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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.

Washington — U.S. manufacturing activity edged lower in June, deepening a recent slump on continued weak demand, according to industry survey data published Monday. The Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) manufacturing index came in at 48.5% last month, down 0.2 percentage points from May. The June data came in below market expectations of 49.1%, according to Briefing.com, and marked the third consecutive month where the reading was below the 50-point mark separating expansion from contraction. "U.S. manufacturing activity continued in contraction at the close of the second quarter," ISM survey chief Timothy Fiore said in a statement. "Demand remains subdued, as companies demonstrate an unwillingness to invest in capital and inventory due to current monetary policy and other conditions," he continued, referring to the U.S. Federal Reserve's ongoing battle against rising prices. Inflation has fallen sharply since the Fed began hiking interest rates in 2022, but remains stuck above its long-term target of 2% — keeping borrowing costs high for both consumers and producers. "Production execution was down compared to the previous month, likely causing revenue declines, putting pressure on profitability," Fiore said. June's data extends the recent slump, which began after a positive reading in March briefly snapped 16 straight months of contraction. The ISM survey found that eight manufacturing industries reported growth in June, including petroleum and coal products, and chemical products, while nine contracted, including textile mills, transportation equipment, and electrical equipment. "Manufacturing activity remained in contraction territory in June, but in a sign of moderating inflation pressure, the prices paid component fell 4.9 points," Wells Fargo economists wrote in a note to clients. "New orders rose more than any other component but remains in contraction," they added.  

Washington — U.S. military bases and personnel across Europe are on heightened alert, after new intelligence warned of a possible terror attack targeting either facilities or personnel. A U.S. defense official Monday confirmed to VOA that military installations across U.S. European Command (EUCOM) have been elevated to Force Protection Condition “Charlie,” which means an attack of some sort is likely. The official did not elaborate on the contents of the intelligence that sparked the change, although counterterrorism officials from multiple countries have warned of an increased threat, including some surrounding the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. A statement Monday from EUCOM indicated the increased security measures are the result of a combination of factors. “Our increase in vigilance is not related to any one single threat, but out of concern of a combination of factors such as ongoing and upcoming large public forums including the Euro Cup and the Olympics, along with an increasing the threat of attacks by potential bad actors against various non-military targets in Europe,” the statement read. EUCOM “advises personnel in the European theater to remain vigilant and stay alert at all times, including reporting suspicious activity, monitoring Department of State travel advisories, and implementing prudent personal risk mitigation measures,” it added. The U.S. defense official said separately that the military is “taking extra steps to ensure [U.S. troops] remain vigilant during both business and pleasure activities.” A report issued last month by the by the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future warned that despite a high risk of cyberattacks, the greatest threat to the Paris Olympics remains the possibility for terror attacks. French authorities have already disrupted at least two separate terror plots. In one of the cases, the 18-year-old suspect was charged with plotting to carry out an attack on one of the stadiums serving as Olympic venues in the name of the Islamic State. Top U.S. counterterrorism officials have also acknowledged that the Islamic State terror group, known as IS or ISIS, has also been gaining momentum in recent months. Much of the concern has focused on the group’s Afghan affiliate, known as IS-Khorasan. "Both ISIS and ISIS-Khorasan ... have demonstrated a capability and intent to conduct external operations," White House Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Jen Daskal told a counterterrorism conference in Omaha, Nebraska, last week. National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid also warned about IS-Khorasan this past May. “This ability of the global ISIS enterprise, even without territorial solidity, the ability to reach out virtually to a network of supporters, some of whom are going to conduct attacks, is quite concerning,” she told a security conference in Doha. Abizaid further called IS-Khorasan's ability to reestablish itself in Afghanistan “probably the most significant additive capability we’ve seen to the global ISIS network in the last three years.” IS-Khorasan claimed responsibility for the January attack on a memorial service in Kerman, Iran, that killed about 90 people, and also the March attack on a Moscow concert hall that killed more than 140 people. U.S. counterterrorism officials have also raised concerns that IS-Khorasan has become more adept at using transnational criminal networks and human smuggling rings, eying potential plots to send its operatives into the United States.

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.

