this hour, afghanistan posset chief peace negotiator is killed in a bomb blast in kabul. -- afghanistan's chief peace negotiator is killed. there are preparations for a visit by the pope but not everyone will be welcoming the pontiff. the man in charge of the afghan government's peace talks with the taliban have been assassinated. president burhanuddin rabbani was a former president in the 1990's. he was asked to head the peace council. he was killed in a bomb attack at his home. >> it is the most high-profile political assassination in afghanistan since the u.s.-led invasion began. the suicide bomber was part of a

two-man delegation infighting into rabbani's home. they came saying that they had special messages from the taliban. >> the attacker placed explosives in his turban. he placed his head on rabbani's chest and detonated. >> rabbani was afghan president from 1992 until 1996, before the taliban took power. he was looking to strike a peace deal. afghan politicians are vowing to continue his work. >> we are suffering. we are fed up. we deserve peace. we don't want our children to see these pictures on the tv.

we don't want to panic the whole peace process. we have to continue. >> the attack has raised fresh questions of security in the capital and is the ability of afghanistan's fledgling security forces to protect officials. >> u.s. president barack obama has condemned the assassination of rabbani calling it a tragic loss but he said that it would not deter the u.s. efforts to help the afghan people live freely. his comments were echoed by the afghan president, hamid karzai. here are his reactions to the killing. >> and afghan patriot who as we see has sacrificed his life for the sake of afghanistan and the piece of our country. the mission that he had undertaken was a vital mission for the afghan people and for

peace and our country. we miss him very very much. we cannot easily fill his place. >> with rabbani dead, what does this mean for any possible peace process? that is a message that we put to our correspondent. >> well, many people are saying that it is dead at this point. i have been on the phone to people who were very skeptical about this. some of these people fought against the taliban into the 1990's. they say that this proves that the taliban isnterested in peace. other analysts are making the point that this council was not where the main action was and what might bring public

dialogue is being done behind the scenes in both international intelligence services and we really don't know what is going on in terms of the real nitty gritty of the peace process, if indeed there is one. >> world leaders have been meeting on the sidelines of the u.n. general assembly to map out a democratic future for post gaddafi's libya. the chairmen of lydia's national transitional council formally announced libya's returned to the international community. he said that libya is committed to peace, human rights, fair elections, and reconciliation. president obama hailed a new chapter and hailed -- and paid tribute to the libyan people. more gunfire has been reported in the yemeni capital as forces

battle each other. witnesses say troops of a dissident general have been clashing with those loyal to the president. government protests have continued despite the crackdown by security forces. at least 60 people have been killed since sunday with security forces using snipers, automatic weapons and explosion from a suspected car bomb has ripped through a street in the center of the turkish capital of ankara. the blast struck near the prime minister's office and the headquarters of the army chief of staff. >> the bomb tore through a busy street in ankara. this set off a chain of explosions as nearby cars caught fire. >> we were so near the blast site. when we reached it, we saw a lot

of wounded people. the injured were taken to the health center across the street. people were very scared. >> police cordoned off the area amid concerns a further explosions. they declined to comment on reports that a woman had been arrested in connection with the attack. the interior minister said it it was entirely possible but it was a terrorist attack but it is not clear who is behind it. in the past, left this, militants, and kurdish separatists have carried out similar attacks. >> that came as the turkish president was meeting with angela merkel here in berlin as part of merkel's efforts to improve relations. the talks took place at the chancellery. the talks were dominated by the turkish campaign to join the eu angela merkel is opposed to full membership and has offered turkey a privileged partnership.

if we were not having enough financial problems in the world, this news is not going to help the situation any. >> worldwide problems, especially in the u.s. and the eurozone, those are critical. the imf has revised their eurozone growth prospects significantly down. they have said that the important advanced economies are suffering low growth. this is destabilizing baking system. the imf is calling this a vicious feedback loop. -- this is destabilizing the banking systems. >> they said that they need to get their act together to avoid repercussions. growth will be less than expected. the imf chief economist not pull any punches. >> the global economy has a new

