, who have become energized to enter the political process, once again find themselves burned out and disappointed? Garry South, a veteran Democratic strategist, says that's the danger of building up "unrealistic expectations." "It's an attractive pitch to millennials, and they're buying into it with a great deal of enthusiasm. But it's not going to happen," South insists. "We're not going to have free college for all. It's never going to happen." "And at the end of the day, when you try to be a 'Pied Piper' and then you don't lead everyone to the promised land, there's a disillusionment that sets in," he adds. Sanders has repeatedly stressed that his campaign has been about more than just trying to get him elected president. Instead, he says, it is about building a movement for social change. Many of Sanders' most loyal devotees are getting that message, according to Ken Quam, a 32-year-old database administrator who helped form a grassroots volunteer organization supporting Sanders in the Washington, D.C. area. "The message is being heard, and people know we need to stay involved and continue to be involved in the political process after the election," Quam told VOA. "If Sanders loses, I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing." http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/are-sanders-young-supporters-future-of-democratic-party/3274961.html http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/are-sanders-young-supporters-future-of-democratic-party/3274961.html Fri, 08 Apr 2016 01:21:00 +0800 USAhttp://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/are-sanders-young-supporters-future-of-democratic-party/3274961.html#relatedInfoContainer The leaders of more than 50 nations who met in Washington about nuclear security and terrorism agreed on the actions they will take together to reduce the risks facing the world, but President Barack Obama says the hard work starts now, building on the summit's accomplishments. The global effort to keep nuclear materials secure has made important progress, Obama told Americans Saturday. "As terrorists and criminal gangs look around for the deadly ingredients for a nuclear device, vast regions of the world are now off limits."   Summarizing the summit, Obama said "no terrorist group has yet succeeded in obtaining a nuclear device or producing a dirty bomb using radioactive materials." However, he added that al-Qaida, Islamic State and other terror groups certainly have tried to do so. WATCH: Related video U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who was at the summit, "wholeheartedly" endorsed the communique and action plan agreed by the participants. He called on the entire world to sustain and build on the momentum the summit achieved, by "developing concrete recommendations on the nexus between nuclear terrorism and cyber security." Obama is following up the meetings on nuclear security with White House talks on Monday with NATO's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg. They will discuss the fight against Islamic State extremists and other terrorists, as well as the refugee crisis in Europe and plans for a NATO summit conference in Poland three months from now. Brussels attacks a shock to all The devastating attacks in Brussels on March 22 were not specifically aimed at NATO's headquarters there, but Islamic State's suicide-bomb assault on the city's airport and subway was a shock to the alliance, to the European Union and other international institutions based in the Belgian capital. Despite the bloodshed in Western Europe, Islamic State "continues to lose ground" in Syria and Iraq, Obama said in his weekly address to the nation, broadcast Saturday from the hall where the summit took place. "Our coalition continues to take out [IS] leaders, including those planning terrorist attacks against our countries," the president said. "They're losing their oil infrastructure and revenues [and] their morale is suffering." Obama said he has invited all nations represented at the nuclear security summit to join the U.S. "in a broader discussion among our intelligence and security services, on how we can improve information sharing to prevent terrorist attacks."   As Obama and Stoltenberg look at the effort to degrade and destroy the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, U.S. officials said they also will review NATO's efforts to control and alleviate the refugee crisis confronting Western Europe. Terrorists disguised as refugees Islamic State's savage tactics in the Syrian civil war - beheadings, torture and human trafficking in areas they control - have caused much of the refugee exodus in recent months. At the same time, the terror network also has infiltrated the massive tide of refugees, sending IS assassins into the West disguised as victims of war. During the two-day summit, leaders concentrated on both the need to reduce world stockpiles of nuclear materials as well as the particular risk that terror groups could acquire radioactive substances. "Working with other nations, we have removed or secured enough nuclear material for more than 150 nuclear materials," Obama said, adding that "this is material that will now never fall into the hands of terrorists." More than a dozen nations have disposed of their entire supplies of highly enriched uranium and plutonium — the radioactive elements necessary to build nuclear bombs, the president said, declaring this is "significant and meaningful" progress. Still, Obama noted, some countries' nuclear arsenals are expanding, and stocks of plutonium are growing. Summit highlights need for collaboration During six years of international meetings on nuclear security, which he initiated, the U.S. president said, "We’ve embraced a new type of thinking and a new type of action." "This is a perfect example of a 21st-century security challenge that no one nation can solve alone," Obama said at the summit's plenary session Friday. "It requires coalitions and sustained coordination across borders and institutions." He also met with a smaller gathering of the nations mostly closely involved in last year's nuclear agreement with Iran. Obama said that deal was "a substantial success ... focused on the dangers of nuclear proliferation in a real way." Threat from North Korea   This year's nuclear security summit also focused on North Korea's nuclear-weapons development program. Obama met with leaders from South Korea and Japan about North Korea's provocative gestures and actions, and he also held a separate private meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who said "We want to enhance communication and coordination on the Korean nuclear issue and other regional and global issues." While some nuclear proliferation experts expressed optimism over China's verbal commitments to keeping the regime of Kim Jong Un in check, they also said China needs to safeguard its own growing nuclear capabilities. "The United States is very grateful that China is participating," said Debra Decker of the Washington-based Stimson Center. "China is going to be a leader in the international world market for power reactors, and they may be, probably in the next 10 years, the largest possessor of nuclear power reactors. "If China wants to go forward and say they have the best power plants and [wishes] to export them," they need to prove that they can adhere to baseline nuclear safety protocols, she added. The U.S. and other world powers may be experiencing a heightened sense of urgency in securing nuclear material and sites from terrorists following the March 22 attacks in Brussels, and subsequent reports that IS members also were plotting to gain information about a Belgian nuclear facility. Nuclear sites' security One U.S. lawmaker, Congressman Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "We should assume terrorists will continue to seek out the weakest links at nuclear facilities around the globe." World leaders also are concerned about the security of nuclear materials and facilities in countries such as nuclear armed Pakistan, where a terrorist attack in Lahore last Sunday killed more than 70 people, many of them Christians celebrating the Easter holiday. Experts say security gaps remain for several reasons: there still is no international framework to monitor nuclear materials; some countries are unwilling to open up supplies intended for commercial use, and some militaries have been unable to agree on how to deal with their nuclear material. "If you wanted to cause a nuclear incident, you might look for the country with the most vulnerable reactors," said James Andrew Lewis, head of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. VOA White House correspondent Mary Alice Salinas, Katherine Gypson, Kenneth Schwartz and Li Bao of VOA's Mandarin Service contributed to this report.   http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/obama-hails-summit-accord-but-says-nuclear-terrorism-still-a-risk/3268419.html http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/obama-hails-summit-accord-but-says-nuclear-terrorism-still-a-risk/3268419.html Mon, 04 Apr 2016 23:31:11 +0800 USAhttp://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/obama-hails-summit-accord-but-says-nuclear-terrorism-still-a-risk/3268419.html#relatedInfoContainer U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Brussels on Friday "to formally express the condolences of the United States for the loss of life" in Tuesday's deadly attacks in the Belgian capital. "He will reiterate the strong support of the United States for Belgian efforts to both investigate these attacks and continue contributing to international efforts to counter violent extremism," State Department spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday. Earlier, Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the United States is prepared to give Belgian authorities information, capability, technology and anything else to help the county fight and prevent acts of terrorism. Biden made his comments during a visit to Belgium's embassy in Washington to sign a condolence book. In Brussels, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on the European parliament to act on authorizing a passenger name record (PNR) for Europe.  Speaking after a meeting Wednesday with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Valls said the West is dealing with a terrorist organization that has been able to establish terrorist cells at the heart of Western societies. Meanwhile, France's ministers of interior, defense and transport visited Paris' main airport to meet with security forces there.  Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that an additional 1,600 security officers had been deployed across the country following the Brussels attacks.      France remains in a state of emergency after terrorist attacks killed 130 people and wounded more than 350 last November in Paris. At the Vatican, Pope Francis led thousands of people in silent prayer for the victims of the attacks at Brussels' airport and in its subway.  The pope also appealed to “all persons of good will to unite in unanimous condemnation” of the attacks causing death, horror and sorrow. Belgian vulnerability The explosions in Belgium's capital, Brussels, occurred within a few kilometers of the area that is home to the headquarters of NATO and the European Union, the European continent’s core institutions, heightening concerns about security in the Belgium capitol. Official estimates last year said nearly 500 young Muslim residents of Belgium have traveled to Syria or Iraq to join extremist groups, making it the European country with the highest number of foreign fighters per capita. Belgium’s small size has also meant that it has fewer anti-terrorism resources compared to larger nations like the United States, Britain or France. In addition to a lack of resources, observers say institutional fragmentation and poor intelligence sharing have hampered Belgium's ability to counter terrorism.  “Brussels itself has 19 municipalities and six different police forces, which presents an obvious operational challenge,” Benoit Gomis, a specialist on terrorism and European defense at Chatham House in London, told VOA. Tuesday’s attacks could spark a new, unified push to help Belgium boost its security infrastructure. “Above all, it will be critical for the EU to substantively improve intelligence sharing among member states,” Florian Otto told VOA.  