Iceland deports Boko Haram victim from Nigeria

Stockholm, Sweden - As Eze sat in the pew at a church where he goes most mornings to pray, his phone buzzed with a new message. His Icelandic teacher was checking in on him, giving him support.

A calm and composed man, Eze began to cry, the emotion intensifying as he continued to read. His friends in Iceland were standing with him, the message said, they would fight for him.

Eze Okafor, 32, had been living in Iceland for the last four years, working as a cook in a local restaurant, learning the Icelandic language, building a community.

"Iceland is my home now. I have contributed to the society here. Many people know me. My friends have become my family," he told Al Jazeera.

Eze fled Nigera after being targeted by Boko Haram. In 2010, he and his younger brother, Okwy, were attacked in retaliation for not joining the armed group. "They tried to recruit me, but I refused."

Members of Boko Haram stormed their house in Maiduguri, Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria. Eze was stabbed in the head and face. Okwy was killed.

Eze's brother was killed by Boko Haram [Marie-Helene Carleton/Al Jazeera]

Soon after, Eze fled Nigeria and made a long and dangerous boat journey to Europe, where in 2011 he sought asylum in Sweden. He told his story and showed his still fresh and infected wounds, including the gash over his eye, which he feared would cost him his eyesight. He was denied asylum and made his way to Iceland.

He applied for asylum in Iceland in 2012 but was denied.

He has been working with a lawyer, Katrin Theodorsdottir, who then applied for permission for Eze to stay in Iceland on humanitarian grounds, as his case has slowly made its way through the system. Eze said that in October he was given temporary residency and could work. 

His case in Iceland has hinged on what time limit is relevant to his asylum request, as defined by Article 19 of the Dublin Regulation, which determines which European Union member state is responsible for asylum seekers.

Article 19 lays out a timeframe of six months within which an asylum seeker must be sent back to the country where they were originally asking for asylum, otherwise the current country is responsible for processing their asylum case.

After many rejections, appeals and back and forths between various immigration authorities, Theodorsdottir said there was a "twist". A special immigration committee reviewing Eze's case said the time limit to send Eze back to Sweden might have expired, and advised him to go to the immigration office and have his application for asylum processed.

Boko Haram attack: 50,000 flee town in Niger

Eze went to the immigration office as instructed to pick up the paperwork, and was told to wait 45 minutes, which he did. According to Theodorsdottir, unbeknown to him, the police officer was calling the immigration office. And then another twist.

"The police said I should come to sign and all of a sudden they took me into custody. They arrested me. I spent the night in jail," Eze recalled.

"They next morning they said they were deporting me. I said I should go and get my stuff from my house. They said no. They took me to the airport and manhandled me.

"In Iceland, I have been integrated into society, with so many friends. A lot of people know me. So when the police was beating me, when I was arrested, there was a lot of reaction."

Early on May 26, Eze was put handcuffed on to a plane for deportation. Two members of the rights group No Borders Iceland boarded the plane and stood up in protest, asking other passengers to stand up as well to protest at Eze's deportation. After about 10 minutes, they were arrested by Icelandic police.

Eze was taken to Stockholm. At the airport, he thought the Icelandic authorities would give him back the only ID he had - his Nigerian driver's licence. They took it back to Iceland. He was handed papers by the Swedish immigration authorities, which gave him until June 1 to leave Sweden or be deported back to Nigeria.

He was also given a piece of paper saying that he had no right to financial assistance. Without money or any identification, he was turned out on to the street where he spent the first night.

Nigeria finds Chibok girl abducted by Boko Haram

Boko Haram is an continuing threat in Nigeria with members and supporters at all levels of government and the police, Ezer said. Several years ago, members of Boko Haram kidnapped his mother in what he said was a bid to force him to return to Nigeria. After brutalising her - including an attack to her face that compromised her eyesight - the kidnappers demanded a ransom.

"What I am facing in Nigeria is that this Islamic group is after my life. My life is in danger."

He said he believes that when he lands at the airport in Nigeria he fears he will be apprehended by the police. "Boko Haram has a network. They have been looking for me since then."

Today, Eze is uncertain about his future. He does know one thing for sure. If he were to return to Nigeria, he believes it would mean death for him.

With his friends, he is working hard to find a lawyer who can take his case in Sweden. His dream is to return to his home in Iceland.

Theodorsdottir said there is something the immigration office could do. She has requested that he be granted permission to live in Iceland on humanitarian grounds, a request that is still pending.

Eze said his mother, Celina, taught him how to cook at an early age and it is his passion. He loved working in the restaurant in Iceland and had a good relationship with his boss. He loves to cook Nigerian food. Maybe, he said, once he is back in Iceland, and his life has found balance again, he could pursue a dream. There is no Nigerian restaurant in Iceland.

"Maybe one day, when I am back in Iceland, I could open a restaurant", Eze said, smiling.

"When I was in handcuffs on my way to Sweden, I was pleading with them," Eze said. "I am not a criminal. I did not commit any crime. I am asking for refuge. They should treat me like a human."

Carleton, Marie-Helene, and Micah Garen. "Iceland Deports Boko Haram Victim from Nigeria." 

- News from Al Jazeera. N.p., 20 June 2016. Web. 20 June 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/iceland-deports-boko-haram-victim-nigeria-160612104826080.html>.

