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white house — Duty to warn. It is the obligation that the United States says it takes upon itself if the intelligence community is able to identify an impending threat to a particular country. The U.S. acted on this duty just two weeks before the deadly attack near Moscow claimed by Islamic State. U.S. officials had warned Russia that extremists had imminent plans for such an attack, but the Kremlin brushed off the warning as mere blackmail and efforts to destabilize Russian society. John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, spoke to VOA about the terrorist attack. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: First of all, let's jump into fresh accusations coming from Russia today. Russia's FSB [intelligence] chief accused the U.K., the U.S. and Ukraine of being behind the Moscow attack on the concert hall. What's your response to that? Kirby: Nonsense. VOA: The United States has exercised its duty to warn the Russian counterparts of an incoming threat. Why was it important for the American side to warn Russians given that they are waging the war against Ukraine and they turned into the world pariah? Kirby: Because it was going to be innocent Russian people that were going to fall victim and in fact, did fall victim and we take our duty to warn very, very seriously. We have all kinds of problems with the way Mr. [Vladimir] Putin is leading and governing, if you want to call it that, and we certainly have significant concerns about the continued reckless and violent attacks on Ukrainian people and Ukrainian infrastructure. But we don't have a beef with the Russian people. And we had information that they were going to put Russian people, innocent Russians at risk from a terrorist threat. So you bet we informed Russian authorities as appropriate as we would do for any country. VOA: I’m wondering what their response looked like. Was it a thank you note? Or did they say, “It’s nonsense, leave it to yourself?” Kirby: I won't characterize what the other side did with the information that we provided. We provided useful, we believe, valuable information about what we thought was an imminent terrorist attack. We also warned Americans about staying away from public places like concert halls. So we were very direct with our Russian counterparts appropriately to make sure that they had as much useful information as possible. What they did with it, or didn't do with it, they'd have to speak to. VOA: But can you confirm they received it? Kirby: We know that they received the information and that they understood the information. Now what they did with it, again, is for them to speak to. VOA: Who is responsible for this attack according to American intelligence? Is it ISIS? What was the motive behind the attack? Kirby: ISIS is responsible for this attack. VOA: ISIS-K? Kirby: ISIS is responsible for this attack. VOA: Do you know the motive here? Kirby: ISIS claimed responsibility themselves. They all have the goals. Again, I'm not going to get into too much into intelligence matters. ISIS is responsible for this attack. VOA: Moving on to Ukraine. What are the chances of Congress voting for the supplemental [budget to assist Ukraine] once legislators return from their break? Kirby: Well, we hope that they will. I can't predict what the House will do. It is going to be up to Speaker [Mike] Johnson and this is a moment for him to show some leadership. We know that if you were to put that on the floor it would get voted on resoundingly. Ukraine and Ukrainian battlefield commanders would have the weapons and the capabilities that they need to better defend themselves, particularly in the East there in the Donbas where Russian forces continue to try to make progress pushing west out of Avdiivka. So it’s past time for us to be able to provide additional security assistance to Ukraine, it's past time for that supplemental to get passed. And so we strongly urge Speaker Johnson to put it before a vote and let's get moving. VOA: Speaker Johnson, as reported by The Hill, may contemplate the possibility of providing Ukraine with a loan or another form of lend-lease arrangement to supply them with weapons, with the expectation of repayment. Would this administration be open to this option as an alternative to the supplemental? Kirby: Our focus is on getting that supplemental passed. And as I've said before, and the speaker knows this, if he puts it on the floor, it'll get approved. It has the votes. That's the best way to support Ukraine.

