Tens of thousands of people have gathered in towns and cities across Denmark to commemorate the victims of weekend gun attacks in the capital. People holding candles and torches observed a minute's silence at the start of the main event in Copenhagen. Two people were killed and five police were injured in attacks on a free speech debate and a synagogue. The gunman was later shot dead by police. He did not appear to be part of a wider terror cell, Denmark's PM said. Earlier on Monday, two men were charged with providing and disposing of the weapon used in the attacks and helping the gunman to hide. The gunman was named by local media as Omar El-Hussein. Mourners left floral tributes outside the cultural centre that was targeted. The national flag flew at half-mast on official buildings across the capital on Monday.

An estimated 300 people are feared dead after attempting to reach Italy from Libya in three inflatable rafts, the UN refugee agency said after speaking to survivors rescued by Italy's coastguard in the past few days. An Italian tug boat rescued nine people who had been on two different boats on Monday and brought them to the Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday morning. They are the only known survivors from their two boats, leaving more than 200 unaccounted for, according to a tweet by Carlotta Sami, the UNHCR spokesperson for Southern Europe. Three boats, each carrying about 100 people, are missing, according to interviews with survivors from two of the boats, Barbara Molinario, another UNCHR official, told the Reuters news agency

At the time of this week’s Prayer Alert publication Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will be discussing the war in his country at an EU summit. Lithuania believes they should supply weapons to Ukraine during the civil war. Many are undecided.  A ‘worst-case scenario’ facing Europe was outlined by a former US ambassador to Ukraine. He said, ‘I think that those who argue against helping Ukraine defend itself against a much bigger and stronger aggressor do not understand the strategic stakes.’ Lord Ashdown is urging the West to use ‘military diplomacy’ while avoiding direct conflict. Many are saying that countries must stand up to Russia over Ukraine, or Europe could descend into a major war for the first time since 1945. The Estonian President compared Western inaction against Russia with the appeasement of Adolf Hilter in 1938. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond accused Mr Putin of ‘acting like some mid-20th century tyrant.’ See also: 

Following multiple stories of religious discrimination, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a report into injustice against Christians. Moldovan Christian MP Valeriu Ghiletchi, of  the Equality and Non-Discrimination Committee, submitted the report, entitled 'Tackling intolerance and discrimination in Europe with a special focus on Christianity'. The report uses case studies from across Europe, including the UK, to highlight the need to improve ‘the principle of reasonable accommodation’ and ensure that Christians in particular are not penalised for their beliefs. ‘Freedom of religion is a fundamental right and one of the foundations of a democratic and pluralist society,’ the report states. ‘Intolerance and discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief affect minority religious groups in Europe as well as people belonging to majority religious groups. However, acts of hostility, violence and vandalism targeting Christians and their places of worship are insufficiently taken into consideration and condemned.

There were smiles all round in Paris, France on Sunday (1 February) as Greece’s new Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis discussed a fresh debt deal with his French counterpart. Varoufakis is on a diplomatic offensive to persuade sceptical eurozone members to agree - by the end of May - on a plan that does not include Greece accepting further bailout money. Hosting the meeting, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin, said France was prepared to help Greece straighten out its finances and added: ‘We cannot rebuild a country without a fair tax system. We must fight against tax fraud and tax optimisation. We are waging a battle both in Europe and at an international level within the G20. But it is obviously something absolutely necessary for Greece, as well.’

Russia's end goal remains the same: to seize more territory and move the line of Russian-controlled territory deeper and deeper into Ukraine. The US and Russia remain as far apart as ever over who is to blame for the current escalation in fighting in eastern Ukraine. The weekend’s deadly rocket attacks on the government-held port city of Mariupol on Saturday have been described by the UN at an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council as a ceasefire violation and a war crime. US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, didn’t mince her words when she described the restarting of the rebel offensive in eastern Ukraine as being ‘Moscow-made’: She said: unfortunately we are back here today because Russia and the separatists have once again flouted these commitments. The targets are fresh ones, but Russia’s end goal remains the same: to seize more territory and move the line of Russian-controlled territory deeper and deeper into Ukraine.’

Greek financial markets were in turmoil on Wednesday with investors fearing the new anti-bailout government was determined to defy its international creditors. Greek five-year bond yields jumped to a record high of 13%, reflecting fears that investors may not get their money back. Share prices also fell for a third consecutive day, with the main Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), down 7.6%. The biggest losers were bank shares. In the two sessions since Sunday's election, banks have seen 23% of their value wiped off, with investors fretting that the possibility of Greece leaving the euro would see bank accounts converted back into a new Greek national currency. The sharp movements came after new Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in his first cabinet meeting that he planned to negotiate with creditors over the €240bn (£179bn; $270bn) bailout. The EU has repeatedly warned the new government to stick to its commitments. A default could force Greece out of the euro.

‘The threat is not only the one we faced in Paris, but also spreading in many parts of the world, starting in Muslim countries. We need to share information more. We need to cooperate more. We are determined to do what is necessary to keep Europe safe from the terrorist threat,’ said British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Monday (January 19). He was among 28 EU foreign ministers attending a meeting in Brussels. There, delegates pledged to adopt better strategies at home and abroad in an effort to counter radicalised Muslims returning from Syria and Iraq. EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini called for better collaboration between EU member states, but also with Muslim countries. ‘We took a decision with the Foreign Affairs Council to coordinate in a much more active way than has been the case so far.’

The pressure is building on Vladimir Putin: Russia will be hit by a wave of bankruptcies unless it cuts interest rates very soon, a top financial official warned Monday.  Anatoly Aksakov, president of Russia's regional banking association and deputy chairman of parliament's financial markets committee, said firms were running out of cash. Bankers believe that keeping the situation as it stands will cause a wave of bankruptcies, not only credit institutions but also a number of businesses and companies," Aksakov wrote in a letter to the central bank, according to Russian state media. Aksakov said the central bank must cut rates this month to 15% from 17%, then gradually to 10.5%, the level they were at before the current financial crisis. A central bank rate of 17% meant some companies were having to pay as much as 30% to borrow. The impact of Western sanctions imposed over Russia's actions in Ukraine has sparked a cash crunch by shutting many companies out of international funding markets.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck have attended a Berlin vigil organised by Muslim groups to promote tolerance and religious freedom in the country. Organisers say the event aimed to condemn the Paris attacks and show solidarity with the victims. They are also responding to the recent ‘anti-Islamisation’ rallies staged by the Pegida organisation across Germany. The group's latest rally in Dresden drew a record crowd of 25,000. Large anti-Pegida demonstrations took place in other German cities on Monday. President Gauck addressed the vigil at the Brandenburg Gate, saying: ‘We are all Germany.’ He added: ‘Germany has become more diverse through immigration - religiously, culturally and mentally. This diversity has made our country successful, interesting and likeable.’ Aiman Mazyek, head of the German Council of Muslims, told the crowd: ‘We stand together for a Germany that is open to the world, with a big heart, which honours freedom of opinion, of the press and of religion.’ (See also last week’s Prayer Alert.)