Hungary: Completely overrun by refugees
Serbia has responded angrily to Hungary’s plan to build a 175 kilometre border fence between the countries. Details of the four-metre high barrier were released on Wednesday. Budapest says it can wait no longer for an EU solution to immigration management. ‘I believe the last time a wall like this was built, it was 1961,’ said Serbian prime minister Aleksander Vucic. Speaking directly to his Hungarian counterpart, he added, ‘That was a long time ago, amid problems and for reasons I well understand, but this has nothing to do with us. Building a barrier like this cannot and will not happen.’ There is currently a strong flow of migration towards Western Europe from the east. There has been a sharp rise in the number of migrants and asylum-seekers entering Hungary in 2015. Figures suggest Kosovan nationals are by far the largest group of refugees using Serbia as a staging post on their journey.
Holy See: Ecumenical collaboration
This week is the fiftieth anniversary of the Joint Working Group between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches. It is an occasion of thanksgiving to Almighty God for the meaningful ecumenical relationship which we enjoy today. It is also a moment to thank the Lord for all that the ecumenical movement has achieved since its beginning over one hundred years ago, inspired by a longing for the unity which Christ intended for his body, the Church, and by an emerging sense of sorrow for the scandal of division between Christians. Since its inauguration in 1965, the Joint Working Group has fostered the necessary conditions for a greater common witness of the Catholic Church and the Churches and Ecclesial Communities of the World Council of Churches. Reflecting on these past fifty years, we should be encouraged by the collaboration which the Joint Working Group has promoted and
Greece: Battle over mosques
The Greek constitution says that while Orthodox Christianity is the ‘prevailing’ religion of Greece, the state guarantees freedom of worship for all faiths. But it doesn’t look that way to many who aren’t Orthodox Christians, including Muslims who are forced to worship in an unofficial basement mosque in Athens. A government plan to build an official mosque has been stalled for more than a decade. At a nearby cafe, some local residents say they’re unhappy about their Muslim neighbours . ‘If they build the mosque here in the neighbourhood I would oppose it along with many others,’ a resident said. ‘But if they want to build it on the top of a mountain I would have no problem.’ The battle over the Athens mosque has been complicated by Greece’s problem with illegal immigration. ‘I don’t want to send the message to illegal immigrants that Greece is a friendly place for illegal immigrations.’
Gibraltar: Cross border crackdown on people-traffickers
Cross-border cooperation involving the Royal Gibraltar Police, Borders & Coastguard Agency and the Policía Nacional has led to the arrest of a people-trafficking gang operating in the Costa del Sol. They employed fraudulent methods to mislead immigration officials in Spain, Gibraltar and the United Kingdom. Last month two Albanian men flew from Gibraltar to Luton and attempted to enter Britain using forged Italian ID cards, but Aurelt Kasa and Eltjon Islami - both in their early 20s - were sent back to the Rock after UK Border Force Immigration detected that they were using forged ID cards. They were arrested on arrival and are currently being held on remand at HMP Windmill Hill awaiting deportation. These arrests sparked off an investigation which led to the identification of a third individual suspected to be a facilitator and important member of the criminal group. A process of information exchange, surveillance and close liaison then began with Spain’s national police with responsibility for Immigration – the ‘Cuerpo Nacional de Policia, Seccion de Extrangeria’. Another two Albanian subjects were detected in separate instances by RGP/BCA officers a few days later, carrying similar false identification documents and trying to use Gibraltar as a platform to reach the UK. On Wednesday 17 June , following a lengthy and co-ordinated surveillance operation, a further two Albanian nationals were intercepted and arrested by the Spanish Police, foiling their plans to board a plane in Gibraltar to the UK. The facilitator, a German national of Romanian origin who was identified in the first instance by the Gibraltar authorities, was also arrested. Acting Commissioner of Police Ian McGrail said, ‘What a great example of cross border police co-operation this has been
Germany: Prayer needs
Pray for the networks of relationships developing all over Germany which are leading to many conversations about a personal relationship with God. There is unrest with demonstrations being held by groups in several main cities over the perceived lack of ‘voice’ in political and economic decisions. Pray for godly responses to these activities and that a ‘soft or gentle answer turns away wrath’ as it says in Proverbs 15:1. Pray also for Campus fur Christus as the need is high for additional staff to work in ministry. Every summer individuals, young and old, travel to Germany on short-term mission trips. Pray that God will grant divine appointments and that the spiritual impact will be felt by both the visitors and the locals. Continue to pray for Angela Merkel and other German leaders who are trying to work toward a peaceful resolution to the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
France: Migrant crisis 'at new high’
Aid agencies have warned that the problem of migrants camping out in Calais before trying to reach Britain has risen to a level of crisis not seen before.Their numbers in the French port have swollen from around 1,000 in April to 3,000 this month, and it is predicted that up to 4,000 more will arrive in the coming weeks. Aid workers warn that some of the sprawling makeshift campsites, known locally as the Jungle, have become so large as to be untenable. Dozens of migrants have occupied derelict barns and erected tarpaulin-covered wood structures big enough for families, as many wait to try their luck at hiding on lorries to Dover. Maya Konforti, a volunteer for l’Auberge des Migrants, an aid group based in Calais, said the number of migrants arriving was ‘definitely climbing’. She said, ‘The situation is catastrophic. They don’t have enough tents, blankets or food and with Ramadan it’s more difficult.’ She urged Britain to ease the burden on France.
