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

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.

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.

The incoming centre-right government ran into controversy over its plans to cut tax rates for high earners after it emerged that the issue had caused the failure of coalition talks. So now Denmark has a one-party government. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the leader of the Venstre party, said his party would govern alone after coalition talks with the anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DF) broke down. On Sunday the 28 June Lars Løkke Rasmussen officially assumed the role of prime minister following a meeting with Queen Margrethe II.He  also released the names of his cabinet team, made up solely of members of his own Venstre party. Rasmussen was selected to become prime minister following the 18 June election despite Venstre finishing in third place with 19.5% of the vote. The Venstre government will be extremely weak, with only 34 lawmakers in the 179-seat parliament.