two deadly suicide blasts rocked damascus with reports of upwards of thirty people killed as a league observers enter syria to try and find a peaceful end to the country's ongoing in. the fighting goes on more u.s. soldiers are now losing their lives to suicide rather than enemy bullets causing some to warn young people to enlist. british human rights groups. in the world's most surveilled country calling on the city council not to record.

russia has cut its interest rate. this level. in the business but. it is a good to have you with us on this friday you're watching live from moscow with me . two separate suicide bomb attacks have now hit the syrian capital damascus where arab league observers sent to help stabilize the conflict torn country just now starting that work state t.v. which says the blasts left at least thirty people dead and dozens injured suggests that al qaeda militants could be to blame let's get more on this from just returned from syria thank you for coming on the program today good to have you back safely from syria let's talk about these suicide blasts the timing. is being called into

question nine months of one roast in syria and now a lot of gunfire on the streets many many people dead but now for the first time two suicide blast this is something you would expect perhaps from iraq or afghanistan but now syria. very very concerning indeed of course you've got the arab league advance team that's just arrived in the country yesterday there to pave the way for the observer mission is to at the end of the month they're going to be eva seeing president assad pledges to end this crackdown and stop the violence but the reports we've been having whilst we were in syria last week is that ahead of this team a rise arriving you've actually seen the reports of the violence seeming to increase and a lot of concern the situation has been escalating it's the first time you've seen a suicide attack happening since the conflict broke out and i was just speaking to my producer he's in damascus and she said that you could hear the blast of course the city has two bombs the syrian t.v.

reporting as car bombs it's unclear at the moment exactly who it is who's responsible reports on the syrian t.v. saying it could be an al qaeda attack also some people think it could be the result of the increasingly seen as an increasingly armed section of the opposition now that's been absolutely slammed by the opposition on the ground of course the original movement their main priority was to keep this process in even peaceful they said if it is the opposition groups that simply has fuel to the government's fire that they're fighting militant groups and in damascus as well you know this is the center of the country it's the capital and it's the place that you seen largely sheltered so far from the conflict and now you're seeing this violence spreading into that area as well so very very concerning at the moment indeed. as you've just got back from damascus as you say that there has been a steady increase in violence there now for the first time in nine months of on rest we have two suicide. bombings big suicide bombings in the capital. i think one

of the words that might come into play is that of convenience it might be convenient some might say for the government as you were saying moments ago to say al qaeda with these new arab observers in the capital enables the government to say well look what we're up against we have to defend and that's why we have our times and our government out on the streets otherwise so the opposition could benefit for those who might want a western intervention you mention the word the name al qaeda and the west gets very very excited we'll get to that in just a moment but for now with you just coming back from there and you saying moments ago that you've witnessed a steady escalation of violence there in the syrian capital what have you seen is it really all it's cracked up to be by the media networks around the world and i can tell you relation to what we've just seen happening today what you can expect definitely today and the next coming days it's going to be claims counterclaims accusations it is very very difficult as he said to really get an accurate gauge of what's happening there now when we were in the capital what's very very clear is

that you are seeing an increase around the suburbs of the capital lots and lots of reports of protests happening there but it's very difficult to actually get these people to get the situation when it's happening and to really get an accurate gauge on the situation as it stands because it can sometimes feel when you're in when you're in damascus that you're operating sort of parallel reality easy for these reports all the time very very harrowing reports coming from different areas of the country coming from places such as homs which we actually visited at the same time then you've got to all intents and purposes central damascus stays operating as if it's business as usual we saw just the other day sort of big pro-government rally happening in the center it's extremely difficult and it really highlights the importance of this is the mission coming into the country to try and get that accurate information to get the reports from the people who were there when when you were there and you spoke to the locals there in the capital did you seem to get an overwhelming voice. or people are saying we don't want this regime to stand

close we want our side gone or what was there an overwhelming voice of people saying this opposition it's killing our friends and neighbors this opposition must go where where does the where does the trust and value line of course is very much depends on where you are in the country he is speaking to is to the opinion that you get conflict hotspots such as the city of homs where of course the opposition increasingly you see the violence escalates. certainly what really struck me when i was there is that you have the opposition and the government and the people who are very much on they sized very very direct strong rhetoric but you have such a huge number of civilian people who are simply caught in the middle of this at the moment and that that really was what struck me when we were in the city of homs for example you could hear gunfire ringing out across the city and at the same time with so many with you know thirty or forty children who have come back from a day school there on the streets as you can hear the gunfire in the background that's really very concerning because of course what we've seen with the suicide