face. the recovery has weakened considerably strong policies. strong policies are needed to improve the outlook and in prove the risks. >> the fund has revived its forecast down from 1.8% to 1.1%. the imf defended the downward revision by pointing to worries about a possible breach defaults and the potential domino effect across the eurozone. -- the imf defended the downward revision by pointing out the worries about a possible greek default. >> italy has had their credit rating downgraded. eu leaders are looking for rome to provide a credible plan. >> this puts the debt crisis. they are the third largest economy in the eurozone and they are struggling with the second-

largest island dead. the rating agency has doubts about rome possibility to implement their austerity program and they said there is an underlying problem of stagnant growth. silvio berlusconi is defiant. he says that the downgrading is mostly a reaction to media reports. italy possible debt burden is running at 120% of gross domestic product. -- italy's debt burden is running at 120% of gdp. s&p does not think that the targets can be easily achieved. growth is forecast at 1.1% this year. there is widespread speculation that the forecast will be scaled back to 0.7% for the year. traders on the floor of the milan stock exchange say that this might have a positive impact in the long run.

>> maybe this a valuation will force the politicians to implement reforms that they have not put into place. >> average italians seem to have lost all confidence in their government. >> we have had enough of this joker berlusconi and the rest. they need to be sacked. >> if rome can implement their austerity package is, many will lose their jobs. unemployment among the country's youth is already 30%. >> european stocks when higher on thursday even though bond yields on the italian debt rose. >> italy's downgrade by s&p has been expected but there has been some reaction at the bond markets to where the italian yields went to near 6% as a

reaction to this downgrade on the frankfurt floor. hear, shares startedd profiting again after falling by 3%. the dax was up by more than 2.5% as a mere technical reaction to yesterday's losses. there are some hopes that the greek government will find a solution for the debt problem in greece. >> let's take a closer look at some closing market numbers. we stay in frankfurt where the dax closed almost 3% out. the euro stoxx 50 closed over 2% out. the dow closed 11,408. greece and promised more cuts to the public sector on tuesday. they held their second

conference call in two days with their international lenders trying to convince them that their coffers will run dry next month. the ecb, and the imf are increasing pressure on athens to deliver on promises to cut their deficit. the greek population is resisting the measures. >> these civil servants are angry about the austerity measures including wage cuts. they are also fearful about job security. even though the greek constitution says they have security, they plan to -- the greek government plans to lay them off within a year. >> my life is changed. i have two small children. i have suffered a wage cut and i don't know what will happen in the future. >> they said they will continue

with the strike and calls by economist to allow passes to leave at the euro. >> only when they leave the eurozone will they be able to transform their debt and then devalued. they will become more competitive. they would have to be a third or 50% cheaper to compete with turkey. this is the only solution. everything else is a waste of money. neither athens or the eu are talking about a euro exit. >> the finance minister held a conference call with the eu, ecb, and the imf. he has to show them some progress if they are to get a pending $8 billion loan. >> france's major banks are coming under more pressure. their share fyces have been in free fall since june and now major customers are jumping

ship. -- their share prices have been in free fall since june. lehman's and the ecb have declined to comment. the bank of china has stopped trading at france's largest bank. this reflects a growing unease of french bank exposure to greet debt. >> six scientists have gone on trial in italy accused of failing to provide advance warning of a powerful earthquake in 2009. the quake devastated a city in central italy kelly more than 300 people. prosecutors said that the defendants gave incomplete information which left people unprepared. -- the quake devastated a city in central italy killing more than 300 people. if found guilty, they could face up to 15 years in jail. pope benedict will be returning

to his native germany later this week for a four day visit. security is boosted to ensure his safety but his visit is expected to be anything but smooth. large protests are planned and politicians and catholics alike are expected to speak out against the pope's conservative views. >> preparations are underway. the pope's safety is the top concern. police officers are being deployed throughout the capital. drain covers have been welded shut and several cities will be cordoned off. in the neighborhood where the pope will stay, residents are feeling squeezed. >> cars had to be clear of the way. no one will be able to lead a normal life. that is annoying. >> the olympic stadium is being converted into a massive church. 70,000 worshipers will be here to pray and take a minute.

workers are covering the soccer pitch with sheeting. elsewhere, preparation of a different kind. these are some of thousands expected to demonstrate. many of the demonstrators are gay rights activists. >> we are protesting discrimination against gays and lesbians, the unequal treatment of women. >> tension is mounting. the visit will be a massive event. >> stay tuned. we will continue with the "in depth," coming up next.

