One country that has become unapologetically outspoken about its fear of refugees is slovakia. It has been heralded as an eu Success Story after breaking away from czechoslovakia and forming an independent democracy. But a worrying Development Today is a remarkable increase in the number of paramilitary groups in slovakia. Our reporter visited its largest, called the branci. Reporter twice a month they go to war. At least, thats what it looks like at first glance. These paramilitaries say they want to protect slovakia as though the country wasnt part of a europe at peace, but instead surrounded by enemies. If a future enemy sees whats going on here in slovakia if he sees a country that is prepared to defend itself, and its Democratic Values then that enemy will think twice about attacking. Hell think again before trying to take away our rights. Reporter peter vrcek is the socalled commandant of the slovak conscripts Paramilitary Organization, Slovenski Branci. The 20yearold and his troops say theyre ready to fend off what they view as foreign threats to slovakia. That includes refugees. Theyre a security risk. And most importantly, a lot of them are here illegally. Reporter a lot of them . Even at the hight of the crisis last year when thousands of migrants arrived in europe every day, only a couple of hundred ended up in gabcikovo, a villlage on the border with hungary. Even that number caused an uproar in slovakia. Now there are just a few migrants left here. The residents have grown used to them. They arent doing anything wrong. Theyre here because of the war back home. I dont feel threatened. Reporter many say theyre more frightened of the uniformed men in the forests nearby. The branci are extremists. Theyre the ones that need to be controlled. Reporter members of the Slovenski Branci paramilitary are known to hold extremist, rightwing views. The group claims it only exists to protect democracy. But comments on internet forums reveal the opposite. Conditioning, tactics, handtohand combat. Slovenski branci drills are demanding. The largest Paramilitary Organization in slovakia doesnt protect democracy. It poses a threat to it, says journalist michal havran. Im very worried, because we know that a significant fraction of the Slovakian Army and police force are members of this group. It isnt a coincidence that the paramilitary is trained by professional soldiers of the Slovakian Army. And some police have also fought on the side of neonazis in rightwing brawls. Reporter the kalaschnikovs that the members of the paramilitary carry are supposedly collectors firearms that have been disabled. But its relatively easy to make them work again. The Charlie Hebdo attacks in paris last year were carried out with slovakian collectors weapons. At the interior ministry in the capital bratislava, authorities play down the possible dangers. Individual extremists are under surveilllance, but not the paramilitary groups as a whole. In legal terms, these groups dont exist. If they break the law, then of course theyll be punished. But we cant ban groups like this. Because as i say, legally they dont exist. Reporter in the neighboring czech republic, groups like the Slovenski Branci have long been banned. But in slovakia, a Rightwing Party is now represented in parliament. Michal havran warns that xenophobic paramilitaries could take advantage of the countrys new political climate. I think they know this is their big chance. Theyre fighting to become accepted by the public. So their future depends on us on what we do with this country and this continent. If we dont resist, their influence will grow. Reporter in private, the commandant of the Slovenski Branci plays down his weekend activities. But the firstsemester archaeology student knows exactly what hes doing. At 16, he traveled to russia for military training. And every month, more and more paramilitary groups are accepting his leadership. We have a reputation for being fascist or extremist. Its really unfortunate thats why many of us have been fired, or have problems finding jobs. That happens to us all the time. Reporter the young commandant might have even bigger ambitions. Before long, he could decide to take his ideals out of the woods and onto the political stage. Michelle there is a town in spain that boasts a state of the art theatre, three museums, a large japanesedesigned Sports Centre and a modern bullring. But its not madrid or even one of the bustling cities along its vast coast, but a Rural Community with just 5000 inhabitants. Despite the small size of la muela, it earned millions of euros during the Renewable Energy boom when windmills were installed here. But as a result of the vast public overspend and various cases of corruption by the former mayor, its now not only broke, but mired in debt. The new mayor is hopeful, however, that their problems will soon blow over. Reporter in la muela, they know all about making money out of air. Hundreds of windmills put the village on the map and filled the local coffers. But the wind has shifted. Now, the name la muela stands for corruption on a staggering scale. Local councillor jaime ameller tells us about the sensational lawsuit brought against la muelas former mayor. Maria pinilla stands accused of ining her pockets with 18 Million Euros during her time in office through bribes, Money Laundering and illegal construction deals. She faces 35 years in prison. The extent of the corruption is horrific. Almost 100 Million Euros worth of damage has been done in a village with 5,000 inhabitants. The ramifications of that are huge. Reporter la muela is stone broke. Despite that, its home to plenty of showy buildings, like this fancy wind museum. Unfortunately, its always closed. We move on to the museum of life also closed. As is the museum of oil. And then theres the auditorium, designed by a japanese architect. The whole thing is one persons madness. The mayor must have woken up one morning and said to herself, lets build something japanese. Thats how it always was. Reporter next to the auditorium is the covered bull fighting arena. The honourable local dignitaries including developers, architects and politicians made a killing on projects like these. 