tonight on "worldfocus" -- a deadly day for american troops in afghanistan. will even more casualties occur once the troop surge is finally finished? we will take to you a leading university in yemen where foreign students are apparently the targets of an al qaeda recruiting campaign. in our signature segment, we will look at the special challenges at the wheelchair bound face in greece. >> a really dangerous ride with me. and people from around the world gather in las vegas to look at the latest high-tech gadgets, 3d is coming to your living room soon. from the different perspectives of reporters and analysts from around the globe, this is "worldfocus." major support has been provided by rosalind p. walter and the peter g. peterson foundation, dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing key economic challenges facing america's future. and additional funding is provided by the following supporters -- good evening. welcome to "worldfocus." i'm daljit dhaliwal in new york. for more than two weeks, the united states has been focused on the terror threat from yemen following the christmas day bombing attempt on a u.s. jetliner. but tonight, the war in afghanistan is back at the center of the news, and the news is not good. six nato troops including three americans were killed today. making it the deadliest day for the expanding international force in two months. a u.s. military spokesman said that the americans died during the patrol in southern afghanistan. as the u.s. troop surge continues in afghanistan, the top american commander says he believes the larger force is turning the tide against the taliban. but afghanistan is also becoming increasingly deadly. today's losses brought to at least ten the number of u.s. troops killed there so far this year. an average of almost one service member each day. for more about the situation in afghanistan, we are joined once again tonight by the noted national security analyst anthony cortesman who is with the center for strategic and international studies. thank you very much for joining us on the program. so today as we mentioned was the deadliest day for nato troops in afghanistan in a two-month period. are we seeing more casualties, do you think because the mission is changing? >> it's not simply the mission. we are intensifying the level of combat. you are attempting to secure populated areas, not simply find the taliban in limited clashes. so what you're watching is a different type of tactical activity, and at the same time, the taliban has changed. it is now conducting winter campaigns. it doesn't pause or cut back simply because of the seasons. >> what do you expect then going forward? >> what we're watching is a fundamental shift toward a population cent rick strategy. what that really means is, there are about 42 major populated clusters in afghanistan. some are already secure. some are dominated by the taliban. so you're going to see a refocus. not only in u.s. but nato forces and in the aid efforts and the efforts by the afghan government and forces. that will develop over the course of the coming year. it won't be sudden and a lot of the changes will begin in the spring and summer. but it will be more intense fighting and the casualties you've referred to are inevitably going to rise before they drop. >> there were reports the obama administration is unhappy with the pentagon because the troop surge is taking longer than expected. how do you think that the surge is going? and do you anticipate that it will pay off in any kind of meaningful way? >> well, we've already seen progress. where we have shifted tactics, where we haven't just gone after the enemy and we've sought to protect the afghan people, where we've given them lasting protection, helped with governance and helped with aid, we create stable areas. areas the taliban can't get back into. and we gradually push them out of areas wherehey've had influence in the past. now whether we can do this on a national basis, whether we can do it in the worst areas, in the border with pakistan, that's not yet clear. if we're going to know over the coming year whether these tactics work, and whether this war is really winnable. >> some people have said in the past few weeks that we're fighting the wrong war, that the threat from al qaeda is much greater in places like yemen and somalia than it is in afghanistan. what do you think? do you agree? >> i don't agree at all. i think people are basically reacting to the headlines. we've been dealing with the threat from al qaeda and radical movements in yemen for more than a decade. it's basically been a problem, even before the attack on the uss cole. radical islam inside somalia is not dominated by al qaeda. the movement is tied to al qaeda but it is certainly not an al qaeda movement. what wve known ever since 2001 is this is a regional threat. it's not in one country. and it's not one leader. so when people suddenly discover yet again that this is much more complex than one war and one place, and then focus on the latest threat, they don't help. >> okay. anthony cortesman, thank you for joining us. >> a pleasure. thank you. in yemen, the united states is increasing counter terrorism aid and training after the suspected airline bombers alleged ties. today the cleric warned the government against allowing what he called foreign occupation. the cleric heads the university in yemen's capital where the bombing suspect studied. he had allegedly associated with the young nigerian. we have more on this tonight from itn's jonathan rugman who also reports on a contact with the suspect this fall work a member of itn's investigative team. >> reporter: on a hillside in the yemeni capital, 4,000 students are enrolled at a college which has earned the reputation as a favorite breeding ground for al qaeda. the university is a magnet for young muslims from the world over. the rector was once osama bin laden's spiritual mentor. the cleric believed to have inspired last year's shooting of 13 people at ft. hood in texas used to pray here. and it is believed that his alleged student, the nigerian charged with attacking a plane over detroit would pray here, too. the fbi claims that it was here that umar farouk abdulmutallab joined al qaeda. the 23-year-old apparently boasting that 20 more plane bombers are being trained to take his place. channel 4 news can now reveal that a member of our investigative team met the nigerian now charged with trying to blow up an american passenger jet. g took place here in yemen back in october when he was allegedly training with al qaeda and planning his christmas