>> hello and welcome to "journal." >> here is a look at the headlines this hour. saving europe's banks from the euro crisis, at two of the continent's most political leaders meet to talk strategy. >> people say government austerity measures have gone too far. >> an israeli scientist wins the

nobel prize for chemistry. >> germany is ready to save the banking sector from being hammered by the euro debt crisis. >> angela merkel says for the first time wednesday, she would not block a recapitalization of troubled banks at the situation demands it. >> that is the clearest message that we have heard from the chancellor about she is willing to do to prevent another banking crisis. >> she made the comment after a meeting with the european commission president in brussels. >> the chancellor is now willing to recapitalize european banks. our correspondent is in brussels and has been following today's talks. he told us more about her stance. >> she said that she had talks with the rest of the commission

over lunch. they were pressing upon angela merkel that her backing was required because of her status as the leader of the wealthiest countries in the european union. she seems to have come on board. a week ago in berlin, she was saying that there must be changed. she said today, we will see later about that. it might be necessary. she is changing her 10 slightly on bad. she is falling in behind the commission, demanding strong support from all around the state. >> it was a day of waiting and frustration for anyone wanting to travel in and out of greece today. >> a general strike force the cancellation of all flights in the country. >> of thousands of workers took to the streets of athens to

protest millions of jobs cuts. >> and job cuts and wage reductions are elements of the savings greece needs to make in order to qualify for more bailout to help. >> the chance is never -- the chant is "never." a stable never accept the government cuts. they say austerity measures are only pushing greece deeper into recession. >> this strike is a crucial day of battle for us. it is clear how much the socialist government are siding with capitalist government. we demand an end to this policy, to these measures that lower our wages and make our lives miserable. >> clashes erupted on the sidelines of the protests. police used tear gas against demonstrators.

it was much quieter at the airport. no one was going anywhere. all flights in and out of the country were canceled. in state hospitals, only emergency staff turned up for work. many state schools were shut. teachers, lawyers, and tax officers were all on strike. >> it has become clear this week that the greek sovereign debt crisis is taking a toll on some european banks. france and belgium are struggling to keep the bank from becoming the first major european lender to collapse since the end of the 2008 financial crisis. a rescue plan is said to be unveiled on thursday. >> government and regulatory bodies are attempting to prevent a chain reaction. they fear other european banks could follow suit. uppethat is restricting its accs to liquidity.

>> they cannot continue in its present form. there is no doubt about it that it is badly managed. we will guarantee the deposits of private individuals, especially in belgium. >> they could be the first victim of the banking crisis. most of the branches are in belgium, france, luxembourg. >> european stocks managed to advance for the first time in four days. amid speculation that policy makers have a viable plan to shield banks from the region sovereign debt crisis. our correspondent sent us this summary from frankfurt. >> desperation or enthusiasm for the feelings traders of the stock market do not know any more.

bank shares are dominating, up and down. the shares of banks and insurance is due to the prospect of further financial help. they want to avoid another financial crisis. the german market -- >> germany's blue-chip dax locked in gains. the euro zone your stocks 50 also and posting -- posting impressive gains, finishing 4% higher. the dow closed at the top of the hour and also managed to lock in pretty good gains of 1.2%. on currency markets, the euro trading flat against the dollar at this hour. the eu commission has delivered

a formal statement of the objection to the german exchange operated spelling out its concerns regarding their planned merger. it would create the world's biggest stock exchange. approval by antitrust authorities remains the biggest hurdle. the objections include concerns regarding how the deal would affect competition in areas such as products, market shares, security listings, and individual securities. the statement is the basis for negotiations between the commission and the two exchange operators, which will now be able to propose remedies. as we have seen investors have largely managed to struggle off a downgrade of italy's credit rating by moody's. the downgrade by moody's followed a similar move by standard and poor's last month. italy's parliament has passed a 58 billion euros austerity package. the ratings agencies say

mounting political uncertainty within the coalition could hamper the actual implementation. italy, which is the euro zone third largest economy, is now sitting on a mountain of debts totaling $1.90 trillion -- 1.9 trillion euros. that is your look at the business. >> going back to the subject of stock exchanges and wall street. thousands of people are expected to join demonstrations across the u.s. today to protest against wall street and corporate greed. the largest is taking place in new york's financial district or supporters of the movement, the 99%, have gathered in a makeshift camp in a park. powerful unions have joined the movement. protesters say favor the