Finland: Europe’s other sick man
Erkki Liikanen, Finland's central bank governor, says the country will need stamina if it is to dig its way out of its ‘grave’ situation. At 64, the governor of Finland's central bank has faced a few challenges in his lifetime: first as finance minister in the years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, one of Finland's key export markets, and in his current job, where he has seen the economy go from leader to laggard in a decade. Finland is in trouble, and in the words of the central bank this week,(20 June )the situation is grave. While France has often been branded Europe's sick man and Greece's problems are well known, Finland's economy is still 5% smaller than before the financial crisis. The country will barely crawl out of a three-year recession this year, while unemployment is forecast by the OECD to grow in 2015. Faced with a bloated state, below-par growth, and prices and costs that have risen at a much faster pace than the rest of the eurozone, the medicine is a familiar one.
Faroe Islands:
The Faroe Islands were inhabited in the sixth century by Irish monks and religion plays an important role in society with 80% of the population belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The country is self-governing under the Danish crown and the Constitution provides for complete freedom of religion. The fishing industry is the main sector contributing to the Faroese economy. Due to price swings in this branch, the Faroese economy is vulnerable. The Faroese practice of whaling has drawn international criticism. (See previous Faroe Islands article) Denmark contributes about 15% of the Faroese GDP, allowing the Faroese population to have a standard of living almost equal to that of the Danes and other Scandinavians. The Islands have a firm fisheries and free trade agreement with the European Union. At present the Faroese government is assessing the possibility of widening the scope of co-operation to the so-called four freedoms – the free movement of goods, services, capital and persons. They are also participating in EU's research cooperation programme (FP7). See also: www.framtak.com/eysturoy/places/churches.html
Estonia: The least religious country in the world?
Not so long ago Estonians were asked whether religion played an important part in their life - only 20% said yes. It suggests that the Baltic country is, statistically, the least religious country in the world. At Tallinn’s large Lutheran Dome Church one Sunday 70 congregants were tourists and 15 were regular Estonian church-goers. Although the Lutheran Church is the largest in Estonia, it accounts for only 13% of the population. Fewer than one in five Estonians say any religion plays any part in their lives. In schools religion is not on the curriculum. This does not mean Estonians do not believe in anything at all. Many are nature worshippers, pagans, who define their religion as Maausk - a form of Estonian nature spirituality - in which the trees and earth are cherished objects that possess power. There are eight unreached people groups in Estonia and three of the main religions are Islam, Ethnic and Hinduism.
See also : www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14635021
Denmark: Terrible Inuit experiment
In the 1950s Inuit children in Greenland were taken from their families to be re-educated as model Danish citizens. More than 60 years later, they want the Danish government to apologise for an experiment that did enormous damage. ‘It was a summery day, when two grand Danish gentlemen came to our house in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. They had an interpreter with them. Me and my older sister were told to go outside while mum spoke to them. They asked my mum to send me to Denmark to learn Danish and get a good education. They said it was a great chance for me. My mum said, 'No,' to them twice. But they kept pushing her and it was in the days when Greenland was a Danish colony and the colonial masters - 'masters' in the worst sense of the word - controlled everything. You didn't contradict a Dane. My mother sent me.’ The experience had long-term negative consequences for many. To read the whole story click the ‘more’ link below.