International News

Huawei surpasses ITU remote connectivity pledge

Huawei has successfully delivered digital connectivity to 170 million people across 80 countries, significantly exceeding its 2022 commitment to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Partner2Connect Digital Coalition.
The achievement was announced by Yang Chaobin, CEO of Huawei ICT BG, at the TECH Cares Forum during Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026. While the tech giant originally pledged to connect 120 million people in remote areas by 2025, it has surpassed that milestone a full year ahead of schedule.
Addressing the forum, Yang highlighted that robust digital networks are the essential foundation for an inclusive AI era. He noted that this expanded connectivity facilitates vital access to healthcare, education, and financial services for previously underserved communities. "High-speed networks and computing capabilities are critical to ensuring no one is left behind as AI advances," Yang stated.
Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, commended the feat, noting that bridging the global digital divide requires sustained investment and innovative business models.
Huawei strategy focuses on two pillars: inclusive connectivity and digital literacy. To tackle the skills gap, its "Skills on Wheels" initiative has already trained over 130,000 individuals across 21 nations. Furthermore, the company highlighted technical breakthroughs like the "RuralCow" solution, developed with MTN Nigeria, which extends network coverage to villages with as few as 1,500 residents. Moving forward, Huawei reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with global partners to build a more equitable, digitally empowered world.

Iran leader Khamenei killed in massive US and Israeli attack

01 Mar, 2026 :
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Irans supreme leader since 1989 and sworn enemy of the West, was killed in the opening salvo of a massive US and Israeli attack that extended into a second day Sunday, as the two powers seek to topple the Islamic republic.
Iranian state television confirmed Khameneis death early Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump announced the killing of the 86-year-old cleric he described as "one of the most evil people in History."
Cheers could be heard on Tehrans streets after reports first emerged from Israel of the death of Khamenei, as plumes of black smoke hovered over the district where he usually resides, witnesses told AFP.
The attack came weeks after Iranian authorities ruthlessly put down mass protests, killing thousands.
Loud explosions again pierced Tehran in the early hours, as Trump vowed no let-up in the strikes until the fall of the Islamic republic and urged security forces to stand down.
"This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country," Trump said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly said to Iranians, "This is your time to join forces, to overthrow the regime and to secure your future."
Iran responded to the attack with a flurry of missile and drone strikes across the Middle East, killing at least two people in Abu Dhabi and another in Tel Aviv as explosions rocked the showcase cities of Gulf Arab monarchies.
The Israeli army said that Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Khamenei, and the head of Irans powerful Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, were both also killed.
Along with Khamenei, Iranian media said that his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter were killed.
One prominent survivor, Ali Larijani, head of Irans Supreme National Security Council, vowed defiance.
"The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will teach an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressors," he said.
- Question on succession -
Iran had already seen intense speculation on a successor to Khamenei, given his age. Upon his death, many observers expected greater power for the Revolutionary Guards, which are deeply entrenched in the Iranian economy.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late pro-Western shah deposed in the 1979 Islamic revolution, warned that any successor within the system would be illegitimate.
He called on Iranians to "stay vigilant" and then to take to the streets in massive numbers when he issues a call.
Hailing the reported demise of Khamenei, only the second supreme leader of the cleric-run state after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Pahlavi said, "With his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end and will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history."
Pahlavi, who has spent most of his life in exile near Washington, has presented himself as a transitional figure to a secular democracy, although he does not enjoy support from all the opposition.
- Strikes across Iran -
Irans Red Crescent society said that at least 201 people had been killed in the strikes and more than 700 wounded.
The Iranian judiciary said one strike that hit a school in the south killed 108 people, although AFP was unable to access the site to verify the toll or the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Meanwhile in Israel, city streets stood deserted as residents took cover in shelters while the blasts of intercepted Iranian missiles reverberated overhead.
Israeli emergency services said that an Iranian missile strike killed a woman in the Tel Aviv area and that some 20 others were wounded.
Residents and AFP correspondents in the Emirati, Qatari and Bahraini capitals heard multiple rounds of explosions from Irans retaliatory strikes.
Smoke poured from US bases in the UAE and Bahrain, home to the US Navys Fifth Fleet.
"When we heard the sounds, we cried out of fear," said Jana Hassan, a 15-year-old student who was near the strike in Bahrain. "I will never forget the sound of those loud blasts."
In Abu Dhabi, the UAEs capital, two people were killed, while smoke and flames rose from Dubais famed man-made island The Palm, with four reported injured.
Irans Revolutionary Guards contacted ships to announce the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway for oil from the Gulf, although it was not clear if the threat was being enforced.
- Unprecedented scale -
Tehran residents had been going about their usual business when the strikes began. Security forces quickly flooded the streets, shops pulled down their shutters and few pedestrians risked venturing out, an AFP journalist saw.
"I saw with my own eyes two Tomahawk missiles flying horizontally toward targets," a Tehran office worker told AFP before communications and internet access were cut.
It was the first US military action of this scale apparently aimed at toppling a foreign government since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Israels army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said the operation was "taking place at a completely different scale" than the 12-day war it fought against Iran in June, which the US briefly joined.
An Israeli military statement said it was the largest military air raid in the history of its air force.
Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, the UAE and Israel all closed their airspaces to civilian traffic, at least in part, and multiple airlines cancelled flights to the Middle East.
Trumps envoys had negotiated in Geneva on Thursday with Irans foreign minister.
Trump said that Irans leaders had not compromised sufficiently on its disputed nuclear program, although he made clear after the attack that the goal was regime change and not a nuclear deal.
Oman had been mediating and had on Friday reported what it called a breakthrough, with Iran said to agree not to stockpile any uranium.
Oman called Saturday for an immediate ceasefire. Iran also called on the UN Security Council, which held an emergency session Saturday and where the United States holds veto power, to act to stop the attack.

