International organizations have begun to call attention to the plight of these young workers, many of whom are the children of Afghan refugees who cannot legally work in Pakistan.

In conjunction with Concern Worldwide, Worldfocus’ Yuval Lion produced this signature video.

(View full post to see video)

The report said there was evidence war crimes had been committed and criticized both the Israeli military and Palestinian militants. Still, the majority of headlines around the world focused on the allegations against Israel.

Israel did not cooperate with the investigation and has refused to launch its own inquiry. The U.N. report was met with outrage by Israeli President Shimon Peres, who called it “a mockery of history” that legitimized terror.

The findings dominated the news in Israeli papers this morning, where it was met with hostility from both commentators and authorities. It also got heavy play throughout the Arab world.

Worldfocus producers Yuval Lion, a fluent Hebrew speaker with an Israeli background, and Mohammad Al-Kassim, an Arab speaker of Palestinian descent, actively monitor the press in both regions. Al-Kassim says many reports in the Arab press tended to downplay the fact that the U.N. criticized Palestinian militants as well as Israel.

Both Israeli and Arab media picked up on an interview on an Israeli radio station with Nicole Goldstone, who said her father, who headed the investigation, is a Zionist who loves Israel.

Watch videos below of Al-Kassim and Lion  talking about how the news played out.

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Worldfocus was nominated for an Emmy in the “Best story in a regularly scheduled newscast” category for our coverage of the “Crisis in Congo” (Executive Producer: Marc Rosenwasser, Correspondent: Michael J. Kavanagh of the Pulitzer Center, Producers: Lisa Biagiotti, Taylor Krauss). The “Crisis in Congo” videos also won the 2009 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award in the international television category.

Pascal and Vestine are alive, but still not home

Rape as a weapon of war

Worldfocus was also nominated for an Emmy in the “Outstanding feature story in a regularly scheduled broadcast” for our coverage of “21st Century Africa” (Executive Producer: Marc Rosenwasser, Correspondent: Martin Seemungal, Producer: Yuval Lion).

China strengthens trading ties in Africa

Middle class sprawls in Nairobi, Kenya

Tech advances rev up across Africa

Rwanda aims for one laptop per child

Have your own memory of Michael Jackson? Share it in the comments section below.

Worldfocus special correspondent Michael Greenspan and producers Yuval Lion and Ara Ayer report from Israel.

Could Agassi’s plan work in larger countries like the U.S.? Watch an extended interview: Debate on the electric revolution of the auto industry.

Worldfocus special correspondent Michael Greenspan and producers Yuval Lion and Ara Ayer report from Israel.

Worldfocus special correspondent Michael Greenspan and producers Yuval Lion and Ara Ayer explore Israel’s melting pot.

Take a walk down Tel Aviv’s most diverse street (video).

Today, the neighborhood has revived with the influx of lower-income immigrant workers. The street’s store fronts now serve the vibrant ethnic communities that have folded into contemporary Israeli society.

Worldfocus producer Yuval Lion’s signature story on the changing face of Israel shows the diverse and transforming culture of the country. Editor Bijan Rezvani cobbled together this collage of sights and sounds.

Take a walk down Neve Sha’anan Street.

They join Martin Savidge to share their knowledge of this divided region, in this third segment focusing on pessimism surrounding the current violence. They also reflect on their own interaction in the workplace.

See the first part of their conversation here: Israeli, Palestinian media show different sides of Gaza story.

See the second part of their conversation here: Producers recount personal stories from Gaza and Israel.

They join Martin Savidge to share the opinions they hear from this divided region of the world.

See part one of their conversation here: Israeli, Palestinian media show different sides of Gaza story.

Martin Savidge speaks with two Worldfocus producers about their background and knowledge of international media. Mohammad al-Kassim is a Palestinian-American raised in Jerusalem and Yuval Lion is an Israeli citizen who has family remaining in Israel.

In the first part of a series of discussions, they share what they are hearing from on the ground and discuss media coverage of the Gaza war, both internationally and in Israel and the Arab world.

