tonight on "worldfocus" -- >> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is in berlin warning about the threat posed by iran. he says the lessons learned from the nazi era must not be ignored. journalists were barred from covering sri lanka's final fight against the tamil tigers. but that hasn't stopped alleged images of war crimes from getting out. the loss of senator edward kennedy and the kennedy legacy. we measure their impact on a nation and its people in ireland. and from italy, the story of

how pampered buffalo make for the best-tasting mozzarella. that's no bull. good evening. i'm martin savidge. any time an israeli leader travels to germany, the past is never far from the present. and so it was today as prime minister benjamin netanyahu discussed the perceived threat from iran with german chancellor angela merkel, as well as to revive the peace process with the palestinians. israel and germany today have

close ties with merkel, saying it was germany's obligation to defend israel always. germany t. appears, may be playing a role in the efforts to release an israeli soldier being held by the hamas organization for the last three years. as you can imagine, netanyahu's visit was a major store yif for our german partner, deutsche welle, which as you're about to see, begins its coverage with an event today that recalled germany's dark past 346 before his meeting with the chancellor, netanyahu received an unusual gift from a germany newspaper -- the original architectural plans for the arab vits death camp. they will be on display at the memorial. netanyahu used the occasion to refer to lessons that should be learned from the holocaust. >> it does not happen because the main civilized power of the powers of the day did not act in time to stop the arming of barbarism and armed barbarism knows now limits and has to be

unarmed, disarmed in time. >> reporter: netanyahu also said that he expected chancellor merkel to take a strong stand against iran's nuclear ambitions. he said iran posed a direct threat to israel's security. merkel said germany is prepared to take a tougher line with iran if that becomes necessary. >> translator: iran has been asked to participate in negotiations. if they fail to respond to these requests, we will consider stronger sanctions in the energy sector and other appropriate sectors such as the financial sector. in fact, we will not merely consider this, we will discuss with the international community how best to implement these sanctions. >> reporter: merkel said netanyahu should show more flexibility and ott issue of settlements on palestinian land. germany has called on israel to stop new construction but israel has so far rejected demands for a complete freeze. >> one more note on resuming

talks with the palestinians, the israeli newspaper "haaretz" today reported on what appears to be a compromise o settlement issue. it says the obama administration has agreed to drop its demand that israel announce a freeze on new construction of israeli settlements in mainly arab east jerusalem. and we want to followup tonight on another long conflict, the one between the government of sri lanka and a separatist group known as the tamil tigers. the war in that south asian country ended this spring after the government launched a major offensive against the tamil tigers in the northeast part of sri lanka. it was a bloody conflict, told largely through civilians who escaped the fighting because the government had banned journalists from covering it. but now some new disturbing images have emerged that suggest the brutality of the final push. they give us a window on the war we hadn't seen before, as you will see in this report from jonathan miller of i. >> reporter: for sri lanka's

majority, the end of 26 years of war was something to celebrate. the rebel tamil tiger army vanquished. it had been a brutal war, upwards of 80,000 dead, soldiers and civilians, sunnahese and tamil traumatized and brutalized by what they had all been through. by january this year, government forces were closing in on a shrinking conflict zone, unknown thousands of tamil civilians were being killed. but independent journalists and observers were prevented from getting anywhere close. there were rumors that terrible things were happening, but this was a war without witnesses. or at least we thought so. one soldier we now know had a mobile phone, and today eight months on his footage has emerged. a naked man blindfolded and bound, his last human contact, a kick in the head.

it's like he jumped, a soldier laughs, his souunalese accent, country boy. his tone casual, like this was a game. as further gunshots ring out, the camera pans to reveal other banned bodies, eight in total, and all but one naked. there's no indication of the ethnicity of dead man but the group which obtained the pictures say the victims are tamils. the killers are wearing what appears to be sri lankan army uniforms. it's impossible to independently verify the authenticity of the pictures of this bloodbath but the group of exiled sri lankan journalists, which passed them to channel 4 news, are not a tal liberation group. they campaign for press freedom. now, the existence of footage like this has been rumored for months. it's taken eight months for it to come out, and it was only smuggled out of sri lanka in the