day attack. the meeting with abdulmutallab took place here at the juice bar in downtown. my colleague who met him said it was a british muslim who introduced them. >> i came here to meet a british muslim who is studying here in yemen, and this british muslim introduced me to the nigerian guy. and i asked him a couple questions about his country. >> how at the strike you? >> he strikes me as a quiet man, a devout muslim who was wearing a normal islamic dress and he was covering his head and you couldn't tell that this is a guy who would do such a thing and i didn't know he would do these things. >> reporter: last year, we began investigating the radicalization of foreigners here. though on the same street where we encountered the nigerian, muslims from leon in france and new jersey in the usa said they were against al qaeda. that a witch hunt against the innocent and devout had begun with students being taken away foquestioning. nobody would talk on camera, nor woulthe imam in the apartment block which houses the nearest mosque. the imam told us we're not allowed to film inside because he said it is wrong to take photographs of human bodies which have souls. there are several british and american students in the congregation here. it is just the kind of place the western intelligence services are worried about. the potential recruiting ground for jihad. one british muslim, a 19-year-old from south london, did agree to talk. he denied any al qaeda activity in the mosque and though he claimed he would not follow the nigerian's example, he didn't sound entirely sure. >> you're not going to follow his footsteps. that's what the british officials will be worried about, isn't it? >> probably. but it is god's will if i'm going to follow in footsteps. i'm try my best to stay away. what did he is wrong i wouldn't like to associate with him or do what he's doing. >> couldn't you be led astray by some very radical people who think that's not enough and you need to attack the west? >> you could if you're not careful. it is god's will but i'm usually with brothers who are on the truth and on the right hand advising. but what is most dangerous to associate with him. you could get brainwashed and you never know what could happen. >> reporter: the britain knew 20 other muslims from the u.k. studying islam in yemen. though clearly there are many more. we met a 23-year-old from north london, worried about reprisals from fundamentalists for talking about his refusal to grow a beard. >> i went to a place somtime ago where they were practicing the lifestyle of the prophet, meaning wearing what he wore and not shaving the beard. they don't wear jeans. i didn't believe the same beliefs as them even though at they are wearing, i believe in it as being right but i don't believe it being compulsory. >> reporter: though dress code is no way of spotting a possible terrorist, al qaeda is on the lookout for foreign students studying a strict form of islam, far from home. >> that was itn's jonathan rugman reporting from yemen. in southern italy, calm has returned after two days of rioting between african immigrants on one side and local residents and police on the other. it happened in a town in an agricultural region where unemployment runs about 20%. the writing began after two africans were shot with a pellet gun. migrants blame the attack on racism and authorities were also examining whether the local mafia provoked the fighting. at least 50 people were injured. the migrants work in farming and factory jobs that italians don't want but there is deep resentment over their presence. severe winter weather continued to be a problem as spain and portugal were the latest to be hit by cold and snow. these pictures are from our german partner deutsch welle. there was a foot of snow in parts of spain where schools were closed. temperatures were below freezing. the coldest temperatures were in norway where in one village, it was a record 44 degrees below zero. in the middle east, there has been renewed violence between palestinian militants and the gaza strip and israeli forces. funerals were hild for threld f militants killed by an air strike in israeli yesterday. the attack came after militants fired four mortars from gaza in southern israel. the israeli military says there has been 15 such attacks this moh. almost double the number in december. and the long border in egypt. two massive fences will be put up. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu said the decision to build is aimed at preserving israel's jewish character and keeping out islamic militants and illegal immigrants. also from egypt tonight, a fascinating story about those who built the pyramids. egypt displayed a series of newly discovered tombs that belonged to people who worked on the pyramids revealing a dozen skeletons, perfectly preserved after 4,000 years. the tombs also contain jars that once contained beer and bread for the workers' afterlives. archeologists say they provide new evidence that contrary to popular belief, the workers were not slaves. one saying that slaves would not have been buried with such care. now to our signature story. tonight, our foc is disabled rights overseas. it has been 20 years since congress passed the americans with disabilities act guaranteeing disabled americans protection under the lawful that is not always the case in other countries. during a reporting trip to greece last summer, correspondent lynn and megan thompson met a young woman who showed them how challenging life can be in a wheelchair in athens. our report is by megan thompson. >> reporter: it's monday in athens. the start of the workweek for ana and millions of others. but anna's commute is a special challenge. >> as you can see, my pavement. >> reporter: greek sidewalks are often too small for anna's wheelchair othey're blocked by parked cars and motor bikes. sometimes there is no ramp up. so for much of the trip, anna rides on the road with the cars. >> a really ngerous drive with me. careful behind you. >> reporter: it was an automobile accident that put anna in her wheelchair in the first place. seven years ago, as a 22-year-old dental student, she was a passenger in a car crash. anna says her medical training told her something was terribly wrong. >> i don't know if anyone is able to describe the feelings back then. because you just have to survive. so you're not able to think straight and act normal. no. you just to have survive. >> reporter: anna's severed spinal cord left her legs and body paralyzed. although she can move her arms, she lost the use of her fingers. with no