>tonight on "worldfocus" -- in nigeria, curfews and security fors are being used try to quell two days of islamicmilitant violence that's left dozens people dead. >>uproar in britain over the vernment's attempt to take ba compensation paid to soldis wounded in afghanistan. just what is the loss of a leg worth? a sign of the times, in cuba an electronic signnce used by the u.s. to blast t caso governmenthas gone dark. that signal better relations ahead and mo opportunities r american businesses?

>>plus, blinded by the light planes takin off and lanng at london's heathrow airportare increasingly bei targeted by lass and pilots warn the consequences could be dealow. from the world's leadin reporters and anysts, here is wh's happening from around the world. this is "worldfocus." ma possible, in part, by the following funders gooevening, i'm martin savidge. they say th want to impose a taliban-like regime that regains wester education and they've bee attacking plice stations recent days sparking clashes. by some reports haveeft at least 100 people dead. but this wave violence is going on in nigeriaand impoant oil-produci nation in africa. for years has bn dealing with the deadly insurgency. in night's "lead focus" we're going to take a closer look

this nest wave of vial frid latest from t scene and with pert analysis. we're going to beg with this reportrom rosie brima that from al jazeera english. >> reporter: by these pileup the termath of agun battle between policend boca ra han fighte in the city of bati. over two ys e violence spread across four stes shwing the reach of the group. it began here on sunday when gunmen attacked aocal police station aft several of the group's leaders we arrested. at least 50 were killed. on monday, the attacks sprea to three other northern stes. yorbbo, kono. in chuhes and engaged in fierce battles withecurity forces. authorities say they've represend at least 100 members of boca ra ham. a group calling r islamic law. >> for people for western

violence. in the english language and anything that haso dowith the european an the western group and americaas. they're also saying pele should sto working forhe nigerian system beause it's it's uto the individuals. >> niria's plead almost equally betweethe muslim noh and the christn south and since 200012 o the count's 36 stat introduced sharia law. violence last bro out in novemr in the city of jost. when tued into religion corontation. killinmore than 700. and analysts say the vest more about rual exteions. >> i thinkt spks more of a brder problem of frusttion. so long a the auorities state and federal lel fail toeal with ese derlying causes there must be a daer that this pblem is going to icrease rather than disappear. reporter: and yet manyope this latest round of violence will notpread any further

rosie brahima va, al jazeera. for more on t violence in nigeria and then thebroader context, we turn to mariapace, a pogram officer with the center for mediation and conflict resolutnalities the initute of peace. that's a nonpart san organization fnded and funded by congress. she was in nigeria last month. a joins us from washington. thanks very much for bei with us. >> happy to be here. why does this story matter to us? >> well, niria matters tous. nigeria is the fifth-largest l producer f the united states. and soinstability in nigeria, itatters tous. >> and about these these muslimextremists, are there links between them and the taliban in afghanista >> we have no idence that suggests tt there is. what we do know is that aroup of the similar -- of a simila

nameas responsibl for some violence in 2007 during the general elections in nigeria. they calledhemselves the talin. and they we basical a copycat ganization that was using the name in order to get attention >> and their ager is at western ducation? at jus western ideals? >> well, it's noteally clear what their core grievaes are. but what w do know is the area wher the vionce has broken out is the fought line between muslims and chriians in nigeria many the has been, lately we do know that christians have been ve active in t area broth letizing and this could be a factor that aggravating tension between the two groups. >> you alrea pointed out but nigeria is a ve importan international l producer.

how wil this unrest likely affect that oil production? >> the conflict in e north of the country and in the middle belt between muslims and chistians doesn't tnd to impact the nger del but the is a confct that go on in the niger delta that tends not to get that much attention that is impacting oil production right w. >> marie pace, thank you very much for your insights. >> tnk you very much. now, let's turn to the w inafghanistan, wre american and british forces have been sufferg greater casualts as they ste up their battle againsthe taliban. that war is wehing heavily on british public opini as a new poll revealed day. theurvey was cmissioned by thindependent newspaper and found that 58% tnk the war's unwinnable and 2% want briti

