A Christian nurse is taking legal action against the Swedish government after she was fired for refusing to perform abortions. A doctor in Poland, who was dismissed on similar grounds, is considering an appeal. Ellinor Grimmark said an employment offer at a hospital in Eksjo, southern Sweden, was suddenly scrapped though she had successfully completed an internship. The Ombudsman claimed the county council had refused her the position ‘not because of her religion, but because she was not prepared to perform duties that were part of the job description’. It comes amid reports of growing pressure on Christian medical personnel across Europe. On Friday, 9 July, news emerged that Professor Bogdan Chazan, viewed as one of Poland's top doctors, is considering an appeal after he was fired as director at Warsaw's Holy Family Hospital for his refusal to carry out an abortion.

A Dutch academic who supported legalising euthanasia in the Netherlands has urged Westminster not to introduce assisted suicide, ahead of a debate in the House of Lords. Theo Boer, who has been part of a committee monitoring euthanasia cases since 2005, said the number of such deaths in the Netherlands has soared since the legalisation of euthanasia in 2002. Boer has reviewed close to 4,000 euthanasia cases and said: ‘Euthanasia is on the way to becoming a ‘default’ mode of dying for cancer patients'. Cases have been reported in which a large part of the suffering of those given euthanasia or assisted suicide consisted in being aged, lonely or bereaved'. He said: ‘I used to be a supporter of the Dutch law. But now, with twelve years of experience, I take a very different view’. (See also GB&I section - item 1 and World section - item 6)

The US attorney general has called on European governments to be stronger in preventing their own citizens from joining the fighting in Syria.  Eric Holder said the Syrian conflict had turned into ‘a cradle of violent extremism’ that could threaten Western countries when fighters return home. He made his remarks during a speech to Norwegian diplomats in Oslo.  US officials believe there are about 7,000 foreign fighters in Syria, including dozens of Americans.  In May, a 22-year-old man from Florida carried out a suicide bombing mission in the country and a Colorado woman was arrested at an airport in April after US officials said she was intent on providing support to the militant group ISIS  in Syria.  In the speech, Mr Holder called on European governments to make it illegal to plan or support terrorist plots, to catch potential fighters before they leave for Syria through undercover plots and share information about those who have travelled to Syria to fight, including through Interpol.

The leaders of France and Germany are to press Ukraine's president to agree to a new truce in eastern Ukraine when they speak by phone on Wednesday.  President Francois Hollande of France announced the planned talks with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko.  Ukraine says it will not talk to separatist rebels until they disarm.  A separatist official in Donetsk city, where the rebels are regrouping after losing ground, ruled out any new truce.  Government forces recaptured several large towns from the rebels in recent days after resuming their 'anti-terrorist operation' in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.  In Donetsk itself, a city of more than one million people, the rebels have vowed to keep fighting the government, which they regard as illegitimate.  More than 1,000 people, both civilians and combatants, are believed to have been killed since the uprising began in April.

The separatist leaders of two regions in eastern Ukraine say they will now respect a Kiev ceasefire called last Friday by President Poroshenko until June 27th. They also indicated that they were willing to consider Poroshenko’s peace plan, which includes a buffer zone, decentralisation, and early elections. ‘We hope that, during the time of bilateral ceasefire, we can agree to at least start consultations on the peaceful resolution of the conflict,’ said pro-Russian rebel leader Alexander Borodai. Present for the announcement was former president Leonid Kuchma, who opposes any breakup of his country. ‘We resolved one of the most important issues, and that is to stop the military actions from both sides,’ he said. Outside, however, a crowd was protesting against Kuchma and appeared in no mood to compromise. They angrily surrounded his car and it was several minutes before he was able to leave.

On Monday Pope Francis met with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and much of their official discussion was confirming the need for the world-wide church to persevere in a united commitment to eradicate human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Pope Francis said, ‘Notable collaborative efforts have been initiated on the ecumenical level and in cooperation with civil authorities and international organizations. Many charitable initiatives have been undertaken by our communities, and they are operating with generosity and courage in various parts of the world. I think in particular of the action network against the trafficking in women set up by a number of women’s religious institutes. Let us persevere in our commitment to combat new forms of enslavement, in the hope that we can help provide relief to victims and oppose this deplorable trade. I thank God that, as disciples sent to heal a wounded world, we stand together, with perseverance and determination, in opposing this grave evil.’ See also Global Freedom Network at http://www.gfn2020.org/

Nine European countries endorsed plans on 5th June to step up intelligence-sharing and take down radical websites to try to stop European citizens going to fight in Syria and bringing violence back home with them.The initiative by states that deem themselves most affected by jihadist violence was given new urgency after the killing of three people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels last month by a Frenchman recently returned from fighting with Islamist rebels in Syria's civil war. EU officials will hold meetings with ‘the leading Internet operators’ this month to look into the possibilities for immediately shutting down web sites and barring messages that spread hatred or encourage violent militancy or terrorism. Also Britain proposed creating a European task force using media campaigns to counter the radicals' message. Experts will work on details of the new measures before they are decided on by ministers at a meeting in Milan in July.

The Italian coastguard rescued more than 1,000 migrants from three separate boats early last Saturday, in the second such operation in two days. The migrants and asylum-seekers were plucked from three boats 40 miles off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa. The rescue came a day after the Italian navy picked up another 2,500 asylum-seekers from 17 boats, as good weather conditions in the Mediterranean further boost the influx of migrants desperate to reach Europe. Most of the migrants and asylum seekers arriving in Italy come from Eritrea or Syria and are departing from Libya. Refugees also come from impoverished parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Thousands have died in tragedies at sea in recent years because they often cross in rickety fishing boats that are badly overcrowded to maximise profits for traffickers.

Aykan Erdemir, a member of Turkey’s parliament, will travel to Diyarbakir Church in mid-June. To prepare for his visit, he looked up the church’s website but his parliamentary office computer blocked the church website with a message that it contained ‘pornographic’ content. Checking the websites of other Turkish Protestant churches Erdemir and his colleagues found they also were blocked. Diyarbakir Church is not under a national ban (occasionally websites are banned). The block only affected computers in the parliament and was quickly removed after Erdemir complained. Erdemir said the episode is a symptom of deep-rooted governmental antagonism toward Christians (especially Protestants) and of Turkey’s increasing intolerance towards minorities. He believes law enforcement authorities consider Christianity to be one of the country’s greatest threats and that military training has reinforced an attitude of marginalisation. ‘They really don’t see Turkish Christians as citizens of this country,’ he said.

EU leaders have agreed to re-evaluate the bloc's agenda after voters ‘sent a strong message’, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy has said. Mr Van Rompuy said leaders of the 28 member states had asked him to launch consultations on future policies. He was speaking after a meeting in Brussels to discuss big election gains by populist and far-right parties. The results of the European Parliament election led to calls for an EU rethink by those leaders who suffered defeats. But despite gains by anti-EU groups, pro-European parties still won most votes overall. Tuesday's summit was the first opportunity for leaders of all member states to discuss the way forward after last week's polls. Mr Van Rompuy said the meeting in Brussels had been a ‘useful first discussion’ and that EU leaders had agreed on putting the economy at the heart of the group's agenda.