23/12/2011 BBC News at Ten

After months of violence in Syria, a new horror as two car bombs

explode in the capital. 40 people are killed. The opposition blames

the government, saying it's trying to discredit the democracy

protestors. The Syrian government rejects the charge and blames Al-

Qaeda. This is immoral. The least I can say, this is purely immoral to

accuse Syria of this. We would never sacrifice the life of our

civilians. We'll be assessing whether there's

any hope of an end to the violence or if today heralds a significant

escalation. Also tonight:

The Duke of Edinburgh is taken to hospital for "precautionary tests"

after suffering chest pains. An end to credit and debit card

fees on purchases such as cinema tickets, train tickets and holidays.

As the Czech Republic mourns its former president Vaclav Havel,

world leaders gather to pay their respects.

And will the busiest shopping day of the year be enough to revive

Coming up in sport on the News Channel, Gavin Henson makes a

winning return to Welsh rugby on his debut for Cardiff Blues. They

win 28-9 against Newport Gwent Good evening. The political

uprising in Syria, which has seen nine months of carnage across the

country, has taken an unexpected and diddly turn. Two car bombs have

exploded in the capital, Damascus, this morning, killing more than 40

people and injuring more than 100 others. State television has said

it suspects Al-Qaeda is behind the attacks but opposition activists

have accused the government of staging the blasts to influence an

Arab League observer team who have arrived to monitor the treatment of

anti- regime protesters. This was a devastating escalation

of Syria's violence. We hear in Damascus, seems that evoked the

terror of neighbouring Iraq. According to the government, two

suicide bombers drove cars packed with explosives into state

intelligence buildings on the west side of the city. Here, a vehicle

mangled by the blast. And all of this happened in an area that

should be one of the most secure in the country. The dead and wounded

were said to include security personnel and civilians. Television

broadcast images of the survivors as they recovered in hospital.

TRANSLATION: I saw a black car, then an explosion, and after that I

was taken to hospital. The attacks struck at the heart of President

Bashar Al-Assad's security establishment. Within 20 minutes of

the blast, Al-Qaeda was being blamed by the Government, and they

attempted to implicate the opposition. This was not the way to

achieve democracy, the regime said. But opposition activists today said

the bombings had been fabricated by the Government to discredit the

opposition in the eyes of Arab League observers who have just

arrived in Syria. The government denounced the accusation. This is

immoral. The least I can say, this is purely immoral to accuse Syria

of this. We would never sacrifice the lives of our civilians.

with independent media banned or severely restricted by the regime,

it is not possible to investigate the claims and counter-claims. The

Arab League observers were taken to witness the aftermath, but were

warned by America not to allow what had happened to impede their

investigations of human rights abuses in Syria. This woman, crying

to God, is from a village in the north where the opposition accuses

the army of massacring over 100 civilians. The bloody crackdown on

the opposition continues unabated. In Homs, the citadel of resistance,

men brave government snipers to try to retrieve the body. Elsewhere,

rebel fighters shoot down a government flag. It is a potent

symbol of a country spiralling into ever more unpredictable violence.

The Duke of Edinburgh has been taken to hospital tonight for

precautionary tests following chest pains. Buckingham Palace said

Prince Philip, who is 90, when from Sandringham to the cardiothoracic

unit at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. The of Royal Family are

spending Christmas at Sandringham in Norfolk. -- the Royal Family.

Nicholas Witchell is here. What can you tell us? Not a lot. This is

what we know. The pre-eminent fact is that the Duke of Edinburgh is 90.

He has suffered chest pains, we are told, has been taken to Papworth

hospital for precautionary tests. We do not know what the chest pains

amount to a full stock obviously, given his age and what we are told

has happened, there is a sense of concern. But there is not, and I

stress, there is not any sense of alarm at Buckingham Palace. They

are awaiting news from the specialists at Papworth Hospital.

It must be assumed that he is staying in overnight, although that

has not been confirmed. There is a pretty much complete absence of

information to my from either the Palace or from Papworth Hospital.

There is clearly a need for reassurance about his state of

health, but up to now, very man of 90, he has been in remarkably good

health. He was in Australia with the Queen two months ago. He was as

active and robust as ever. It must be remembered, in the interview

that he did with you on his 90th birthday, a few months ago, he said

it was time to wind down. He has been doing that very slightly. So

the situation tonight is that he has apparently suffered chest pains.