The article talks about a Nigerian who ran away from Boko Haram, a terrorist group, to Iceland where he experienced deportation after four years. The author seems to be biased towards Eze the Nigerian as they write his personal story and share the struggles his facing. Though the author does seem biased I would support them in wanting to help this hopeless case. I acknowledge this man is a Nigerian and that's where he belongs, but I disagree with the fact that the Nigerian government should help him. It seems as though the Nigerian government has connections with Boko Haram that would worsen Eze's safety. I know the countless refugees and the hopelessness many of them are facing, but I would want Sweden and Iceland to help this man and treat his rightfully like a human with his own rights. Though he isn't their citizen I think he has a right to be treated with respect like a man finding refuge. 

Orlando: Vigils held after US' deadliest shooting

Forty-eight of the 49 victims identified as vigils are held across the US after shooting at gay nightclub in Orlando.

Vigils have been held across the United States after the deadliest mass shooting in its history targeted a gay nightclub in the state of Florida.

At least 49 people died and 53 were wounded in Sunday's shooting in Orlando with the rampage only coming to an end after perpetrator Omar Mateen was shot dead in a gun battle with police officers.

"Forty-eight of the 49 victims have been identified. Twenty-four of the next of kin have been notified with more to come," Buddy Dyer, the mayor of Orlando said on Monday morning.

"We will not be defined by the act of a cowardly hater. We will be defined by how we respond, how we treat each other and this community has stepped up to do that," Dyer added.

Orlando Police chief John Mina described the shooting as "one of the worst tragedies we have seen", adding that police officers "were shaken by what they have seen inside the club".

"It's a tragedy not only for the city but the entire nation," he said. "Just a look into the eyes of our officers told the whole story."

The injured, many in critical condition, were transferred to nearby hospitals. Among those injured was one police officer, whose kevlar helmet was hit by a round from the suspect. 

The suspect exchanged gunfire with a police officer working at the club, which had more than 300 people inside. The gunman then went back inside and took hostages, Mina said.

At around 5am, authorities sent in a SWAT team to rescue the hostages.

Ron Hopper, special FBI agent in charge of the Orlando office, confirmed that Mateen was interviewed twice by the agency in 2013, after he made "inflammatory comments" to co-workers alleging possible "terrorist ties".

In 2014, authorities interrogated Mateen anew for possible ties to an American suicide bomber.

In both cases, the FBI closed the investigations as they turned out to be "inconclusive" at that time, Hopper said.  

Hopper also confirmed media reports that Mateen made 911 calls to police early on Sunday, and referred to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL also known as ISIS) group.

Honouring the victims

Late on Sunday, mourners gathered near the target of the attack, the Pulse nightclub, as well as landmarks in other cities.

In New York, the Empire State building went dark to honour the victims, while One Trade Center lit up its spire in the colours of the gay pride flag.

READ MORE: Who was Omar Mateen?

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that all flags would be flown at half-mast in the city and that security measures have been strengthened, in particular around places associated with the LGBT community.

De Blasio told reporters the shooting, that also left dozens injured, was "against our values."

But "you'll see a lot of additional police presence on the streets of the city," he added.

"No city in the world is better prepared to stop terror, to stop hate."

Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday evening in Greenwich Village to reflect on the violence and leave flowers, candles and letters beside a sign reading "Stop Hate".

One World Trade Center's spire was lit up with the colours of the gay pride flag [EPA]

'A person filled with hatred'

Earlier, US President Barack Obama condemned the shooting as "an act of terror and an act of hate", calling the shooter "a person filled with hatred".

"As Americans, we are united in grief and outrage," he said, adding that the attack is "a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon" and commit violence in the US.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in Orlando.

Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane, reporting from Orlando, said politicians from opposite sides of the spectrum would be reacting in very different ways.

"It's been less than 24 hours but this is going to become a political issue...what we're going to see is Democrats wanting to put the emphasis on [banning] semi-automatic weapons," Culhane said.

"The Republicans are going to try taking advantage of the fact that people are scared of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... so we're going to see [Democrats and Republicans] put the emphasis on two very different things."

The nightclub shooting came just a day after a man thought to be a deranged fan fatally shot Christina Grimmie, a rising singing star who gained fame on YouTube and as a contestant on The Voice, while she was signing autographs after a concert in Orlando.

The attacks were the worst in the US since the September 11 attacks carries out by al-Qaeda in 2001.

The article talks about the Orlando shootings and the outcome of the attack. The author seems to be biased against the shooter, although I would agree with the article in the attack not being justifiable the fact that the article lacks details about the shooter places negativity on the shooter. Along with strong remarks presented from Barack Obama calling him a man of hatred and the article presenting this to be the worst attack after September 11 I would say the article condemns this man. I would also agree with this as the man had no right to actually kill and harm people. I think no one is justified to kill anyone without a real ethical purpose behind those deaths. I think the two sides of the spectrums that were presented were also a bias to how the U.S. is taking the situation. The article makes it seem like all the U.S. cares about is enforcing their party laws and focus on the political stance.

"Orlando: Vigils Held after US' Deadliest Shooting." 

Aljazeera. Aljazeera Media Network, 13 June 2016. Web. 13 June 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/orlando-vigils-held-deadliest-shooting-160613032440639.html>.

Malawi failing to protect Albino community: Amnesty

The Malawian government has failed to protect people with albinism, leaving this group to the mercy of criminal gangs who hunt for their body parts, Amnesty International has said.

In a new report released on Tuesday, the rights body said the attacks on people with albinism over the past two years were "unprecedented" and that a lack of action on the part of authorities has created a "climate of terror" for those living with the condition.

According to the Malawi Police Services, at least 69 people with albinism have been attacked in Malawi since 2014. Amnesty said that at least 18 people have been killed, five others abducted since November 2014. At least four were killed in April 2016 alone.

