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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.

After years of political wrangling and court battles, British lawmakers passed legislation Monday that the government hopes will allow it to deport asylum seekers arriving in small boats across the English Channel to Rwanda for processing. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, the dangers of the migrant crossings were underlined just hours after the law was passed.

Artificial intelligence continues to play a role in modern information warfare, revolutionizing the way data is processed, analyzed, and disseminated. As technology advances, understanding the intersection of AI and information warfare becomes increasingly crucial in safeguarding the integrity of information ecosystems. To take a closer look at how the United States, China, and Russia use AI in their respective information warfare operations, VOA’s Steve Miller caught up with Augusta University professors Lance Hunter and Craig Albert. Authorities say they've uncovered hundreds of bodies at Gaza hospitals. A U.S. Congressional deligation is in Ukraine.

Washington — The U.S. ramped up its sanctions against Iran on Tuesday, designating four people and two companies it says were "involved in malicious cyber activity" on behalf of the country's military.   "These actors targeted more than a dozen U.S. companies and government entities through cyber operations, including spear phishing and malware attacks," the U..S Treasury Department said in a statement.  The individuals and companies were working "on behalf of" Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC), the Treasury said.  "Iranian malicious cyber actors continue to target U.S. companies and government entities in a coordinated, multi-pronged campaign intended to destabilize our critical infrastructure and cause harm to our citizens," the Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in a statement.  "The United States will continue to leverage our whole-of-government approach to expose and disrupt these networks' operations," he added.   Tuesday's sanctions are the latest to be levied against Tehran by the United States and its allies for supporting anti-Israel proxies in the Middle East and for providing military support for Russia's war in Ukraine.   Last week, the U..S and Britain announced widespread sanctions against Iran's military drone program in response to Tehran's large-scale attack against Israel earlier this month.   That attack came in response to an April 1 airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus — widely blamed on Israel — that killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals.  A day after those sanctions were unveiled, the U.S. fined a Thailand-based firm $20 million for more than 450 possible Iran sanctions violations.  They included processing close to $300 million in wire transfers for a company jointly owned by the National Petroleum Company of Iran.   Alongside Tuesday's sanctions, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have indicted the four individuals in question "for their roles in cyber activity targeting U.S. entities," the Treasury Department said.  

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.

DETROIT — The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.  When combined with other settlements, roughly $1 billion now has been set aside by various organizations to compensate hundreds of women who said Nassar assaulted them under the guise of treatment for sports injuries.  Nassar worked at Michigan State University and also served as a team doctor at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics. He's now serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes, including medal-winning Olympic gymnasts.  Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said Nassar betrayed the trust of those in his care for decades, and that the "allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset."  "While these settlements won't undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing," Mizer said of the agreement to settle 139 claims.  The Justice Department has acknowledged that it failed to step in. For more than a year, FBI agents in Indianapolis and Los Angeles had knowledge of allegations against him but apparently took no action, an internal investigation found.  FBI Director Christopher Wray was contrite — and very blunt — when he spoke to survivors at a Senate hearing in 2021. The assault survivors include decorated Olympians Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.  "I'm sorry that so many different people let you down, over and over again," Wray said. "And I'm especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed."    After a search, investigators said in 2016 that they had found images of child sex abuse and followed up with federal charges against Nassar. Separately, the Michigan attorney general's office handled the assault charges that ultimately shocked the sports world and led to an extraordinary dayslong sentencing hearing with gripping testimony about his crimes.  "I'm deeply grateful. Accountability with the Justice Department has been a long time in coming," said Rachael Denhollander of Louisville, Kentucky, who is not part of the latest settlement but was the first person to publicly step forward and detail abuse at the hands of Nassar.  "The unfortunate reality is that what we are seeing today is something that most survivors never see," Denhollander told The Associated Press. "Most survivors never see accountability. Most survivors never see justice. Most survivors never get restitution."  Michigan State University, which was also accused of missing chances over many years to stop Nassar, agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls who were assaulted. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee made a $380 million settlement. 

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.

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.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced the upcoming opening of international field offices in Doha, Qatar, and Ankara, Turkey, to increase capacity for refugee processing, strengthen strategic partnerships, and facilitate interagency cooperation.