He is in hospital. There is concern but there is not alarm. We await

further information. Thank you. Airlines, train companies and

retailers are to be banned from charging excessive credit or debit

card fees. Some companies are charging up to �12 for a

transaction that costs as little as 20p to process. The Government says

it will change the law by the end of next year to bring in the new

rules ahead of new EU regulations planned for 2014. Simon Gompertz

has the details. Card surcharges have spread like

wildfire. You get them when you go to the cinema, often when you book

a train ticket. Most complained about our airlines. There

surcharges alone add up to �300 million a year. Bernie Cook from

Coventry took eight of his family on a holiday of a lifetime in the

Caribbean, but when he came to pay, the holiday company wanted to

charge 2.5% for using a credit card. It was disgraceful. It came to �175

extra. For each couple, an extra �44 per couple. I could not see any

way the holiday company could justify that kind of thief.

booked with First Choice, which now Caps its credit card charge at �95

per customer. Companies are being more open on their websites about

the charges, but the Government dam would restrict them to levying no

more than the actual cost of processing a payment. It is

reasonable to enable service providers, airlines and others, to

make some charge for the cost of using credit cards. But it has to

be a reasonable charge, a fair charge to the consumer. So what is

reasonable and fair? The cost to the customer of paying by credit

card with easyJet is �12.95. It is �3.54 rail tickets from Trainline.

To get your tax disc for the car with a credit card it costs �2.50.

But the processing cost of paying by debit card is just 20p, and by

credit card, up to 2%. And what if companies deny that it is a card

surcharge? Ryanair says that its much-criticised charge of �6 per

flight is just an admin charge. That shows are tricky this could

become for the Government, having to define what really is a card

surcharge, and then how big a charge can be justified. Even if

that leads to card charge is being cut, companies might simply raise

other prices to get the money back. The competitive pressure that will

be applied because consumers will know what the real price is, that

should keep that under check, but there is a risk that prices will go

up as a result of this. A Europe- wide crackdown on ticket and other

surcharges was planned anyway for a few years' time. The Government is

bringing forward the UK ban on excessive charges to the end of

next year. The French government is offering

to pay for 30,000 women to have potentially defective breast

implants removed. But here the Government says it has no plans to

do the same for tens of thousands of British women affected. The

implants from the French company PIP were available in Britain from

2001 until 20th March 10. Fergus Walsh reports.

France and Britain are now at odds over the road implants, banned last

year because they contained non- medical great silicone. The French

are recommending the implants be removed, even if they appear

undamaged, and the state will pick up the bill. The French health

ministry said the removal of the implants was a preventive measure

and not urgent. Women who do not want them removed will be offered

six-monthly scams. Let's look in more detail at the Medical position

being taken in Paris and London on the PIP implants. The French say

there is no increased risk of breast cancer, and the British

agree. The French have found an increased rupture risk from the

implants, but the medical watchdog here has not. That difference is so

far unexplained. Finally, the French say the unauthorised gel

filler could cause inflammation, whereas here, tests have shown no

health risks. So the British Government will not be paying for

their removal. Removing the implants requires an operation,

anaesthesia, the degree of risk. So, from my point of view, taking

expert advice, we are not in a position where we can recommend

that a risk should be entered into where there is no safety concern

that would justify taking that risk. Michelle Richardson from Berkshire

is disappointed that Britain is not following France's lead. She says

she has suffered health problems since having PIP implants. She was

told it would cost �2,500 to replace them. I do not know if it

has ruptured in me. All that I know is that it is not where it is

supposed to be and it hurts. But nobody has done anything for me for

that. Some surgeons here believe the British Government should

follow the French example. They are not medical grade silicone. They

have not been tested for biological compatibility. While some women may

be happy to say on balance of risk they will keep them in for the time

being, others might say, I prefer to have them removed. And women

should be given that choice. French moves are likely to add to

the worry and confusion felt by many British women, hundreds of

whom are planning legal action over the implants.

Estate funeral has taken place in the Czech capital for Vaclav Havel,

one of the towering figures in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.

