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Voters in the United States are facing a new presidential campaign with incumbent Joe Biden dropping out and Vice President Kamala Harris likely to be the Democratic Party’s nominee to face Donald Trump in November. VOA’s Scott Stearns looks at how some voters are reacting to the change. VOA footage by Michael Eckels.

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Yaounde — Condemnation is widespread in Cameroon following government threats to arrest civilians who criticize the country’s president.  The threats increased after Cameroon’s political opposition accused President Paul Biya of postponing elections. In a release Tuesday, Human Rights Watch described the threats as censorship of free speech. Cameroon’s opposition says it is not intimidated by threats from officials who are warning them to stop saying negative things about President Biya.   This week, government spokesperson Rene Emmanuel Sadi said it was unacceptable for people to use irreverent language about the 91-year-old president.  Before Sadi’s statement, Emmanuel Mariel Djikdent, a top local government officer in the unit where Yaounde is located, announced he would expel anyone from the capital who insults Biya or state institutions.  On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said Djikdent’s announcement should be revoked to ensure the right to freedom of expression. The rights group says it is becoming increasingly difficult to speak freely in Cameroon.  Paul Atanga Nji, Cameroon’s territorial administration minister, says he is surprised that the opposition criticizes Biya, whom he says is the architect of Cameroon's democracy.  Nji says democracy given to Cameroonians freely by Biya must be constructively used to build and not to destroy. He says all government and administrative officials should be firm in punishing opposition and civil society members why defy and insult state authority.  Nji told state TV on Tuesday that opposition parties that call for protests against state officials will be arrested for rebellion, insurrection and treason.  Cameron's opposition accuses Biya of ruling with an iron fist and says he is not showing signs he is ready to relinquish power.  Ndah Grimbald, assistant secretary-general of the opposition Social Democratic Front Party, says Biya should emulate the example of U.S. President Joe Biden and hand over leadership to a dynamic civilian.  "Our president, Paul Biya, is 10 years older than Biden. He is 91 years [old] and instead of thinking [of] how to hand over power to the younger generation, his regime is doing everything to impede the rights, the fundamental rights of Cameroonians from assembling and discussing the affairs of their country," said Grimbald. Supporters of Biya say he is a democrat and has won all elections since the return of multiparty politics in Cameroon in 1990.   Biya has not said if he will be a candidate in the next presidential polls, but his party supporters have been organizing regular political rallies to urge him to run for re-election.  Opposition groups were angered earlier this month when Biya ordered his majority Cameroon People's Democratic Movement or CPDM party to pass a government bill extending terms for all 180 lawmakers by 12 months, into 2026.  The law makes it hard for main opposition leaders, including Maurice Kamto, to gain the legislative seats they need to be eligible to run against Biya in the next presidential election.   Kamto says he won the 2018 presidential election but lost it to Biya through fraud.  Kamto then boycotted Cameroon's 2020 local council and parliamentary elections.  Cameroon’s laws make it possible for presidential aspirants who do not have legislative seats to submit 300 signatures from influential politicians, including former ministers, traditional rulers and religious leaders, to secure a spot on the presidential ballot.   But the opposition and civil society say getting the signatures is highly difficult because the leaders are either scared of Biya or are his political partners.  Biya is Africa's second-longest serving leader after the president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has been in power since 1979.  