Otto notes measures were already agreed after last year’s Paris attacks, which were largely organized in Belgium. Analysts say Tuesday’s attacks could see the idea of a joint EU intelligence unit put back on the agenda.  Other areas include counter-radicalization efforts and combined operations to combat arms trafficking. Such a coordinated approach could trigger opposition in some European governments that are already wary of EU overreach, one of the issues driving the desire among some in Britain to break away from the grouping. Governments across Europe have announced measures to boost security at borders and transit points.   In a televised statement from NATO headquarters in Brussels, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the bloc stands with its ally Belgium "on this dark day.”   He said this “cowardly” act with a “heavy” and “tragic” human toll is an attack on democratic values and open societies, adding that “terrorism will not defeat democracy and take away our freedoms.” European Union Council President Donald Tusk said he was appalled by the attacks and offered Europe's support.     Tusk said that “these attacks mark another low by the terrorists in the service of hatred and violence,” adding that the EU “will fulfill its role to help Brussels, Belgium and Europe as a whole counter the terror threat” they are facing. “Through these attacks in Brussels, it was all of Europe that was hit,” wrote French President Francois Hollande (@fhollande) on Twitter.   Following an emergency Cabinet meeting in London, British Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the blasts and said Europe should stand together.  "We will never let these terrorists win," Cameron said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, called for solidarity with Belgium, writing on Twitter that “terrorists will never win.”  He added that “our European values [are] much stronger than hate, violence, terror!” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the West's politics of “double standards” have led to terrorist attacks and that frozen diplomatic relations between NATO and Russia have slowed the fight against terrorism.  But the Kremlin offered its condolences and expressed solidarity with Belgium. (VOA's Cindy Saine contributed to this report from Mosow) Photo Blog: Belgium Mourns Terror Attack Victims http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/europe-us-call-for-solidarity-with-belgium/3251520.html http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/europe-us-call-for-solidarity-with-belgium/3251520.html Thu, 24 Mar 2016 03:34:57 +0800 USAhttp://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/europe-us-call-for-solidarity-with-belgium/3251520.html#relatedInfoContainer U.S. officials took immediate protective steps against a new terrorist attack Tuesday in the hours after three deadly explosions rocked the airport and a subway station in Brussels. The U.S. embassy in Brussels recommended that Americans stay where they are and avoid public transportation in the Belgian capital. It said U.S. citizens there should monitor media reports, follow instructions from authorities and "take the appropriate steps to bolster your personal security." Security adjustments The U.S. Homeland Security agency said it is closely monitoring developments in the Brussels attacks and said it "will not hesitate to adjust our security posture, as appropriate, to protect the American people." It urged the public to immediately report any suspicious activity to local authorities wherever they are. One senior U.S. intelligence official said, "The intelligence community continues to assess the situation in Brussels and is staying in close contact with our Belgian and European partners." President Barack Obama, on the third day of a visit to Cuba, was briefed on the Brussels attacks. New York, Washington New York and Washington authorities boosted security patrols in the wake of the attacks. New York police said there was no indication the Brussels explosions were related to the biggest U.S. city, but said officers had been dispatched to crowded areas and transit locations "out of an abundance of caution to provide police presence and public reassurance." In Washington, the regional subway system sent officers with bomb-sniffing dogs into train stations for security checks, although it too said the patrols were precautionary and that there were no known credible threats against the national capital. National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/us-takes-protective-steps-against-new-terror-attack/3249216.html http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/us-takes-protective-steps-against-new-terror-attack/3249216.html Wed, 23 Mar 2016 00:46:56 +0800 USAhttp://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/us-takes-protective-steps-against-new-terror-attack/3249216.html#relatedInfoContainer U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday acknowledged the difficult history between the U.S. and Cuba, but offered a "message of peace" to the Cuban people as he neared the end of a landmark visit to the communist country. "Havana is only 90 miles (145 kilometers)  from Florida, but to get here we had to travel a great distance over barriers of history and ideology, barriers of pain and separation," Obama told a crowd at the historic El Gran Teatra de Havana. Obama said the differences between the Washington and Havana governments "are real and they are important," but he said both sides can still move forward with a historic normalization of relations. 