This week on The Inside Story: American journalists remain jailed in Russia with no end in sight. Explore the challenges facing the hope for a free media in Venezuela. Front line journalists give updates on the third year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Inside Story - A Free Press Matters, Countering Censorship | 137

WASHINGTON — Israeli plans for a ground invasion of Rafah are on hold as Israeli and American officials work to reschedule a meeting to discuss the plan, the White House announced Thursday. The Biden administration expects that there will be no assault on Rafah at least until after the meeting, national security communications adviser John Kirby said in a briefing to reporters. No date for the talks has been set, he said. The meeting is back on after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reversed his decision to cancel sending a delegation of war strategists to Washington to discuss his government’s intentions to root out Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city. Netanyahu canceled the delegation on Monday to protest a U.S. abstention at the United Nations Security Council that allowed passage of a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Israeli-Hamas war. The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Netanyahu agreed to reschedule the meeting. Top Biden officials have urged Israel to abandon plans to attack Rafah, where over 1.4 million Palestinian civilians seek safety, as bilateral tensions brew over Israel’s conduct in its nearly six-month war against Hamas. In two days of meetings in Washington earlier this week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William Burns implored Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to find alternatives that would avoid more casualties in Gaza, where the death toll has topped 32,000, according to Palestinian figures. The discussions with Gallant “were not meant to replace what we hope to be able to do in a more comprehensive way with the Israeli delegation coming to D.C.,” Kirby said. Netanyahu insists that the goal of “total victory” against Hamas cannot be achieved without going into Rafah, where Israel says there are four Hamas battalions composed of thousands of fighters. “To win this war, we must destroy the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah,” the prime minister said Tuesday via video conference to the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “If not, Hamas will regroup, rearm and reconquer Gaza, and then we're back to square one. And that's an intolerable threat that we cannot accept.” Meanwhile, despite an extensive diplomatic push by U.S. officials, together with Qatari and Egyptian mediators, talks in Qatar on a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas remain deadlocked.

Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children as revived talks to avert further suffering ahead of Israel’s potential military operation in Rafah. Friday marks one year since a U.S. journalist has been held in a Russian jail as courts keep extending his time. Plus, the dangers for journalists covering the crisis in Haiti and a summit on the growing threat of extreme heat across the globe.

WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives will deliver two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate on April 10, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday.  Mayorkas, who Republicans blame for record flows of migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border, was narrowly impeached by the House last month on allegations that he has not enforced U.S. immigration laws and has made false statements to Congress.  Mayorkas, part of Democratic President Joe Biden's cabinet, has said he does not bear responsibility for the border situation, blaming it instead on a broken U.S. immigration system that Congress has not been able to fix.  "We will present to you upon the Senate’s return, on April 10, 2024, the duly passed articles of impeachment," Johnson and 11 Republican impeachment managers informed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a letter on Thursday.  The House and Senate are currently on a two-week recess.   "We urge you to schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously," they wrote.  Federal officials, including presidents, who are impeached by the House are subject to a trial in the Senate to determine whether they should be removed from office.  Schumer's office issued a statement saying that senators will be sworn in as trial jurors the day after the articles are delivered.  However, the Democratic-led chamber is highly unlikely to vote to remove Mayorkas from office.  The House voted twice before impeaching Mayorkas on a vote of 214-213, after an initial vote failed. Democrats and a handful of Republicans opposed the action.