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New Delhi — When Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president in the U.S., residents in her maternal family's ancestral village in southern India watched in real time, setting off fireworks, holding up portraits of her and wishing her a long life. But, four years later, as she works to become the Democratic nominee for president after President Joe Biden ended his campaign, reaction across the country has been more muted. While some residents in the capital, New Delhi, expressed pride when asked about her this week, a handful wondered who she was. At least partially, that could reflect how Harris — who is also Black, with a father born in Jamaica — has treated her origins. "Harris doesn't wear her Indian roots on her sleeve, choosing instead to emphasize her Jamaican heritage," Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, said. As vice president, she has deployed stories of her ties to India at key moments — at times light-heartedly — but her policy portfolio has been more domestic and did not focus on relations with India, he said. In June last year, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a state visit to Washington, Harris spoke emotionally about her ties to her late mother Shyamala Gopalan's country of birth. She credited her grandfather P.V. Gopalan, who was a civil servant, with teaching her about what democracy means as they walked hand-in-hand on a beach in his home state of Tamil Nadu. These lessons, she said, "first inspired my interest in public service … and have guided me ever since." She also talked about her mother's influence — and how she discovered her "love of good idli," eliciting laughter from the crowd with her reference to a dish of steamed rice dumplings, a staple in southern India. Sumanth Raman, a political commentator in Tamil Nadu, said there was excitement when she was named the VP nominee, "but after that, there's not been a great deal of enthusiasm." Since Sunday, when Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, she has hardly featured in media reports in the state, he said. "The coverage has been more about Joe Biden dropping out, that's what has grabbed headlines here," Raman said. Beyond a smattering of references, analysts say Harris hasn't tapped her Indian identity heavily. Today, few members of her extended family remain in India. Other than the trips during her childhood, Harris hasn't visited the country much — and not since she became vice president, another reason that could explain why her candidacy hasn't resonated widely in the country yet. Still, if Harris becomes the Democratic nominee, it would be a first for a South Asian American — and a sign of just how far the diaspora has come in the U.S., Kugelman said. Harris and a slew of other political personalities with roots in India — from Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy to Usha Vance — have become household names in the U.S. and their rise has put a spotlight on the country, beyond the cliches of Bollywood and Indian cuisine, he added. But the impact of a potential Harris presidency would be much greater for American politics and the Indian American community than for India-U.S. ties, experts say. "When Indians look at Kamala Harris, they're looking at an American official more than someone of Indian origin," said Happymon Jacob, a professor of diplomacy and disarmament studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. That she was vice president did not have a substantive impact on India-U.S. ties, which are expected to grow over shared concerns about China regardless of who wins the November election, he said. Modi, for instance, was feted with a glitzy state visit last year hosted by Biden, where both leaders affirmed that ties between the two countries were thriving. But the Indian leader was also close to former President Donald Trump, who received an adulatory reception when he visited India in 2020 as more than 100,000 people packed into a cricket stadium to see him. "So I think there is a reality check in India, that these things don't really matter at the end of the day," Jacob added. Even if a Harris presidency is unlikely to affect policy toward India or carry geopolitical implications, for Hindi literature professor Shivaji Shinde, it would still be a historic and meaningful moment for the nation. The "United States is the most powerful country in the world. If they choose an Indian-origin person as their president, then it will be a huge moment for India and every Indian would be immensely proud," Shinde said in New Delhi on Tuesday. The news has also made its way to Thulasendrapuram, the village where Harris' mother's family once lived. "We're overjoyed to know that someone who traces her ancestry to our village might become the president of the United States," said resident Sudhakar Jayaraman. He said villagers performed prayers at the local temple, which Harris and her grandfather once donated to, after they heard the news. "For a person of Indian descent with Tamil roots to reach such a high office makes us all proud," Jayaraman added.

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NAIROBI, Kenya — Anti-government protesters in Kenya's capital clashed with an emerging pro-government group on Tuesday, with hundreds swarming and burning a motorcycle belonging to people who expressed support for the country's president. The military made a rare deployment as the protests focused on the country's main airport.  The weeks of turmoil in East Africa's economic hub have led to dozens of deaths, the firing of most Cabinet members and calls for President William Ruto's resignation. Protests began with Kenyans' rejecting a proposed bill to impose more taxes as millions in the country barely get by amid rising prices.  The pro-government movement has emerged to counter the youth-led anti-government one. In Nairobi on Tuesday, the pro-government group took to the streets ahead of the latest anti-government demonstration.  One protester, Charles Onyango, questioned why police were not confronting the pro-government demonstrators yet again dispersed those calling for change.  "Police are just standing by and letting these [suspected] hired goons to disrupt our protests and cause chaos," Onyango said.  It was not immediately clear who was behind the pro-government movement.  Kenya's main airport was meant to be the site of the latest protest, and anti-government demonstrators lit bonfires in a suburb along the highway that leads to it. Airport officials asked travelers to arrive early, and flights continued.  Police hurled tear-gas canisters at hundreds of protesters who blocked another road that leads to the airport, and the military was deployed to the Pipeline area east of the capital.  Protests also were reported in Kenya's second largest city, the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa, as well as the city of Kisumu on Lake Victoria and Migori.  Kenya's anti-government protests are in their fifth week. Under pressure, Ruto declined to sign the bill imposing new taxes and dismissed almost all Cabinet ministers, but protesters continue to call for his resignation.  At least 50 people have died and 413 others have been injured in the protests since June 18, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. The political opposition is demanding that families of those killed be compensated and that charges against those arrested during protests be dropped.  Police have stopped saying how many arrests they make in the protests. Rights groups, opposition figures and family members for weeks have expressed concern about alleged abductions by officers.  Police last week banned protests in Nairobi, citing the movement's lack of clear leadership to coordinate with authorities to ensure safety and security. But the high court issued an order suspending the ban on protests. Kenya's constitution guarantees the right to peaceful protest.  Still, the acting police head, Douglas Kanja, on Tuesday asserted that Kenya's main airport was a "protected area" and "out of bounds to unauthorized persons."  Police in Kenya — hundreds of them newly deployed in Haiti to lead a United Nations-based multinational force to curb deadly gang violence — have long been accused by activists and civil society groups of violence toward demonstrators.  Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who earlier called for talks to calm the unrest, denied allegations that he had been bribed to join Ruto in forming a broad-based government and expressed his support to protesters.  Some protesters on Tuesday vowed to keep at it.  "[Everything] that is happening in our day will continue happening," Julius Kamau Kimani said.

