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.

The Albanian opposition condemned voting ‘irregularities’ in Sunday’s local elections, which were a test of the Balkan country's fragile democracy. The first official results to elect mayors and councillors in 61 municipalities were not expected until Monday, but the opposition Democratic Party quickly cried foul after polling stations closed. ‘There have been irregularities and manipulations, as well as pressure and threats against voters from the right,’ senior PD lawmaker Edi Paloka said in a statement, while also claiming a clear win for his party. Since the fall of communism Albanian elections have been marred by violence and accusations of fraud from all sides. ‘More than the results, the real importance of these elections are the values of democracy which must triumph,’ said parliamentary speaker Ilir Meta. Albania is extremely poor and only obtained EU candidate status last year in a move to fight against corruption and organised crime.

In a somewhat geographically and culturally challenging development, the first-ever European Games began on 13 June in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is usually identified as a Central Asian country, but the European Union considers it to be in what it calls its ‘European Neighbourhood’ – what others in the world would call ‘our backyard’. This might be shorthand for ‘an area close enough to us that what happens there affects our peace and stability’ - Ukraine is another country in the ‘Neighbourhood’. Just days ahead of the Games, on Tuesday, Amnesty International was ordered to leave Azerbaijan after it launched a report, ‘Azerbaijan - the Repression Games’ in which it highlighted human rights abuses in the country. But what about rights to freedom of religion or belief in Azerbaijan, and, more generally, across Central Asia? The Games and the surrounding publicity offer a reason to take a closer look at the region.

Christianity is increasingly marginalised by a hostile media and public mood. Christian morality and belief in the uniqueness of Jesus are labelled ‘intolerant’. Government regulations make it increasingly difficult to minister in the public arena. Many believe serious persecution is not far off. Pray that believers may recognise and address the decline of Christianity in the public sphere. Pray that they may recover confidence in the gospel and boldness and passion to share it - lovingly and unapologetically - with the majority who have little concept of its content. See also THE MILL STATEMENT at www.wpc.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/The-Mill-Statement-Apr-2015.pdf