Alex Assali came to Germany in October 2014 from Syria, fleeing war, political persecution and IS. He obtained refugee status and wanted to give something back to Germany, so he started a soup kitchen for homeless people in Berlin. His actions went viral and now he has found love and marriage in Germany too.
More than 20 Turkish citizens who say they have been persecuted in their home country have fled to Greece to seek asylum. Greek news reports say they include families with children.
Mahbuba Jebin has been involved in politics since she was a student in Bangladesh. She was a member of the student wing of the current ruling party, the Awami League. For years she lived a life of privilege and power. However, her decision to marry a member of the opposition BNP party put her at odds with many in her own party. A campaign of intimidation started which led her to flee the country she loves and seek asylum in the UK. Despite all the difficulties, she continues to write every day.
Herbert Kickl, Austria's far-right populist interior minister, came out for tough asylum laws. He even questioned the European Convention on Human Rights, infuriating Austria's president and Amnesty International.
Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, has voted in favor of declaring four additional countries "safe countries of origin." However, the Bundesrat, the upper house, still has to ratify the decision. The addition of Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Georgia to list of safe nations is not without controversy.
About 50 percent of all people leaving Turkey because they feel politically persecuted seek shelter in Germany. In 2018, there were more than 10,000 asylum applications from Turks in Germany. About two-fifths of applicants were issued some form of protection.
Prithu Sanyal is a blogger and an atheist – both things are considered unacceptable in his country Bangladesh. He received death threats by Islamic militants and even his family members were against him. In Germany, he is relieved to be able to write about social issues, free speech and religious freedom again.
Five political refugees from Iran and Turkey are trying to bridge the divide between Greeks and refugees with language lessons and literature translations. The collective is currently operating out of a tiny apartment, but hoping to one day open a cultural center.
They learned at school that Greeks were their enemies. Now many exiled Turks have found refuge in Thessaloniki. Florian Schmitz met some of them.
The German government has committed to accepting refugees under a program to resettle people considered particularly vulnerable. Controls of Germany's border to Austria look set to be extended for another six months.
Soumaila was forced to flee Mali due to his work in an opposition party. He first fled to Algeria and then Italy, experiencing the tragic situation of Libya in between. Now he wants to build a future in Italy as a lawyer.
As part of a reception program in Italy, four African refugees are interning as gardeners at one of the largest palaces erected in Europe during the 18th century.