Budapest, Hungary — Hungary's foreign minister voiced indifference on Tuesday over a decision by the European Union's top diplomat to shift an EU ministers' meeting from Budapest to Brussels in a sign of disapproval over Hungary's initial use of the EU presidency. "It was all the same to me in the beginning, and it's all the same to me now," Peter Szijjarto said in a statement. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell acted after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban began a self-styled Ukraine peace mission by holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Orban, a nationalist who has often been at odds with broader EU policy, embarked on his quest without coordinating it with other EU government leaders or Ukraine just days after Hungary took on the 27-bloc's rotating presidency on July 1. "We have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal," Borrell told reporters in Brussels on Monday after the last meeting of EU foreign ministers before the summer break. Borrell said there had been no consensus among EU members over whether to attend the ministerial meeting in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, planned for Aug. 28-29  and a gathering of defense ministers afterwards. He said he opted to switch both meetings to Brussels given that a majority of countries wanted to send a message to Hungary over Orban's outreach to Russia, which is subject to EU sanctions over its nearly two-and-a-half-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

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Some people who have lost the ability to speak can still move their vocal cords. California researchers are working to transform those muscle movements into audible speech. Genia Dulot reports from Los Angeles in this week’s edition of LogOn.

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 — The government in India will spend $24 billion on boosting employment opportunities for young people, as job creation emerges as the biggest challenge confronting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third term.  The government also announced financial support for development projects in two states ruled by its regional allies. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party failed to win a clear majority in recent elections and has formed a coalition government. Although the country’s economy is growing briskly, high unemployment and distress in its vast rural areas were cited as the key reasons for the party’s loss of support. Presenting the annual budget in parliament on Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government will "facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities" for more than 40 million young people over the next five years. She said the government will provide paid internships in the country’s 500 top companies to improve opportunities for job seekers. India posted 8.2% growth last year, the fastest among major economies in the world. But critics say only some have benefitted from the boom, while millions struggle to earn a livelihood. The government’s announcement that it will raise spending on loans for small and medium-sized businesses to boost job creation was welcomed by several economists. Opposition parties have long criticized the Modi government for giving billions of dollars in subsidies to big business and not extending enough assistance to smaller ones. “The support to smaller businesses is critical because these are the enterprises which create jobs. Big corporations on the other hand use capital intensive technologies, which don’t result in any significant employment generation,” economist Santosh Mehrotra told VOA. “The government appears to have taken serious note of the jobless crisis we face for the first time in 10 years since it has been in power.” He said providing internships could be a crucial step in tackling the unemployment problem. Mehrotra said it remains to be seen how the proposals are implemented. Economists say jobs have failed to grow because India’s manufacturing sector is relatively small, accounting for only 17% of gross domestic product. According to official figures, the unemployment rate is close to 6%, but an economic research group, the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy, estimates that it is about 9%. The biggest challenge confronts young graduates, among whom the unemployment rate is about 29%. In the world’s youngest country, an estimated 10 million people enter the workforce every year. A World Bank report released in April, “Jobs for Resilience,” said that while growth in South Asian countries like India is strong, the region is not creating enough jobs to keep pace with its rapidly increasing working-age population. According to the report, the employment ratio for South Asia was 59%, compared to 70% in other emerging market and developing economy regions. India’s economy will continue expanding at a brisk pace, according to government estimates, which have pegged growth this year at 6.5% to 7% – lower than that posted last year but still high among major economies. "The global economy, while performing better than expected, is still in the grip of policy uncertainties," she said. "In this context, India's economic growth continues to be the shining exception and will remain so in the years ahead," Finance Minister Sitharaman said. Modi said the budget will lead India toward “better growth and a bright future.” With an eye on keeping its coalition allies on board, the government also announced financial assistance for two states — Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. The two regional parties that govern these states have pledged support to Modi and are crucial for his BJP to stay in power. 

