Erstellt am: 8. 2. 2012 - 15:47 Uhr

Syria's sectarian divides

Reality Check: Syria's Alawites, Romanian protests, anti-gay bill debated in St Petersburg, pay-day loans, Max Schrems and Facebook.

The situation in Syria appears to be getting worse every day, and there is no sign of any progress on the political front. As is so often the case, Syria is not a simple case of the people vs. the ruling elite, it plays out on many different levels and dimensions. One of these dimensions is tribal, another is sectarian. Syria has a majority Sunni Islamic population, but there are dozens of other groups each of which is becoming ever more distrustful of the others.

One group is the Alawites, to which President Assad and many of the ruling class belongs - but it is a very small group indeed.

On Reality Check today, Shashank Joshi analyses the divisions on all levels of Syrian society, and why a solution to the crisis is still a long way off.

Romania protests

They may not have been hitting the headlines, but anti-government protests by a small but determined number of protesters have been spreading across Romania, and at last they seem to be having some effect.

The Prime Minister has resigned, the Foreign Minister was sacked, and the President is clinging to power by announcing a new cabinet.

Our Eastern Europe correspondent, Nick Thorpe, looks at the protests and the mood in Romania, Europe's second poorest country.

Anti-gay legislation in St Petersburg

The local government in St Petersburg is debating a bill that would outlaw the public promotion of homosexual and transgender identities. Our Russia correspondent, Charles Maynes, says St Petersburg is not the only city to be thinking about such legislation - similar bills have already been passed in other areas, and even Moscow is thought to be considering the proposal of such a bill.

Payday loans adding to financial misery in Britain

Around 2 million people in Britain have become victims of extortionate interest rates on short term loans. Many people are taking these "payday" loans to help meet their mortgage costs in the face of the financial crisis, but are finding that they are plunging deeper and deeper into debt as a result.

Max Schrems - taking on Facebook

The 24 year old who is taking on Facebook talks to Riem Higazi about his meeting with the Facebook management and the concerns he has that drive the "Europe vs. Facebook" campaign.

FM4 Reality Check

Monday to Friday from 12.00 to 14.00, and after the show via Podcast or fm4.orf.at/realitycheck.