In making his calculations, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras should be under no illusions that many in the rest of the Eurozone want him out. When he unexpectedly sprung a referendum on his European partners, they were outraged and quickly ended negotiations. Now, in places such as Berlin, Madrid and Helsinki, they see an opportunity to rid themselves of a troublesome leader. European leaders are lining up to define next Sunday's referendum. ‘The Greeks don't have to say whether they love the PM more than European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’ said the German Vice-Chancellor, ‘but whether they want to stay in the single currency or not, it's 'Yes' or 'No' to staying in the euro.’
The French Prime Minister said, ‘If Greece votes 'No', there is a risk of sliding towards a Greek exit from the euro.’ The Italian Prime Minister said the referendum was ‘about the drachma versus the euro’.
Mrs Merkel said, ‘Before a referendum is carried out we won't negotiate on anything new at all.’
It almost seemed that the German chancellor now wanted the referendum.
The European issues at stake are far wider than this rather narrow perspective; a strong domino effect could ensue from the referendum outcome.
Gibraltar: Mediterranean Mission to Seafarers
03 Jul 2015
The Mediterranean Mission to Seafarers Gibraltar is a kindred society of Mission to Seafarers of which Her Majesty The Queen is Patron. In the early days the Mission operated from a Nissan hut in the port area and even had its own launch ‘The Flying Angel’ which was used to visit ships anchored in the bay.
The Dean of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity currently acts as the Mission to Seafarers Port Chaplain. Along with other appointed ships’ visitors from the Cathedral he works in partnership with clergy and lay colleagues from the Roman Catholic Apostleship of the Sea, the Sailors Society and other faith groups to meet the spiritual needs of seafarers visiting Gibraltar. The Dean and his colleagues are available to offer Christian services, spiritual support and opportunities for prayer and quiet reflection. There is also a Flying Angel and Port Authority Club that is managed on behalf of Mission to Seafarers.
Germany: Longs for hope
03 Jul 2015
Operation World reports, ‘The decline of Christianity has drawn believers together. Prayer movements are forming and spreading as are city- and region-wide unity initiatives among churches, a revitalized spirituality and an openness to a new way of doing faith’; and Missionary ECM works with several teams, particularly in the eastern German province of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and in the southwest of the country. In eastern Germany, communism and after that economic difficulties left deep marks in the spiritual lives of the people. The Christian faith is reduced to the margins of society. Many people don't know what the Gospel is all about. ECM desires to bring the Gospel to their attention again by active, living Christian communities, as a new message that gives hope for the future. A large number of refugees from several religious backgrounds live in southwest Germany and are trying to build a new life. ECM helps to support them with that and wants them to get to know the Gospel.
France: Least evangelised country in Europe
03 Jul 2015
France is one of the countries where the Reformation started. The Roman Catholic Church has played a predominant role in French society and mentalities in the past. Anti-religious sentiments have developed in France since the 1970s and in 1999 those who identified themselves as French Evangelicals were labelled a ‘sect’ by a government commission. There are 36,550 cities, towns and villages in France and 35,000 of them do not have an Evangelical church. Meanwhile, Islam has seen strong growth. For each Evangelical Christian in France, there are ten practicing Muslims. France has developed a reputation as a ‘missionary graveyard.’ It is one of the least evangelised countries in the world - only 0.4% of the population are Evangelical Christian. It is both essential and urgent that everything be put into place so that the Gospel is preached with strength and vigour.
Faroe Islands
03 Jul 2015
The Faroe Islands consists of 18 rugged islands between Iceland and Scotland, 16 of which are inhabited. The official language: Faroese, which is of the Scandinavian family; (Danish). Christian resources are plentiful for this small population with two Bible translations (and one modern paraphrased NT being prepared). There is a Christian radio station (Radio Lindin). They have a Christian TV station (Iktus Christian TV) and online Bible in Faroese. They have their own Christian magazine and two bookstores.
Over 300,000 homes are without a permanent resident in Finland. Many empty properties are located in boroughs with negative net migration. For example 28,000+ homes were empty in Helsinki at the end of 2014. (8.2% of the housing stock of the city). That’s equivalent to the population of the town of Imatra. Some are second homes of the wealthy. However the number of vacant properties is projected to rise as the elderly move to nursing homes, leaving their relatives in possession. As the elderly pass away many beneficiaries are reluctant to rent out the property. Meanwhile homelessness is a problem with people staying in outdoors staircases, night shelters, hostels or boarding houses for homeless people, social welfare authorities, rehabilitation homes or hospitals. Lack of organisation has led to ex-convicts being released with no housing arranged. See also: http://www.housingfirst.fi/en/housing_first/homelessness_in_finland/finnish_homelessness_and_its_characteristics
Faroe Islands
03 Jul 2015
The Faroe Islands consists of 18 rugged islands between Iceland and Scotland, 16 of which are inhabited. The official language: Faroese, which is of the Scandinavian family; (Danish). Christian resources are plentiful for this small population with two Bible translations (and one modern paraphrased NT being prepared). There is a Christian radio station (Radio Lindin). They have a Christian TV station (Iktus Christian TV) and online Bible in Faroese. They have their own Christian magazine and two bookstores.
Estonia: Could a crisis lead to war?
03 Jul 2015
When you talk to the analysts and policymakers who worry about the possibility of war between the US and Russia, the scenario you often hear begins in the tiny Baltic nation of Estonia, along Russia's border. Estonia is today part of NATO, which obligates the US and most of Europe to defend it from attack and the US is deploying heavy military equipment there to deter possible Russian aggression. Estonia, formerly part of the Soviet Union, still has a large Russian minority that is served by Russian state media and has participated in incidents of unrest in the past. The fear is that Russia could attempt to exploit or stir up unrest among Estonia's Russian minority, as it did in 2014 in eastern Ukraine. If such a crisis escalated, NATO's member-states could split over whether to respond - effectively dissolving NATO, as may be Vladimir Putin's hope - or, all too easily, the violence could escalate out of control into war.