Body parts belonging to people with albinism have become sought after in areas of southern and eastern Africa. Some believe they contain magical powers, leading to reports of them being sold on the black market.

While attacks have routinely taken place in Tanzania and Kenya and Burundi, "Albino hunters" appeared to have moved on Malawi over the past 18 months in particular.

The report released by Amnesty, entitled "We are not animals to be hunted or sold" described the severity of the attacks, including mutilation and dismembering.

The report alleges that police lacked the adequate training and skills to investigate such crimes. It further raised concerns over the police officers' ability to take human rights abuses endured by people with albinism seriously.

"Some police officers carry the same prejudices against people with albinism that exists within the wider Malawian society," the report said.

It's a claim Patricia Kaliati, Malawi's minister of information, vehemently denies. Kaliati said that her government was "doing everything possible to protect this community".

"For Amnesty to suggest we are doing nothing is not helpful and not fair," she told Al Jazeera.

Bonface Massah, the head of the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi, welcomed the report, calling it "a very positive development" for those with albinism.

"It has highlighted the attacks and also has shed light on the deep-rooted social issues facing those with albinism in the country and gives us an opportunity to address it.

Living conditions have become so difficult for those with albinism in Malawi, that in April, United Nations expert Ikponwosa Ero, said if nothing was done, they risked "systematic extinction".

There are an estimated 7,000-10,000 people living with albinism in Malawi out of a population of 16.5 million.

"The situation is a potent mix of poverty, witchcraft beliefs and market forces which push people to do things for profit," Ero told Al Jazeera.

According to a report released by the Red Cross, witch doctors in neighbouring Tanzania were willing to pay as much as $75,000 for a complete set of albino body parts - including all four limbs, genitals, ears, tongue and nose.

Simeon Mawanza, Amnesty's researcher for southern Africa, who worked on the report, said that tracking down the buyers was still the most obscure piece of the puzzle. "The source, we are still searching for the source of these attacks," he told Al Jazeera.

The report also found that people with albinism suffered "widespread societal discrimination including verbal abuse and exclusion from accessing basic public services".

Experts say that people with albinism also endured discrimination at schools and hospitals.

Essa, Azad. "Malawi failing to Protect Albino Community: Amnesty." Aljazeera. N.p., 07 June 2016. Web. 07 July 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/malawi-failing-protect-albino-community-amnesty-160607121919448.html>.

The article talks about the discrimination against the Albinos and the attacks against this people group for their body parts. Though the Malawian government seems to be doing things, I think they should put more support against these people groups. The magical belief of their body parts should be banished and they should be protected since they have every right a human being holds. Although the author presents both the views of the government and the Albino people the article seems to be biased against the government in not intervening enough with the issue at hand. Even though the government cannot do anything about illegal black market training with enough surveillance

Vietnam police break up protest over fish deaths

Protesters gather once again in Hanoi accusing Taiwanese company of causing mass fish deaths.

Vietnamese police have detained dozens of protesters in the capital, where demonstrators gathered for the second time in a week to denounce a Taiwanese company they accuse of causing fish deaths in central coastal provinces.

A group of protesters sat on the bank of a big lake in Hanoi on Sunday before police shepherded them on to a waiting bus, witnesses told the Reuters news agency. Demonstrators were also put on buses at a square in front of the nearby Hanoi Opera House.

The fish mass deaths emerged a month ago in the central province of Ha Tinh, where the Taiwanese Formosa company runs a steel plant. Fish were also washed ashore in three other provinces along a stretch of 200km.

An initial official investigation did not blame the fish deaths on Formosa's $10.6bn coastal steel plant and Formosa denies any wrongdoing.

As the scandal unfolded in April a Formosa communications official was sacked after he said Vietnam needed "to choose whether to catch fish and shrimp or to build a state-of-the-art steel mill.

"You cannot have both," the official said. 

The company later apologised for the comments and has launched its own inquiry but public anger is growing.

Rare demonstrations

"Never has the Vietnamese sea been this badly polluted," army veteran Nguyen Manh Trung, 68, told the AFP news agency.

Last week, hundreds took to the streets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's second-largest city, to vent their anger.

Demonstrations are rare in Vietnam and are often quickly suppressed by uniformed and plain-clothes police. State-controlled media has not reported any of the demonstrations.

Last year Vietnam earned $6.6bn from seafood exports [Reuters]

The government has invited experts from Germany, Japan, the US and Israel to inspect the Ha Tinh site in an attempt to find the cause of the fish deaths.

The inspectors have yet to announce their findings.

The government's initial investigation said the cause could be "red tide", when algae blooms and produces toxins, or a release of toxic chemicals by human beings.

Vietnam's central provinces are heavily dependent on seafood, including farmed shrimp, catfish and wild-caught tuna.

Last year the country earned $6.6bn from seafood exports.

The article talks about Vietnam's sea being heavily polluted resulting in a drop in their exports and economy. This issue seems biased towards  Vietnam's central provinces since the author states how these regions are heavily dependent on seafood and the author states the Taiwanese official from the company responded with a very curt remark in not being able to gain both options. Nevertheless near the end of the article the author presents a possible outcome of not discovering any possible issues yet. The fact that other nations are being included in this investigation seems to make this issue a growing problem as the Vietnamese economy is highly dependent on it.  

"Vietnam Police Break up Protest over Fish Deaths." Aljazeera. N.p., 09 May 2016. Web. 09 May 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/vietnam-protest-fish-deaths-160509041334507.html>.