Recent crackdowns have scared many protesters off the streets in Syria’s last rebel-held stronghold. But some rallies continue, with locals demanding economic relief and the release of political prisoners in what officials call Syria’s “forgotten” city of Idlib. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul. Our journalists in Syria declined to be named for security reasons.

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.

Johannesburg — After weeks of political deal-making, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the Cabinet of his new government of national unity. Ministers from different parties will now have to put political differences aside to run the country successfully. South Africa’s new ministers are a diverse group — from a former armed robber to a white Afrikaner nationalist. After the long-governing African National Congress, or ANC, lost its majority in May elections, Ramaphosa opted to form an inclusive government with 10 opposition parties that don’t necessarily see eye to eye. Ramaphosa had to divvy up Cabinet positions to keep everyone happy, with the result a somewhat bloated government of 32 ministers and 43 deputy ministers. “The establishment of the government of national unity in its current form is unprecedented in the history of our democracy. We have had to consider how to form the new government in a manner that advances the national interest, that gives due consideration to the outcome of the election and that makes use of the respective capabilities within each of the parties,” he said. The ANC took 20 of the 32 Cabinet posts, while the Democratic Alliance, or DA, which came second in the elections, won six. Smaller parties took the remainder. The DA has long been a thorn in the ANC’s side, and its leader, John Steenhuisen, who was made agriculture minister, noted that the road ahead would be “difficult.” Steenhuisen, however, pledged to try and make the new government work. “It is now up to all of us — including the voters who created this multi-party government — to ensure that it delivers on its promise,” he said. Experts say the ANC — which liberated South Africa from apartheid 30 years ago — only won 40% of the vote in polls in May due to a flailing economy, high unemployment, electricity and water shortages and corruption scandals. The business-friendly DA, which captured 22% of the vote, will now head some key economic portfolios including agriculture and public works and infrastructure as well as getting deputy minister positions in the finance and trade ministries. David Everatt, a politics professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, said the government of national unity was expected to try to give roles to all members. “However, the Cabinet has ballooned to a remarkable 75 people, ministers and deputy ministers… the most ironic part of that is that the Democratic Alliance, which is a fairly conservative liberal party, has for many years lambasted the ruling African National Congress for having these very large Cabinets, giving jobs to pals, et cetera. They’re now sitting in exactly those seats,” he said. The uMkhonto weSizwe party, led by corruption-accused former President Jacob Zuma, finished third in the voting, and the radical Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters came in fourth. Both parties have refused to join the government of national unity, and object to the white-led DA’s participation. They will now be on the opposition benches. Other smaller parties that did join and were given portfolios include the anti-immigrant, populist Patriotic Alliance and the right-wing white nationalist Freedom Front Plus. The Patriotic Alliance’s leader, Gayton McKenzie, an ex-gangster who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for robbery, is now minister for sports, arts and culture. Pieter Groenewald of the FF Plus has been made minister of correctional services.

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.

Panama’s pollera is the country’s beautiful, elaborate and very expensive national dress, and one of the most recognized Latin American traditional costumes. But production of the gorgeous garment faces an uncertain future. Oscar Sulbarán explains why in this story narrated by Veronica Villafañe. (Camera: Oscar Sulbarán; Produced by: Veronica Villafañe)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says illegal wildlife trafficking generates about 23 billion dollars a year. Angelina Bagdasaryan has more on a new exhibit that opened in Los Angeles trying to shed some light on the practice, in this story narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian.

