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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.

Africa’s entertainment industry is another stage where global competition between China and the U.S. is playing out. African artists see it as an opportunity. Kate Bartlett has the details from Johannesburg. Camera and video editing by Zaheer Cassim.

Nairobi, Kenya — Kenya has issued flood warnings as heavy rains pound the region. The Kenya Red Cross Society said flooding in the East African nation has killed 38 people and displaced more than 11,000. The agency said it has rescued 180 people from the waters across the country, Venant Ndigila, head of operations at the Kenyan humanitarian agency, said the rains have created disasters for Kenyans.  "Humanitarian needs have really emerged in this area. And this is very significant around shelter, where those 11,275 families … can't use their houses or they have lost their homes,” Ndigila said.  Kenya started experiencing rains in mid-March, but in the past few days the rains have increased in intensity. The Kenya Red Cross Society said it recorded over 100 millimeters of rain in many parts of the country in the past week, leading to six deaths. Susan Ubbaga, who lives 300 meters from the Athi River in Machakos County, said the river broke its banks and entered her home.  "Friday, it really rained a lot, and there were lots of floods, but it was severe from Sunday coming up to Monday morning. The floods were so severe that they reached a height of about five feet,” Ubbaga said. “People are not hurt. Most people have moved to rental houses. They've moved out of their houses. And like at my place, we had floods around the house, and … part of the house from the backside was flooded severely."  More torrential rains are expected in Kenya, which can cause more flooding and the loss of lives and livelihoods.  Ubbaga said she cannot afford to move out of her house.  "I have just tried to raise my belongings up on the beds, on the table, but I am just ready anytime,” she said. ”If I don't see the water subsiding, then I will have to move to another town."  Kenyan officials and humanitarian agencies have called on the population to avoid flooded areas, move to higher ground and avoid driving when it rains heavily. Ndigila said because some people are not heeding calls for safety, he expects the humanitarian need to grow.  "So we expect again, because the season is still there, the rains to continue,” he said. “So we are, therefore, likely to see more families getting displaced because we can see still a very big number of Kenyans are still staying in high-risk areas, and they're not doing any preemptive displacement."  Similar warnings have been issued in neighboring Somalia, where residents have been urged to avoid areas around the river and plains. Somalia issued alerts in at least eight regions where floods may cause harm, displacement and death. 

Warsaw, Poland — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Tuesday that the country is to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade. Sunak made the announcement during a visit to Warsaw, where he also described a new pledge to send arms to Ukraine. He said the government is putting the U.K.’s defense industry "on a war footing," describing it as the "biggest strengthening of our national defense for a generation." "In a world that is the most dangerous it has been since the end of the Cold War, we cannot be complacent," he said at a news briefing in Warsaw alongside NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. "As our adversaries align, we must do more to defend our country, our interests and our values. The announce followed the U.K. pledging an additional $620 million in new military supplies for Ukraine, including long-range missiles and 4 million rounds of ammunition, at a time when Ukraine is struggling to hold off advancing Russian forces on the eastern front line of the war, now in its third year. Sunak spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to confirm the assistance and "assure him of the U.K.'s steadfast support for Ukraine's defense against Russia's brutal and expansionist ambitions," Sunak's office said. Ahead of the visit the U.K. government said Sunak would announce 500 million pounds ($620 million, 580 million euros) in new British military supplies, including 400 vehicles, 60 boats, 1,600 munitions and 4 million rounds of ammunition. The shipment will include British Storm Shadow long-range missiles, which have a range of some 150 miles (241 kilometers) and have proved effective at hitting Russian targets. "President Zelenskyy thanked the prime minister for the U.K.'s continued support, saying the new military assistance would make a material difference to ordinary Ukrainians fighting on the front line to defend their country," Downing Street said. However, Downing Street did not indicate whether the aid would be immediately available for delivery. Zelenskyy has pleaded for greater international assistance, warning that his country will lose the war without it. The announcement came three days after the U.S. House of Representatives approved $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, as American lawmakers raced to deliver a fresh round of U.S. support to the war-torn ally. The Senate was expected to vote on the package Tuesday. Ammunition shortages over the past six months have led Ukrainian military commanders to ration shells, a disadvantage that Russia has seized on this year — taking the city of Avdiivka and currently inching towards the town of Chasiv Yar, also in the eastern Donetsk region.