Inside Spain's Utopia

Is a communist village in Andalusia where most villagers work for a cooperative really as utopian as it seems?

Marinaleda, Spain - At first sight, Marinaleda appears to be a typical Andalusian village with white-washed houses and streets that do not come alive until after the sun goes down.

But if you look closely enough, there are signs that things are different in this small town of 2,700 inhabitants: there is the portrait of Che Guevara that adorns its sports centre and the notable absence of commercial billboards.

Marinaleda has been governed by Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo, its self-declared communist mayor, for more than 35 years. And while the unemployment rate in the rest of Andalusia is 29 percent, it barely touches five percent here.

The majority of Marinaleda's inhabitants work for the village's agricultural cooperative and earn the same salary - 47 euros (about $54) for a six-and-a-half hour working day. This equates to a monthly salary of 1,200 euros (about $1,370), which might seem low, but it is significantly more than the Spanish minimum wage of 764 euros a month (about $870).

Life in the village is also much cheaper than in the rest of the region. For 15 euros a month, inhabitants can pay off their mortgage. The same price gets them membership of the sports centre, or a kindergarten place for their child. The local government provides three free school meals a day. As a result, even the small number of unemployed inhabitants are able to make ends meet with the 400 euro jobseeker's allowance provided by the Andalusian government.

The secret of Marinaleda

Marinaleda's "secret" lies in the 1,200 hectares of land just outside the village.

A message written on the wall of an old farmhouse sheds light on the village's history and ethos. "This land belongs to all the unemployed labourers of Marinaleda," it declares.

Twenty-five years ago, the El Humoso farmhouse and its estate belonged to a wealthy landowner, who left the land uncultivated for most of the year while more than 60 percent of Marinaleda's inhabitants were unemployed and living in extreme poverty.

Then, in 1979, after being elected mayor, Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo started campaigning for land reforms to benefit Marinaleda's unemployed and landless labourers. Twelve years of strikes, during which villagers would occupy the land surrounding Marinaleda, followed.

In 1991, the regional government finally awarded the farm and its 1,200 hectares of land to the village. The village's agricultural cooperative was established soon after.

The cooperative aimed to grow those crops that required the greatest amount of labour, such as red peppers, paprika and artichokes, so as to create as many jobs as possible.

A few years later, Marinaleda built its first processing factory, to can and jar the cooperative's produce.

For the past 24 years, the farm and the factory have provided employment to Marinaleda's inhabitants, while all of the cooperative's profits are invested in the creation of new jobs. The village's mayor and members of the local council work voluntarily at the cooperative but have other jobs through which they earn a wage. For many years, the mayor worked as a history teacher at the local high school.

'What else could I wish for?'

The factory, adorned with huge paintings of a pepper, a chili and an artichoke, is located on the edge of the village.

Inside, around 30 women wearing mint green vests are lined up along a conveyor belt, de-stemming peppers one by one.

Among them is 48-year-old Asencion Torres, who works here each day from 6.00 in the morning until 2.30 in the afternoon. Nowadays, she earns enough money to make ends meet, but as a young girl her family could barely afford to buy food.

"Although my father sometimes did small jobs for the landlord, he barely earned any money," she says. "We never had enough to eat. Having a job was a real privilege."

Asencion's colleague, Isabel Montesinos, 47, has worked at the factory since she was 29, and for that she is grateful. "I am so happy with this job. Before I started at the factory I harvested the crops. That was much tougher," she says.

Montesinos was also one of the first of Marinaleda's inhabitants to receive a house from the government. Now, there are 250 government-owned houses in the village.

The government provides or pays for the building materials so that the members of the cooperative can build their own house. But while they build them themselves - often with the help of other cooperative members - and pay a mortgage to cover the building costs, the houses are essentially government-owned, and inhabitants aren't allowed to pay off any more than 15 euros a month. The aim is to prevent property speculation.

And Montesinos says she couldn't be happier with the situation. "I have my own house and two cars. What else could I wish for?" she asks. "I owe that to the mayor."

'We have a better quality of life'

Montesinos isn't the only one who is grateful. Sanchez Gordillo has governed Marinaleda for more than 35 years and continues to be re-elected with an absolute majority.

Even many younger residents who have not lived through the hardships of the pre-Sanchez Gordillo era seem to be content with the mayor's policies.

Virginia Sanchez, 32, sits at the bar of one of three cafes in the town. She was born and raised in Marinaleda and says she wouldn't change it for the world.

"In Marinaleda, we have a better quality of life than people in the rest of Andalusia," she explains.

Every day, Sanchez works on the Humoso farm from 7.30 in the morning to 3.30 in the afternoon. When asked whether she likes her job, she shrugs her shoulders and answers that it's fine. "I quit school when I was 16, and I was glad that I could finally start working," she says.

Maria Jose Bermudez, 21, and Yamira Prieta, 21, are sitting on garden chairs outside the factory, enjoying their 30-minute break. They have worked here since they were 16.

"If you want to complete high school you have to transfer to a school in Estepa, the nearest village," Prieta explains.

They say they don't know anyone who finished high school.

'If you do not work, you do not earn anything'

Indira Garcia, 22, is one of the few in the village who did finish high school. She is now studying food sciences at the University of Granada.

She has returned to Marinaleda for a month to manage the factory's product control and registration process. Dressed in a lab coat, she makes notes in a log book. She doesn't mind missing lectures for a month, she says. "I like working in the factory," Garcia explains.

Indira Garcia, 22, is one of the few in the village who did finish high school [Hagar Jabse/Al Jazeera]

When asked whether she would like to work in Marinaleda after finishing her degree, she answers hestitantly. "Of course," she says. But Garcia is ambitious and would like a full-time job in product control. She is unsure if such an opportunity exists in Marinaleda.

And while most of Marinaleda's inhabitants have a job, they do not necessarily have a 40-hour work week, and Garcia admits that there is often no work between harvests, a period that lasts for around a month. "If you do not work, you do not earn anything and are dependent upon the 400 euro allowance," she explains.

Without full-time employment, many 20-somethings spend much of their time sitting around outside one of the village's three cafes. When asked if they shouldn't be at work, one of them shrugs his shoulders and responds: "Not today."

They seem to prefer not to talk about it. And they're not the only ones. When asked her opinion on the mayor's policies, a waitress in one of the town's bars replies abruptly: "I prefer to keep out of that." Two young pharmacy assistants do not want to talk either.

Miguel Gomez, 29, is sitting with friends at the terrace of a bar. He works at his father-in-law's cattle ranch, but used to be a freelance electrician operating in nearby villages. Then the economic crisis started and he began losing clients. He was eventually forced to find other employment.

Gomez falls silent when asked why he doesn't work for the cooperative. He eventually admits that he used to. Between the age of 13 and 18, he worked on the farm for free. "Voluntary work is sometimes the only way to secure employment at the cooperative later on in life," he says, tapping his fingers nervously on the plastic table.

Meeting the mayor

Mayor Sanchez Gordillo lives in one of Marinaleda's government-owned houses. It is typical of the others, but his is located directly in front of the large, austere-looking town hall.

At 67, the mayor looks a little frail. It is hard to imagine that this is the man who has called the Spanish king a thief in interviews and, in 2012, led members of the Andalusian Workers' Union in a raid on a supermarket in a nearby village so as to "re-distribute" wealth from the rich to the poor.

While he still fulfils his duties as mayor, he explains that, because of his poor health, he retired from his job as a history teacher two years ago,

From speaking to Marinaleda's inhabitants, it seems that the mayor was one of the few to enjoy employment beyond the cooperative.

But he paints a different picture. "There are plenty of job opportunities beyond the cooperative, such as teaching at the local high school, but also working at the kindergarten or doing social work," he says, although he does acknowledge that finding work at the cooperative is easier than finding highly-skilled work in the village.

People can also start their own businesses, he says. At the moment, there are about 20 small companies in Marinaleda, including three cafes, two pharmacies and a bridal shop. Although large franchises are not allowed to establish branches in the village, the mayor says he doesn't want to stand in the way of entrepreneurship - "as long as their businesses do not become too large".

He doesn't explain what "too large" might look like and says he cannot recall how many business licences he has granted in the past couple of years, although he says everyone who applied for one got it.

'Blacklisted'

In a large restaurant just outside the town, 27-year-old Antonio Saavedra is taking orders. He works here for six half days a week and earns 1,100 euros (around $1,258) a month. When he isn't at the restaurant, he is helping his father at the family's poultry farm. He says he is happy he doesn't work at the cooperative.

"Have you seen these guys hanging around the village?" he asks without waiting for an answer. "That is because a 40-hour work week does not exist in Marinaleda. Because the work in the cooperative is divided between all inhabitants, many people do not get more than six days a month."

Saavedra and his father say they have not been granted the business licence they applied for three years ago. Their poultry farm was built long before Sanchez Gordillo became mayor, but three years ago they decided to open a second business for which they needed his approval. They say they are still waiting.

"The mayor simply does not want inhabitants to undertake any entrepreneurial activity," says Saavedra.

"If you try to make an appointment, you are being told the mayor is not around. That is the excuse we have been hearing for over three years now."

Saavedra says that, if he could, he would leave Marinaleda and start his business elsewhere.

"But I cannot do that," he explains. "My father is ill and I am the only one in the family who still lives here. I have to stay here to take care of him."

When I return to the restaurant to speak to Saavedra again, the boss says he doesn't have an employee by that name.

But five minutes later Saavedra walks in. Explaining why he'd given a false name, he says: "If the mayor hears what I told you, he will never give me the licence we have been waiting for for so long."

He isn't keen to talk any more, so makes his excuses and returns to work.

'Revolutionaries and troublemakers'

The owner of a small shop just outside the town explains: "Anyone who says something negative about the mayor or his policies ends up on a blacklist and will not receive any more work from the cooperative. This happened to someone I know.

"The girl openly criticised the mayor. She has now been out of employment for a whole year," says the shop owner, who asked to remain anonymous.

She says that the few people who continue their education after high school usually move away from Marinaleda. But even they struggle to find a job upon graduating, she adds. "Companies in villages and towns neighbouring Marinaleda are reluctant to hire people from here. You see, inhabitants of this village are stereotyped as revolutionaries and troublemakers. So if you are from Marinaleda, you start your job search with a disadvantage."

Many of Marinaleda's buildings - including the town hall, the sports centre and the school - display the town's slogan: "Marinaleda, a utopia for peace."

Opinions seem to be mixed on just how true that is.

"Some of my friends from nearby villages envy me for living here," says villager Virgina Sanchez.

The shop owner who asked not to be named agrees. "People in Marinaleda generally have a better quality of life than many others in the rest of the country," she says. "That is, as long as you do not criticise the government and aren't ambitious."

Jobse, Hagar "Inside Spain's Utopia." 

- Al Jazeera English. N.p., 30 Apr. 2016. Web. 02 May 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/04/spain-utopia-160418120509828.html>.