Paris — France’s far-right has never been closer to power after winning the first round of snap legislative elections Sunday. It’s a stunning result that could see the far-right taking control of the government — and a far-right prime minister ahead of the Paris Olympics — if it wins big in the second round runoff July 7. The left and center are now calling for an alliance against extremism in one of Europe’s most important countries. The far-right National Rally — and its leader, Marine Le Pen have been celebrating the latest results. She has spent years revamping the image of her anti-immigrant party from a racist fringe movement to an acceptable political alternative. Her work appears to have paid off Sunday — the National Rally captured one-third of the vote, well ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party and its allies, which placed third, with just over 20%. A leftist alliance called the New Popular Front came second, with roughly 28% of the vote. Turnout was the highest in years, showing the stakes many voters place in these surprise, snap legislative elections. They were called by Macron — three years ahead of schedule — after the far-right’s strong showing in last month’s European Parliament elections. Analysts say Macron is gambling his party and his reform plans can somehow prevail, after years of gridlock in France’s National Assembly, or lower house. But the far-right’s platform — tough on crime and illegal immigration and focused on common worries — is resonating. National Rally President Jordan Bardella — possibly France’s next prime minister, if his party wins the majority of seats — called on voters to rally behind his ticket in the runoff. Not everyone is sold. At a polling center in northeastern Paris, considered a leftist stronghold, many voters are dismayed at a possible National Rally victory. “With our current government, we already had some right-wing policies, but that would only make things worse. Particularly with respect to the right to demonstrate, of the rights of minorities and everything,” said Paris voter Matthieu Maguet. Emmanuela Konan won’t say how she voted — but she says a National Rally win will be difficult for the country. Christine Pekar voted for Macron’s alliance. “I think he showed political courage in pushing through all the reforms he did over the last seven years,” she said. In Paris and elsewhere in the country, people rallied against the far-right after the first results were announced. Leftist politicians are calling for an alliance against extremism. So is France’s ruling party — and Macron’s prime minister, Gabriel Attal. To give mainstream parties a chance, he said, his alliance will pull out of runoff elections in areas where it’s not likely to win. But divisions between Macron and the left are big. And, despite efforts to curb them, there’s a chance the National Rally could prove unstoppable.  

Washington, D.C., home to the world's largest collection of William Shakespeare's works, has unveiled a treasure trove that most have never seen. The Folger Shakespeare Library reopened its doors after a four-year long renovation, revealing the most valuable part of its collection to the public for the first time. Maxim Adams visited the library.

Phoenix — Alfred Handley leaned back in his wheelchair alongside a major Phoenix freeway as a street medicine team helped him get rehydrated with an intravenous saline solution dripping from a bag hanging on a pole. Cars whooshed by under the blazing 96-degree morning sun as the 59-year-old homeless man with a nearly toothless smile got the help he needed through a new program run by the nonprofit Circle the City.   “It’s a lot better than going to the hospital,” Handley said of the team that provides health care to homeless people. He's been treated poorly at traditional clinics and hospitals, he said, more than six years after being struck by a car while he sat on a wall, leaving him in a wheelchair. Circle the City introduced its IV rehydration program as a way to protect homeless people from life-threatening heat illness as temperatures regularly hit the triple-digits in America's hottest metro. Homeless people accounted for nearly half of the record 645 heat-related deaths last year in Maricopa County, which encompasses metro Phoenix. Dr. Liz Frye, vice chair of the Street Medicine Institute that provides training to hundreds of health care teams worldwide, said she didn't know of groups other than Circle the City administering IVs on the street. "But if that’s what needs to happen to keep somebody from dying, I’m all about it,” Frye said. As summers grow warmer, health providers from San Diego to New York are being challenged to better protect homeless patients. Even the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, featured in last year's book, “Rough Sleepers," now sees patients with mild heat exhaustion in the summer after decades of treating people with frostbite and hypothermia during the winter, said Dr. Dave Munson, the street team's medical director. “It's certainly something to worry about,” said Munson, noting that temperatures in Boston hit 100 degrees with 70% humidity during June's heat wave. Homeless people, he said, are vulnerable to very hot and very cold weather not only because they live outside, but they often can't regulate body temperature due to medication for mental illness or high blood pressure, or because of street substance use. The Phoenix team searches for patients in homeless encampments in dry riverbeds, sweltering alleys and along the canals that bring water to the Phoenix area. About 15% are dehydrated enough for a saline drip.   “We go out every day and find them,” said nurse practitioner Perla Puebla. “We do their wound care, medication refills for diabetes, antibiotics, high blood pressure.” Puebla’s street team ran across Handley and 36-year-old Phoenix native Phillip Enriquez near an overpass in an area frequented by homeless people because it’s near a facility offering free meals. Across the road was an encampment of tents and lean-tos along a chain-link fence.   Enriquez sat on a patch of dirt as Puebla started a drip for him. She also gave him a prescription for antibiotics and a referral to a dentist for his dental infection. Living outside in Arizona’s broiling sun is hard, especially for people who may be mentally ill or use sedating drugs like fentanyl that make them less aware of surroundings. Stimulants like methamphetamine contribute to dehydration, which can be fatal. Temperatures this year have reached 115 degrees (45 Celsius) in metro Phoenix, where six heat-related deaths have been confirmed through June 22. Another 111 are under investigation. “The number of patients with heat illnesses is increasing every year,” said Dr. Aneesh Narang, assistant medical director of emergency medicine at Banner Medical Center-Phoenix, which treats many homeless people with heat stroke. Narang's staff works frequently with Circle the City, whose core mission is providing respite care, with 100 beds for homeless people not well enough to return to the streets after a hospital stay. Extreme heat worldwide requires a dramatic response, said physician assistant Lindsay Fox, who cares for homeless people in Albuquerque, New Mexico, through an initiative run by the University of New Mexico’s School of Medicine. Three times weekly, Fox treats infections, cleans wounds and manages chronic conditions in consultation with hospital colleagues. She said the prospect of more heat illness worries her. Highs in Albuquerque can hit the 90s and don't fall enough for people living outside to cool off overnight, she said. “If you’re in an urban area that’s primarily concrete, you’re retaining heat,” she said. “We're seeing heat exposure that very quickly could go to heat stroke.” Serious heat stroke is far more common in metro Phoenix, where Circle the City is now among scores of health programs for the homeless in cities like New York, San Diego and Spokane, Washington. Circle the City, founded in 2012 by Sister Adele O’Sullivan, a physician and member of the Sisters of St. Joseph Carondelet, now has 260 employees, including 15 doctors, 13 physician assistants and 11 nurse practitioners. It annually sees 9,000 patients. Grants, donations and other gifts account for about 20% of the funding. Most of the rest comes from insurance payments for services provided through Medicaid and Medicare. Circle the City works with medical staff in seven Phoenix hospitals to help homeless patients get after-care when they no longer need hospitalization. It also staffs two outpatient clinics for follow-up.   “This partnership allows us to offer the best outcomes for our patients,” said Craig Orsini, social work manager at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. Often that's a few weeks in respite care or, for less acute needs, a stay in one of a handful of medical beds at the downtown shelter for things like dressing changes for wounds. Someone who needs months to heal might go to a skilled nursing facility. While patients recover, Circle the City works to find longer-term transitional shelter such as those for people 55 and older, or in permanent housing. About 77% of respite patients are sent somewhere other than the street or an emergency shelter. “We try to find the best fit for people,” said Wendy Adams, Circle the City’s community outreach supervisor. Circle the City medical staff distributes tens of thousands of water bottles each summer and tries to educate people about hot weather dangers, said Dr. Matt Essary, who works at one of five mobile clinics that stop outside soup kitchens and other services for homeless people.  Essary said Circle the City is also considering a blood analysis tool to detect electrolyte imbalances caused by dehydration. “You can see right away how dehydrated they have become because it’s so hard to draw their blood,” he said. Other possible symptoms include headache, extreme thirst, dizziness and dry mouth. “We also see a lot of people with surface burns,” Essary said of the wounds common in broiling Phoenix, where a medical emergency or intoxication can cause someone to fall on a sizzling sidewalk. Rachel Belgrade waited outside Circle the City's retrofitted truck with her black-and-white puppy, Bo, for Essary to write a prescription for the blood pressure medicine she lost when a man stole her bicycle. She accepted two bottles of water to cool off as the morning heat rose.  “They make all of this easier,” said Belgrade, a Native American from the Gila River tribe. “They don’t give you a hard time.” 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers on Sunday announced they plan to put two bond measures on the ballot in November, one that would ask voter approval to borrow $10 billion for climate programs and another that would borrow $10 billion to build or repair public schools. If passed by the Legislature later this week, the bonds would appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. Lawmakers announced the bond proposals on Sunday, one day after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California’s budget. The spending plan closes an estimated $46.8 billion deficit in part through $16 billion in spending cuts. “These bond measures are critical to the future of this state, and invest in our kids, their neighborhood schools, and they ensure communities big and small have access to clean drinking water and are wildfire safe,” Democratic state Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said in a statement. The climate initiative would help communities recover from wildfires, floods, drought and other natural catastrophes. The clean water and wildfire bond would cover $10 billion in strategic investments for safe drinking water, as well as funding for "wildfire and forest resilience, sea-level rise, extreme heat mitigation, clean air, and protecting biodiversity,” according to a statement from McGuire's office. Officials said it would be the single largest investment in public funding for climate resilience in California’s history. The second measure would provide $10 billion in borrowed money to modernize and repair schools. K-12 schools would get $8.5 billion, while California community colleges would receive $1.5 billion. The debt would be designated for new construction, improving existing campuses, career technical education and energy efficiency grants.  “Districts will be able to ensure schools have essential facilities like kitchens and libraries, equip students with the skills for high-demand technical careers, and provide greater access to broadband internet," said Sen. Josh Newman, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Education Committee. “This bond ensures that our schools are safe, modern, and well-prepared for the 21st-century.” Lawmakers passed the state budget last Wednesday after Newsom and legislative leaders both made concessions. They were forced for the second year in a row to pare back or delay some progressive policies that were previously paid for with the help of record-breaking surpluses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bond measures, if approved by voters, would allow legislators to borrow money not allocated by the budget. In March, voters narrowly — 50.18% to 49.82% — approved a plan to borrow $6.38 billion to build 4,350 housing units for homeless residents and add 6,800 mental health and addiction treatment beds. 