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.

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.

The Dutch company Holoconnects are experts in the field of holographic illusions and are now delivering life-size personal connections with a 2-meter-tall box that make it feel like the person you are talking to is physically present. Deana Mitchell has more from Austin, Texas in this week’s episode of LogOn.

Taiwan is looking to Southeast Asia as a pipeline to fill its shortage of high-tech talent. The numbers of foreign students coming to the island has been growing, especially from Vietnam and Indonesia. VOA Mandarin’s Peh Hong Lim reports from Hsinchu, Taiwan. Adrianna Zhang contributed.

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.

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.

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.

New Delhi — India has begun delivery of supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines as the two countries tighten defense and strategic ties amid rising tensions between the East Asian nation and China over maritime disputes in the South China Sea. The BrahMos missiles are being acquired by the Philippines under a $ 375 million deal signed in 2022. "Now we are also exporting BrahMos missiles. The first batch of this missile is going to the Philippines today,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday at an election rally. India and Philippines have ramped up defense cooperation as concerns over an increasingly assertive China deepen in both countries. Tensions between the Philippines and China have escalated over the past year as Beijing, citing historical rights, presses its claims to areas inside Manila's exclusive economic zone. Efforts to resolve New Delhi’s four-year long military standoff with Beijing along its disputed Himalayan border have made little headway. In New Delhi, analysts say India wants to be part of a larger pushback against China in the South China Sea as concerns rise over Beijing’s territorial ambitions. “BrahMos missile delivery to the Philippines is in itself not a game changer. But the idea is that we are part of a broader coalition of countries including the U.S. trying to build up the muscle and shore up the security of smaller countries like the Philippines. It is what we call lattice work strategy,” according to Sreeram Chaulia, dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs. Tensions between Philippines and Beijing have ratcheted up following recent confrontations between the coastguards and other vessels of the two countries. China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, deploys coastguard vessels to patrol what it deems are its waters – besides Philippines, Beijing also has maritime disputes with countries including Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The missiles being supplied by India are produced under a joint venture with Russia. They are a shore-based, anti-ship system with a range of 290 kilometers. Under the deal, India will supply three versions of the missile system, according to domestic media reports in New Delhi. Philippine National Security Council assistant director general, Jonathan Malaya, told reporters in Manila that the missiles will be deployed by the Philippine Marines. “This adds an important and practical layer of deterrence for the Philippines amidst its limited military resources vis-a-vis China,” Don McLain Gill, a geopolitical analyst and lecturer at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University, Manila told VOA in emailed comments. He said the missiles will “bolster its coastal defence to more effectively exercise its sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea at a time when China has been relentlessly pursuing its expansionist ambitions against international law.” Analysts say building defense cooperation with the Philippines also signals that New Delhi is now moving beyond the Indian Ocean to contribute to maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region. During a visit to Manila last month, Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reiterated “India’s support to the Philippines for upholding its national sovereignty.” Asserting that both countries have a “very deep interest” in ensuring a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific Ocean, his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, said that “it's in this region and it is in this context that we are having extensive discussions regularly on defense cooperation, security cooperation.” An Indian coast guard ship visited the Philippines during the Indian minister’s visit. The two countries are also expected to hold more joint naval drills. “India is also a close security partner of Manila's key strategic partners, such as the U.S, Japan, and Australia. This makes it even more practical for the Philippines to strengthen ties with India,” pointed out Don McLain Gill. India had for many years been hesitant about exporting the BrahMos missiles, believing that advanced defense cooperation with countries like the Philippines with which China has disputes would rile Beijing, but analysts say New Delhi has reversed course. India has also been steadily building military ties with Vietnam, which is also embroiled in maritime disputes with China. “As our dispute with the Chinese is not settling, there is a clear change of mind on the part of the Indian government and it has decided to assist the security needs of countries like the Philippines in a very concrete way,” said Chaulia. “From our point of view, this helps to send a clear signal to the Chinese that they cannot be arming our adversaries like Pakistan with advanced weapons and defense technology and expect that we will not reciprocate.” The delivery of the missiles to the Philippines marks India’ s first export of the missile systems. India, which imports most of its own arms, is a marginal exporter of military equipment, but has been trying to build a defense industry.