Madrid — Fans in the Dominican Republic won't get to watch the country's powerhouse baseball team at the Paris Olympics after the sport was left off the 2024 slate. The Dominican men's soccer team is hoping to fill the void. The Caribbean nation is days away from an unexpected Olympic debut in the sport, bolstered by a roster with several players who have played in European leagues. Most of them will represent the country for the first time in France. "I have a chance to represent my roots, and at the end that is what's in my blood," said Oscar Urena, born in Spain to Dominican parents. "They are very happy and proud of me for going." The Dominican team, known as "Sedofutbol," hired Spaniard Ibai Gomez last February. Gomez, who played for nine professional teams, including Athletic de Bilbao and Alaves, retired in November 2022 and began his coaching career with Santutxu in Spain a year ago. "The truth is that I was surprised by the call. I played for 14 years, but my career as a coach is just starting," Gomez said in an interview with the Associated Press. Before taking on the challenge, Gomez analyzed over 100 player videos to assess their level and said "we saw a chance to do good things." He accepted the role to try to "put my grain of sand in the soccer evolution of the Dominican Republic." Gomez is finalizing a roster loaded with dual-nationality players, including Edgar Pujol, Rafa Nunez and Junior Firpo, whom "already possess the tools to work in Europe and are more evolved in that sense." For those players, the Olympics will be their first official contact with the Dominican national team, which qualified on the strength of its under-20 club. Urena, who plays for Leganes, is another of those players. He is the youngest of three brothers and the only of them who was born away from the Dominican. He was born in Figueras, where his parents migrated to. "A big reason to go is because Ibai, who reached out to me and said that it was important and that I was going to enjoy it," Urena told AP. The Dominicans surprised many by qualifying in the CONCACAF U20 tournament where Mexico, one of the favorites, was eliminated. In Paris, the team will play against Egypt, Spain, and Uzbekistan in Group C. "Every day soccer is more even and it's hard to win games," Gomez said. "I think it's going to be an interesting competition." Even though Gomez's coaching career is just beginning, he was coached by Marcelo Bielsa, Ernesto Valverde, Marcelino and Joaquin Caparros. Gomez and his team met for the first time last March when they practiced together for 10 days, and they split a two-game series against Paraguay. "I truly enjoyed the experience. We made a good group, and I can't wait to come back," Urena said. Gomez said the main goal for this first experience with the team will be to make it out of the group stage, but some of the players have bigger expectations. "I would love to say that not only I have played in the Olympic Games, but also that I was able to win a medal," Urena said. In a country where baseball rules and competing in soccer in a World Cup is just a dream for now, the striker thinks that Paris 2024 could be the turning point to increase the sport's popularity in the Dominican Republic. "There's a lot of talent and in the future, we can achieve great things," Urena said. "If we played good in the Olympics, it will be motivation for the children to play soccer and to represent the Dominican team."

United Nations — Nearly 40 million people were living with the HIV virus that causes AIDS last year, over 9 million weren’t getting any treatment, and the result was that every minute someone died of AIDS-related causes, the U.N. said in a new report launched Monday. While advances are being made to end the global AIDS pandemic, the report said progress has slowed, funding is shrinking, and new infections are rising in three regions: the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America. In 2023, around 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses, a significant decline from the 2.1 million deaths in 2004. But the latest figure is more than double the target for 2025 of fewer than 250,000 deaths, according to the report by UNAIDS, the U.N. agency leading the global effort to end the pandemic. Gender inequality is exacerbating the risks for girls and women, the report said, citing the extraordinarily high incidence of HIV among adolescents and young women in parts of Africa. The proportion of new infections globally among marginalized communities that face stigma and discrimination – sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs also increased to 55% in 2023 from 45% in 2010, it said. UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said: “World leaders pledged to end the AIDS pandemic as a public health threat by 2030, and they can uphold their promise, but only if they ensure that the HIV response has the resources it needs, and that the human rights of everyone are protected.” As part of that pledge, leaders vowed to reduce annual new HIV infections to below 370,000 by 2025, but the report said in 2023 new infections were more than three times higher at 1.3 million. Last year, among the 39.9 million people globally living with HIV, 86% knew they were infected, 77% were accessing treatment, and for 72% the virus was suppressed, the report said Cesar Nunez, director of the UNAIDS New York office, told a news conference there has been progress in HIV treatments — injections that can stay in the body for six months, but the two doses cost $40,000 yearly, out of reach for all but the richest people with the virus. He said UNAIDS has been asking the manufacturer to make it available at lower cost to low and middle-income countries. Nunez said there have also been seven cases where people with HIV who were treated for leukemia emerged with no sign of the HIV virus in their system. He said injections and the seven cases will be discussed at the 25th International AIDS Conference which began Monday in Munich. At present, he said, daily treatment with pills costs about $75 per person per year. It has allowed many countries to increase the number of people with HIV to receive treatment. Nunez said UNAIDS will continue advocating for a vaccine to prevent AIDS.

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