36 people have now been indicted. Villagers didnt escape the frenzy either. A television report shows how the mayor splashed out on expensive longhaul holidays for some of them. With the municipality generously paying for half of the costs. As long as things were running smoothly, everyone was on board. It only changed when things got out of hand. Reporter now the village has a new, young mayor from a leftleaning regional party. Adrian tello doesnt earn a salary la muela is too busy paying off some 16 Million Euros worth of debt. Unfortunately, there was zero proper oversight in the village. That was the first thing that got us into the situation were in now. Then there was simply a majority of people who liked all the benefits. Reporter the village is now concentrating its efforts on managing the damage. This public Swimming Pool has been closed theres no money for the upkeep. In the village bar, most people would just like la muela to stay out of the headlines. The chances of that happening are quite good it seems every other day in spain, theres a new scandal. For us, the Panama Papers are not unusual. Weve been dealing with things like that for years. Reporter this is what ruin looks like in the spanish hinterlands. The village is not unique la muela is everywhere. Michelle germany and turkey have long shared a special relationship, dating as far back as the ottoman empire. Ties between the two countries were strengthened when germany suffering from a labor shortage during the so called economic miracle after world war ii invited inturkish guest workers. Their arrival in the 1950s and 1960s is why turks form the largest ethnic minority in germany. But a crude satirical poem by a german comedian about the turkish president has now sparked a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. The joke was intended to draw attention to the problem of press freedom in turkey, where many journalists face Court Proceedings for insulting president erdogan. For the German Government the row is an embarrasment especially when europe needs turkey in the refugee crisis. Some germans are critizing the government for their role and signed a petition to Uphold Press Freedom here in germany. Reporter the defence of germanys freedom of speech began in this modest attic room in the bavarian alps. Sitting at her computer, Christine Doering started an online petition in support of the comedian Jan Bohmermann. Bohmermann is scheduled to appear in court for allegedly insulting the turkish president in a poem. Doering feels the accusation is absurd, and has collected over 240,000 signatures for her petition. It is important to me that someone takes a stand against turkey. We have freedom of speech and freedom of the press and art. And you cant restrict that, just because you dont like something. What im about to do isnt allowed. It wouldnt be allowed to publicly broadcast this in germany. Reporter bohmermann performed a deliberately provocative poem about turkish president erdogan using Profane Language and abusive criticism. That got him into trouble. The turkish government responded by demanding that the German Government launch a criminal prosection against the comedian for abusive criiticism of a foreign leader. Meanwhile, in the offices of the opposition newspaper cumhuriyet, editorinchief can dundar has just been told that his book about the persection of journalists in turkey is to be published in germany. However, dundar will not be embarking on any promotional tours he is not permitted to leave the country. Dundar will appear in court himself, charged with treason. Although he considers bohmermanns comments to be in poor taste, he warns germany against giving in to pressure from the turkish government. Of course you could make a civil case out of this. But erdogan is a politician who cannot tolerate any critique. Even if it is carefully formulated, he will take you to court. Which is why his reaction to this case is seen so adversely. It is not an isolated case, it is the overall state of freedom of speech in turkey. That is why so few people are willing to side with erdogan in the case of bohmerman. Reporter idil baydar is also against erdogans prosecution of bohmermann. Baydar is a germanturkish standup comedian and is well known to german audiences. Her current show draws heavily upon stereotypes of germans and turks. She has been very successful with her show in many german cities. Germans find it really very funny when i say, we are even now, you cant have enough children, we cant speak german properly. Reporter in baydars show turks are all violent and germans are all uptight. It plays on fears about integration, which is a hot button issue in germany. Queuing . We dont get that. We just form crowds. Reporter its a form of humour that baydars audience appreciates. Baydar has defended bohmermanns poem about the turkish president. For baydar, bohmermann is not only satirising erdogan, he has also highlighted the latent racism that foreigners living in germany, or their children, have to face. The poem has finally spoken