Erstellt am: 28. 9. 2011 - 15:02 Uhr

UN squabbles over sanctions against Syria

Reality Check: Syria, Girls Only radio in Egypt, the Inseratenaffäre, flood management in India, the environmental cost of biofuels.

After 6 months of opposition protests, and the brutal and bloody government response which has cost an estimated 2.700 lives, the government of Syrian President, Bashir al Assad, remains firmly in power. While there have been defections from the army, it's so far unclear who is defecting and what impact it is having.

Back at the beginning of the crisis there were talks of UN backed sanctions against Syria. Even though many analysts said they would be unlikely to be effective, it would at least be a gesture of disapproval by in the International Community, with a little more weight than the usual "calls" for restraint by the government in dealing with protesters. However, the UN Security Council couldn't agree. Most of the EU and the US wanted immediate sanctions, saying pressure must be put on Assad to step down. China and Russia didn't want any at all, saying the UN mandate in Libya was overstepped by NATO and used to justify western intervention, and the same must not happen in Syria. Now, the European countries are proposing a new, watered down, resolution threatening sanctions only if the violence against protesters doesn't stop, and they will vote on the proposal at the end of the week.

Even if it is approved, as our security analyst Paul Rogers told Chris Cummins, it's unlikely to change Assad's behaviour or bring any comfort to the protesters.

Girls Only radio

Riem Higazi has been finding out about "Girls Only" - the Cairo based radio station aimed strictly at Egyptian women

Find out more here.

Who carries the can for corruption?

The corruption scandals surrounding the Austrian government just seem to go on and on. This week's "Profil" magazine lifts the lid on documents relating to the "Inseratenaffäre". The chief editor, Herbert Lackner, talks to Joanna King about Austria, corruption and scandals.

Disaster management

Every year, large parts of the world, especially in India and Pakistan, are affected by floods. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are made homeless by them. Joanna Bostock talks to Richard Gordon, the director of Bournemouth University's Disaster Management Centre about what can be done to prevent these yearly cycles of death and destruction.

The "serious accounting error" on biofuels

Recent research suggests that biofuels might be much less environmentally friendly that was thought. Professer Helmut Haberl from the Institute of Social Ecology in Vienna is a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency. He told Steve Crilley why we got our sums wrong when it came to biofuels.

FM4 Reality Check

Monday to friday from 12 to 14, and after the show via Podcast or fm4.orf.at/realitycheck.