Erstellt am: 21. 1. 2013 - 16:01 Uhr

Yes to Wehrpflicht, say those not having to do it

Reality Check: The flaws and anomalies in the Wehrpflicht referendum, Lower Saxony elections, Algeria crisis, Obama inauguration, Burma's Rohingja refugees

So, after all the excitement the referendum on military service is finally over, and many were surprised at the fact that the result was so emphatically to keep things as they are.

APA/Martin Hirsch

You can read all the facts and figures here, but one thing that was really striking was the split between older and younger voters. The under 30s were resoundingly in favour of abandoning national service and having an exclusively professional military. The over 30s were overwhelmingly in favour of keeping military service and the associated "Zivildienst", but it was the latter that was the clincher. While many people were not too concerned either way about the organisation of the military, they were very anxious to retain the community service element.

This age split is indicative of a potentially worrying trend. As we all hear over and over again, we have an aging population. That means, on any issue where the opinion divides by age, the older generation is going to outnumber the younger - and this will become more and more marked in years to come. The irony is, the people directly affected are the young people who would be required to do national service, and these are the very people who will always be outnumbered by the older generation so their voice will not count.

Equally worrying, according to political commentator and analyst, Annelise Rohrer, is the fact that the campaign was fought on issues that had little or no relevance to the actual question, and voters had to make a decision based on very little information about the implications of the results.

She told Steve Crilley why she thinks this referendum was a waste of resources.

Lower Saxony elections

Voters in the German region of Lower Saxony deliver a blow to Angela Merkel's government by giving a narrow victory to the centre-left opposition.

Kate Connolly reports from Berlin on the results and what they mean for general elections in Germany later this year.

Algeria-Mali

As the situation in Algeria escalates, Graham Hand, a former British Ambassador to Algeria, explains the complicated connections between the Algeria and the Mali conflict.

Obama inauguration

EPA/ERIK S. LESSER

The celebrations are not as big as last time, but still people flocked to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama for his second term.

Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States.

Political writer and columnist Steven Hill and Senior Producer for Foreign Affairs and Defense at the PBS Television's NewsHour, Mike Mosettig look ahead to the next term.

Trafficking of Rohingja refugees

The shocking revelations discovered by a BBC investigation showing how Thai officials and human traffickers are colluding to exploit Rohingja refugees from Burma.

FM4 Reality Check

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