Erstellt am: 17. 1. 2014 - 14:51 Uhr

Friday's Reality Check

Obama & NSA; Central African Republic; Syria Talks; Ausbildungspflicht; Second City Comedy

• Obama & the NSA Scandal

We are now being told in new revelations in the Guardian newspaper that around 200 million text messages per day were being randomly gathered by the NSA. The news comes just before President Obama is due to announce new restrictions on the NSA's spying programme. It will be the first time since 9/11 that holds are being put on information gathering. Analysis from US watcher James Boys on what this all means:

• MSF in CAR

The situation in the Central African Republic appears to be going from bad to worse. Marcus Bachmann from Médecins Sans Frontières is in capital Bangui and describes the humanitarian aid effort and the kinds of things doctors are seeing in this conflict:

• Syria & the Geneva talks

What will it take to get opposition parties to come along to these talks, and what is the likelihood that there will be any significant results? We spoke to Paul Rogers at the Peace Studies Dept at Bradford University:

• Ausbildungspflicht

Professor Marius Busemeyer from the University of Konstanz studies the political economy of education and how different governments in Western Europe approach the question of how to make sure young people who only complete minimum schooling acquire skills which increase their chances of getting a foothold in the labour market. He explains under which circumstances "Ausbildungspflicht" can be a positive instrument:

• Chris Redd: Second City

Second City is a theatre and comedy group in Chicago and for over 50 years has given rise to world famous improvisational and sketch comedy. One of the latest comedians from Second City, Chris Redd , and talks about the show and his impressions of Austria: