Erstellt am: 16. 1. 2014 - 14:27 Uhr

Will a "yes" vote make things better?

Reality Check: Egypt referendum; Rafik Hariri assassination trial: Amnesty Int. in Russia; Vatican questioned at UN on abuse; Pedal-powered cinema to save gorillas.

Egypt

EPA/KHALED ELFIQI

The counting has begun after two days of voting in the referendum on a new constitution. Officials are saying early results indicate an overwhelming “yes” vote. If approved, the new constitution will replace a controversial charter passed under President Mohammed Morsi just over a year ago, and seven months before he was ousted by the military. The referendum is seen as a verdict on the military and the authorities it installed in the wake of Morsi’s removal, and could pave the way for the head of the arms, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to declare his candidacy for president. Sammy Khamis reports.

Lebanon

Nine years ago a massive truck bomb exploded in Beirut, killing 22 people, including the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, one of Lebanon’s most influential Sunni leaders. It was one of the most dramatic assassinations in the Middle East’s modern history, helping to fuel sectarian divisions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Today the trial in absentia of four suspects from the Shiite group Hezbollah accused of planning the attack gets underway at an international tribunal in The Hague. There are fears that the tribunal will open a new chapter of sectarian violence in Lebanon. We speak to Beirut based journalist Michael Young.

Russia

Russia has been in the news regularly in recent weeks, and there is often criticism of the country’s record on human rights, particularly against the backdrop of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sotchi. The head of the Russia section of Amnesty International, Sergej Nikitin, who was in Vienna recently, talks about the controversy over human rights issues in the country.

Vatican

Vatican officials are facing a United Nations panel today to answer questions about the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests. As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Vatican is committed to protecting and nurturing children. It is the first time the Vatican is being forced to defend itself at length and in public against allegations it enabled the rape of thousands of children by protecting paedophile priests and its own reputation at the expense of victims.

Saving gorillas with pedal-powered cinema

One way to help protect endangered species like gorillas is to increase awareness, especially among the communities living near the animals’ natural habitat. And one way of doing that is to show people films about the animals. However, villages in these areas, in countries like Uganda or Rwanda, often don’t have a readily available supply of electricity – so conservation organisations came up with the idea of generating power with a bicycle, and found that it gave the whole exercise a fun innovative twist. Chris Cummins found out more.