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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.

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.

Washington — Russia and China on Tuesday pushed back against a U.S. warning over their increasing military and economic cooperation in the Arctic, where climate change is opening up greater competition. Russia has in recent years beefed up its military presence in the Arctic by reopening and modernizing several bases and airfields abandoned since the end of the Soviet era, while China has poured money into polar exploration and research. "We've seen growing cooperation between the PRC and Russia in the Arctic commercially, with the PRC being a major funder of Russian energy exploitation in the Arctic," Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks told journalists Monday, using an abbreviation for the People's Republic of China. There is also growing military cooperation, "with Russia and China conducting joint exercises off the coast of Alaska," Hicks said as the department released its 2024 Arctic strategy. "All of these challenges have been amplified because the effects of climate change are rapidly warming temperatures and thinning ice coverage, and it's enabling all of this activity," she said. The rapid melting of polar ice has sent activity in the inhospitable region into overdrive as nations eye newly viable oil, gas and mineral deposits as well as shipping routes in an area with a complex web of competing territorial claims. Moscow is heavily promoting its Northern Sea Route, an alternative cargo route for vessels travelling between Europe and Asia. 'Discord and tension' China and Russia both defended their policies in the region on Tuesday. Beijing said it acts on the "principles of respect, cooperation, mutual wins and sustainability," adding it was "committed to maintaining peace and stability" in the region. "The United States distorts China's Arctic policy and makes thoughtless remarks on China's normal Arctic activities [which are] in accordance with international law," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia "does its part to ensure that the Arctic does not become a territory of discord and tension." He told reporters that Russia's cooperation with China "contributes to an atmosphere of stability and predictability" in the Arctic and their actions were not targeted against other countries. Washington's Arctic strategy describes the area as "a strategically important region" for the United States that includes "the northern approaches to the homeland" and "significant US defense infrastructure." It says climate change could result in the Arctic experiencing its first "practically ice-free summer by 2030." "Increases in human activity will elevate the risk of accidents, miscalculation, and environmental degradation," and US forces "must be ready and equipped to mitigate the risks associated with potential contingencies in the Arctic."

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 — Violence against women and girls in England and Wales is a "national emergency" with almost 3,000 offenses recorded daily, police warned in a new report published on Tuesday. The study, commissioned by two law enforcement bodies, estimates that at least one in every 12 women will be a victim every year, with the exact number expected to be much higher. "Violence against women and girls is a national emergency," senior police chief Maggie Blyth said in comments accompanying the report. The study found that more than one million violent crimes against women and girls were recorded by police in 2022-2023. They accounted for just under a fifth of all police-recorded crime, excluding fraud, in England and Wales between April 2022 and March 2023. The report said violence against women and girls had increased 37% between 2018-2019 and last year, with domestic abuse being one of the biggest demands on policing. One in 20 adults in England and Wales, or 2.3 million people, will be perpetrators of crimes against women and girls annually, the study added. "These are cautious estimates as we know much crime goes unreported and in policing, we often only see the tip of the iceberg," Blyth said. She warned that violence against females in the two countries had "reached epidemic levels" and called for government intervention in the "overwhelmed" criminal justice system. Child sexual abuse and exploitation offenses meanwhile jumped by 435% between 2013 and 2022, the report estimated — from just over 20,000 to nearly 107,000. Offenders are getting younger, with the average age of a suspect now 15, it said. The report said stalking and harassment accounted for 85 percent of online-related offenses. Britain's interior ministry declared violence against women and girls a national threat to public safety in February last year. More than 4,500 new officers have been trained to investigate rape and serious sexual offenses over the last year, with the report detailing a 38% increase in charges for adult rape from the year ending December 2022 to the year ending December 2023.

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.

Kampala, Uganda — Police were out in force on the empty streets of the Ugandan capital Kampala on Tuesday ahead of a planned anti-corruption rally that has been banned by the authorities. President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled the East African country with an iron fist for almost four decades, had warned the demonstrators at the weekend they were "playing with fire." Three opposition lawmakers were remanded in custody late Monday, police said, after opposition leader Bobi Wine said his National Unity Platform (NUP) headquarters was "under siege" by police and army officers. The call to action over corruption has been organized online, drawing inspiration from the mostly Gen-Z led anti-government protests in neighboring Kenya that have roiled the country for a month. "We are the youths and heart of our country and we are not letting down our country," leading Ugandan protester Shamim Nambasa told AFP on Monday. Posters shared online ahead of the rallies urged demonstrators to "march on parliament." But police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke said the authorities will "not allow a demonstration that will risk peace and security of the country." In the capital, AFP journalists said there were roadblocks on mostly quiet streets, especially near Kampala's business district, heavily manned by officers in anti-riot gear with some wearing camouflage uniforms. A heavy police presence also remained in place around the NUP headquarters, an AFP journalist said. On Monday three lawmakers with the opposition group were detained by police on "various offenses and remanded to prison," according to the police spokesperson who did not give further details on the charges. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, had made calls on Monday to support the rallies. "We want a country where we all belong not for the few in power," he said. A NUP spokesperson confirmed three legislators, named as Francis Zaake, Charles Tebandeke and Hassan Kirumira, along with seven others connected to the party, had been detained. Tuesday's march has been organized on social media by young Ugandans with the hashtag #StopCorruption. Graft is a major issue in Uganda, with several major scandals involving public officials, and the country is ranked a lowly 141 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's corruption index.

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.

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.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris lauded President Joe Biden for his service to the country in her first public appearance on Monday since he dropped out of the race. We take a look at why 2024 in the U.S. is so much like 1968. We talk to Barbara A. Perry, a professor in presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. And As Paris gets ready to host the Olympic Games, as well as millions of visitors from all over the world, French restaurants are looking forward serving up some of their famous cuisine.

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.