richest one% of u.s. society. earlier, i spoke to our correspondent in new york. i noticed that the protest was made up of a very diverse crowd. >> it is a very diverse crowd. a motley crew from all kinds of backgrounds. i talk to somebody came in from hawaii today. he said he will state again -- until it's over. you can tell that this movement is growing more middle of the road. they are really mad at the bankers who work a couple of blocks away from him. they are still making millions. people here feel that they are the ones who got them into the mess and the first place. >> how much support to the house from the population? >> that was weeks ago, the

movement is growing. a lot of unions are on their side. it gives the whole movement in lot of credibility. the story resonates with american. the stories of people that -- trying to do the right thing, trying to get an education, try to work a job and not being able to do that. that is the potential of this movement. >> thank you during lunch. afghan intelligence officials say they had foiled a plot to assassinate president karzei. six people suspected of links to al qaeda have been arrested, including one of the president's own bodyguards. karzei has been the target of three assassination attempts. militants have recently killed a number of his key allies. last month, a suicide bomber killed his chief negotiator in

peace talks with the taliban. as the u.s. faces -- washington wants its european partners to share more of their responsibility. as we hear in our next report, there is a wide gap between what the u.s. wants and what the europeans are willing to deliver. >> the new u.s.-japan secretary did not mince words out his first middle meeting. -- do you -- the new u.s. defense secretary did not mince words on his first nato meeting. washington wants a new kind of burden sharing. the u.s. contributed more than originally planned to the campaign in libya. germany's defense minister said europe could not make up for the shortfalls resulting from reduced u.s. defense budget. he said that germany could not

bring his peacekeepers home from casa del as early as planned. when clashes flared in july, they deployed another 600 troops. they are not involved in fighting in other regional problem, cross border smuggling. >> we should be careful about making premature decisions about the troop drawdown. such a decision might only come next spring. the soldiers cannot solve the more political issues between it possible and serbia. -- kosovo and serbia. quick solutions are not in sight, but nato has to become more efficient. restructuring is clearly needed. defense in times of austerity, the europeans will take over more burdens from the united states.

it seems to be possible only if they find budget cuts elsewhere. >> russia will host representatives of the syrian opposition movement later this month. on tuesday, russia and china joined forces to defeat a u.n. security council resolution calling for sanctions against damascus if the president continued to use violence against protesters. there be tell has been harshly criticized by eu nations and the u.s.. serious neighbor, turkey, has said it will press ahead with its own sanctions. the swedish royal academy of science has aborted this year's nobel prize in chemistry. his work has led to a major shift in how chemist understand the solid matter. >> he was ridiculed in 1982 when he floated his theory. scientists thought his discovery flu and the laws of nature. researchers that crystals could

only repeat themselves in shapes such as triangles or squares. the israeli scientists found that at the atomic level, crystals could create non- repetitious patterns. he stuck to his guns and eventually convinced established scientists. the swedish committee said that was one reason they chose him for the nobel prize. he had redefined the concept of the very nature of matter. quasi-crystals are an extremely durable and heat resistant material. today, they are used in the production of razor blades or frying pans, for instance. he said the honor prove the importance of an open mind. >> a good scientist is a humble and listening scientist craig

not one that is store 100%. -- sure 100%. >> berlin's mayor won a comfortable reelection, but finding a coalition partner is proving more difficult than expected trade -- more than expected. they collapsed after just one hour. the major stumbling block, disagreement over extending a city freeway by just 3 kilometers. he wants to hold talks with the conservatives. germany's national soccer game is out to break a record. the team has already qualified for the 2012 european championships in poland. they want to break the record for the best qualification that a german team has ever managed. >> germany has cruised the the european championship qualifying

matches, winning 8 of 8. >> we will try to win the last two games, of course. that would set a milestone. 10 matches and 10 victories. that is, of course, what we're all hoping for. >> the newcomer will finally be able to join the squad in istanbul after having missed four games due to injury. he will be missing a few regular spread -- irregulars. -- regulars. germany's defense is in good hands. she is 85 years old, a fabulously wealthy, and a permanent fixture in spanish tabloids.

the duchess got married today for the third time. after the ceremony, she danced barefoot for dozens of cheering well-wishers. the 25-year age difference between the newlyweds caused a stir that gripped the nation in the weeks preceding the wedding. our broadcast continues would and down, do not go away. -- with "in depth," do not go away.