Atta Tarar denounces Afghan Taliban as Illegitimate Regime

Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, on Thursday delivered a strong condemnation of the Afghan Taliban administration, describing it as an “illegitimate regime” engaged in repression, cross-border terrorism and systemic human rights violations.
In a media address, Tarar alleged a nexus between the Afghan Taliban and militant groups involved in attacks inside Pakistan. He claimed that safe havens, training and facilitation are being provided to elements responsible for recent incidents, including an attack on a Shiite mosque, a district court and the killing of Lt Col Shehzada Gul Faraz. He further stated that recent cross-border incidents were met with what he termed an effective response by Pakistan armed forces.
Beyond security concerns, the minister criticised the Taliban domestic governance, characterising it as authoritarian and rooted in what he described as a distortion of religion for political control. He alleged that the administration assumed power by force and operates without public mandate.
Tarar also referred to recently introduced criminal regulations in Afghanistan, claiming they entrench social divisions and discriminatory practices. According to him, the regulations differentiate legal consequences based on social status and recognise categories such as “free” and “enslaved,” which he said contradict international human rights standards and contemporary Islamic scholarship, as well as the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam.
The minister criticised restrictions imposed on women and girls, stating that a significant proportion of young women in Afghanistan are denied access to education and employment. He alleged that women are barred from public spaces and excluded from decision-making roles, and that enforcement mechanisms are in place to restrict their movement and public participation.
Citing a February 12, 2026 report of the United Nations Security Council, Tarar referred to concerns raised about the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan. He also mentioned international media reports indicating that the International Criminal Court has found reasonable grounds to suspect Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani of gender-based persecution.
“The Afghan Taliban regime is based on a system of repression,” Tarar said, adding that Pakistan urges the international community to take note of what he described as systemic discrimination, human rights abuses and support for militancy.
No immediate response from Afghan Taliban authorities was available at the time of filing this report.

Trump says Iran is talking to us, well see if we can do something

01 Feb, 2026 :
President Donald Trump on Saturday said Iran was negotiating with the United States, even as the Islamic republics army chief warned Washington against launching military strikes.
"(Iran is) talking to us, and well see if we can do something, otherwise well see what happens...We have a big fleet heading out there," he told Fox News.
"They are negotiating," Trump said.
Trump added that US allies in region were not being told of plans for possible strikes due to security reasons. He has threatened to intervene in Iran in the wake of a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
"Well, we cant tell them the plan. If I told them the plan, it would be almost as bad as telling you the plan -- it could be worse, actually," he said.
Washington has deployed a naval strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier off Irans shores.