past c of days. an independent sri lankan human rights investigator who's watched the pictures with me this evening believes them to be genuine. towards the end of the video, a ninth man is shot dead. extra judicial killings by government soldiers and paramilitaries have been documented in sri lanka for years but there's never been evidence like this. 280,000 tamils remain incarcerated in camps for displaced people. the government says it needs to screen the civilian population for suspected tamil tiger militants. three months ago, sri lanka's victorious president, pack shar, promised equal rights to tamils and promised they would be protected. it will do little to real estate sure tamil civilians. >> the sri lankan government has denied that the saerm carried out atrocities against the tamil

community, dismissing the images you just saw as a fabrication. once again today, there was violence on the border of pakistan and afghanistan. a suicide bomber struck a security checkpoint in the khyber pass region, killing at least 18 border guards and wounding dozens more. it happened at the main crossing for convoys moving nato supplies into afghanistan. the guards were gathering in front of their barracks after sunset for a meal to end the day's fast dur ramadan, the muslim holy month. in southeastasia, in malaysia, the muslims have been banned from attending a concert by the black eyed peas. not because it objects to the lyrics of the american pop grupp, but because it is sponsori the concert in that month, guinness. the government has been cracking down on alcohol consumption by muslims there. this woman was sentenced to a caning for drinking a beer at a resort hotel.

although the authority dees laid the sentence at the end of ramadan and have agreed to review the penalty. and one more note from asia tonight, taiwan announced today that the dalai lama will be allowed to visit that country to help ease the pain caused by a typhoon that killed an estimated 670 people earlier this month. taiwan's president said the tibetan spiritual leader could, quote, help rest the souls of the dead and also pray for the well being of the survivors. but the move cast a shadow over taiwan's improving relations with china, said, quote, it resolutely opposes the dalai lama's visit to taiwan. china's news agency said under the pretext of religion, he has all along been engaged in separatist activities. china has long vilified the dalai lama for what it says are his attempts to fight for independence in tibet.

as the tributes to senator edward kennedy continued today, nowhere more than in the united states than is his death reverberating more than in ireland. that country's foreign affairs minister called kennedy, quote, the embodiment of the irish immigrant story. and as another mourner put it, kennedy was ab in the corridors of washington. more tributes came on the irish front pages, including this one in the irish independent saying, "farewell to the last prince of camelot." for more on all of this, we are joined by well-known author, play write and radio talk show host malachy mccourt. he was raised in limerick, ireland. thank you very much for being on the program. >> i'm very glad to be alive. glad to be here. >> and we're glad you're amongst the living and with us. thanks. you know, we were thinking about this, hard to believe it's been 50 years since john f. kennedy was elected president of the united states. all these years later, how had the irish regarded the kennedys? they've always thought of them

as special. >> in the irish households, there were most all mantelpieces had two photographs, one was john 23, and the other was jfk. and they were the most prominent pieces of -- of art in any irish house. there's terrific pride in the accomplishments of the kennedys. they came from -- poverty class. and it's interesting how they -- they never forgot where they came from. and that was the irish preach. >> i was going to ask. it's widely known that the kennedy family went onto great wealth. ted kennedy, like his brother jfk, they've always been associated with the working man, the common man. and i'm wondering how do the irish sort of see that they're wealthy people but they seem to be people like us?

>> they remember that no matter what university chair you get to new york city matter what throne you were sent to, no matter what seat in government you get, you still have to sit on your own arse. and they're aware of mortality because all of the tragedies that have occurred in their families due to one thing or another or due to violence. and yet in a certain way, they aspired -- rose kennedy once said to one of jack's friends, when are the respectable people of boston going to accept us? because they never accepted the irish. because part of the irish -- part of that class of person that came here, poverty gives you -- it inculcates you with a sense of shame, which takes care of the past. and fear, which takes care of the future.

so shame is something you've done, that's been done to you. and fear is, don't even bother coming up here. you'll never get anywhere. but the kennedys were able to dispose of the shame and dispose of the fear. >> what about edward kennedy? was there a particular connection? he lived for so long and he did so much both in this country and also in ireland. >> he had to. here he didn't have the same charisma as joe, the brother that was killed in the first world war. he didn't have the tenacity of bobby, and he didn't have the charm of jack, which he -- which he acquired some of it, that so-called camelot charisma. but he turned into the most -- the most sympathetic and charitable person. he was catholic.