>> welcome back. our broadcast continues with a look at the world of chemistry. the israeli scientist has won the nobel prize in the field. it is a good year to win it. 2011 is also the united nations year of chemistry. everywhere you look, chemistry has played a role. in your computer or a car or in the ingredients of your food. our reaction to chemistry is not always positive. consider pollution and the threat to the ecosystem created by our manipulation of the

elements. we begin our report on how life is influenced by chemistry. >> the fascination of soap bubbles has a lot to do with chemistry. how much -- he is passionate about chemistry. >> the science of chemistry gives us a way to understand the beauty and the complexity of the material world. >> chemistry studies the elements and how they combined. water is made up of oxygen and hydrogen atoms. what occurs naturally, but chemists are able to create a completely new compounds. >> if you think that 150 years, how many people could afford clothes made of purple cloth? those colors for reserved for kings and cardinals because the dogs were so expensive. -- dyes were so expensive.

>> industrial chemistry was born in the 19th century with the advent of the industrial revolution. the chemical industry became one of the most important sectors in germany. research led to the development of artificial drugs and many other synthetic products the revolutionize our lives. nylon, fertilizers, plastic, and artificial leather, all greeted by chemists. -- all created by chemist. >> imposed in everyday products like food, i do not like that. there is no way to protect yourself, they are in everything. >> you cannot demonize chemicals, they are a part of our lives. >> the negative consequences cannot be denied. devastating chemical spills,

scientists are trying to tackle those problems. >> one of the big tasks for the future is to develop methods that allow materials to be recycled completely. >> an end to household trash? a chemical innovation that could benefit the entire world. household trash seems like a minor problem compared to the ecological disasters caused by the irresponsible use and disposal of chemicals. before the fall of the iron curtain, the city was home to one of the biggest chemical manufacturing complexes and the soviet bloc. it was one of the most polluted. more than 20 years after the dismantling, chemists are still working to clean up the mess. >> eastern germany, it used to

be europe's most polluted city, but now it is home to a state of the art chemical industry. this is what it looks like until the fall of the iron curtain in 1989. pollutants were released on treated into the environment. toxic chemicals found their way up into the ground water. even today, the local water has to be decontaminated. the toxins in the anbar mitch lowe remain for decades to come. water is pumped -- the toxins in the environment will remain for decades to come. keenest take samples to test. the liquid contains chemicals that can cause cancer, a substance at the plant can remove the toxins by binding with them chemically, leaving the water clean. the toxic residues can be converted into harmless substances. >> there is an odor, otherwise,

it has the typical small. the final products are water, carbon dioxide, and hydrochloric acid. >> it means they can be reused, like almost all the residues from the plant. the process results in a small amount of sulfur is residue that must be removed as it can damage the equipment. scientists have come up with a new process to achieve that, it is in the testing stage right now. researchers hope will be ready to be used in the treatment plant in a few months' time. the goal is to develop a substance that can decontaminate the ground directly. this black substance is able to absorb contentment and -- contaminants and break them down. it already works under

laboratory conditions. that is not possible in the field. >> underground, in the ground water for example, you cannot mix the agent and the way you can a classic experiment. that is the basic problem. in in chemical reactions to work the way you want them too. >> when a research chemist have solved the final problem, the substance will be ready for use in the field. until that time, treatment plants like this one will be needed. >> from cleaning up the mess of the past and making a better future, in our next report we meet one of a new generation of chemist working here in germany. a young man who came from the other side of the world to do research at the forefront of this field. it does work that could transform the lives of people living with chronic diseases.

>> he has had a passion for chemistry since he was a child. growing up in colombia, and he used to make his own shampoo is for relatives. now he has moved to germany where he heads of the working group in berlin. in doing research in the science he loves. >> chemistry is everywhere. chemistry is fascinating because we can reproduce things that nature does. we can make whatever we want. of course, we cannot do everything, but chemistry is so broad, we can do things in all areas of life. >> daniel has dedicated himself to developing new medications. his research focuses on molecule's.

these special kinds of proteins play a role in many processes and the human body. normally, the body makes these molecules themselves. if it fails, chronic diseases can develop. that is expensive because making the molecules is extremely complex. daniel is working on new ways to mass produce the molecules and that should cut costs. he says germany is the ideal place to be doing the work. >> germany is the land of chemistry. many of the best chemists were born here. germany is where the chemicals industry was first developed. there is so much chemistry, it has the right and the structure and good research centers. i've always wanted to go to germany. >> daniels long-term aim is to modify the molecules to make them stronger and longer lasting. in the future, it might be possible to use them for new vaccinations against diseases

like malaria and tuberculosis. >> chemistry and how it affects our lives, that has been the focus of our "in depth." thank you for joining us. stay tuned.