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Washington — The United States is sharpening its counterterrorism focus on Somalia, going after increasingly high-profile targets linked to a resurgence of the Islamic State terror group from its base in the Horn of Africa. U.S. officials are concerned that IS-Somalia, as the terror group’s regional affiliate is known, has moved from being a key cog in the Islamic State global financial network to hosting the group’s top leader. Top IS leaders “view Africa as a place where they should invest, where they are more permissive and able to operate better and more freely, and they want to expand,” according to a senior U.S. defense official. “So, they did bring the caliph to that region.” “The caliph provides strategic direction, which we view as allowing them to develop and expand, even more so than we would expect,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence matters. The U.S. assessment follows a flood of rumors emanating from Somalia that the IS emir, Abu Hafs al-Hashemi al-Qurashi, traveled from Syria or Iraq and then through Yemen to the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia in country’s northeast. It also follows warnings from multiple Somali security officials that IS-Somalia has grown stronger, due in part to an influx of fighters and operatives from Yemen. As evidence of the magnified U.S. focus on IS in Somalia, a second U.S. official confirmed to VOA on Monday that an airstrike late last month in the vicinity of Dhaadaar, 81 kilometers southeast of the city of Bosaso, targeted IS-Somalia leader Abdulqadir Mumin. U.S. Africa Command’s initial assessments of the May 31 strike indicated three IS militants were killed. The U.S. official told VOA on Monday, however, that it is not clear if Mumin is one of the dead. Multiple Somali security officials told VOA that their initial analysis has yet to turn up evidence that Mumin was killed, though as many as three Somalis and three foreigners were wounded. One Somali security official said he doubted Mumin would have been in the area during the strike since the IS-Somalia leader is careful to avoid areas where telecommunication infrastructure is working, which it was at the time. Regardless of the outcome of the strike, U.S. officials say their focus will not waver. “We would absolutely say, unequivocally, that we’ve got to keep our eye on the terrorist threat,” White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters Monday, referencing the strike in Somalia. “It’s clear that the threat is still real, and we have to still go after it,” he said. But word that IS, also known as ISIS or Daesh, has sent its global leader to Somalia, along with reports that Mumin himself may have been elevated to the position of caliph, is being met with skepticism from some former counterterrorism officials and analysts. “The importance of Mumin, ISIS-Somalia, ISCAP [Islamic State Central Africa Province] and the al-Karrar office is not in doubt,” said Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former senior United Nations counterterrorism official who currently serves as a senior adviser for the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project. “But ISIS is a profoundly racist organization, and they like to claim that the caliph is descended from Muhammad,” he told VOA. “I don’t believe they are ready for an African caliph.” There are also questions as to why IS would send its top leader on a long and potentially perilous journey from Syria or Iraq to Somalia. “It would be difficult from a logistic perspective. But, certainly, they could through human smuggling or networks that exist already,” said Colin Clarke, director of research at the global intelligence firm, The Soufan Group. “My question would be to what end? What kind of infrastructure is there on the ground that this person could slot into and still be relevant,” Clarke told VOA. “It's not like Somalia is a place where you're free from counterterrorism actions … It's not outside of the targeting scope of the U.S. intelligence community.” Clarke, like other analysts who spoke to VOA, also cautioned against underestimating IS-Somalia. Despite IS-Somalia’s small size — estimated at 100 to 400 fighters — and its failure to control significant territory, Clarke said the IS affiliate has become a “linchpin to the group's broader global logistics network.” That assessment is supported by a series of reports from the United Nation’s own counterterrorism experts, based on intelligence from U.N. member states. As far back as 2022, they identified Somalia as home to al-Karrar, one of nine regional offices established to help sustain the terror group’s global capabilities. The office, overseen most recently by IS-Somalia’s Mumin, has since evolved into a key financial hub, moving money from Yemen to Afghanistan to help buy weapons and pay the salaries of IS fighters in Somalia, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo. More recent assessments also contend that IS-Somalia, through the al-Karrar office, has been funding the IS Afghan affiliate, sending $25,000 a month in cryptocurrency to the group, known as IS-Khorasan Province. Such continued growth for the al-Karrar office could point to a bigger, pivotal role for its leader, Mumin. “With IS-Somalia and the al-Karrar office being this key middle point between various provinces, [Mumin] could be the head of the general director of provinces, meaning the main person that’s helping to implement the [IS] strategy globally,” said Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who specializes in jihadism. “In the past somebody in that level was previously either in Iraq or Syria,” Zelin told VOA, adding that while IS as an organization has long looked to Africa for growth, its core identity is tied to the Middle East.  “I still think that the heart of the organization, even if it's not as strong as it has been in the past, is based in Iraq and Syria,” he said. 

