There are sixteen language groups in Bulgaria - the three main ones are Romani, Turkish, and Bulgarian. Gypsies are one of the major ethnic groups who, under the communist regime, were sent to ghettos to live without electricity or running water. Today, because of their isolation and poor living conditions many Gypsies are not educated and unable to find jobs. Islam in Bulgaria dates to the Ottoman era and is practiced today with folk magic.  Muslims are largely unaware of Islamic teachings and Muslim missionaries (who outnumber Christian missionaries) are funded to teach Bulgarian Muslims a ‘’purer Islam’ and to push for greater Islamic influence. 24% of Bulgarians have never heard of Jesus. Meanwhile the English Government’s foreign travel advice warns, ‘There is an underlying threat from terrorism in Bulgaria’. See: Tourist

Recently Bosnia donated more than 550 tons of surplus arms and ammunition to Iraq as part of its involvement in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State militants. The donation was made on request from the United States and comprises arms and ammunition produced decades ago, when Bosnia was part of the now-defunct Yugoslav federation. Bosnia is not in the NATO alliance but hopes to join. On Monday and Tuesday of this week (8 & 9 June) the special Envoy of President Obama for the Global Coalition against the Islamic State, General John Allen, held meetings with the members of the Presidency of Bosnia.  Allen also attended a separate Forum on security in Bosnia before going on to Zagreb, where he met with Croatian political and security officials.

Brussels is the capital of Europe. But some are now calling it the Muslim capital of Europe. The graffiti on a building in Belgium say, ‘Welcome to ‘Belgistan.’ Muslims are the largest religious group in Brussels, comprising one-quarter of the city’s population; in less than 20 years they’re expected to be the majority. Earlier this year Belgians had to reflect on difficult questions about freedom of speech and religion after an alleged plot by Muslim terrorists to kill police officers was foiled. Operation World says that spiritually, Belgium is one of the neediest countries in Europe, with faith largely banished from the public sphere. Muslim peoples (North Africans, Turks, Kurds) have increased through legal and illegal immigration – the majority living in poorer urban areas. Muslims are the second-largest religious population, and there are now 380 mosques in Belgium. There is some outreach, with a handful of Arabic-speaking congregations. Many more workers are needed. See also

Belarus: Weak points of Christian media not reaching the lost
According to the editor-in-chief of krynica.info, the decay of morality in Belarus is happening because people live without God in their hearts, and this is the fault of Christian media that does not carry the Word of God to their audiences. He also stated that there is lack of professionalism in the work of Christian journalists. Also the head of k.mihck.info said, ‘Church media should unite, have an interreligious dialogue and choose a common position. Problems in the work of Christian media include unnecessary official information, and Christian media should become more flexible – making texts more understandable for all (without special Christian vocabulary). 70,000 Jews live in Belarus. Small groups of Muslims are emigrating from the former USSR, adding to the Tatar population. Very few of these people groups have had a chance to encounter Christianity. See also

Almost 12 months ago it was reported that Muslim students outnumber Roman Catholic students at middle and secondary schools in Vienna, the capital and largest city of Austria. Muslim students are also on the verge of overtaking Catholics in Viennese elementary schools. This suggests that a massive religious and demographic shift is under way in Austria, traditionally a Roman Catholic country. Austria’s longstanding Catholic culture is in serious decline. Record numbers leave the Church each year. Annual church tax (1% taxable income) and prominent sex scandals among the clergy have contributed to breaks from the church. Seeking God outside the confines of Catholicism is little understood at present. Church growth occurs within evangelical/charismatic churches. There needs to be multiplication of congregations where the Lord Jesus Christ is proclaimed and honoured. See also

The tiny principality of Andorra nestling in the foothills of the Pyrenees between France and Spain has been rocked by allegations of money laundering in its oversized banking sector. Andorra conjures up images of medieval churches and duty-free shopping. However, in the last three weeks the state has been gripped by a banking crisis that threatens to take it to the brink. Bankers have been thrown in jail, savers’ deposits have been restricted, and the country’s government is scrambling to convince powerful regulators thousands of miles away that the country is not a haven for tax evasion. In March the US Treasury Department’s financial crime body, FinCEN, accused the country’s fourth-largest bank of money-laundering. The authority said ‘corrupt high-level managers and weak anti-money-laundering controls have made BPA an easy vehicle for third-party money-launderers’. The bank accepted bribes from criminals in Russia, Venezuela and China to funnel money through the Andorran system. Banking is Andorra's second biggest industry after tourism

Evangelicals are in a transition phase in Albania. The frenetic activity of the 1990s has been replaced with more strategic ministry and consolidation. There are fewer long-term missionaries now than in the initial rush after the country opened up; more committed workers are needed. National leadership is developing and growing, but had to start from a baseline of almost zero. Scattergun evangelism is being replaced by a more focused and strategic approach. More than 160 evangelical congregations are connected and represented by the Albanian Evangelical Alliance (VUSH). Leadership training is the most vital need for prayer due to the Church’s rapid growth in the last two decades. At least six groups run training institutes: Albanian Bible Institute, The Centre for Christian Leadership, Evangelical Theological College (AoG), YWAM, Christ for the Nations (Nehemiah) and Southeastern Europe Theological Seminary. Other training and mentoring of promising Albanian leaders in less-academic settings is by TEE, with BILD International.

A man attacked a church in the Kadıköy district of İstanbul with a Molotov cocktail on Tuesday, setting the building's door on fire. In a video purporting to show the attack, the man is seen shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is great) and ‘Revenge will be taken for Al-Aqsa Mosque’ as he throws a bomb at the Aya Triada Orthodox Church in the Bahariye area of Kadıköy. The door of the church caught fire, but the blaze was extinguished shortly after the attack. The man was detained by police. A recent report by the Gatestone institute stated, ‘Churches in Turkey on the Verge of Extinction’ as cathedrals are having Qu'ran recitations and being turned into museums. See also

Romania's parliament has refused to lift prime minister Victor Ponta's immunity from prosecution after he was questioned by Romania's powerful DNA anti-corruption agency last Friday on suspicion of forgery, tax evasion and money laundering. Mr Ponta, who has come under pressure to resign, said he would stay on to prevent a protracted political crisis. Anti-corruption officials are looking at his work between 2007 and 2011. Parliament is dominated by Mr Ponta's centre-left coalition so Tuesday's vote to block prosecution was unsurprising. It is alleged that Mr Ponta used forged invoices from a law firm, Sova and Associates, to buy two luxury apartments and a Mitsubishi Lancer car. The Social Democrat prime minister, in office since 2012, has denied any wrongdoing and says his government will survive a no-confidence vote in parliament due on Friday 19 June. President Klaus Iohannis said he regretted that parliament was obstructing justice and acting as a shield for the prime minister ‘in contempt’ of the Romanian population.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that time is running out for a deal to keep Greece in the Eurozone. Speaking after the G7 summit in Germany, she said Europe would show solidarity but only if Greece ‘makes proposals and implements reforms’. Also on the agenda was climate change, with the G7 calling for a transformation of electricity generation towards renewables and nuclear power by 2050; they also said that fossil fuel should not be burned in any sector of the economy by the end of the century. This is a seismic shift, but huge questions remain. On the Ukraine the G7 hoped Russia would comply with a ceasefire agreement signed in February by pro-Moscow rebels and the Kiev government. But sanctions could be strengthened if necessary. Barack Obama echoed Mrs Merkel’s comments, saying, ‘The G7 is making it clear that if necessary we stand ready to impose additional significant sanctions against Russia.'