out what we turks in germany have been forced to listen to for the last 50 years. The insulting word he used to describe erdogan was not invented by turks. For the first time it has clearly shown the narrative that we turks in germany have to live under. Reporter baydars biting satire is extremely popular among germanys younger population with a migrant background. But they are divided over the Jan Bohmermann case. Everyone has an opinion and should be free to express it. In my opinion theres been too much fuss over it. We like to tell jokes as well and to have fun, but that was below the belt. That shouldnt have happened. Reporter Christine Doering is surprised by how much attention her petition has received. Opinion polls also indicate that most germans have a high tolerance level when it comes to satire. It seems there is growing unease in germany with the verbal attacks against the countrys press in recent years. Several rightwing populists have even used a term the nazis once used, the lying press. This petition is a great way to show these people that we will not put up with this. We are going to do something about it. This is not just about turkey. Reporter the row over Jan Bohmermanns poem is no longer about the limits of satire. It is about turkeys future relations with europe. Michelle should a comedian be charged for making a joke, however crude it might be . Let us know what you think about that or any of todays stories by getting in touch on facebook, email or twitter. Out of the countries in the european single currency, it is greece that continues to suffer the worst effects of the financial crisis. While it received hundreds of billions of euros in aid, that money effectively went to bail out the countrys banks. The severe austerity measures put in place to help pay off that debt are still crippling the country. Many people dont have money to pay for day to day necessities that many of us take for granted, from medical prescriptions to food. In aigio, a small town in the north of the country, one man is determined to do something about that. He is a German National who founded a charity to provide minibailouts directly to ordinary people and felt so close to his new cause he even adopted a greek name. Reporter when this man rolls into town, people in aigon near patras know that help is on the way. Alexandros yazakis is neither politician, diplomat nor economic expert. His help really reaches those who need it. And the need is great. Which is why the 73yearold is always on the go. Today hes meeting new applicants for his aid program. This is the tax return that everyone has to submit to prove they have no income, or virtually no income. Reporter alexandros has been here for decades. Out of devotion to his adopted homeland, he gave up both his german passport and name. A year ago, he set up his ngo, solidarity farm. Whoever helps can harvest the vegetables growing on the 4,000 square meter field. Seeds instead of social welfare. The people here lack basic needs, including food. Marias has a sixyearold daughter, her husband has cancer and is in the hospital. At the moment all i have to live on is what i harvest here. I am grateful for the aid and the help from germany. Reporter helpers also get 50 euros a month from a German Association founded by alexandros and friends. Its name translates as aid for greece that gets where its needed. The founders are regularly on site to ensure their Organization Lives up to its name. The Administration Costs are zero. We paid for our own flights. Its not like were claiming any kind of travel expenses. Reporter in the beginning it was just a small, private initiative. But after coverage in the german media, donations poured in, raising funds in the groups account from 1300 to 40,000. The friends founded a registered association. It has since come to support a hundred families. With the cash they bring from germany, the friends provide first aid in greece. They say they help people, unlike the eu, which has spent millions saving banks. Alexandros also helps the old and the sick, who cannot work on the farm. Giorgios kalaizakis, for example, and his mother aphroditi. The two live on her 340 euro pension. With the money from germany, giorgios can at least afford his heart medication. Aphrodite is 86. She lived through the war, but never before were times as hard as now, she says. Dont cry. Im here now. Reporter to make matters worse, aprodites landlord died last year. His family forced mother and son out of their home. In such cases, the association can donate goods, but theyre powerless to give the homeless a roof over their heads. Brussels austerity demands have led to a fourfold increase in unemployment in greece. Large portions of the population have slid into poverty. Before the crisis, maria worked as a nurse. Today, she has no chance of finding employment. She cant pay taxes or utility bills. And she fears she could lose her home under new foreclosure laws. Often i crouch secretly in a corner and cry. But i know im the one who has to be strong, i have to keep both feet on the ground. Reporter what gives her the strength . My child. Reporter alexandros cant solve political problems. But hes become an expert in providing humanitarian aid. His latest coup is a giveaway shop. What started with little money and lots of dedication has become Something Like a social Welfare Office in aigion. The work we do, the help we provide for families, for the poor, it gives me strength. Were moving mountains here its amazing what weve achieved in two and a half years. Reporter the assoication has become an institution in aigion. Even the mayor