Greece has long served as a gateway to the European Union for asylum-seekers from all over the world. They come fleeing war and persecution. But Greece's debt crisis has left its asylum processing system in shambles.
They came by the hundred thousands in hopes of a better life in Europe. Now they are beginning to return to their home countries -- with no money and little hope.
Many refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Morocco, and Nigeria risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean or the precarious Evros River to enter Greece. But the government there arrested thousands of them on charges of illegal immigration. Greece is one of the most important transit countries for refugees heading for other European Union countries.
British trawlers fish for scallops in international waters off the coast of France. French fishermen don't like it one bit.
Portugal's economic crisis is affecting its health care system. More and more of its citizens are heading for Spain to go to the doctor or to the hospital.
Historically, relations between the Czechs and Russia have usually been troubled. But a young Russian wants to help his countrymen put down roots in Prague.
Igor Rubinovich belongs to a new generation of Russians who are turning their backs on the oligarch-dominated economy and lack of political transparency back home. They want to build their future elsewhere, and thousands of them now live in Prague. Igor has developed a kind of expat Facebook for them; "Klub Pragmatiki" is now helping Russians in Prague to network offline as well.
