Erstellt am: 23. 1. 2015 - 15:47 Uhr

Greece at the turning point?

Reality Check: Greek elections, death of King Abdullah, winning the ebola battle, quantitative easing and the ECB, blue energy

Greece is on the verge of a historic political shake-up: or is it?

According to the polls, there is little doubt that the far left wing, anti-austerity Syriza party will win the largest share of the votes in Sunday's general election. It's also the case that Greece has not had a far-left led government sweep to power in over 200 years of its modern history, and that Syriza is promising to end the country's "national humiliation" and lead it out of austerity.

EPA/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU

Young, charismatic and ambitious - Alexis Tsipras is in confident mood going into the election weekend.

The interesting thing is, that the majority of Greeks want both to stay in the EU, and to stay in the Eurozone - so why are they voting for Syriza?

One reason is the desperation of the people, combined with the compelling and charismatic personality of the Syriza leader, Alexis Tsipras - who has run a blistering campaign, taking the use of social media to new levels.

Another reason is that Syriza will not win outright; if all goes according to the polls, they will be leading a coalition. That means there will be other voices and influences in the new government. Many people who say they are going to vote Syriza do not believe the party will actually want to, or be able to, go through with leaving the Eurozone. They are rather hoping an easing of the austerity measures, and a more optimistic attitude in the government and the country. Whether they will disappointed or not, remains to be seen.

Helena Smith looks at the factors that are working for, and against, Alexis Tsipras.

also on Reality Check:

EPA/STR

Salman bin Abudlaziz al-Saud addresses the country for the first time as King

Death of King Abdullah

Following the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the age of 90, the new King is his brother, the 79 year old Salman bin Abudlaziz al-Saud.

Shashank Joshi looks as the king's legacy and the way forward for the country, and why any hopes of substantial reform on issues such as women's rights and human rights are unlikely to be realized until the next generation of the royal family comes to power.

The ebola battle

With a new vaccine arriving in Liberia, and the number of Ebola cases falling, it seems the fight against the virus is being won. Georg Geyer of Ärtze ohne Grenzen describes the situation in Sierra Leone, where he has been helping build a new treatment centre.

APA

Could quantitative easing have the "tomato ketchup" effect?

Quantitative easing by the ECB

The European Central Bank has committed itself to measures to stimulate the European economy using policies known as "quantitative easing"

Robert Zikmund explains what this means, and why the careful balancing act needed to stimulate growth without setting off inflation.

Blue Energy

Creating energy from salt and water - how the properties of sea water and fresh water could provide a new source of sustainable energy.

FM4 Reality Check

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