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 replaced colonial-era criminal laws with new legislation on Monday, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government said would make the country more just, but the opposition said risked throwing the criminal justice system into disarray. The new laws were approved by parliament in December in Modi's previous term with the government saying they aim to "give justice, not punishment." It says they were needed as colonial laws had been at the core of the criminal justice system for more than a century. Among the key changes is replacement of the sedition law frequently used as a tool of suppression, after its enactment under British colonial rule to jail Indian freedom fighters. Under the new laws — which replace the Indian Penal Code, the Indian Evidence Act, and Code of Criminal Procedure — sedition is replaced with a section on acts seen as "endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India." "About 77 years after independence, our criminal justice system is becoming completely indigenous and will run on Indian ethos," India's Home [interior] Minister Amit Shah told reporters. "Instead of punishment, there will now be justice." Criminal cases registered under the repealed laws before Monday will continue to follow them, Shah said, adding that the first case logged under the new law was that of a motorcycle theft in the central city of Gwalior, registered 10 minutes after midnight. "The laws were debated for three months ... It is not fair to give political color to this big improvement happening after centuries. I ask the opposition parties to support this legislation," Shah said. Opposition Congress party lawmaker P. Chidambaram said the previous parliament session did not hold any "worthwhile debate" before passing the laws. He said that there was only marginal improvement in the new laws, which could have been introduced as amendments to existing laws. "The initial impact will be to throw the administration of criminal justice into disarray," he posted on X. The Indian Express newspaper said in an editorial that criminal justice reform should not be "a one-time solution or one that just takes place in the books," and called for police reform and addressing gaps in judicial infrastructure.

Athens — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday the country faced a dangerous summer for wildfires, with a prolonged drought and unusually strong winds contributing to tinderbox conditions. Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country, but hotter, drier and windier weather that scientists link to the effects of climate change has increased their frequency and intensity. This weekend, dozens of fires broke out across Greece, including two close to the capital, Athens. "It is a summer which is expected to be particularly dangerous ... the most difficult times are still ahead of us," Mitsotakis said as he addressed his cabinet. "We had a very difficult June in terms of weather conditions with high drought and unusually high gusts of wind for the season," he said, praising firefighters for managing to contain the weekend fires.  Mitsotakis said less than 100,000 square meters (24.7 acres) of land had been burned in the two fires, and that the damage was contained due to the response by state emergency authorities. Greece has scaled up its preparations this year by hiring more staff and increasing training, after forest fires last year forced 19,000 people to flee the island of Rhodes and killed 20 in the north of the country. "Our arsenal might be stronger, but nothing - and that is seen in practice - beats being prepared, and for the public to also be involved in this collective defense against natural hazards," Mitsotakis said.