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.

LONDON — Russian media report that the Kremlin plans to deploy ballistic missiles close to its border with Finland. It’s the latest in a series of military and hybrid threats that Russia has made against the Nordic state since it joined NATO in April last year in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Russian newspaper Izvestia reported Monday that a new brigade will be deployed in the Karelia region bordering Finland, equipped with an Iskander-M ballistic missile system. The Izvestia report quoted an ex-commander of Russia’s Baltic Fleet, Admiral Vladimir Valuev, who told the newspaper that "the formation of a missile brigade is a very timely decision. This is an adequate response to Finland’s accession to NATO.” Despite the proximity to Finland, the potential deployment is not raising alarm bells in Helsinki, said security analyst Charly Salonius-Pasternak of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. “This is really not news. And of course, announcing a thing and then doing something about it are two very different things when it comes from Russia. So overall, we really haven’t seen a lot other than rhetoric,” he told VOA. Finland has warned that it is facing varied security and hybrid threats from Russia since it joined NATO. In the second half of 2023, following Finland’s accession to the alliance, over 1,300 migrants from countries including Yemen, Syria and Somalia began to arrive at the Finnish-Russian border to try to claim asylum. Helsinki closed all crossing points along the frontier in November, accusing the Kremlin of weaponizing migration. They were reopened briefly, but swiftly closed again after another surge in migrant arrivals. The closure was extended indefinitely earlier this month. Finland wants the European Union to help in preventing any future migrant crisis. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo hosted the European Union’s Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a tour of the border region Friday. “Now we have to find common solutions to stop this phenomenon when Russia uses illegal immigrants against us. We are preparing our own legislation, but we also need EU-level measures,” Orpo said. Von der Leyen pledged the EU’s support. “This is a new phenomenon. It is a hybrid threat, and it has to be dealt (with) as a hybrid threat to national security. And what we see is that a state is instrumentalizing poor people to put pressure on another state. So that is a clear security issue, and we will certainly be dealing for quite a long time with that, and we will have to prepare for that,” she told reporters at the Imatra border crossing on the Russian frontier. Finland is building a fence along part of the 1,340-kilometer (833-mile) border and increasing patrols. The government is debating legislation to block asylum-seekers entering from Russia. Von der Leyen said any such measures must strike a balance between protecting security and international obligations on the rights of refugees. The threats go beyond a migrant crisis, said analyst Charly Salonius-Pasternak. “The Russian security services, once some of these individuals have gotten to Finland, are seeking to recruit them to then cause further mayhem within Finland.” It’s part of Russia’s hybrid campaign against Finland and other NATO allies, Salonius-Pasternak added. “The Russian land forces are, of course, engaged in Ukraine, so we really haven't seen a lot of (military threats), except some posturing. But there's certainly an expectation from the Finnish authorities that cyber-attacks, maybe other attacks on infrastructure, as well as this weaponization of humans, will continue. Now that winter is slowly receding here, the long border becomes, of course, much more passable.” Russia denies trying to create a migrant crisis on the Finnish border. Moscow has described Finland's accession to NATO as a “historic mistake” that would force it to take what it called “countermeasures.”

In Eswatini, only 46% of girls complete secondary education, according to UNICEF, with pregnancy and poverty being major contributing factors. A new mentorship program for young rural girls, STEM Sisters, is designed to buck these trends by teaching coding, robotics, and engineering, opening doors to careers and opportunities they never knew existed. Nokukhanya Musi reports.