attacks today is that a large number of the people who have reportedly been killed in this are civilians very very concerning indeed of course is still against the backdrop of the observers coming in and the government trying to push for reform so one of the last things i was told by someone before i left when i asked about whether they thought the observer mission would have any effect whether the reforms can maybe now be pushed forward and they said you know simply there's a saying in arabic this is just in comp a paper and certainly at the moment that's exactly what it is because nothing's really going to be able to me forward until the situation is confident till the violence stops escalates to surf just like from syria many thanks. when i listen i want to talk to a lot of the new star who is out for more belgian m.p. for more details on this developing situation in syria. thank you for coming on the program today as we were just talking to r.t. sara furthur freshly back from syria we're discussing the fact that official reports suggest al qaeda could be connected to these latest pair of suicide

bombings in the capital do you think it's proof the al qaeda terrorists are operating in the country as the assad government has said or could this just be a tactic that benefits one side either the side of assad's regime or the side of the opposition. well actually we're not sure yet responsible for the these attacks but whether that is proof or disproof that al-qaeda is active in the country is another christian al-qaeda is active already in syria for some time and may be and may be they are also responsible for d.c. attacks so when the saudi government is claiming that they are merely fighting an armed resistance from abroad. they do have a point but that does not change the fact that there also is a popular uprising in the country now and i think the attack let's say let's talk about the issue of timing here the attack yes and literally within twenty four hours after the arab league observers arrived in syria it is the timing is

significant here could be aimed at possibly disrupting their efforts oh yes the timing is absolutely significant now whether this was all planned or not is another matter. and so the government is clearly going to use that as an argument to push the arab league mission into a certain direction to the extent that they always claim it's going to whether that is correct or not correct remains to be seen but you cannot deny that the timing is indeed very significant now in the in the months leading up to the. killing i suppose of a colonel gadhafi in libya before nato got involved he actually said at one point al qaeda was involved with the opposition in libya and now we're talking about syria here could incidents like this push the likes of nato to intervene nato does tend to intervene when the when simply the name al-qaeda pops into the phrase well . i understand what you mean by

a question but it sort of the implies that nato is just be reacting to events as if they have no before that and the interest in what is going on this is not the case nato east indeed waiting for such and i and i were in my words great. excuses to intervene i mean they're doing the intervene when this involves but not necessarily because they're against what al qaeda is doing look at what they're what who do real allies are in libya and something similar is happening in libya in syria sorry but the day will succeed is another matter so what you're what you are twenty suggesting there is that our nato will get involved whether or not al qaeda is really the issue they have their own motives or heart if indeed they do include a council did decide on a certain intervention resolution on syria why would why would nato and the u.n. actually get involved what what would their motivations be then. it's always to do

with the same geo strategic motives. the west if i can use that to say due west wants to control the middle east and for the moment syria is the day to ship out of out of their control the issue is not what they see is addicted to porn or not i mean the nato is and the west is supporting data ships the saudi arabia and bahrain and others that's not issued each issue is whether that's a regime that is on their side or not see it clearly is not on their side therefore they have to go i mean what is happening like in egypt and tunisia is very what are some actually do western. leaders i mean they do not want genuine democracy for obvious reasons all opinion polls in these countries point. another peaceful solution to israel for example that they want their economy to benefit themselves not foreign gone pony's not for all these reasons yet they also

want to they also want to control syria it's of course in syria it's not about but i do say as you say mr vanier so there are certainly geo strategic implications here mr finest i'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. thank you very much indeed for coming on the program. well from syria now to iraq where a wave of synchronized bombings have rocked the iraqi capital of this happening on thursday of course more uncertainty about the ability of the authorities there to ensure security it also threatens to make the political fault lines in the country even wider almost twenty separate blasts ripped through the city ranging from car bombs to hidden explosives seventy two now confirmed dead over two hundred injured in the attack took place just a few days after the withdrawal of american troops the u.s. leaders insist they left behind a stable nation nine years after launching about invasion the damage done rather to