The people of Sderot faced thousands of rocket attacks last year alone, and yet many continue to live there, whether for financial or ideological reasons. For some Israelis, Sderot is a symbol of determination — while for others, the town represents the government’s inability to end what has become an ongoing nightmare.

Worldfocus correspondent Michael Greenspan and producer Yuval Lion capture what life is like in the city of Sderot.

Below, bloggers from Sderot and elsewhere write about their experiences living in fear as the Israeli-Hamas conflict continues.

A blogger of “Life must go on in Gaza and Sderot” writes that since the outbreak of the current violence, many people have left Sderot and streets are empty. He pleas for continued dialogue with people in Gaza.

Blogger “Jerry Waxman,” a resident of Sderot currently in Thailand, writes that even if the war ends, its impact on the people of Sderot — young and old — will be long-lasting.

Blogger “Elad” writes about experiencing a “Code Red” alert while travelling through Sderot, and writes about the determination of Jewish residents to remain.

Blogger “DonutsMom” of Ariel, an Israeli city on the West Bank, writes that many are coming to her hometown from Sderot, and discusses her own nightmares and fears.

Turkish immigrants began to enter Germany 50 years ago under a guest worker program, and brought Islam with them. Today, the country is home to 2.6 million Turks, who face challenges integrating with German society.

This year, for example, a fire in the German town of Ludwigshafen killed nine Turkish people and led to accusations of racially motivated violence.

But Germany’s 3.2 million Muslims — most of them Turks — are becoming more visible and vocal. On Oct. 25, the largest mosque in Germany opened in Duisburg. And there are plans to build more like it — sparking fierce debate in the country.

Worldfocus correspondent Martin Seemungal reports from Cologne, Germany — home to 120,000 Muslims — where the city’s first official mosque is pending constructing.

Below, bloggers weigh in on the Turkish-German immigration debate.

The “PoliGazette” blog writes about protests in Cologne, claiming that both immigrants and native Germans should acknowledge responsibility for their role in creating social problems before the society becomes more deeply divided.

The “Impudent Observer” blog writes about planned meetings of the German Pro Cologne group — a group opposed to the Islamic “invasion” of Europe — arguing that despite the demands of Islamic countries to put a stop to the meetings, repressing free speech would only encourage hate.

The “Jihad Watch” blog argues that the Islamization of Europe is a threat, and that equating anti-Islamization protesters to Nazis is misrepresentative.

As a signal of integration and trust among Turks and Germans, the first co-leader of the German Green Party with an immigrant background was elected on Saturday. Born to Turkish Muslim parents, Cem Ozdemir is now the highest-ranking Turkish politician.

A blogger at “A World View” writes that the Green Party has made a step in the right direction by electing Ozdemir, comparing the new leader to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.

An opinion piece in the German news site “The Local” writes that comparisons of Ozdemir to Obama are unfounded, and that Germany still has a long way to go in easing Turkish-German relations. As the immigration debate heats up in Germany, mosques are popping up and Turkish immigrants are rising up through the political system. /files/2008/11/th_germany_immigratent.jpg /files/2008/11/th_germany_immigratent.jpg ]]> http://worldfocus.org/blog/2008/11/17/turkish-immigrants-cement-islam-in-germany/2729/feed/ http://worldfocus.org/blog/2008/10/28/africans-reveal-mixed-opinions-of-the-us/2218/ http://worldfocus.org/blog/2008/10/28/africans-reveal-mixed-opinions-of-the-us/2218/#comments Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:38:50 +0000 Worldfocus http://worldfocus.org/?p=2218 In August, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke of a “spirit of that partnership” with the African nations of Kenya and Tanzania. It was the tenth anniversary of bombings that rocked the U.S. embassies in those countries and killed hundreds of Africans and several Americans.