-- a state funeral. World leaders, including David Cameron and Bill

Clinton, attended an thousands of others queued outside to pay their

final respects to the former In the cathedral, they gripped his

coffin in the flag of the country he led out of dictatorship. He was

the reluctant politician. Now the unwanted limelight falls on his

widow. The eyes of the world intrude on her private grief.

Vaclav Havel's immense moral stature brought leaders of the

democratic world here today. The former shipyard worker who toppled

Polish communism, two British prime ministers, the French head of state,

two US Secretaries of State and a former president. At noon, they

sounded the sirens and the church bells across the Czech lands. The

nation stood in quiet reflection. The former US Secretary of State,

Madeleine Albright, Czech born, said he was a unique man who

confronted his jailers with the truth. He had become one of the

most respected men on the planet, she said, whose wit, intelligence

and humanity spoke to all. Vaclav Havel was a playwright who emerged

in the 1980s as the leader of a group of them dissidents determined

to confront the Communist authorities. Day after day in 1989,

he led thousands in protest on Wenceslas Square and to the

Communist regime collapsed. He made the journey from prison cell to the

presidency in a matter of weeks. Vaclav Havel's guiding belief was

that the truth would always triumph over a lie. He was determined to

live a life of truth, even if it meant going to prison. Today the

people of this country have stopped to remember and pay tribute to the

transforming effect that principled stand has had on their lives. What

is his legacy? 22 years ago, this was a country that put poets and

playwrights and priests in prison. The presiding Archbishop of Prague

was himself jailed alongside have self. He embodied the values of

democratic European mainstream. At the moment, those values needed

their clearest articulation. Today, a free and democratic people paid

their homage. Hugh coming up: the Christmas

getaway has begun, as millions take off for the festive break.

Retailers across the UK have enjoyed one of the busiest shopping

days of the year, with millions of people making last-minute purchases

before Christmas. Many leading retailers have been discounting

heavily and took on extra staff to cope with demand. Our chief

economics correspondent is outside a west London shopping centre that

is staying open until midnight. they are still shopping away here.

I can't remember anything like this, a retail centre staying open until

midnight on two successive nights before Christmas. It is all about

shops getting people to part with their money after a difficult year

which has seen consumer spending power hit so hard by high inflation.

Inside this shopping centre of this evening, there was no sign of

numbers fallen away. Quite the opposite, with an obvious

enthusiasm for last-minute Christmas spending. It is

unbelievable. For such a big place, it is packed. It took me half an

hour to find a place to park. some retailers are not enjoying the

festivities. The lingerie chain La Senza called in administrators

today because of financial troubles. The outdoor clothing group Blacks,

which is up for sale, warned shareholders that they might not

get money back. HMV is losing money and its future is uncertain, and

the chocolate retailer Thorntons has admitted that life is tough.

They have fallen victim to fierce competition. Price-cutting is

widespread even before Christmas, as most stores battle to win

business. A survey of leading retailers revealed that 76% are

discounting goods, with the average price discount 48%. Many shoppers

like those we spoke to in Wakefield today are watching every penny in

the final countdown to Christmas. We are on a budget this year. �20

each to spend on each other. I have cut down on a lot of presents with

all my friends. The streets looked busy enough today, but we do not

know how much people are buying. The Visa organisation estimates

that consumer spending across the economy is down more than 2% on

last year. This has been a subdued Christmas. December is flat to

negative growth. I see no reason why that will have changed by the

end of the year. What leading retailer told us that shoppers were

now flocking in have a holding back until late in the day. The sales

are picking up now particularly against last year. But that has

only been in the last two weeks. will have to wait till the new year,

when retailers report their takings in stores and online, before we

know how happy this Christmas has been on the high street.

And it is all-important going on here into the new year both for

retailers, who really need to know if they have to cut prices even

more to get people to spend, and important for the wider economy,

which needs consumer confidence to hold up and it needs every source

of growth it can find. The singer George Michael has

spoken for the first time about being hospitalised with pneumonia.