the american soldiers who served in iraq and other countries certainly it's harder to deal with here they continue to live with the fact that when guns fall silent and the cease fires are agreed upon the walls live on in the minds of the men and the women who fought and the killer stalks them that is more deadly than the enemies they once faced as artie's war reports. being in this environment is killing us soldiers but surprisingly the biggest killers are not enemy combatants fortunately and have is the demographic in the united states that kills its health pretty much more than any other out there for the second year in a row more soldiers killed themselves than were killed in combat four hundred sixty eight soldiers took their own lives in two thousand and ten and even off the battlefield suicide rates continue to soar mathur sure rose in afghanistan war veteran turn anti-war activists we come home feeling terrible despicable about what

we did and what we saw zero is one of thousands returning from deployment feeling detached and conflicted the laws of decency don't apply to soldiers in combat and when you go back to having to apply those. lost yourself all the time. you know that that for many you know leads either to the grave or to jail an average of eighteen veterans per day commit suicide and many more attempted last year twenty percent of the thirty thousand american suicides was a soldier or better and it kind of cumulated in. disaster. in that you really start to wonder if you're ever going to be who you were again dr jan kemp says many soldiers come back feeling disconnected from the world in which they once lived then all of a sudden they're there back things happened in their families while they were gone

the situation they can come back to is not often the same one that they left in fact many come back to bleak situations a quarter of the homeless in america are military veterans the unemployment rate among vets hovers over twelve percent meanwhile campaign such as army strong glorify life as a soldier and aim to entice america's young men and women to enlist. or being is that the. average size since retiring from the army sharon has been committed to showing students the other side of the army experience the side recruiters fail to show it's all part of the we are not your soldiers tour his message is clear don't don't become one of us. and he hopes that message will prevent students from turning into a statistic from washington. still ahead here in the program here

shawn thomas remembers the plane crash that. he looks back at the tragedy in our special series on the last twelve months. there was anger there was frustration there was sadness there were tears. and the outpouring of support from everyone in the town coming to place flowers and pictures and jerseys and stuffed animals and light candles in front of the stadium where the locomotive practice it was just amazing to see such an outpouring of support. witnesses. to history in the making. testimony. ten stories that shaped two thousand and eleven. that story on the. team is coming away in just a few minutes here for now big brother for

a ride on oxford taxis that is if the local authorities have their way and install . every cap in the british privacy activists are fighting them tooth and nail claiming people's rights would be violated and the court in another city has sent its own message by rejecting similar security surveillance. laura smith reports. in oxford surveillance cameras everywhere and now in the city council scheme taxis will become the latest targets of state bugging operations over the next few years license caps will be required to install equipment monitoring both driver and passenger it's a fact of life in towns and cities across the u.k. that you'll being watched wherever you go on the high street shops on public transport the surveillance along this stretch of street will only record images but the systems in taxis will record sound to effectively eavesdropping on the

conversations of private citizens that buses already have and sound recording but aimed only at the driver taxi passengers will be recorded and some fifth the best security late at night all reassured others see it as a staggering invasion of privacy i think it's good idea i think it will make people feel a bit safer it's amazing and pretty same. token taxi just like you know be going to . put a lot of pressure on people who behave. i think there are enough surveillance camera in oxford and also i think it's quite awkward to have a video camera and everything in a taxi good we don't think they can keep two became. you know to have to be cautious about what you say day and night recording will stop when the car engine

switched on and and thirty minutes after it's turned off the council says footage will only be available to police for ongoing investigations i don't believe that it will be this let's remember this is not someone's front room this is not some bedroom this is the back of a taxi with a driver in the front seat who will be able to overhear any conversation that we're having with the passenger side previously campaigners on the other hand can't understand how the council can justify this and accuse them of refusing to hand over statistics on taxi related crime big brother watch says the move is justifiable intrusive. threats which exist that requires them to record not just video but also the conversations of passengers we simply don't accept that the first is greater. every part of it should be recorded

indiscriminately for example a panic button system. treats everybody as potential criminals. treating everybody as. drivers will have to fork out four hundred pounds that's six hundred dollars to pay for the equipment themselves and while the council says it has the support of cappy as many at this local firm object to the blanket approach if people used. is it going to be because. it would. blow. good. but city council doesn't think it's going to have any trouble pushing this measure through but previously campaigners see it differently they're launching