forces thdrawn immediately. with the cualties increasing, the british goverent is dealing th a conflict's qution of compensation for the wounds of war. the queion placing a value on catastrophic iuries and the complication that can resul from those injuries. the tescase involving two british servicemeis plang out in btish court, as we hear tonight from jennyibbel of itn. >> reporter: the every soldier kill in ahanistan around five e critically woded. ven personnel areeing ralyzed, losing limbs and suffering burnon an almost daily base. ny go for fighting for their country for fighti for their lives to e up fighting for itish compensation in the middle. thcourts. is in t middle of the cou ppeal attempting toreduce the pouts awarded underhe arms force compensation schemeo two injured soiers. in a lower court, payments to

anthony duncan and mcwilliams were increed from less than 10,000 pounds to 46,000 pound an 28,000 pounds. because of medical complicatio arising fromheir oginal inuries. the m.o.d is hoping to overturn thatdecision, but the raw british legio isfighting them every step of theway. >> the m.o.d. scheme essentially, they sport to clockmmediately the injury has occred. and then makthe assessment from that -- fromhat ste. so no matter how invasi the subquent medical treatment is and the effects of itand the dislabeling effects on the ndividual, that would not -- is n taken into account by the m.o.d. at the moment. >> reporter: lastear the m.o.d. doubled the maximumump sum payment for injues. at levelne, 70,000 pounds koch sats for the lo of both legs and both arms or a major brain injury. at level six, the paymen for the loss of one leg or total deathness is 92,00 pounds.

and at levnine tariff ofust er 34,0 pounds covers second and thirdegree burns resultin in original srring. with a stey stream ofsoldiers passing rough military rehabilitation units,his judgment will have wider implications forousands of injured servicemen a women. >> lonterm care needs, adaptations of homes,aid. all of these thingsare required fund anxiety lumpsome paymt for thesesoldiersissicly not enough for them. >> reporter: the m.o.d. is stre that today's se is to clair fight law but i starts t attract criticism amid mounting casualty figures in afghanistan. the two service personnel killed yesteay brought the total number of uk csualties since operation began in afghanian in 2001 to 191. >> for re on afghanistan, we're joined once againby anthony cordesman f the iernational for stregic and

ternational studies. mr. cordesman rently returned from afghanistan where we work und an advisory board to under stanley mcchstal. comnder of u.s. fces in afghanistan. thank you for joining us agin. >> pleasure. >in a rert that you wrote about yourrip you say that the taliban and al qae areinning in afghanistan. how so? >> they've beenin a position where the lose when they actually encounter nato and -- forces. but at the same time they have steadilexpand the areasthey occupythey've expanded their political infence, they've expanded their contr over the economy. in my parts of the country, they effectively run the justice system. they're the onlyreal visible presence of government. and they move from areas along the east and the south up into the center into e west, in t valleys inhe north. when you look at map of afghanistan in 2005 and2009,

the area under taliban influences incree by more than nine types. and in recentyears it's virtu virtually incread by 50% to 100% a year. they're winng the battle of polical attrition. and in a counterinsurgency that's what coun. >> and yet you also write that the nato forces can achieve victory in a bad sense wat wod viory take? >> well, what it tkes to start with is resoues. i think people have no idea how little money, how few trops, how little effortent in to developing afghaforces. for here in the fir five years aer it, the taliban were first driven outf afgnistan. bacally, all the resources nt ito iraq. many of the euroans trad this asostconflict reonstruction. they didn't take the taliban seriously. even today, some can't use the

word "war." they have to use the word "conflict" for polital reasons. if you put the resources in that, by itself, will ma a tremendous differee. if yo takeeveloping afghan forcesreally serisly and the plans are there and the traers have the capability, that makes a major difference. and ifyou can clean up the problems with the karzai government and within the international aid efrt that would provide a vry strong inntive to afghs to reje the talannd support e goverent. >> well, iant to bring up, you meng saiin your report that one of the geat challenges facing the u. and no is the ghan government. why is the government a chlenge? >> partf the reason is, it simply lackscapabili. we created a sysm that s extremely centralized to try to make e warlords weaker. in fact what we did was mak karzai and otherso dependen on regial leaders that we

acally strengtned the rlords. but in the process, there's no rel provincial government. you create a power vacuum and it's one in which power brers ancorruption dominate. not the kind of government y need out in the field, outn the provinces to provide an alternative to the taliban. only about 15 sends left. i just wondered, yo firstha observation of general mcchrystal,hat were thy? >> i think for the first time you have aeader working with an ambasdor, ambassador eikenberry o fully uerstands what's hapning. andhat american leadership n, if it's given the resources and the authority, change the coursof this war. >> anthony cordman, thank you. thank you. authorities an say they have released 140 people deined floet inviolence that followed the presidential election six wes ago.

