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>> double explosions in the syrian capital leave at least 40 dead. officials say they are the most powerful yet. the bombs were placed outside a military complex. fears that 4 and tier groups are now part of syria's -- that foreign terror groups are now conflict.ria's deadly hello and welcome to gmt. i am george alagiah, with a world of news and opinion. president obama's and preston did support for gay marriage defiance -- president obama's unprecedented support for gay marriage. it is midday in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington, and 2:00 in the afternoon in damascus, where

two powerful explosions have left at least 40 people dead and 117 wounded. the big question, who is responsible? there have been claims and counter-claims. the opposition plans the government, which has said it is the work of terrorists. what is clear is the uprising has become an increasingly deadly conflict. >> first, one explosion in damascus, and then a second blast. a short time later, syrian tv began showing these pictures of mangled and burnt vehicles. it said dozens had been killed or wounded. some of the images are too graphic to show. a local journalist in the city gave us this account. >> i have spoken to some of the wounded people who have been transported to the hospital. they told me two explosions took place in the same location.

a first explosion was a small one and it was used to attract as many security personnel and by standards. the second explosion was the big one, which killed a large number of people, unfortunately. >> the attacks have taken place during the morning rush hour. they caused widespread devastation. they may have been aimed at people arriving for work at a nearby military intelligence building. the head of the united nations in syria and visited the scene and said the latest violence was deplorable. >> my message to anyone -- to anyone that is engaging in this type of violence is that it is not going to solve any problems. we need everyone inside syria, everyone outside syria, to understand that this is only going to create more suffering for women, children, and the

syrian people. >> no one has admitted responsibility for the latest bombings. syrian authorities are blaming those it describes as terrorist s. the opposition blames the government as being behind the violence. >> now to some of the other stories making headlines around the world. president obama has taken a political gamble by publicly giving his firm backing for gay marriage. his announcement on u.s. tv immediately sparked speculation as to whether he has hindered or bolstered his chances of winning a second term in november. his likely challenger for the white house -- mitt romney supports, and amendment banning gay marriage in the united states. steve kingstone has the latest from washington. >> there are few more divisive sites in america today than a same-sex wedding.

for two years, president obama has failed to take a stance. now, barack obama has come out in support of gay marriage. >> for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that i think same-sex couples should be able to get married. >> he told abc news he reached the decision after talking to his family. >> malia and sasha may have friends whose parents are in same-sex couples. michelle and i may have been sitting around the dinner table and talking about their friends and their parents, and malia and sasha, it would not dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. >> this is an important day for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people in america. it is very important for our leaders to come out in support of our families, in support of our love, in support of who we are. this is one example of him doing

that. >> his view has shifted in sync with public opinion. four years ago, he and the majority of americans opposed to gay marriage. today, a narrow majority is in favor. politically, this is still a big rift. new policy may not play well in swing states, such as north carolina, where only this week voters decided same-sex weddings were unconstitutional under state law. the republican challenger for the white house firmly opposes gay marriage. >> my position is the same on gay marriage as it has been since the beginning. marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman. that is a posture i had as governor and that is the posture i have today. >> the election will not be won or lost over gay marriage, as the economy remains the overriding concern. it is the type of touch-tone social issue that defines a candidate, that tells america who they are. now, a clear dividing line between the president and the man who challenges him.

steve kingstone, bbc news at the white house. >> we'll be hearing the pro- argument an anti-gay marriage arguments in about an hour. a special court to hear the case against him, saying the show is politically motivated. he is in hiding in northern iraq. he faces over 150 charges related to running a death squad. his lawyer once the case transferred to the supreme court. the hearing, which would have addressed the assassinations of two security officials and a lawyer, has been postponed, again, until may 15. voting has taken place across algeria in the first polls since the arab spring swept the region. the ruling party and the boycott movement are all hoping for victory. in norway, the trial of

anders breivik. during a break in proceedings, relatives and friends of the victims left the court in tears. >> in greece, the turn of the socialist party to try to form a new government after sunday's inconclusive parliamentary elections. its leader, the former finance minister, evangelos venizelos, would try to succeed where the two biggest parties of the center-right in the far left have failed to garner enough support to form a majority in parliament. the parties are arguing over what to do with the tough austerity program, which is, of course, a condition for receiving an international bailout. well, to hear just held the debt crisis is affecting ordinary greeks, we're joined by our webcam by a left-wing voters who feels worried about her country's future.