Washington — The Somali government said Thursday its soldiers — backed by international partners and local clan militias — killed about 80 al-Shabab militants and wounded dozens more in three operations in the country’s southern and central regions.  A government official indicated the attacks stopped a terrorist operation. “The militants were planning spectacular attacks to coincide with an important date in the Ramadan calendar, the 17th day of the fast,” said the government’s deputy information minister, Abdirahman Yusuf Adala.  There was no independent confirmation of the death toll, reported by Adala and Somalia’s defense ministry, and no immediate comment from al-Shabab through its spokesperson or websites.  The Ministry of Information said the Somali National Army carried out a coordinated series of operations across the regional states of Galmudug, Hirshabelle and Southwest.  A press release says the operations were carried out with the support of international security partners. Countries helping the Somali government include the United States, Turkey and members of the African Union.  Government officials said the first military operation was conducted in an area near the city of Harardhere, in Mudug region.  In an interview with VOA Somali, Harardhere District Commissioner Mohamed Yusuf Kulmiye said that al-Shabab members were gathering at the site of the operation called Farah Adan Sands, when the Somali National Army launched a surprise attack.  “We received an intelligence tip that they were remobilizing and plotting an attack on the town, and we immediately responded to neutralize the threat. We killed more than 40 militants and lost 10 of our soldiers in the battle,” said Kulmiye.  The Somali defense ministry says the second operation took place in Fiqaay forest, 15 kilometers from the Daru Nicma area in the Middle Shabelle region.  A statement from the defense ministry says that more than 35 members of al-Shabab were killed in this area, and that battlewagons and other militant vehicles were destroyed.  In the third operation, the Somali government said its military targeted areas under the Wajid district in the Bakool region, in southwest Somalia, killing six members of al-Shabab.  The 24-hour military campaign against al-Shabab came on the heels of a deadly attack by the militants on a Somali military base in the Lower Shabelle region, in the country's southwest.  Security officials, who asked for anonymity, told VOA at least 17 government soldiers were killed during the attack on the Busley base, which was briefly occupied by the attackers.  Armed fighters from al-Shabab battled their way to the facility using suicide car bombs, one Somali military official told the Reuters news agency. He declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

singapore — Liu Jianchao, the senior diplomat widely expected to become China’s next foreign minister, said “the world needs connectivity, not decoupling,” during a four-day visit to Singapore. Liu, who heads the international department of the Communist Party, was in the city-state to meet with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the country’s incoming leader, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During a speech at the FutureChina Dialogue on Wednesday, local media reported that Liu warned of the need for “civilizations to engage, not to clash,” in the context of multiple ongoing global conflicts. When discussing Washington’s relationship with Beijing, Liu said “the U.S. has not abandoned its policy to oppress and contain China.” Many China watchers have been predicting that Liu will replace Foreign Minister Wang Yi as Beijing’s next top diplomat. Most expected that would happen during China’s top level political meetings, the Two Sessions, earlier this month, but no announcement or change was made. Wang was reappointed to the role of foreign minister last June after Qin Gang was suddenly dismissed less than a year into the job. Liu leads the Communist Party department responsible for relations with foreign political parties. He took up the role in 2022 and has embarked on some high-profile engagements, including a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in January. His four-day visit to Singapore marks a return to familiar territory for the veteran diplomat. “Liu has had a number of ambassadorial postings in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Indonesia. He is quite comfortable with the region,” said political scientist Joseph Liow of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. Ties between China and Singapore continue to strengthen, with the pair upgrading bilateral relations in a joint statement last April calling for improved cooperation in trade, investment and commerce. Foreign Minister Wang also visited the city-state last August before Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Wong embarked on a four-day trip to Beijing and Tianjin in December. During that visit a mutual 30-day visa waiver for citizens of both countries was announced. “Singapore and China relations are in a really good spot,” said Dylan Loh, a Chinese foreign policy expert at Nanyang Technological University. “With the mutual visa waiver now in place, there is greater movement of people, ideas and capital and it could be catalytic for businesses and increased people-to-people exchange,” Loh told VOA. Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said both Liu and Lee “reiterated their shared commitment to continue expanding cooperation in traditional areas like trade and investments.” The pair also discussed the importance of “working together to promote regional economic integration,” added the Ministry. “Singapore has a robust diplomatic partnership with Beijing and is viewed as a trusted regional interlocutor,” said Hunter Marston, a researcher of Southeast Asia Studies at the Australian National University. While relations seem to be flourishing, there have been a number of recent incidents involving the presence of China, and Chinese money, in Singapore. In late February, a Hong Kong-born businessman with strong connections to China became the first person to be designated as a “politically significant person” under Singapore’s new foreign interference laws. Singapore has also seen a flood of Chinese capital and companies in recent years, with political stability and business-friendly policies luring investment. But last August, authorities uncovered the largest money laundering case in the country’s history, with local media reporting that more than $2.2 billion of assets have been seized or frozen. Singapore’s Straits Times reported that the 10 men arrested in relation to the case all originate from Fujian Province in eastern China. Despite the high-profile nature of these incidents, Liow believes they will have little bearing on talks between Liu and Singapore’s leaders. “Countries will have differences, but it's important that they try to find common ground in order to foster deeper cooperation. “Singapore is a very open economy,” he added. “So this question of Chinese money, or money from any other country coming to Singapore, it's not particularly surprising.” Liu’s visit to Singapore comes amid increased tensions between China and the Philippines over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. On Monday, the Philippines summoned Beijing’s envoy in Manila over alleged "aggressive actions" in the disputed waters. That followed an incident in early March involving a Philippines-flagged vessel colliding with a Chinese Coast Guard ship. During a meeting between Liu and Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, the pair “exchanged views on ASEAN-China relations, as well as other regional and international developments,” according to Singapore’s Foreign Ministry. “It is very important for Singapore that the various claimant states [in the South China Sea] exercise restraint, and not allow their differences to cause tensions to escalate,” said Liow.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Turkey holds nationwide local elections Sunday, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party looking to regain control of Istanbul, Turkey's main city and his onetime stronghold. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the outcome of the local elections could set all of Turkey on a different path.