that is about halfof those arrested. the move follows a visito the main prison in tehran by a commtee of parliament. and allegations of abusegainst those o were detained includi the rerts of several people who died while in ustody. late tay there were also reports that presint mahmoud ahmadinejad h asked that all the detaine be releas. eight months after the terrorttacks that killed 170 people in mumbai, india, pakistani inveors say they have connected t pakistan-bad mlitant group lash car etababeyondhen reasonab double the "the wall street journal say handedatest authorities the latesteport this month. it says mateal recovered from lash car camps were gven the aining, weapons and directed by t militant outfit. the evence included hawritten diars, traini man ll, indian maps and operational instructions. pakistan has charged five people with planning the attack. the onlurviving gunman

ostrial inndia and he says he was recruited by the lash car group. fense secretary robert gates was in iraq today getng firsthand look at future military missi in country. gates arrived at acommand post in e southern iraq area, where u.s. troops are servi mainly as advisers toiraqi rces. the unit a prototype for americans ashey move from front-line combat to suort roles. fr there, gates went onto baghdad where he metwith prime minister nuri al maliki who suggested last week whoight ask for an tension. yond the year ater next if iraq needs re help with its security. in the caribbean today t u.s. cot guard continued its search for dozens of haitns still missing ater an overloaded wood sailboa

capsized. it happens off of the turks in caicos islas. more an 100 we rescued whe at least 11 bodi were found. fm cuba tonigh word that the united statesas turned off an eltronic sign. and its diplomaticission that ad outraged the cuban government since it was put up three years ago. theign flhed "prodemocracy messages from th u.s. intert seion. the cuban governme took steps o try to obscure it by view by placing huge bck flags in front of the bilding replaced by much small flags when president obama was elect. as part effort to reach out to cuba'sleadershi the u.s. decied that it was ti to turnhe sig off. this country'srade embar with cuba d in tonight's "gnature story" we want toake another look at wha that has meant in terms of amerin companies losing out on opportunities in cuba at a time when many of them could really use the business.

"wodfocus" special correspondent peter eisr looked at the sty in a story that w first broug to you earlier this year. reporter: these are somef the scenes u might imagine when you think ofcuba, old cars, old budings and cigar factories. but the are images yo also would see if you're alled to visit ca day. shiny ne buses and lury hotels. it no news to the rest ofhe world, cuba is out to ma deals, but the unitestates is hard in the kbap. along u.s. govnment boycott of the isand meansost american businessmen arelosing out to europea and others. >> trslator:iose luis, an economist othepanish embassy,ays spain is shooting for $billion in ech ports to cuba is year. >> translator:eave spanish banks. we have thtourism industry. almost ery spanish toust chain isere as well. >> reporte ricardo alarcon,

the preside of the naonal assembly and one of cuba's most influential lears say his country is doing businessorld wide. practically,very other portant actor in the world with theld excepti with the u.s.,e have a normal relatis in genal witheurope, canada, your neighbor to th north. >> reporter: u.s. onomic embargo of cuba was imposed i 1962 by the kennedy administration. the goal was nothing less than destroying fidel castro's communist revolution. >> but now we are the oppite. this, the u.s. isolated regarding its cuba poly. >> reporter:nd that, now missing out on business opportunies dung theeconomic crisis. an example, cuba has fou oil. deep in the waters of e caribbean.

sanchez, at the cuba u.s. for studies says the u. is missing outat a luative opportunity to extractoil. >> require big mpanies and great amounts of resources. so thes when we have the opportunit with oil companies for the united stat. >> reporter: it's an opportunity lost by t united state and an opportunity seized b canada, france,nd brazil. it's a different story for american farmers. big u.s. agricultur companies have won the rght to ship their goods to ba. >> those in europe -- >> translatorthe united states is pviding just basic food and their ports are already50% of spanish exports. that only food. so the potential for t united states is strong. >> reporter:hips hauling american farm products routinely visit havanaharbor. about $700 million wor o food last year and growing. rafael hernandez, t editor of "pammas" magazi in havana says

good business trump ideology. >> have abusiness. republican guys who are not liberaldemocrats. delaware. nebrka. minneta. republicans want to sell chicken and rind wat and soy sauce,soybeans. >> reporter: actlly, cuba thinks it can count on bipartisan pport in the unid states to end e trade embargo. according ta poll conducte by florida iternational unersity, even a majority of cuban-americans in miami oose it. the u.s. embargo forced cubao reinvent self. it's n a major player in sellin new medicis, treating abetes, hepatitis and even cancer. one day u.s.pharmaceutical companies could licensthose products if the embargor lifted.