The article talks about the utopian Marinaleda which doesn't seem as perfect as people say it is. The article starts out by sharing the perfect side of the society then shows the mysterious secretive flaws of the community. It seems biased against the mayor and for the people when the author describes the mayor as a frail person who possibly couldn't have led Spain against any revolutions. The author continues his views when he shares the corrupt accounts of the mayor from the people in which the discrimination is clearly laid out. It seems like a fictional story in which the people are blessed if they please the government and stay out of trouble. Though the author does have a little bit of bias he does present the perfect side of society and the positive aspects which balances out the article. 

Two people hacked to death in Bangladesh's capital

Editor of magazine for LGBT community said to be among latest victims of wave of violence targeting liberal activists.

Two people have been hacked to death at an apartment, including an editor of a transgender magazine in the Bangladesh.

Another person was also killed and one person injured when three attackers entered their apartment in Dhaka posing as couriers and attacked them with sharp weapons, police said on Monday.

Julhas Mannan ran a transgender magazine Rupban and previously worked at the US embassy. The other person killed was a gay-rights activisit.

"Unidentified attackers entered an apartment at Kalabagan and hacked two people to death," Maruf Hossain Sorder, Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman, told AFP.

The incident comes two days after a university professor was killed in a similar fashion in an attack in Rajshahi claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

Al Jazeera's Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Dhaka, said at least three assailants critically injured a security guard on their way out of the building.

"There is major fear in the country and the government is denying involvement of international terrorists or ISIL in the country even after the groups have highlighted that Bangladesh is one of their operating base," he said.

"There has not been too much of progress in investigations and with these kind of attacks space for freedom of speech is diminishing in the country."

Earlier this month, Nazimuddin Samad, a 28-year-old law student, was hacked to death by three men riding a motorcycle as he walked with a friend in central Dhaka.

Last year, assailants hacked to death at least four atheist bloggers and a secular publisher in a long-running series of killings of secular activists.

The Muslim-majority country has seen a surge in violent attacks over the past few months in which liberal activists, members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups have been targeted.

"Two People Hacked to Death in Bangladesh's Capital." 

Aljazeera. Al Jazeera and Agencies, 25 Apr. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/people-hacked-death-bangladesh-capital-160425141155758.html>.

The article talks about how international terrorist groups or ISIL seems to be attacking secular and liberal activists. It seems as if the nation isn't taking action for the incidents of death and it seems like the attacks aren't ceasing, therefore I think the nation should investigate the cases more thoroughly and protect its citizens more readily. After reading the article the author seems to be biased against the Muslim sects, claiming them to be the terrorists that repeatedly attacked these reporters and citizens. Despite the governments denial for the involvement of international terrorists, it seems after reading the details of ISIL having an operation base in Bangladesh that the government is wrong in its denials. Therefore I think the government should take action to ensure protection for all its citizens and to investigate the cases of death with more detail. 

North Korea threatens 'nuclear strike'

North Korea has pledged a "sacred war of justice for reunification" including a nuclear strike against the United States, saying joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington were being carried out to prepare for an invasion.

South Korean and United States troops began large-scale military exercises on Monday in an annual test of their defences against North Korea, which called the drills "nuclear war moves" and threatened to respond with an "all-out offensive".

South Korea said the exercises would be the largest ever following North Korea's fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch last month that triggered a United Nations Security Council resolution and tough new sanctions.

Isolated North Korea has rejected criticism of its nuclear and rocket programmes, even from old ally China, and last week leader Kim Jong-un ordered his country to be ready to use nuclear weapons in the face of what he sees as growing threats from enemies.


Tensions high as South Korea accuses Pyongyang of provocations
The joint US and South Korean military command said it had notified North Korea of "the non-provocative nature of this training" involving about 17,000 American troops and more than 300,000 South Koreans.

South Korea's defence ministry said that it had seen no sign of any unusual military activity by the North.

Still, it issued a statement on Monday warning the North that it "should immediately stop its reckless behaviour that would drive them to their own destruction".

"If North Korea ignores our warning and conducts provocations, our military will relentlessly respond and we warn that North Korea will be held fully responsible for any situation leading to North Korea's reckless provocation," the statement said.

OPINION: What we know about Kim Jong-un

North Korea's National Defence Commission said the North Korean army and people would "realise the greatest desire of the Korean nation through a sacred war of justice for reunification", in response to any attack by US and South Korean forces.

Its response would include nuclear weapons and their use against the United States, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a statement on Monday.

"We have a military operation plan of our style to liberate South Korea and strike the US mainland," the KCNA report said, also adding a "powerful nuclear strike means targeting the US imperialist aggressor forces bases in the Asia-Pacific region".

The North, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as it is officially known, routinely issues threats of military action in response to the annual exercises that it sees as preparation for war against it.

The threat on Monday was in line with the usual rhetoric it uses to denounce the drills.

The latest UN sanctions imposed on North Korea were drafted by the US and China as punishment for its nuclear test and satellite launch, which the US and others say was really a test of ballistic missile technology.

South Korea and the US militaries began talks on Friday on the deployment of an advanced anti-missile Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system in South Korea.

"North Korea Threatens 'nuclear Strike'" - AJE News. N.p., 07 Mar. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/north-korea-threatens-nuclear-strike-160307030134085.html>.