'Bury the last remnant' "I have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas," Obama declared confidently, as Cuban President Raul Castro looked on from an upper balcony. "I have come here to extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people." WATCH: U.S. President Obama addresses Cuban people from Havana Obama also called for an end to the decades-old U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, which he called an "outdated burden" on the Cuban people. "It's time to lift the embargo," he said. But the president also forcefully criticized the Cuban government, saying even if the embargo were lifted, the Cuban people would still not be able to live up to their potential without democratic reforms. "People should be able to criticize their government and choose those who govern them," said Obama. He also called for citizens to be able to "speak their minds without fear." Ryan's reaction In Washington, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan condemned Obama's visit to Cuba, telling Reuters news agency the trip legitimizes the "tyrannical dictatorship" of Castro. Ryan made his remarks to reporters as Obama was wrapping up his historic visit to Havana -- a trip that has been marked by clashes between the American and Cuban leaders over human rights abuses. ​Obama began his speech by addressing the horrific attacks earlier Tuesday in Brussels, where dozens of people were killed in explosions at the airport and a metro station. He began his speech by saying the U.S. stands in solidarity with Belgium and "will do whatever is necessary ... to bring those who are responsible to justice." Later Tuesday, Obama will attend a baseball game between Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team, to be played at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) at Estadio Latinoamericano. Talks with Castro On Monday, Obama hailed the progress in U.S.-Cuba relations while acknowledging that the two sides continue to have "very serious" differences on democracy and human rights. After "frank and candid" talks in Havana on ways to advance normalization efforts, Obama and Castro held a joint news conference. “This is a time of hope for Cuba,” Obama told reporters. The U.S. leader said while he made it “clear” to Castro that the U.S. would continue to speak out on human rights, “Cuba’s destiny will not be decided by the United States or any other nation. The future of Cuba will be decided by Cubans.” In a rare event, Castro agreed to take questions from journalists after the two leaders' remarks. After being questioned about political prisoners, Castro reacted angrily. He demanded to be shown a list of such detainees. Cuba's position is that it holds no such prisoners. "Give me a list of those political prisoners right now, and if the list exists, they will be released before the night is through," Castro said. 'Forgotten 51' In Washington, D.C., Marion Smith, executive director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, reacted to Castro's comments by saying, "We have that list, President Castro." Last week, before Obama’s trip to Havana, the group provided a list of jailed dissidents, called "The Forgotten 51," to major networks and reporters. At a briefing for reporters in Havana later in the day, White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said he has shared with Cuban authorities many lists of political prisoners over the last 2½ years. Rhodes said the U.S. regularly raises cases of specific political prisoners, and that many of the cases have been resolved. But he said Cuba insists that it doesn't consider them political prisoners, and that the prisoners are being held for different crimes. In his remarks, Castro welcomed the easing of trade and travel restrictions announced by Washington, but stressed the need for action to lift a 55-year trade embargo on the communist country. Castro also called on the U.S. to return land used for the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. The U.S. trade embargo on Cuba can only be lifted by the Republican controlled Congress, where there is disagreement about Obama’s policy shift from isolation to engagement with Cuba. Cuban policy President Obama made the historic visit to Cuba early in his final year in office in a bid to make Washington’s new approach toward Cuba essentially irreversible, the White House says. To push it beyond Obama’s final year in office, the president needs bipartisan support. Obama took along a delegation of nearly 40 lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats. He said lawmakers are more likely to support it when they see progress under the new Cuba policy. He also said the pace of normalization will also depend on how much progress Cuba makes on human rights issues. “The embargo is going to end,” Obama predicted during the joint appearance. “When? I can’t be entirely sure, but it will end,” said the president. Obama and Castro shook hands before going into talks at the Revolutionary Palace, one day after Obama became the first sitting U.S. president in nearly 90 years to arrive in the island nation. Earlier Monday, Obama attended a wreath laying ceremony at the monument of the Cuban independence hero Jose Marti at the Plaza of the Revolution. "It is a great honor to pay tribute to Jose Marti, who gave his life for independence of his homeland. His passion for liberty, freedom and self-determination lives on in the Cuban people today, " Obama wrote in a guest book. Cubans cheer Throughout Havana on Sunday, people lined the streets as the U.S. president’s motorcade rolled by following his arrival, with crowds waving, cheering, blowing kisses and chanting Obama’s name. At a gathering of several hundred Cuban entrepreneurs and U.S. business people in Havana Monday, Obama said the United States wants to help Cuban entrepreneurs, and that the best way to do this is for the U.S. Congress to lift the trade embargo against Cuba "once and for all." He told the gathering "America wants to be your partner." William Gallo in Washington, Victoria Macchi in Havana and Aru Pande at the White House contributed to this report. http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/obama-to-address-past-future-relations-in-speech-to-cuban-people-/3249208.html http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/obama-to-address-past-future-relations-in-speech-to-cuban-people-/3249208.html Wed, 23 Mar 2016 00:42:37 +0800 USAhttp://www.voatibetanenglish.com/a/obama-to-address-past-future-relations-in-speech-to-cuban-people-/3249208.html#relatedInfoContainer