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June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the United States. In Los Angeles, celebrations include a festival and parade that are among the world’s largest LGBTQ+ events. VOA’s Genia Dulot talked to an immigrant couple about their lives in the United States and their struggle for acceptance back home.

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 — Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his third term in office, India and the United States agreed to strengthen cooperation in high technology areas during a visit by U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to New Delhi. Sullivan met Modi, the Indian foreign minister and his Indian counterpart during the visit that reaffirmed both countries will pursue closer ties. “India is committed to further strengthen the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership for global good,” Modi wrote on X after meeting Sullivan on Monday. The main focus of Sullivan’s visit was to hold discussion with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on a landmark initiative launched by the two countries in January last year to collaborate more closely in high-technology areas including defense, semiconductors, 5G wireless networks and artificial intelligence. The initiative, launched with an eye to countering China, marks a significant push in tightening the strategic partnership between the two countries. “The visit by Sullivan in the early days of Modi’s new administration signals that the U.S. wants to maintain the momentum in the high technology partnership between the two countries,” according to Manoj Joshi, Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. A joint fact sheet by the two countries following Sullivan’s meeting with Doval said that they launched a new strategic semiconductor partnership between U.S. and Indian companies for precision-guided ammunition and other national security-focused electronics platforms. They also agreed to co-invest in a lithium resource project in South America and a rare earths deposit in Africa "to diversify critical mineral supply chains" and discussed possible co-production of land warfare systems, according to the fact sheet. Growing the domestic defense manufacturing sector remains a top focus for the Modi administration as it looks to lower its dependence on imported arms. Although India has diversified its imports of military equipment, it is still heavily reliant on Russia. For India, the technology initiative is a top priority as it looks to strengthen the country’s security and build its capabilities in high technology areas. “India wants to become one of the leading countries in cutting edge technologies and it is of great benefit for New Delhi to partner the U.S. which is the leader in these areas,” said Joshi. “The idea is to get into co-production, co-development, innovation and attract American companies to set up bases here.” Sullivan also met Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyan Jaishankar, who has been retained as the external affairs minister in Modi’s new administration, signaling a continuation in the country’s foreign policy. “Confident that India-US strategic partnership will continue to advance strongly in our new term," Jaishankar wrote on X. In Washington, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters Monday that India and the U.S. “share a unique bond of friendship and Mr. Sullivan's trip to India will further deepen the already strong U.S.-India partnership to create a safer and more prosperous Indo-Pacific.” New Delhi’s ties with Washington have expanded in recent years amid mutual concerns in both countries about an assertive China -- India’s military standoff with Beijing along their disputed Himalayan borders remains unresolved four years after a clash between their troops. As Sullivan visited India, an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, charged with trying to hire a hitman to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in the U.S., appeared in court in New York Monday following his extradition from the Czech Republic. The alleged plan was foiled. Allegations by U.S. prosecutors of the involvement of an Indian government official in the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen, have raised concerns about a strain in bilateral ties. The U.S. allegations followed accusations levelled by Canada in September of involvement of Indian nationals in the killing of a Canadian Sikh leader. India, which views Sikh separatist groups overseas as security threats, has denied its involvement in both the killing in Canada and the alleged plot in the U.S. But it said it has set up an inquiry committee to examine the information provided by Washington. Analysts in New Delhi say ties are unlikely to be adversely impacted by the alleged murder plot. “The U.S. is quite pragmatic on these matters. They are continuing to stress that ties with India are important, so I don’t think a failed conspiracy will derail ties,” Joshi said.