NEW YORK — Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unraveled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.  Bankman-Fried, 32, was convicted in November of fraud and conspiracy — a dramatic fall from a crest of success that included a Super Bowl advertisement and celebrity endorsements from stars like quarterback Tom Brady, basketball star Stephen Curry and comedian Larry David.  U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan imposed the sentence in the same Manhattan courtroom where, four months ago, Bankman-Fried testified that his intention had been to revolutionize the emerging cryptocurrency market with his innovative and altruistic ideas, not to steal.  Kaplan said the sentence reflected "that there is a risk that this man will be in position to do something very bad in the future. And it's not a trivial risk at all." He added that it was "for the purpose of disabling him to the extent that can appropriately be done for a significant period of time."  Prior to sentencing, Bankman-Fried had said, "My useful life is probably over. It's been over for a while now, from before my arrest."  Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried had cost customers, investors and lenders over $10 billion by misappropriating billions of dollars to fuel his quest for influence and dominance in the new industry, and had illegally used money from FTX depositors to cover his expenses, which included purchasing luxury properties in the Caribbean, alleged bribes to Chinese officials and private planes.  Bankman-Fried was worth billions of dollars on paper as the co-founder and CEO of FTX, which was the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world at one time.  FTX allowed investors to buy dozens of virtual currencies, from Bitcoin to more obscure ones like Shiba Inu Coin. Flush with billions of dollars of investors' cash, Bankman-Fried took out a Super Bowl advertisement to promote his business and bought the naming rights to an arena in Miami.  But the collapse of cryptocurrency prices in 2022 took its toll on FTX, and ultimately led to its downfall. FTX's hedge fund affiliate, known as Alameda Research, had bought billions of dollars of various crypto investments that lost considerable amounts of value in 2022. Bankman-Fried tried to plug the holes in Alameda's balance sheet with FTX customer funds.  Three other people from Bankman-Fried's inner circle pleaded guilty to related crimes and testified at his trial.  The biggest name among the three was Caroline Ellison, once the girlfriend of Bankman-Fried. Ellison described Bankman-Fried as a calculating individual who knew that he was likely committing crimes when he directed the use of customer funds. Two other onetime friends of Bankman-Fried, Gary Wang and Nishad Singh, also testified they felt they were directed by Bankman-Fried to commit fraud.

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that, starting April 1, applicants filing Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, will have the option to request an original or replacement Social Security number (SSN) or card and update their immigration status with the Social Security Administration (SSA) without having to visit an SSA office.