hospital in gree treat her injuries, anna had to go to england for specialized care and rehabilitation. when she returned, her life was completely changed. >> the most difficult part, actually. i have to go back and reconstruct your life. you have to reconsider everything. >> reporter: still, anna is lucky. she has a familythe resources, and the spirit to achieve independence in a country where life for people with disabilities can be full of challenges. there are thousands of disabled greek like anna. although greece has made progress, many say they still face an array of problem. unemployment, discrimination, poverty, and difficulty just getting around. >> you don't see too many citizens going around with wheel chairs because of the roads and the curbs. as you can see, there is no ramp opposite the pavement. so i can't use it. i have to go on the road. my wheelchair is a big one. you can't go inside cafes or public services. things like that. because there are too many stairs. >> reporter: by law, public buildings are supposed to be accessible. but anna says that's not what she usually finds. while the u.s. started addressing the needs of the disabled in the 1970s, and enacted the comprehensive americans with disabilities act 20 years ago, greece has only just started dealing with the problems its disabled tizens face. >> it is the largest minority in the world and yet it is one to which one is not necessarily born to but yone could become a member of that minority. >> reporter: dr. eleftheria bernidaki-aldous became a member of that minority when an accident left her blind as a toddler. back then, disabled children were not allowed to go to disabled schools so her family found a special school for the blind in athens shelf went on to earn her phd at johns hopkins university. in 2004, became the first blind woman in the greek parliament. dr. bernidaki-aldous helped report on the disabilities. part of a decade of improvement. laws were passed to ban workplace discrimination. to improve access to public that buildings and to ensure public education for disabled children. at this conference on disabilities, the deputy minister of health said it is an issue of justice and human rights. that the government is committed to making more changes. the 2004 olympics and paralympics forced greece to make some important infrastructure improvements. one example, these grooves in the pavement to help guide the blind. another example, making tourist attractions more disability friendly. just in time for all the out of town guests. this elevator was installed at the parthenon. and we rode up with some first-time visitors. how are you doing? >> reporter: a harrowing ride but well worth it for this disabled greek who never could have gotten up here before. by all accounts, the biggest boone to people with disabilities is the metro which was expand in the 2002. it is some say one of the most accessible subways in the world. indeed, riding the subway is the easiest part of her trip. elevators deliver her straight to the tracks and the train has doors reserved for the disabled. but back out on the streets, things aren't quite so easy. >> okay. so we're going to find the ramp. there is only one ramp in this huge place. and even though i'm going to go on the left, there is no ramp here. so i have to go on the right to find it. you still don't know where it is. it is really narrow. i don't think i can go there. >> reporter: but anna hasn't let these obstacles get in her way. after the accident ended her plans to be a dentist, she switched to communications and is now the editor-in-chief of disability now. greece's leading magazine for people with disabilities. there is also a website, news letters, community events and a television show that all share the goal of empowerment. their message, educate yourself. be flexible and find the right tools to negotiate a society that is still trying to figure out how to accommodate you. >> disability is the mother of every discovery. it makes you think big, you know. >> reporter: for "worldfocus," i'm megan thompson in athens, greece. tomorrow night we will show you a new high-tech device being tested in greecehat helps the blind to get around. we also want to know what you think about this topic. how a question tonight is, do you think enough is being done to help the disabled? tell us what you think by going to the how you see it second quarter of our website at worldfocus.org. finally tonight, if you have just purchased a new flat screen high definition television, hold on. it is about to bece outdated. that is the word from the annual consumer electronics show in las vegas which ended this weekend after introducing some 20,000 cutting edge products. while the event is heavily covered in this country, it is also a big story overseas. we want to show you how benjamin cohen of our british partner itn told the story, as he looked into the future. >> reporter: las vegas. the ultimate city of sin. the entertainment capital of the world, and for one week a year, every year, it indulges of fantasies of the future. 100,000 of the biggest movers and shakers in the world of technology are inside these glittering palaces of hotels and convention centers, gambling on which of the 10,000 new products being launched this week will help define the decade to come. the consumer electronic show is the biggest in the world. every conceivable gadget is on display from huge televisions, virtual reality driving, to phones that still work underwater, and even a personal drone that feeds live video back to the iphone. but there are some serious trends that point the way to our digital future. 3d tv finally breaks into the mainstream, and all of our technology mediums will seemingly converge into one, whether it is search engines becoming mobiles or tvs becoming video phones. 20 years ago we thought we would be flying around in jet packs. and making video calls on our television. but 2010 has come and while there is no jet pack, thanks to internet and television convergence, a quiet night in front of the television is no excuse for not seeing your friends. many new tvs will have skype cameras embedded in them, and it now found on many mobile phones. >> in a world where your mobile device is a pc in your pocket, communications is just one application th runs on that device. communications can flow like water from your pc to your flat panel tv to your mobile phone. >> reporter: nearly every new television going on sale will be able to connect directly to the internet. say social networks like twitter will be fully integrated into every