Seoul, South Korea — Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive Tuesday in North Korea, where he is expected to sign a treaty outlining Moscow's expanded cooperation with Pyongyang, according to Russian state media. Putin has decided to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his two-day visit, reported the Russian news agency TASS. The report provided no details of the document, though earlier the agency quoted a Putin foreign policy aide as saying it would likely cover defense matters. Earlier Tuesday, Putin vowed to work with North Korea to counter sanctions as both countries expand their "many-sided partnership," according to a letter published in North Korean state media. In the letter, Putin said the two countries would develop trade mechanisms "not controlled by the West" and would "jointly oppose illegitimate unilateral restrictions." Russia is a long-time supporter of North Korea. Though ties have sometimes been rocky, both countries recently found more reasons to work together, especially following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. U.S. officials say North Korea has provided Russia with 11,000 containers of munitions, as well as ballistic missiles, for use in the Ukraine battlefield. Both North Korea and Russia deny such weapons deals even though a growing number of independent observers have documented North Korean weapons being used against Ukrainian forces. "Moscow and Pyongyang will likely continue to deny violations of international law but have notably shifted from hiding their illicit activities to flaunting their cooperation," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. Defense ties U.S. officials have expressed concerns that Russia may provide advanced weapons or other help related to North Korea's nuclear program. Such worries intensified last September when Kim inspected numerous advanced Russian weapons while touring several military sites in eastern Russia, including a modern space launch facility. Though North Korea's latest satellite launches showed signs of Russian assistance, analysts debate how far defense cooperation would go, noting that Russia does not often share its most advanced military technology. "These states do not share durable alliance institutions and values; they are only weakly bound together by resistance to the enforcement of international laws and norms," said Easley. Treaty history Analysts will closely parse the language of any new treaty signed by Putin and Kim. Russia currently has comprehensive strategic partnerships with countries including Vietnam, Mongolia, and some Central Asian nations. While such documents form the basis for Russia's "highest type of interstate relations," they do not amount to alliance treaties, observed former Russian diplomat Georgy Toloraya. "I don't think that this treaty would include a clause which directly calls for military assistance, but it will certainly give room to imagine a situation where this could be provided," he said in an interview with VOA. In 1961, North Korea and the Soviet Union signed a friendship and mutual assistance treaty that included a provision for automatic military intervention in emergencies. That deal was abolished after the Soviet Union's collapse. The two countries signed a new treaty in 2000, but it focused on economic rather than military matters. According to Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, the treaty being negotiated by Kim and Putin would replace all other bilateral treaties. Obstacles If Putin's letter is any indication, his visit will also likely focus on expanding economic ties, including by ramping up exchanges related to education, culture, and tourism. However, this plan faces obstacles due to United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit a wide range of economic engagement with North Korea. While Russia says it no longer supports U.N. sanctions on North Korea, it has not formally announced that it will stop observing them. Instead, Russia may search for what it sees as loopholes that facilitate cooperation even in areas that are subject to U.N. sanctions, such as North Korean laborers earning income abroad. For instance, North Korean IT specialists could work remotely from their home country without technically receiving income abroad, said Toloraya, a former member of the U.N. Panel of Experts, which was meant to monitor enforcement of the North Korea sanctions. Russia earlier this year effectively abolished the U.N. panel – one of its boldest steps to unilaterally degrade the U.N. sanctions regime it once supported. What North Korea wants For Kim, Putin's visit is meant to provide a boost in domestic legitimacy, especially amid North Korea's increasingly public frictions with its main economic backer China, said Kim Gunn, who earlier this year stepped down as South Korea's top nuclear envoy. "North Koreans feel nervous about that, because their economy is 99% dependent on China," said Kim, who is now a member of South Korea's National Assembly. "Kim Jong Un's answer is to say, 'Don't worry, we still have Russia." In the lawmaker's view, Kim Jong Un also likely hopes that Putin's visit will give him leverage with Chinese President Xi Jinping, creating a situation where both Russia and China vie for North Korea's favor. But, Kim Gunn added, the new Russia-North Korea relationship is likely a "marriage of convenience," rather than a restoration of Soviet-era ties. "Russia is not the former Soviet Union," he said. "And Russia is at war in Ukraine – they are pouring all their energy into this war. There's not so much room for Russia to do anything with North Korea."

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HONG KONG — Hong Kong's stock exchange will continue trading through typhoons and heavy storms beginning in September, the city's leader announced Tuesday. The bourse in the international finance hub typically suspends trading when a strong typhoon signal or "black rainstorm warning" is hoisted, meaning several days are lost each year. Southern China is accustomed to seeing seasonal typhoons in the latter half of the year, but climate change has made tropical storms more unpredictable while increasing their intensity.   On Tuesday, John Lee said that from Sept. 23 investors can trade as usual "when the typhoon signal number eight or above is hoisted in Hong Kong, or even during a black rainstorm warning." "Shenzhen and Shanghai are now trading in bad weather. There is no reason why Hong Kong, as an international financial center, should not follow suit," he added. "Non-stop trading in inclement weather can strengthen the competitiveness of the Hong Kong Exchange," he said, adding that the September timeframe would give the industry time to prepare. Katerine Kou, chair of Hong Kong Securities Association, said discussion on the move had been ongoing for a year given the city's role as "a super connector between the Chinese market and the global market." "I think Hong Kong as a whole, including the exchange, have been trying to score more points, and to enhance its global competitiveness," Kou told AFP. "This is definitely a score-winning move."  Last year, the city raised its highest T10 warning — for Typhoon Saola — for only the 16th time since World War II. A week after Saola, Hong Kong was flooded by the heaviest rainfall in nearly 140 years, leaving its streets inundated and subway stations waterlogged. 