expresses his gratitude. Alexandros and his friends have shown that it is easy to lend a helping hand you just have to do it. Michelle our next report takes us to switzerland. There we meet alois kohlert, an organic farmer whose commitment to grow his crops in harmony with nature, without the use of pesticides, fertilizers or gmos has made him very creative when dealing with problems. And for a time it worked, until he encountered a very particular pest crows. Feeling desperate after helplessly watching his crops being devoured, he felt that he had no choice but to implement a very unorganic solution. He called in a crow hunter. Reporter its been a desperate struggle. Alois kohlert had nearly lost all hope. For years, dozens of crows have called his organic farm home, leaving him no choice but to sit back and watch as they destroyed his salad crops. Nets, noisemakers, balloons, nothing really helped. Last year alone the loss of revenue amounted to 45,000 euros. Last year, 2015, was really critical. I felt quite helpless. When youve had to write off an entire harvest, you just dont know what do to anymore. Reporter kohlert is fed up. Hes asked local authorities for permission to shoot the crows. After all, his is not the only farm being plagued by the birds. Daniel gerber is known as the best crow hunter in switzerland and has been tasked with the cull. His mobile plastic dummies attract the real birds like magnets at dawn. Its astonishing that this simple method manages to trick notoriously cunning crows. As soon as they approach, theyre fate is sealed. Gerber shows no mercy. And hes satisfied with the result. We got 34 crows this morning, and under the conditions thats a good yield. Reporter Animal Rights activist kathrin hochuli believes the cull is entirely useless. She says it wont control the crow population. Crows belong to the most intelligent bird species. Theyre often portrayed as black, evil birds, but actually they have many abilities and are very intelligent. Possibly too intelligent for the liking of some humans. Reporter but to date crows have been mulitiplying in this region, even if daniel gerbers services are more in demand than ever. Unfortunately, crow meat does not make for a delicious dish. Will he be having crow soup tonight . Definitely not no, no, i eat convetional foods. I certainly wont be serving up crow soup reporter local authorities will take stock at the end of the year. If crop damages have declined, the crows will be spared next year. But at the moment, it doesnt look they will be that lucky. Michelle thats it for today. Thank you for watching. In the meantime, its goodbye from me and whole team. See you next time. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] steves a selection of ferries make the 50mile crossing between helsinki and tallinn nearly hourly. Because of the ease of this delightful twohour cruise and the variety a quick trip over to estonia adds to your nordic travels, pairing helsinki and tallinn is a natural. Stepping off the boat in tallinn, the capital of estonia, you feel youve traveled a long way culturally from finland. Its a mix of east and west. Tallinns nordic lutheran culture and language connect it with stockholm and helsinki, but two centuries of czarist russian rule and nearly 50 years as part of the soviet union have blended in a distinctly russian flavor. Fins and estonians share a similar history. First, swedish domination, then russian. Then independence after world war i. Until 1940, the estonians were about as affluent as the fins, but then estonia was gobbled up by an expanding soviet empire and spent the decades after world war ii under communism. When the ussr fell, estonia regained its freedom, and in 2004, it joined the european union. Tallinn has modernized at an astounding rate since the fall of the soviet union. Its Business District shines with the same glass and steel gleam youll find in any modern city. Yet nearby are the rugged and fully intact medieval walls, and the town within these ramparts has a beautifully preserved oldworld ambiance. Among medieval cities in the north of europe, none are as well preserved as tallinn. The town hall square was a marketplace through the centuries. Its fine Old Buildings are a reminder that tallinn was once an important medieval trading center. Today its a touristy scene, full of people just having fun. Through the season, each midday, cruiseship groups congest the center as they blitz the town in the care of local guides. Like many tourist zones, tallinns is a commercial gauntlet. Here theres a hokey torture museum, strolling russian dolls, medieval theme restaurants complete with touts, and enthusiastic hawkers of ye olde taste treats. Woman [ laughs ] steves but just a couple blocks away is, for me, the real attraction of tallinn workaday locals enjoying real freedom and better economic times. Stillramshackle courtyards host inviting cafes. Bistros serve organic cuisine in a chic patina of oldworldmeets new. And just outside the walls, it seems theres no tourism at all. Under towering ramparts, the former moat is now a park, perfect for a warm afternoon stroll. Newsline. Im Kathryn Kobayashi with the newsline. Published the names of more than 200,000 companies and individuals found in the socalled Panama Papers. The air National Investigative journalist or icij says the database is the largest ever released of its kind. The icij published the database online monday. It contains information on offshore companies that were created in 2 1 locations around the world through a law firm. The documents were
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