The article talks about how North Korea continually threatens the US and South Korea of possible nuclear attacks. Though the author seems biased against North Korea and towards the US and South Korea, after reading the article I would agree with the bias. It definitely seems that the nuclear war will trigger the destruction of North Korea in the end, since South Korea and the US seem to agree on finding peace. North Korea could possibly have nuclear weapons, but they couldn't destruct the whole world and since many nations are allied with the United Nations which works together to organize peace I think many would be against North Korea. This issue between North and South Korea seems to be a hard conflict to solve out in the present time. 

Macedonian police fire tear gas at refugees

Frustrated refugees in overflowing camp in Greece destroy barrier along border, while in France police dismantle a camp.

Police in the FYR of Macedonia have fired tear gas and stun grenades after hundreds of frustrated Iraqi and Syrian refugees tried to force their way through a razor-wire barrier across the border into the southeastern European country from Greece.

Tensions flared on Monday, with thousands of desperate refugees stuck for days on the Greek side of the border, overflowing from a packed refugee camp at Idomeni.

"The situation is very hectic; people just want a safe passage," Vicky Markolefa, of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity, told Al Jazeera from Idomeni.

"We denounce violence against innocent refugees."

MSF treated many refugees for respiratory problems after they had tear gas fired on them, she said. Women and children were among those caught up in the crowds.

Markolefa said people were forming 400-metre long lines just for food.

"We are overwhelmed. NGOs [non-governmental organisations] are doing their best to respond, but we are calling for European governments to act now."

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Idomeni, said a rumour that the border crossing with Macedonia was opening brought hundreds to the razor-wire barrier.

"There was a state of panic and hope that finally those gates towards Western Europe would open. It's an emotional roller-coaster for these refugees and migrants who are here," she said.

About 50 refugees were allowed into Macedonia on Monday.

"The refugees are saying, 'What we've seen here is going to divide opinion in Europe'," our correspondent said.

"It's a completely different atmosphere at the moment from last year and they are aware of it. People are saying, 'This is not going to help us. They will see this and we will not be welcome'."

Refugees in limbo

Nearly 8,000 refugees are in limbo at the Idomeni border camp which has a capacity of 2,000, according to Greek officials.

Many are spread out into the surrounding fields as they wait for Macedonian authorities to let them continue their trek through the Balkans.

Only a tiny trickle of people from specific countries have been allowed to cross every day.

Later in the day, Macedonia sent special police reinforcements by helicopter to its border with Greece.

More than one million refugees and migrants have passed through the camp in the previous 12 months, travelling from Turkey to Germany and other Western European countries, where they hoped to secure asylum.

Elsewhere on the continent, French authorities began dismantling on Monday part of a refugee camp known as the "jungle" near Calais, after an expulsion order issued by the local administration was upheld last week by a judge.

Workers in bright construction vests and helmets took down tarps and sheets of material that had been cobbled together to create shelters at the camp, which was home to those seeking a future in nearby Britain.

Scores of riot police stood guard, keeping journalists and volunteers out as helmeted workers tackled the shelters one by one.

Fabienne Buccio, a police prefect who had ordered the camp evacuated and dismantled earlier this month, showed up as the operation began.

Her office decried "intimidation" tactics by some activists who she said were manipulating migrants into refusing to accept government offers of shelter.

"Really three houses out of four - I mean three huts out of four, or three tents out of four - were already totally abandoned with a lot of garbage inside," she said.

Migrants, she said, "had the time necessary to gather their belongings. The rest was good enough to throw away."

Europe struggling

After first sending welcoming messages, European authorities are now struggling to handle the situation.

Hungary has fenced off its borders, refusing to accept any migrants, and other Eastern European countries say they will not take in anyone under an EU refugee-sharing deal.

In recent weeks Austria - at the north end of the Balkan corridor - has severely restricted the inflow of refugees, causing a domino effect through the Balkans.

Many of those countries are now refusing to let Afghan refugees in, although UN authorities say no one has explained to them who made this decision or why.

Diplomatic tensions are rising too, with criticism mounting against Austria. Greece has threatened to block decisions at an upcoming EU-Turkey summit unless the bloc forces members to shoulder more of the refugee burden.

For her part, German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued on Sunday another robust defence of her quest for a European solution to the crisis.

She is resisting calls at home and elsewhere in Europe for limits on refugees as such as those imposed by Austria.

"We can't do this in such a way that we simply abandon Greece," she said on ARD television.

"This is exactly what I fear: When one country defines its limit, another must suffer. That is not my Europe."

At next Monday's summit, EU leaders "will discuss how we can restore the [passport-free] Schengen system step by step with Greece," Merkel said.

However, Reinhold Mitterlehner, Austria's deputy chancellor, said on Monday the refugee restrictions "are necessary [and] we're going to maintain them".

The article talks about the difficult situation of handling refugees in the European Union. The author seems presents both sides of the situation of the refugees hardships and even the European nations struggling. Despite all this, the author seems to be more biased towards the refugees. They create a sense of emotional tone which triggers in us sympathy for these people and empathy to relate with them. They account the personal aspects of these stories by sharing stories from real facts to elaborate their point. It seems the presentation situation is very difficult to handle since both sides of the issue don't exactly know how to react. I think the best thing to do now is maybe move these Syrian refugees into other places. The European nations have already received such a great number it might be better for these people to create and live a better life somewhere else. Since there always seems to be news articles and conflicts between these refugees and other nations, l think the UN should continue forming better plans and helping these people discover better lives.

"Macedonian Police Fire Tear Gas at Refugees." - Al Jazeera English. N.p., 29 Feb. 2016. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/macedonian-police-fire-tear-gas-refugees-160229143534348.html>.

Global sea levels rising faster due to global warming

Sea levels are rising several times faster than they have in the past 2,800 years and are accelerating because of man-made global warming, according to new studies.