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Tehran, Iran — At least nine patients died Tuesday when a fire tore through a hospital in Iran's northern city of Rasht, state media said.  The fire at Ghaem Hospital broke out at 1:30 a.m. Monday, state broadcaster IRIB said, adding that it had been put out and investigators were working to determine what had caused it.  "Unfortunately, nine people lost their lives in this fire accident," said Mohammad Taghi Ashobi, president of the Gilan University of Medical Sciences in Rasht.  He told state TV that "most of the patients who died... were hospitalized in the intensive care unit".  According to the reports, the hospital has 250 beds and 142 of them were occupied at the time of the fire.  In November 2023, a massive blaze ripped through a drug rehab center in Langarud city, also in Gilan province, killing 32 people.  In June 2020, 19 people died in a powerful explosion caused by gas canisters that caught fire at a clinic in northern Tehran. 

MELBOURNE, Australia — Chinese Premier Li Qiang has ended his Australian tour on Tuesday in the west coast city of Perth where he has focused on China’s investment in critical minerals, clean energy and business links. Perth is the capital of Western Australia state, which provided 39% of the world's iron ore last year. Iron ore is one of Australia's most lucrative exports. Analysts say the commodity was spared the type of trade bans Beijing imposed on other Australian exports as bilateral relations soured three years ago because the steel-making ingredient was crucial to Chinese industrial growth. Li last week became the first Chinese premier in seven years to visit New Zealand then Australia. He left Perth late Tuesday for Malaysia, where he'll be China's first premier to visit since 2015. While in Perth, China’s second-most powerful leader after President Xi Jinping inspected iron ore miner Fortescue’s clean energy research facility. Fortescue’s chairman Andrew Forrest said Li was interested in the company’s plans to produce iron ore without carbon emissions and potentially “green iron.” “I think China chose us because it’s not just the best technology to go green in Australia, it’s the best technology to go green in the world and we’ve got real examples of it in trains, ship engines, trucks,” Forrest told The Associated Press before the visit. The Perth facility is testing technology on hydrogen, ammonia and batter power for trains, ships, trucks and heavy mining equipment. Li also visited Chinese-controlled Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia’s processing plant south of Perth to underscore China’s interest in investing in critical minerals. The plant produces battery-grade lithium hydroxide for electric vehicles. Australia shares U.S. concerns over China’s global dominance in critical minerals and control over supply chains in the renewable energy sector. Citing Australia’s national interests, Treasurer Jim Chalmers recently ordered five Chinese-linked companies to divest their shares in the rare earth mining company Northern Minerals. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote in an opinion piece published in Perth’s main newspaper, The West Australian, on Tuesday that his government was acting to ensure foreign investment “continues to serve our national interests.” “This includes reforming the foreign investment framework so that it’s more efficient, more transparent and more effective at managing risk,” Albanese wrote. Forrest said the national risk from Chinese investment in the critical minerals sector was overstated. “Australia should be producing all the critical minerals in the world because we’re a great mining country, so by all means let’s go in harder after critical minerals, but let’s not do it with panic because there is no reason for panic,” Forrest said. Qiang and Albanese flew to Perth in separate planes late Monday from the national capital Canberra where the two leaders held an official annual meeting with senior ministers in Parliament House. Both leaders attended a round table of business leaders in Perth representing resource companies including mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto.

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SYDNEY — A new technology that allows smartphones to identify strokes far quicker than existing methods has been developed by researchers in Australia. The new technology uses artificial intelligence as it scans a patient’s face for symmetry and certain muscle movements, which are called action units. People who have suffered a stroke often have one side of their face looking different from the other.   The biomedical engineers at Melbourne’s RMIT University say the smartphone technology can detect facial asymmetry, potentially identifying strokes within seconds - much sooner and more precisely than current technologies. Professor Dinesh Kumar, who led the research team, explained to Australian Broadcasting Corp. how the AI-driven device works. “It takes a video of a person who is doing a smile, and the model determines whether this particular smile is indicative of (a) person who has had a stroke," Kumar said. "We then inform the paramedic or the clinician who is aware of the very high risk of this person having a stroke and, thus, can be treated immediately.” Strokes affect millions of people around the world.  They occur when the supply of blood to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, which stops brain tissue from receiving oxygen and nutrients.  Experts say that if treatment is delayed by even a few minutes, the brain can suffer permanent damage.  Symptoms of stroke include confusion, speech impairments and reduced facial expressions. The RMIT team reports that the smartphone tool has an accuracy rating of 82% for detecting stroke. They stress that it would not replace comprehensive medical diagnostic tests for stroke, but instead would guide initial treatment by first responders by quickly identifying patients who need urgent care.   The Australian study, which was a collaboration with São Paulo State University in Brazil, is published in the journal, Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine.