UN sets global broadband targets

25 October 2011 Last updated at 14:15 GMT Net users account for just 20% of the world's population according to the ITU The United Nations has set "ambitious" new targets for broadband uptake around the world.

It calls on all countries to put in place broadband strategies by 2015.

By that time it wants to see 60% of people in the developed world online, with a slightly lower target of 50% for people living in the developing countries.

It also wants net access to be made available to 40% of households in the developing world by 2015.

It emphasised that broadband services must be "affordable" - amounting to less than 5% of average monthly incomes.

The four targets have been set by the UN's broadband commission for digital development.

"These targets are ambitious but achievable, given the political will and commitment on the part of governments, working in partnership with the private sector," said Dr Hamadoun Toure, the secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The ITU will be charged with measuring each country's progress towards the targets, with an annual broadband report, ranking nations in terms of broadband policy, affordability and uptake.

Slow speeds

To coincide with the new goals, the ITU has unveiled a mini-report looking at the current state of connectivity around the world.

It finds that internet users now makes up 20% of the world's population up from 13% in 2008.

The report shows that the world's top broadband economies are all located in Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

While the majority of broadband connections in the Republic of Korea run at speeds of at least 10Mbps (megabits per second), countries such as Ghana, Mongolia, Oman and Venezuela offer much slower connections, rarely exceeding 2Mbps.

Oliver Johnson, an analyst with research firm Point Topic, thinks that new league tables will force countries to think about broadband.

"Countries have to pay attention or risk becoming seriously uncompetitive," he said.

He also expects to see the EU making it easier for customers to buy services from a wider range of providers.

"Why can't you buy your football feed from Greece or your IP or broadband service from the organisation that offers the best price, regardless of where they are in Europe?" he asked.

In the UK it is estimated that 8.7 million adults have never used the internet.

Race Online - the body charged with getting more people using the net - has begun a new campaign urging net-savvy individuals to 'give an hour' to someone new to the web.

The BBC is backing the campaign, and on its website presenters and others celebrities explain how and who they intend to help.

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Fatal Karachi bomb targets police

19 September 2011 Last updated at 11:14 GMT The attack destroyed a large part of Mr Aslam's house A bomb targeting the home of a senior police officer in Karachi has killed at least eight people, officials say.

A car packed with explosives blew up destroying a large part of the home of Chaudhry Aslam Khan, the chief of the crime investigation department.

He and his family were unhurt. Most of the dead were police guards posted outside the house.

He blamed the Taliban for the attack but there have been two claims of responsibility from militant groups.

One came from the Pakistani Taliban who said the attack was to avenge those militants they say were killed by Mr Khan and his forces.

Earlier, a little-known group, Al-Mukhtar - which admitted to having some links with the Taliban - said it had carried out the attack.

Counter-terror chief

Mr Khan said he had received threatening letters from militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban.

"They are cowards... They call themselves Muslims but they are unbelievers. This will make me even more determined to carry on operations against them," he said.

Continue reading the main story Syed Shoaib Hasan BBC News, Karachi

It is not the first time that an attempt has been made on the life of the most famous policeman in Karachi - and one of the most feared in Pakistan.

Chaudhry Aslam Khan has an unmatched record for catching people including mafia dons, Taliban militants, sectarian militants, bank robbers and common criminals.

His reputation is not without controversy - he has been accused of being involved in several extra-judicial killings. However, all these charges have been investigated and Mr Khan has been cleared of all wrongdoing.

In recent times, he has been involved in the arrest of several high-profile militants in Karachi which has increasingly become a safe haven for jihadists.

"Such things do not scare me... I'm staying right here. They can try and come for me whenever they want and I'll be ready."

Correspondents say that Mr Khan is a well-known figure in Karachi, responsible for counter-torror operations in the city.

Since 2008, his unit has been involved in the arrests of dozens of militants - including would-be suicide bombers - planning attacks in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.

Some witnesses said the driver of the car rammed it into the gate of the house, causing the explosion. But the police said it was a suicide attack. Karachi's police chief, Saud Mirza, said that the attackers used 300kg of explosives.

A woman and her son who were passing their house on their way to school were among those killed.

Television pictures showed twisted metal of a number of vehicles littering the street outside and a thick cloud of smoke hanging high over the blast site.

Karachi's police force has been a target of the militants in the past.

In November 2010, a car bomb attack on the main CID offices in Karachi had killed at least 30 people.

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