Worldfocus travels to both nations and finds that today, their people hold varying opinions of America. In Kenya, several Kenyans take comfort in American popular culture. Some Kenyans say they feel a connection to Americans because of their shared pain of terrorism and the ascent of presidential candidate Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan.

In the Muslim-populated country of Tanzania, the view of America sours. Some citizens report a more negative view of the U.S. and its foreign policy.

Worldfocus correspondent Martin Seemungal and producer Yuval Lion report from Kenya and Tanzania.

Anchor Martin Savidge reports from Worldfocus’s newsroom in New York.

What you see and what you get.

From the outset, when Worldfocus was just an idea, we talked about wanting to bring viewers more than just the big stories of the day.

We wanted to deliver a view of the world Americans hadn’t seen before. Not just places but perspectives and different points of view.

Sometimes, even the most frequently reported story can benefit from a new pair of reporter’s eyes.

I think our signature series this week on 21st century Africa really nailed that concept. There are so many old stereotypes about Africa.

Ask most Americans about their idea of Africa and the answers range from the constant chaos of famine and war to a nonstop backdrop for “Animal Planet.”

Thanks to the insightful reporting of Martin Seemungal and the producing of Yuval Lion, we saw different images of Africa — life in a growing middle class neighborhood, how cell phones are transforming everyday businesses, as well as China’s rising influence across Africa.

Another story we ran this week, which you may not have seen before — at least, we hadn’t — included the cholera outbreak in Iraq, as reported by Syrian Satellite TV.

This was a two-fer in my book — it was a story unknown here in the U.S., and then there was the perspective of Syria itself, which refers to the American presence in Iraq as an “occupation.”

Seeing what is happening in Iraq beyond just bullets and bombs is important.

Even more so, hearing how America’s efforts are portrayed to millions in the Middle East brings new insight.

When we wonder why people in the Arab world despise the American presence, we need only understand the message they are hearing.

A new view brings new understanding. It’s what we’ll always strive to bring.

– Martin Savidge

Kenya’s middle class has grown to 10 percent of the urban population — or 1.5 million people — making Kenya home to one of the largest middle class populations in sub-Saharan Africa.

Government deregulation and stimulated economic growth turned “Nairobbery” — a former nickname for the city — into a booming economic center. Nairobi reflects this trend with multinational businesses, towering office buildings and a growing middle class.

Worldfocus correspondent Martin Seemungal and producer Yuval Lion report from Nairobi on middle class Kenyans, who are educated, optimistic and upwardly mobile.

Some of this trade, however, involves countries like Sudan and Zimbabwe, where human rights abuses have been cited. China is a permanent member of the United Nation’s Security Council, and the nation’s self-interest in Africa has been criticized for blocking U.N. action in Darfur and ultimately helping to fuel the crisis there.

In Kenya, the Chinese are building roads, shipping in goods and selling them in Chinese-owned shops. Kenyans are learning Chinese and Chinese are learning Swahili.

Listen to our online radio show on China’s role in Africa and view an interactive map of China’s recent diplomatic efforts on the continent.

Worldfocus special correspondent Martin Seemungal and producer Yuval Lion report from Kenya and Tanzania on China’s aggressive moves into the region’s marketplace.

Earlier this year, contested elections in Kenya triggered ethnic violence, killing 1,500 people. Approximately 600,000 people fled their homes and farmers abandoned their land. In turn, farmers planted fewer crops and the price of food in Kenya increased by 50 percent.

Last spring, police in Nairobi fired tear gas at hundreds of Kenyans protesting soaring food costs. The Kenyan government appealed for $74 million to address the food crisis and embraced genetically modified foods.

Kenya has also been hurt by forces beyond its control. Worldwide, wheat and corn prices have doubled in the last few years and the price of rice has tripled. The reasons for this phenomenon include higher fuel prices, drought and the increasing use of crops like corn to make biofuels.

Read thoughts from bloggers who are trying to find answers to the Kenyan food crisis.

Worldfocus correspondent Martin Seemungal and producer Yuval Lion report about the unrelenting food crisis in Kenya.