October a fire broke out, turning the club into a blazing death trap. Dozens were killd. And the tragedy has now sparked street protests, brought down the government and even forced the Prime Minister to step down. Now, thats because government corruption is being blamed for the accident but one survivor , has decided not to let corrupt politicians get away with it, and he is not the only one. Remus achim narrowly escaped the inferno in Bucharests Colectiv nightclub with his life, but a number of his friends did not. Now, hes joined thousands of others, protesting in the streets in front of parliament. They blame the Romanian Government for the tragedy. Remus achim the whole system has to go. Everybody wants nothing more than the politicians to be replaced. The system is rotten. The system is corrupt. Loredana alex its very sad that such a terrible accident had to happen before the people understood just how bad what is happening in our country is. Maybe such an extreme signal was necessary so people would finally wake up and do something about the corruption. The protesters eventually pressured victor ponta and his government into resigning. But they still arent satisfied. They say the politcal establishment has lost touch with the people. Youth unemployment is still high, many young people seek their fortunes abroad even if , theyd prefer to stay in romania. Now, the cectiv tragedy has unleashed their longpentup rage. It happened just before 11 00 p. M. , the night of october 30. At least 300 people were crowded into a space approved for a maximum of 80, as an amateur video proves that remus achim shows us. A band called goodbye to gravity was just presenting their new album. Remus some of the musicians were friends of mine. This one here was my friend. And this one, and this one here, on the guitar. The last song the band played acquired a bitter irony the day when we die. The sparks from the pyrotechnics display spread to the ceiling, which was not fireproof as required by law. There was only one exit and no sprinklers. Dozens died and many were critically injured. Remus i live with these images every day the burned people, my dead friends. These memories are very present. Ill carry them with me for the rest of my life. Im still here, but they are no longer here. It was one of the worst fire disasters in bucharests history and it couldve been avoided. The authorities were aware of the nightclubs code violations, in the club, but they did not close it down not even after , several inspections. Anticorruption expert sorin ionita describes it as a typical case of the criminal alliance between romanian politicians and shady racketeers. Sorin ionita this isnt about petty officials who took payoffs to turn a blind eye. This is obviously a whole network that even the son of the mayor was mixed up with. This is not smallscale corruption. This is about kickback deals on a truly massive scale. At least 45 young romanians paid for those kickbacks with their lives. The pavement in front of the burnedout nightclub a sea of , candles. Remus achim, too, is here to pay tribute to his friends before heading off to the next demonstration. Remus the politicians think theyre different from us ordinary people. Theyre think theyre superhuman. Now all i want is for them to stay in their offices and leave us alone. Thats all. Again, thousands of protesters gather in front of parliament. Achim says hell keecoming until he sees a future for his country. Damien it shows just how dangerous corruption can be. I can remember when i lived in the former soviet state of georgia being quite shocked meeting people who revered joseph stalin. And that is because he was born in georgia. I even once met a man who had collected hundreds of stalin statues and built a rather bizarre private museum in honour of the exsoviet leader in his garden. In fact throughout the former soviet union you can still meet people who regard stalin as a hero who defeated hitler and built up the soviet state but , for many others he was a murderous dictator responsible , for the deaths of millions of people. Sergey parkhomenko a spectre is haunting the streets of moscow. Actors dressed as former communist leaders lenin and stalin, earning money by entertaining tourists. But for some people, stalin is no laughing matter. I am commander in chief josif stalin sergey saint petersburg, russias second city. And home to a woman who is certainly opposed to any revival of nostalgia for stalin. Olga miller shows us the few photos she still has of her father valentin who stalin had murdered. He was arrested in 1937 and shot a year later. The authorities alleged he was a spy a charge that was never , proven. Olga miller either they faked his signature, or they tortured him into signing the confession. The signature looks different to the one i knew from his hand. He was then sentenced to death, and shot dead on january 18th. Sergey olga millers niec mascha never met her grandfather. But shes followed in his footsteps, and works in a museum. Valentin miller was an art historian so the connection is both professional and personal. Although his fe was rarely discussed in the family. Masha miller all i knew about grandad was that he was arrested and never released. And i knew i wasnt to ask my father about him. The only person i could talk to was my mother. It was an unspoken family rule. Sergey khoroshevo is a village located between st. Petersburg and moscow. A few months ago it hit the headlines nationwide and beyond when it opened a museum about stalin. The soviet leader was also head of the red army, and during the Second World War he briefly resided in this building to review developments on the front line with his generals. The room where the meeting took place resembles something of a shrine now and one that has , recently seen a growing number of younger visitors too, says the museum director. Lidia kozlova stalin achieved more than anyone else. In 30 years he transformed our state from the ploughshare to the nuclear bomb. And today we benefit from a lot of accomplishments that were made under his leadership. Sergey a view that some in russia find appalling. The Human Rights Group memorial complains that the atrocities committed by stalin are now being belittled. Journalist and activist Sergey Parkhomenko is determined to keep the memory of the dictators victims alive. As for current developments, he draws similarities between the stalin regime and the current russian government. Sergey parkhomenko government leaders will say one thing, but what they do in practice is different. Officially they condemn the crimes of stalin. But if you look at how minorities are treated in russia today, and the polticial opposition, id call that stalinism. Sergey in st. Petersburg, olga miller is taking part in a project initiated by the journalist. It is called last address, and involves plaques placed in memory of citizens murdered by stalin. The minimemorials mark the buildings they last lived in before being taken to their deaths. This plaque is dedicated to her father valentin miller. Olga its just how i imagined it would look. Ive been dreaming for so long of this plaque being made. Sergey a dream now becoming a part of the fabric of st. Petersburg. The name of a man whose last resting place will never be known now adorns the street he called home. Olga today, we are fulfilling a hope held by our family. A hope that valentin friedrichovich mler will ner be forgotten. Sergey almost a hundred such plaques have been mounted on facades in russia since the first went up last december. Damien one of the things ive always noticed living in Different Countries throughout Central Europe is that people often look down on their neighbours to the east. Here in germany for example, you sometimes hear negative stereotypes about polish people. While in poland, it is ukrainians that sometimes get treated badly. And of course the conflict in ukraine has meant that more ukrainians than ever are heading to poland to find safety or simply a better life. But now a popular tv show might just be changing attitudes for the better. Im leaving lviv cause i lost my job at the philharmonic. Im fleeing ukraine cause my firm went bankrupt. Im going away to earn money for my family. Swetlana, uljana, polina and olyia are the girls from lviv. They have millions of polish tv viewers glued to their sets every sunday night. The koleckis have followed the ukrainians exploits as cleaning ladies in poland from the start. Ala kolecka its really exciting, so you just have to keep watching. Theres always something happening. Agnieszka kolecka weve had ukrainian cleaning ladies ourselves, but i never considered what their stories were. Thats precisely why girls from lviv has proven so popular. Most poles have employed a ukrainian cleaning lady. The series shows how times have changed. Not long ago many poles headed west to germany or the uk to clean other peoples homes. Now the poles have become wealthy and, for ukraine, exemplify westernstyle capitalism. Maciej strzembosz now were on the opposite side of the fence were the employers. Were rich enough to hire people from poorer countries. But really this is a comedy about the poles and how they react to foreigners. The series uses many stereotypes. The ukrainians are young, pretty and dependent on their polish employers. Swetlana cleans for a wealthy lawyer. For her shes a good catch, but all he does is ogle her. Then theres oliya, whos constantly tyrannized by her employer. Poles like to watch the show because it lets them feel superior, this sociologist says. Sylwia urbanska many studies show that polish women, in particular, take advantage of the ukrainians weakness and dependency to boost their own selfesteem. Theyre always finding fault with them and want to discipline them. Many ukrainian women find themselves in this position because theyre working in poland illegally, and the series shows this. Some have to take what comes for instance a job cleaning house in the nude. In the series polina can defend herself, but in reality thats not always possible. Tatjana has lived in poland for five years. Shes cleaned and babysat for folks who didnt always treat her well. Tatjana it varies. Most of my experiences have been positive, but ive had a couple of really bad ones, too. They were really awful. And once i was attacked on the streets by nationalists. Maybe girls from lviv will change that. If poles are sympathetic to the ukrainian tv characters they might become more accepting of their reallife counterparts. The ukrainian cleaning ladies hold up a mirror to polish society at least, thats the intention of the shows director. Wojciech we need to be aware that the cleaner whos sweeping or mopping up is a human being problems of their own. Girls from lviv is Group Therapy disguised as a tv show. Its packaged well enough that it might just work. Damien looks like a good show, though. The biggest crisis facing europe today is of course the huge flow of refugees. Now most people arrive in poorer Southern Europe which ironically , is the region least able to help. And this is a real problem because according to eu rules, people are supposed to apply for asylum in the first european country they get to. So to get round this, some richer Northern European countries, such as germany and sweden, have been trying to help, by often scrapping that rule but not switzerland, as , refugees themselves have been telling us. A small gathering of refugees from eritrea, protesting against being housed in an underground bunker and against switzerland , wanting to deport them to italy under the rules of the dublin regulation. Its there where they were first registered in the eu after making the perilous journey from eastern africa. Germam magos one of our friends was told he was being sent back to italy. He tried to hang himself, but luckily someone found him in time. Hes in a clinic. Abraham ksawet refugees in italy live on the streets. They have no accommodation, and nobody taking care of them. People risking their lives, crossing the mediterranean to reach the safe haven of europe. Officially, refugees are registered at their point of arrival in the eu, such as here in italy, before having their applications for asylum processed. In practice, however, those countries on the eus exterior border have found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of people, who then often face squalid conditions. Most immediately head north, primarily to germany. But some travel to switzerland, like these four young afghans, aged 17 to 19. They fled the terror of the taliban, and