not all catholics were christian but he was a christian in the true sense of the word, and i don't mean it in the kind of fundamentalist kind of thing. >> you see him as having qualities different from his brothers that you just outlined. >> because he had to overcome the legend, the mystery, the charisma of three brothers aahead of him, and all of a sudden he becomes the patriarch of this kennedy family and as his mother said, luke, to which much is given, much is expected. >> i want to thank you very much. it's been a pleasure. >> thank you very much. it's great to be here. >> thank you, malachy mccourt. it's fallen out of the headlines in this country, we wanted to devote some time tonight to an important issue affecting many countries around the world, immigration, much of

it illegal. just this week britain and pakistan reached an agreement that could result in the return of thousands of pakistanis living illegally in the united kingdom. the pakistani government will issue emergency passports to those being relocated. they say the deal could be used to rid britain of suspected terrorists. russia has a problem with illegal immigration, not unlike the united states. thousands upon thousands of people coming in from other countries looking for work, looking for better lives. but for many of them, there's been a dramatic reversal of fortune. with russia hard-hit by the recession, much of the work that drew them has gone away. as we hear in this report from moscow by neave barker of al jazeera english. >> reporter: migrant workers crowd the entrance to turkey's cherkizovsky market. when it closed down two months ago, up to 100,000 people from china, central asia and eastern europe were left in dire financial straits. dozens who came to russia illegally have been deported. others have been left pondering

an uncertain future. all they can do now is gather what remaining stock they can and leave. >> translator: i'm going home. i can't work in moscow anymore now that the market's closed. in other markets, the rent's too high. what can i do. >> reporter: in cherkizovsky markets sprang up after the collapse of the soviet union and it became the biggest market. >> translator: we've been here for years. look at all of the people here who don't have any work anymore. it's extremely bad. >> reporter: thousands worked and even lived in the market's bustling alleyways. they had its own courts, police and recordedly even brothels all beyond the authority's control. but now that the market has been shut down, it closes all options for a vast number of workers who find it impossible to make a living anywhere else. the authorities insist cherkizovsky was a hotbed of crime and a breeding ground for disease, but many say the market was closed because it threatened

russia's native workforce. >> this is a pro tetectionist measure, and when the world papers revealed the confidential document of the minister of trade, i think, which says that the biggest answer for russian-like industry because of the competition of cheap goods from -- that are imported actually in russia does not allow the russia industry to develop. >> reporter: but all of this leaves thousands of people, many of them escaping poverty at home, in a precarious position. >> translator: most of the people who lost their work are refugees. these people cannot go back to their country. they will be in a very difficult situation there. they cannot even think about going back. >> reporter: russia has the second largest migrant workforce in the world after the united states, but as the country struggles with the fallout of

the economic crisis, many migrants who came to russia looking for a better life have been left with nothing but hardship. neave barker, al jazeera, moscow. much of the american media's coverage about mexico and central america focuses on immigration issues. but tonight we want to explore another story emerging in that part of the world, the decriminalization of drugs. last week the mexican government announced that it will no longer jail users of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and heroin. and other countries in that region have taken sim steps. what's it all about, for more we are joined tonight from washington by john walsh. he is a senior associate on drug policy for the washington office on latin america, which describes itself as a think tank advocacy group promoting human rights and democracy in latin america. welcome to the program. first, tell us more about what these new laws in mexico are. >> well, essentially they decriminalize possession for

personal consumption across a range of elicit substances, whether it's marijuana or cocaine, and the mexican law, while new for mexico, is not necessarily new f latin america. there are similar decriminalization statutes up and down the continent, and it's a growing movement with recent argentine court decisions opening doort the door to a sim reform in that country. >> what's behind the decision to decriminalize drugs? >> i think in latin america, including mexico, there's a fatigue with a model of zero tolerance that insists on criminal sanctions for even the smallest levels of use, including in private, and that it's a diversion of resources that could be better focused on fighting the drug cartels and large organized crime. in latin america in journal, there's a sense that when it comes to the drug war that the united states in particular has been pushing for the past several decades, the little guy always loses out, but the people