that could mean millions of dollars in revues for the u.s. market. >> they're saying tha -- >> reporter: the biest portunity of all for american businessmen m be bringing american tourists to cuba. the restoration of old havan over theast dece symbolizes the new cuba. lastear more than 2 million tourists came to the country pouring billions o dollars into the local ecnomy. cuba is cleaning up its tourist sis in havana f a reason. jose antonio, an official at nistry of touris says american compaes are trolling for business anduba holds e key. that means a whole new industry that could be supported by u.s. tourism. with american hotel chains, american rental cars and regular flights by.s. airlis. and thas only a start. >> for every million american

this van, airline. lose $300 million. >> one can conceive one day a marott or sheran or some other company being interested and doing joint ventu here as ll? >> why not. why not? we are op to foreign invement. right now to build some new hotels. 0,000 rooms. in the next four fiveyears. >> reporter: if cuban officials and american bsiness have their way, many of ose hots wouldingbuilt b u.s. compans. and after that, they'recertain hat american touris would be strolli these beaches lke everyone else. i'm peter eisneror "worlocus" in havana. you can find mu more fr peter eisner at wldfocus.org whe he blogs about cuban/u.s. relatis and other lan american issu.

finally tonight, we're going to te a look at a kind of a r that's being wed in the skies over great brita against the very serious and growing problem of people aiming lasers at aircraft as they take o and land. the lasers can temporarily bli pilots and caus a crh. so now british autrities have launched an aggrsive campaign torack down on those wh are putting hundreds of otrs at risk. increasingl they can track down the perpeators with pinpoint accuracy as we hea in thiseport from julian rush of itn. >> reporter: a night landing at heathrow, one o the word' busies airports. a time when pilots need to concentrate, take off a landing the most dangers part of any flight. >> lased quite heavily by a very powerful green lar. >> reporter:ore and more, aircft are being taeted. the brht light not only

distracts butan temparily blind. briefly turns the wind screen greeno the pilots can't see o. the pilots union n so concernedhat the risksf flight safety th have written to the trsport secretary. >> well, the risk is a ry severe one. there is loss of an arcraft ultimely. if you get a poweul enough laser and youget enough of them andoth the flight crew can't shield themselves om it they' not in a sittion where they can very quickly disengage themlves from the airaft and the airaft either saly land or takeoff. once the pilot les his vial queues there is aery good chance that the aircraft could be lo zoot number of aircraft laser streets reported h been risg shaly fom just in 2007 to over 200 last year and ready this year, nearly150. the proble is growing across the country. in the apital, the police helicopter's ofen nowcrambled when an aircrt is laserd.

>> the syst is so sophisticated. somebody in their bayard and ining a laser from skylight over bedroom winow we can ice le that individual property from a long way aw. and at first, may not know that we'reatching them. a knock on the door and the police are inhe driveway. >> reporter: it will be ea to thinkof this as jus a toy. bu this small, this laser is incredibly perful. 's being so strong it has a rage of up to two miles or so. il who very low-powe lers do have user pointers, these high-powed devices have no commercial purpose yet they c be bought on internet sites f as ltle as 50 pounds. th agohe health protection agency asked ading standards ban their sale. it hasn'thappened. >> in order to help the hpa, we'd actually have to have an outrit ban, which is made om the primarily legislation. because of restraints on trade

currently, we ca use the general produc safety regulations. they're often hules when using those. >> reporter: pole are stepping up theirampaign against malicious lasr attacks. this, is incidnt last year, one of the offenders w jailed for six onths. julien rush of itn. that's "worldfocus" f a tuesday evening. for much more global new don't forget vis our website, that's worldfocus.org. i'm martin savidge in new york. as always, thanksor joining us. we'll look for you back here tomoow. and anytime the web. until en, have a good night. "worldfocus" is de possie, in part, by the following funders -- "worldfocus" is de possie, in part, by the -- captions by vitac www.vitac.co