An international team of scientists dug into two dozen locations across the globe to chart gently rising and falling seas over centuries and millennia. Until the 1880s and the world's industrialisation, the fastest seas rose was about 3 to 4cm a century, plus or minus a bit.

During that time global sea level really didn't get much higher or lower than 7.62cm above or below the 2,000-year average. But in the 20th century the world's seas rose 14cm.

Since 1993 the rate has soared to 30 cm and two different studies published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said by 2100 that the world's oceans will rise between 28 to 131cm, depending on how much heat-trapping gas Earth's industries and vehicles expel.

"There's no question that the 20th century is the fastest," said Rutgers earth and planetary sciences professor Bob Kopp, lead author of the study that looked back at sea levels over the past three millennia.

"It's because of the temperature increase in the 20th century which has been driven by fossil fuel use."

If seas continue to rise, as projected, another 45cm of sea level rise is going to cause lots of problems and expense, especially with surge during storms, said study co-author Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany.

The link to temperature is basic science, the study's authors said. Warm water expands. Cold water contracts. The scientists pointed to specific past eras when temperatures and sea rose and fell together.

If greenhouse gas pollution continues at the current pace, both studies project increases of about 57 to 131cm. If countries fulfill the treaty agreed upon last year in Paris and limit further warming to another 2 degrees Fahrenheit, sea level rise would be in the 28 to 56cm.

The news article states that pollution by humans have caused the water level in the seas to increase severely. Although the author doesn't mention it that much, we all assume global warming and pollution is getting worse since this is what increases the sea levels to rise. He explains most of it is caused by fossil fuel use which we are assumed to know what it is. The author in the article seems to be against pollution and seems to be warning us of what the outcome of increasing global warming might bring. I never thought global warming was in such a bad position where the ocean level rose to such a high number of 30 cm, so I never really took the threats of global warming seriously, but after reading the article I would agree with the author that the earth is in a seriously dangerous situation since ocean levels can even rise up to 56 cm if we continue our present activity. Looking at the statistics and the numbers the author shares I would agree the earth has changed vastly and our activity with fossil fuels have affected natural water levels and such. After reading this article I would say in order to change the results and the amount of greenhouse gas pollution the world uses so as to not experience the projected amount of ocean level to rise.  Our world should change how we act and should differ in our current position.

"Global Sea Levels Rising Faster Due to Global Warming." Al Jaeera. N.p., 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 23 Feb. 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/global-sea-levels-rising-faster-due-global-warming-160222201945865.html>.

Beyond meat: The end of food as we know it?

We travel to Chile to meet a group of young scientists determined to develop smart plant-based food to save the planet.

With the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence a whole new concept of food may soon radically change what we eat. And at the same time, some experts believe it could reduce global warming.

No longer based on animal ingredients, this is a food entirely based on plants - although it looks and tastes like the classic food.

This is not a new idea, it has been around for about 10 years.

But the breakthrough has been delayed, perhaps one of the reasons is that many consumers still prefer locally produced food, they want to trust the supply chain, and not simply depend on big manufacturers.

However, a group of young scientists in Chile are working on alternatives for a sustainable and meatless future.

Commercial engineer Matias Muchnick and Harvard research associate Karim Pichara are two of the founders of the Not Company. Together with biochemist Isidora Silva they are developing new plant-based food and are determined to bring it to people in their local market.

Part of what motivates them is what they consider to be the biggest drawback of classic animal farming: It requires massive amounts of land and it affects global warming.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, livestock contributes both directly and indirectly to climate change through the emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

Livestock is also a major driver of deforestation, desertification, as well as the release of carbon from cultivated soils. Overall the livestock sector is contributing 2.7 billion tonnes of CO2 emission according to the UN.

"When you get behind the scenes of the food industry, you don't like what you see. There is a lot of things that we should be knowing... but we are blindsided by a whole industry that is making it really hard for us to see what we are really eating," says Matias Muchnick.

The main scientist of the Not Company team is a computer, an artificial intelligence algorithm programmed to become the smartest food scientist in the world.

It uses deep learning parameters to understand food at a molecular level, helping the team to deliver tasty and affordable nutrition while using less water, less land, less energy, and without the need to cultivate harmful bio systems like animals.

It's a complicated process but it's designed to understand human perception of taste and texture which allows it to suggest clever recipes for sustainable and tasty plant-based foods. And it even understands the availability and use of resources for every single plant in the company's database.

"We want people to eat better, but without even knowing, that's the main objective of the Not Company," Muchnick says. 

But does the new model of food production really work? Will it be popular among consumers? What does it mean for the future of food? Are we at the tipping point of a food revolution?

The team behind the Not Company talks to Al Jazeera to discuss their work, their goals and their vision for the future of the food industry.

This article talks about a group of scientists and a Not Company working together to create food so as to protect both the world and humans. As the article points out all the positive aspects of creating food, the author seems highly biased in supporting  the new food production system. They seem to be raising support and awareness for the creation of food, since it not only prevents global warming, but also has potential benefits. Despite all this, the author doesn't mention any negative aspects of creation of food, which I feel like would be the author hesitating to provide us with this information or making us believe there aren't any negative aspects in the first place. Though after reading the article, I feel like it could become a beneficial creation in the future although it seems like a uncomfortable experience right now.

"Beyond Meat: The End of Food as We Know It?" - Al Jazeera English. N.p., 06 Feb. 2016. Web. 08 Feb. 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2016/02/meat-artificial-food-160205152233913.html>.