with more power and more money never pay the price, and i think that's a lot of the motivation behind this as well. >> officials in the united states had expressed concerns, and i'm wondering, what are they worried about? >> well, if they're concerned about the impact on drug trafficking towards the u.s. market, it's misplaced because this doesn't really have much to do with that at all. if they're concerned that mexico as a close ally in close cooperation with the u.s. on drug policy is setting an example to other countries in the region that you don't have to go it the way the u.s. has been saying, then i can see why u.s. officials may be concerned. >> i'm curious, you know, we obviously know that latin america nations may be involved in as far as being part of the pathway by which illegal drugs enter the united states but i was not aware that there were problems with their own domestic consumption. is that a growing market for these drugtraffickers? >> the data is not very strong in general, but it seems to be the case that markets are

growing and while the problems of drug abuse are not nearly the same high levels that the united states has experienced for years now, they do seem to be growing, and in many cases, the countries are unequipped to deal with it as a health problem, and that's another aspect of this reform is to put more focus on dealing with the drug abuse issue as a public health crisis. >> and with only about 20 seconds left, what impact do you think this will have on the larger war on drugs in mexico and in the u.s.? >> well, i think in the longer run it's going to continue to help push the shift towards a more nuance set of policies about how to deal with drug abuse. by not criminalizing every last person and being able to focus resources with more public support on the real problems, which are crime and violence. in the medium and even short term with regard to mexican trafficking into the u.s., the big question is, what is the

u.s. going to do to address its drug demand? and i think that's a legitimate question for mexicans who know more than anybody else how that has affected them. >> john walsh, thanks very much for talking with us tonight. >> thanks, a pleasure. that brings us to our segment, "how you see it." and we'd like to hear from you on this question of relaxing the drug laws. is mexico taking the right approach in ending the prosecution of people caught with small amounts of marijuana and other drugs? you can tell us what you think about going to "how you see it," that section at the home page on the website of worldfocus.org. last night we asked you what thought it would take to reach peace between the israelis and palestinians. and, again, a lot of you weighed in. one viewer wrote, our tax dollars help israel seize and occupy palestinian lands, demolish their homes, destroy their orchards and ancient olive trees, img prison them behind the walls, imprison them in palestinian jails, deny the

population access to water, food, medical care, education, jobs. this is a major obstacle to peace. but another viewer told us to reach peace in the middle east, the 56 muslim countries must finally accept the right of the jewish state to exist, as enshrined in international law by the council of the league of nations in 1922, which clearly ruled that palestine is the jewish national home and to finally accept the u.n. resolution that authorized the jewish state to come into being. finally tonight, we want to take you to the campania region of southern italy, where they appreciate food and where you're about to get a new appreciation for cheese, mozzarella, to be precise. the next time you eat a piece of

pizza or buy a processed cheese from your cheese sengs in the supermarket, consider the farm that is home to perhaps the world's greatest mozzarella, a home where the italian buffalos roam. we traveled there with fulvia paolocci. of global post. >> reporter: here the is most pampered animal in southern italy, the water buffalo, an ancient mammal once native to muddy swamps today beiges in clean artificial pools and grazes in rich, grassy fields like this one. this is the vannulo farm, an eye ganic farm where they enjoy daily massages that keep them clean and relaxed. the reason for such luxurious treatment flows in this water, milky, juicy, sweet and tend these cheese balls are italy's famous buffalo mozzarella. not your usual pizza topping. these organic cheese is one of

vannulo farm sells only to one location and never to customers. every day their 60 pounds of fresh buffalo mozzarella sell out by noon. meet the heir t and mozzarella shop manager. >> when you taste the mozzarella cheese, you can feel the flavor of meat. it's more meat than the cow mozzarella because the milk is different. >> reporter: besides the milk, sweetie texture and yogurt finish,s buffalo mozzarella is also an easy-to-digest source of energy. buffalo milk contains twice the amount of fat and protein than your ordinary car milk. they say the difference goes deeper. >> people think that the buffalo and cow are similar. that isn't true. because the buffalo are more intelligent, more sensitive, more friendly.

>> reporter: by applying modern technology to old wisdom, vannulo farm has proven that stress-free buffalo give better milk, if better milk makes better cheese and better cheese makes better and happier customers, than happier buffalos bring better business. >> that report from "global post." that's "worldfocus" for a thursday evening. i'm martin savidge in new york. as always, thank you for joining us and we invite you to share your opinions with us by visiting our website, that's worldfocus.org. we'll look for you back here tomorrow and any time on the web. until then, have a good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com