a complaint with an independent data protection body to try and stop what they see as the further creeping encroachments of the state prying eyes and ears into innocent people's lives nora smith oxford. an hour twenty one minutes past the hour here and more time for katie in the business but for now i do bear in mind many of our stories if not all of them are on our website dot com here are some of them waiting for you right now held indefinitely without trial or charge that could be the reality of the u.s. as a new bill makes its way to the white house on its on the verge of becoming law. and the man who changed the world and the way we listen to music is to be possibly awarded a grammy a revolutionary steve jobs getting the top honor the u.s. music industry has to get. you know let's get to some other international news from around the world time for the world update here and see and let's go straight to

live pictures here from the world leaders are now flocking to prague are there they are in attendance at the funeral of the former president harvell who died on sunday again these are live pictures from the ceremony we believe that hillary clinton and former u.s. president bill clinton are there in the audience as well as a number of european heads are also among them. the decision right around politician in the czech republic transition to democracy and oversaw its split with slovakia over twenty thousand checks turned out on thursday to pay last respects during the procession again these are live pictures from prague. funeral of the former czech president. turkey is recalling its ambassador to france in response to a new law which makes it a crime to deny that the slaughter of medians by turkey in the early twentieth

century was genocide hundreds of french turks have been protesting in front of the national assembly in paris more than fifteen countries have recognized the killing of around one and a half million armenians turkey denies it was genocide. now we are looking back at some of the major events of two thousand and eleven today we remember the fatal plane crash that took the lives of the entire. hockey team in russia. thomas talks about the grief and sorrow he witnessed while covering the tragedy in the team's home town. you were hearing it on the radio in fact. they were they were listening to it. it was just. it was much bigger. as you got to.

the personal connection. to the team. there was anger. frustration. there were tears. and the outpouring of support from everyone in the. picture. and stuffed animals and light candles in front of the stadium. it was just amazing to see such an outpouring of support. every season. we were seen when it was pouring down rain in the middle of the day my classes were just. thousands of people came.

walking with two of his friends moment of shock in this very very. very special that he shared some of his feelings and his thoughts with us when he was just processing what was going on. the entire community rallied around this team and speaking to the individual members of the community the people who really felt like they knew. the most serious loss of my life like losing family. they were like family they all had something to say and they all. internalised this last. that final day inside the stadium the coffins were lined up with flowers and one by one there is a procession of people including the prime minister vladimir putin who came to pay

his respects the graphic images in covering this story there's images of the plane still on fire images of them pulling the bodies from the actual crash site one of the survivors who survived the crash in chile who was one of the stars of the team and then later to find out that he passed away just taking the hope away from this entire community. the desire and the willingness for this team to go forward the team itself and the players and the young players really rallied and were on the ice the very next day. after the plane crash while there were funeral services and while there were rallies there were players on the ice ready to rebuild the locomotive team so that there could be a team in the future and that was an inspiration to us.

looking back at the significant events of two thousand and eleven not seen through the eyes of our correspondents showing you a lot of the many of the stories that made it to them. on our website dot com it's the business with. hello welcome to the business program here and all today russia has cut its key interest rate as inflation dropped to its lowest levels in decades the right has been cut by a quarter of a percent to eight percent the government hopes cheaper loans will help business grow amid instability in the global economy a european stock markets all trading hajar on upbeat data from the u.s. a low volumes are low ahead of the christmas weekend and london will trade a shortened session on the russian markets all mix this hour the l.t.s. is gaining a whole five percent told my site is down just a notch that let's have

a look at some individual moves on the my sites most of the blue chips all trading in the red and aegean banking stocks i love gas monopoly gazprom a slightly down badly to be bank is shedding over one percent on the telecommunication provider last have a calm is among the top kind of all reports the government would take over seven point four percent of the state. that's from has to put in place by unpassed to create its first electricity joint venture in western europe germany's second largest utility all w.a.'s as a pause and it talks to settle eventually all to fighting to agree on a deal the j.v. was planned to operate in germany u.k. and the netherlands the talks started in the summer as part of the all to be eased plans to mitigate the cost of germany's decision to phase out nuclear power in ten years separately gazprom says it's considering taking part in up to five electricity projects in both area i'm not so we've got time for this hour i'll be

back in less than fifty five minutes for another edition of life in a. if. the men. from the. loop. since the elite.