thank you very much for being with us on gmt here. i mentioned in the tough austerity program. can you describe what it is like for you personally to be living under an austerity program? >> for me, personally, i am 25 years old. i still live with my mother because i cannot move out. it is just one of the worst things. you really cannot know what is going to happen tomorrow. you do not know if you have your work tomorrow. you do not know if you will be paid tomorrow. you cannot start your own business. they do not treat you like you are an adult. basically, you cannot take your life in your hands. i cannot do that.

nobody helps me. >> can you hear me? thank you for the description of what your life is like. let's get on to the politics. it seems as if all the people who feel like you have left politics in disarray, because there was no conclusion in these elections. >> yes, exactly. i voted for the left party, not because i completely agree, but because i couldn't give my vote to the former two parties that were full of corruption. >> at least you have a government then. at least you had a government then. now the voters of greece have delivered a verdict that means

the country is without a leader now. >> yes. yes, i know. i know we are a step closer to default. you should think about this. if there is no money left in the market, no real money, it doesn't make a difference. >> ok. we have to leave it gmt from "bbc world news." thank you very much for your time -- we have to leave its there. thank you very much for your time. still to come upon gmt -- the olympic flame is lit on mount olympus. >> the british-born hairstylist, of the bell system, has died at his home in los angeles.

his originality and style became famous in the 1970's. >> it was a creative style that helped shape a revolution in the 1960's and made vidal sassoon a sensation around the world. his styles like the bob cut liberated women from high maintenance beehives. they define the look of a generation. in london, he opened his first store there in 1956 before sweeping across the u.k. and america. >> we're looking at a faces and the carving, the shapes.

this is incredibly exciting. nobody else has that privilege , only hairdresser's. >> for decades, he dominated the fashion industry around the world -- as successful and influential in china as he was in the west. >> i cut your year. >> catching up with his old friends and looking back on a career which changed hairstyle fashions for ever. he put most of his wealth back into plant. philanthropy. he made los angeles his home. in 2012, he went to a premiere of a documentary about his life. he was believed to be fighting leukemia. he died at his home at age 84. >> this is gmt from "bbc world

news." i am george alagiah. 49 people have been killed in two huge explosions in damascus in front of a military intelligence building. it is the worst explosions since the uprising against assad began. the flame for the olympics has been lit. the relay will end in london in july. away from the grim reality of greece's political crisis, there has been an olympic torch ceremony, harkening back to the traditions of the ancient games at mount olympia. the tradition of the lighting of the flame by a high priestess. the flame will be relayed. it will travel thousands of kilometers across greece to

some 40 towns. it will then be flown to britain for a 70-relay. jane, over to you. >> hello, george. thank you very much. actually, at the end of the ceremony here. a really beautiful ceremony that has taken place here. it is a slightly curious setting, as you are suggesting there. we all well and have talked so much in recent weeks about the turmoil in greece korea today, in ancient olympia, where it all began 2800 years ago, have to say there has been no talk of that. it has been about the olympic spirit and life about the all important flame. it is beautiful ceremony. the high priestess is played by a classical actress. the herald. , the men, take part in the traditional ceremony.

the flame is lit via the suns' 's rays. all eyes were on the weather. many vip's, as well as members of the public, were at the ceremony. let's talk to the director of the british council in greece. welcome to "bbc world news." you witnessed the ceremony. what did you make of it? >> i found it really rather moving. i thought it was orchestrated in a way, which was very elegant. i liked it a lot. all the speeches, all the mentions of the olympic values and the olympic ideals -- all the since very well with the work that i'm involved in. >> the british council now plays a bigger role for the next week, of course. the flame has left the stadium. it is already making its way around greece, as it will for the next week.

there's a big british-greek crossover there. >> that is right. the whole ethos behind the games is the power to bring people together. it is incredibly compelling for all of us. we wanted to capture that at the british council. >> you are capturing it with various cultural -- >> cultural and educational. a lot of the work we do is in education. what we thought we would do is bring together a number of greek students and also students from the u.k. to get involved in activities that would enable us to take the inspirational power of the games directly into the classrooms. >> good luck with all those endeavors. a very busy week ahead for you. thank you very much. the director of the british council here in greece. a crucial handover ceremony this time next week. the flame will be officially