>> many of our viewers take in our programs like "the journal," on their laptops and smart phones. for use as -- for you that spend

a lot of time on computers, we have important information for your health. singapore was the first country where researchers found a link between too much close-up reading and nearsightedness. 65% of the children in that country are nearsighted. there are no numbers out for germany but this is thought to mirror other european countries where 1/3 of european countries are myopic. >> the internet on a smart phone and hours in front of a computer screen are modern themes in a modern industrialized nations like germany. people wear glasses. scientists are skeptical. genetic disposition plays a role but it is also true that focusing close-up can be bad for the eyes.

>> the more education you get, the more you have to read to focus close up. you have to be able to read text and small print, for example. that strains the eye. that strains the muscle which controls accommodation for viewing objects at various distances. that can result in the eyeball becoming elongated. >> the oddball -- the eyeballs of people that read a lot can remain a long dated for the rest of their lives. -- can remain elongated for the rest of their lives. >> if your shortsightedness is --, that is a length of 1 millimeter. >> said many elements can be

treated with medicine but not shortsightedness. research is under way into a substance that is believed to slow down growth of the eyeball in children. older people can help themselves by taking site training to gain more independence from wearing glasses all the time. special exercises help relieve the strain on the high and can lead to better eyesight, but it is board to be relaxed when doing the exercises. -- special exercises help to relieve the strain on the eye. it is believed that on a movement exercises can strengthen the muscle is in the eye. -- it is believed that eye movement exercises can help to strengthen the muscles in the eye.

few people are aware that wearing glasses can make you more shortsighted, especially if they are strong. >> if you want to avoid getting more shortsighted, it is important to peak the week is classes that you can see with, especially for young people. -- it is important to pick the weakest glasses. >> it is important to take particular care when picking out glasses. >> one to correct blurring can make your eyesight worse. make sure that your reading glasses are prescribed by a reputable doctor. you can enter the amazing world of fashion and perhaps make a personal statement when it comes to what kind of spectacles you choose to wear. >> she

striking. he prefers a grounder frames -- rounder frames and likes variety. >> i changed them every six months. >> bad eyesight this is good for business. the spectacles of business is booming. nearly half of all germans glasses. -- wear glasses. ♪ ♪ ♪ once, they were a necessary evil. now, they are a designer accessory. some can cost thousands of euros. some people like to buy them even if they don't need them.

>> lots of people come into the shop and say they want a pair of glasses. they want to polish up their image or impress their boss or because they look good. >> for many, it is important that the glasses match the rest of the look. >> i like my whole outfit to match my earrings. >> there is a lot of money to be made from spectacles. the preferred option these days are people with poor eyesight. only a small percentage wear contact lenses. >> and they itch and burned. >> as the market booms, so does the self-confidence of those who wear glasses. >> they catch my eye. you not only see better, you look good. >> i don't have any complex about them.

>> of those millions of germans who are shortsighted, a growing number is choosing to undergo laser surgery to correct the deficiency. the procedure is becoming more affordable, not more effective, safer, less intrusive. >> can you please take your glasses off for me? >> after 45 years, this man is saying goodbye to classes. he is shortsighted but he will have his eyes lasered to correct that. his eyes are checked for any changes. it is necessary to minimize the risks involved. >> i am excited about it. this is not as if i'm nervous or anything. i hope everything goes well and i am looking forward to it all going to plan. >> this is an invasive

procedure. there is no getting away from that. the worst that could happen is that your eyesight could be worse. i'm not saying that that will happen, it is very rare. >> the risk of complications is one in a thousand. this doctor has lasered about 50,000 eyes. first, the cornea is sliced and folded. this is precision work. the calculations are all done by computer. the patient is awake for the operation and there is no pain involved. >> can you tell me what time it is? >> a quarter past 2:00. >> and the second hand? >> 35. >> the procedure has been a success. the tests the next day proved

it. >> as i could see, that was 100%. i am very happy. much better than with my old glasses. >> now, they can be consigned to the trash bin. he is starting a new life without glasses. >> good for him. with that, we wrap up "the journal," at this hour. thank you for joining us.

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