He said it was the worst month of his life and that he was lucky to

be alive. Looking frail and tearful, he promised to resume the tour that

had to be cancelled because of his illness. This report contains flash

photography. George Michael on stage in Prague

at the start of a tour that was to take him across Europe, accompanied

by a symphony orchestra. A new departure for the singer, but last

month the tour was cut short and he was admitted to hospital in Austria

with pneumonia. Today back in London and looking frail, he spoke

about how close he had come to dying. It was by far the worst

month of my life. But I am incredibly fortunate to be here.

For writing his emotions, he paid tribute to medical staff in Vienna

who had treated him. I spent the last ten days since I woke up

literally thanking people for saving my life. It is something I

have never had to do before. I really, really, really, from the

bottom of my heart, thank everybody who sent messages and everybody in

that intensive care unit that make sure I was sorted out. At the

hospital, the singer underwent a tracheotomy which he said still

limited how much he could speak. George Michael is now back home,

recovering. But it is not clear how long that will take all when he

will next be able to perform on stage. But he says he will make up

for the cancelled tour dates and sing for the doctors who saved his

life. The American economy is struggling

to avoid falling back into recession. Several states are

facing bankruptcy as unemployment, poverty and debt take their toll.

The state of the economy is likely to be the dominant issue in next

year's presidential election. One of the hardest hit places is

Detroit. Our North America correspondent has been to Detroit

to see how residents are coping. This is a city in crisis, where

even the mayor says the system is broken. The reality we are facing

is simple. If we continue down the same path, we will lose the ability

to control our destiny. Detroit has been ravaged by industrial decline,

unemployment and crime. Every pair of shoes thrown over the power

lines here commemorates someone killed in the street in violence

that afflicts all neighbourhoods. Property prices have crashed, and

the population of Detroit has collapsed. But not everyone has

abandoned the city. Bernadine and James are survivors. Although they

struggle for money, they refused to leave. I can't go. I have been here

since 1957. And it is worse now. No jobs. It is hard for a young man to

make money. Sometimes I get discouraged and weary and tell my

husband to get out of here. They then I think we are ordained to

stay, because the kids come to us and open up to us. I think God

placed this here to do work. work they do was to provide food,

shelter and real-world counselling in an area where poverty, drug

dealing and violence are often a way of life. It is a downward

effect. Basically, no jobs, they pick the gun up. No guidance, you

run wild. It is so hard out here. You would not even know which way

to step to go to the right direction. You have to learn

humility. If you go solo, where else are you going but up? Religion

runs through the good deeds that keep this community hanging

together by a thread. Bernadine helps at the local church, where

free food is handed out to the poor, who are stocking up for Christmas.

The recession has undoubtedly made things worse, but a more

fundamental shift is under way in a country built on the idea that all

men are created equal. The gap between rich and poor in America is

now bigger than it has been for 30 years. From north to south, we are

seeing a country struggling to employ, house and feed its poorest.

The annual Christmas getaway is well under way. 18 million

motorists are believed to have taken to the roads in the last 24

hours, and airports and railway stations across the UK have been

busy. But there have been few hold- ups, partly down to the mild

weather and the fact that some have opted to stay at home this year.

Britain on the move - by road, rail and in the air, we have been

travelling in our millions for the Christmas weekend. For the UK's

road network, this was expected to be the busiest day of all, with 18

million cars making journeys. In west London, part of the A4 was

suddenly closed for engineering work. But most places have been

surprisingly quiet, partly because Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, so

traffic has been spread out. The AA says it is also because 70% of us,

like the Joneses in Gloucester, have decided to stay put this year.

We had to choose what to spend the money on. And by not spending it on

fuel and travelling, we had more to spend on the children's presence.

As they air travel, despite all the talk of economising, 4.3 million

Brits are heading abroad for Christmas, a quarter of a million

more than last year. What is the attraction? Sitting in the sunshine

and drinking lots of wine. We are running away. This is what they

were hoping to avoid. A year ago, snow and ice caused chaos. Maybe

that is why the railways have had so many bookings this year. Around

20 million train journeys will be taken in the next week, and in mild

York, so far, so good. It has been a good day across the network. No

cancellations on a major level. Thousands of people have travelled

by train today and avoided the 18 million cars on the roads. Tonight,

for the most part, the road networks seems to be moving freely.

Like the M5 outside Bristol here, which is quieter than it would be

on a normal Friday night. But travel experts say it could be