ended over to the new host city, london, of course, all in the buildup to the opening ceremony. >> thank you very much. thank you. i think we are going to go to damascus now. i'm sorry. my colleague, lyse doucet, is in damascus. lyse doucet, i think you are at the hospital where many of the injured of least two explosions have been taken to. >> yes, a major hospital close to the scene of these two powerful explosions in damascus this morning. we were taken into the morgue at this hospital. the scenes were absolutely horrible. we saw at least 30 body bags. these are the type of images we could not show on television. the bodies are basically char

red. faces unrecognizable. the emergency services were clearly stretched there. in intensive care, one doctor said he had never seen an emergency of this kind of damascus. he talked about the 30 dead. he said he had seen many injured. many of the injuries were so severe that people were dying as they came into the hospital. >> that is the aftermath, if you like. there is the other question, who has claimed responsibility for this, if anybody, and what is the speculation? >> as always, at the scenes of these blasts, crowd quickly gathered. they also gathered at the hospital. they tell us this is the work of the opposition. so many people came up to us condemning the saudis and qatar. at least one person took us

inside and quietly said, as many of the opposition will say, that this was the work of the government. a cynical act, they say, to try to discredit the opposition. as always, there are two hundred andcontradictory inheritance. i can say absolutely -- whoever carried out the bombings this morning had the will to carry out the huge damage. two huge craters were created in the tarmac. there were large sways of land destroyed. the traffic was going in and out of damascus at the height of the morning rush hour. >> you can follow lyse doucet on twitter. a little later than usual, let's get to the business news. aaron heslehurst, let's start with spain.

the largest banks so far to be bailed out. >> yes, absolutely. huge worries over the spanish banking system. the spanish bank is making some big moves to try to put the four-year banking crisis behind them. late yesterday, the spanish government, the fourth largest in the country. we know it is the largest of the eight banks already needing rescue by the spanish government. since 2008, since the property bubble burst dramatically in spain, the system has the overall three times. spanish lenders are still sitting on $240 billion of toxic assets. there's a great fear there will be a huge rise in loan defaults that goes beyond anything

connected to the property market. if you would have listened to the experts, they say spain has a very long way to go. listen to this. >> i think this is really the slow start of the spanish government facing up to the problems of its economy. if you compare the spanish housing market to that of the u.s. or even ireland, in terms of valuation and correction, it has a long way to go. the u.s. market looks like it's bottoming out now. the irish market, 50%. in spain, it has fallen by 15% to 17% treated has a long way to fall. >> we will get more tomorrow. >> not so long ago, it was a must have brand, but it has posted a record loss. >> the picture quality on a sony television might be crisp and clear. the picture for the company is

very stehazy. today, sony told us it's a last financial year was the worst on record. sony lost close to $6 billion. basically, it is living in competing in the world of apple and samsung. the american and south korean firms. 3% of appleis only and only 8% of samsung. is there a belief in japan that sony can turn around its misfortunes? >> there is a desire to turn around its misfortunes. belief might be going a bit far. the new president of sony outlined a strategy last month concentrating on games and mobile devices.

perhaps pushing into new areas, like life sciences in medical devices, and cutting the tv business. he also said, bringing sony back to profit by 5%. >> share prices have fallen 68%. not a lot of belief at all. >> that is it. >> thank you very much. thank you. seats sell for over $7820,000. they were originally displayed in london before the exhibition had to be shut down because the dust from the tiny pebbles raise concern for the health of visitors. >> from afar, they look completely of remarkable, like a gravel driveway. up close, you appreciate why it took 1600 chinese people to make

these 100 million sunflowerseed. each side of every seed was painted with an average of three brush strokes. sotheby's sold 1 ton for $780 ,000, a record price for ai weiwei's work. >> no artist has received as much publicity in such a short period of time and become so famous in such a short period as ai weiwei. he was nominated last year as a person of the year for "time" magazine. >> he was detained by chinese police for three months last year. they accused him of tax evasion. he said they came after him because of his outspoken comments on human rights. chairman mao was often depicted

as the sun in his work, with the chinese people as the sunflowers. the chinese tax authorities are demanding he paid $2.4 million in back taxes and fines. he is now suing the tax office. >> just before we take a break, we're getting reports from russia which state security services foiled a plot to attack the 2014 winter olympic games. officials say federal security agents have uncovered a cache of explosions in weapons. stay with us on "bbc world news." there is plenty more to come.

>> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers use their expertise in global finance to guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our extended, global network to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.