have already lost friends and family. After enduring an odyssey half way across the world, they are now stranded in lausanne. Mohsen khoshi weve seen so many wars in afghanistan, and id had enough. I wanted to go to a country without war, and i read that switzerland is neutral, and has a humanitarian policy. Bassir moradi if im granted asylum i want to go to school here, and get some technical training. That was not possible in afghanistan. Nijat nour id like to go to school here and then be able to do something for my country. I want to go back some day and help to build a new future for afghanistan. A distant dream for the time being. The youngsters were registered in hungary on their way here, which is why they are now to be sent back there. Theyve already received their notification. Nijat in hungary they held us in a shipping container for two days with nothing to eat or drink. We couldnt move or go to the toilet. And i saw many violent incidents. It was horrible. Mohsen i never imagined they would toss food to us as if we were animals in cages. Maybe its like that in prison, but i didnt expect that in europe. I was shocked. But their complaints fall on deaf ears here. Switzerland has largely been spared any major influx of refugees since the summer. Unlike in germany, asylumseekers tend to be sent back immediately to the place where they were first registered in europe. So far this year the swiss authorities have returned 3,500 people to italy, 580 to germany , and to hungary. 1000 Martin Reichlin we expect signatory states to keep their commitments to the Refugees Convention and european treaties. Were observing the situation on the ground, but believe that transfers to hungary are in principle possible. A practice condemned by swiss refugee support groups. They say that in hungary, in particular, refugeess rights are not respected. Since september, however, the swiss government has been speeding up deportations. A number of refugees, the group tells us, have attempted suicide. Michael rodriguez you just cant send back all these people. Switzerland wants to tell the world, and especially the refugees, that theyre not welcome here. Theyre told to go to other countries like italy, germany or hungary anywhere as long as , its not switzerland. First they fled war. Now the four young afghans are afraid of facing violence in hungary, and being treated like animals in the camps there. Nijat im really upset. Im feeling ill. I cant focus my mind anymore. I have no idea what to do. Street protests like here in geneva are unlikely to make any difference. In octobers general election the rightwing Swiss Peoples Party got the most votes, with its antiimmigrant stance considered a major factor in its success. Damien the tiny british territory of gibraltar, at the southern tip of spain, is home to europes only wild population of monkeys. Traditionally local people have been rather proud of them. But it seems theres now just too much Monkey Business going going on. They are stealing food, attacking tourists and even biting people who come too close. So there are now even suggestions that a cull might be necessary. But gibraltars local authorities have a better idea. Rather than fight the monkeys, theyve decided to teach some manners. Gibraltar the famous rock stands at the gateway to the atlantic a tiny piece of the uk on the southern tip of in stark contrast to its crisiswracked neighbor, the sevensquarekilometer port town has a booming economy. The british overseas territory of gibraltar has belonged to the u. K. For over 300 years. An old legend connects british rule with some of its residents. They are the barbary macaques, the only primates living in the wild anywhere in europe. The legend says, as long as they roam gibraltar, the british will rule here. Brian gomila spends his leisure time off the beaten tourist paths near the apes. He knows them very well he well. He even studied primatology in england. Brian gomila the monkeys to me personally mean a lot. I try not to connect too much. Obviously they are wild animals in the end of the day. They are used to people in general, but certainly they are not tame. So one has to understand that there are physical boundaries. Many tourists neither understand nor respect those physical boundaries. They dont realize that the macaques can and will bite. Sometimes, the injuries are serious. In 2012, the hospital treated 59 cases of monkey bites, many of them with stitches. The bites also carry the risk of dangerous infections. The apes have lost all fear of people. Nothing is safe from them. They come all the way into the town, plunder shops, and break into apartments. Ohne bauchbinde my neigbour on the top was telling me oh you have monkeys on the top. And she saw them eating my bread. Because i left my door, my window open. They come in, see the bread and help themselves eating it. The streets are no longer safe, either. The macaques can snatch handbags, wallets and cameras. Anyone who tries to fight back risks getting bitten. I was walking down main street and i had my handbag. And there was two monkeys behind me and one went to grab the bag. Now the governments created a special monkey police. When a troop of macaques in town get unruly, the cops drive them off with clay pellets shot from blow guns. Peace is restored, and the monkeys go back to the nature reserve in the upper rock area. Nearly every resident has either suffered a bite themselves or knows someone whos been bitten. Brian offers tours especially for people whove been bitten and are now twice shy. He explains the macaques nature and language. Brian when i eat, i dont look at them. If i look at them, i am afraid of them. I eat, this is mine. If that wont do it, rounding the mouth says to the macaques, beat it, or i will bite you, and lunch is saved. As long as the barbary apes have their friends in high places, like the upper rock they have no , reason to leave. And britannia will continue to rule. Damien the cheeky monkeys of gibraltar. Let me know what you think about that or any of the stories on todays show. Always great to hear from you. I can be reached on twitter, email via the programmes website or on focus on europes facebook page. But in the meantime, its goodbye from me. Thanks very much for watching. And look forward to seeing you nex