Leo and Jenifa Johnson were intimidated and threatened in a residential area of Tamil Nadu state where they had distributed Christian tracts to homes. As they were leaving the area they were stopped by a man affiliated to the far-right nationalist group, Hindu Munani. He called two other men and they threatened the couple, accusing them of compelling people in the neighbourhood to convert. Leo said, ‘We did not tell people about Jesus. All we did was distribute tracts to homes. No one was forced to take the literature.’ Despite this explanation, the attackers threatened them and demanded they apply holy ash from a local temple on their foreheads. Leo said, ‘Jenifa was terrified and started crying. This should not have happened to us. India is supposed to be a free country where we can practise our faith.’ They were told that if they returned to the area, they would be violently attacked.

Bribery, vote-buying and sexual extortion are major issues of concern for citizens in Latin America and the Caribbean; a survey asked over 17,000 citizens from 18 countries about their experiences of bribery and perceptions of corruption. The survey sheds light on sexual extortion, or sextortion, one of the most gruesome gendered impacts of corruption. One in five people have experienced sextortion or know someone who has while accessing basic public services in Latin America and the Caribbean and one in four are offered bribes in exchange for votes, which highlights an alarming lack of political integrity among governments across the region. The good news is that an overwhelming majority of people are optimistic that they can make a difference in the fight against corruption. Now, more than ever, leaders urgently need to fight corruption and strengthen democracy. Pray for God to comfort those abused, give peace to those living in fear, and help NGOs and governments as they fight corruption in its various forms.

There are almost 20,000 ordained ministers in England; in Iraq there is just one, Rev Faez Jirjees, the parish priest at St George's church in Baghdad. Christians make up about 1% of Iraq’s population, but most fled when IS were at their most brutal. Despite being bombed several times, St George's became a hub for interfaith relations, providing healthcare to Christians as well as Shia and Sunni Muslims at its clinic, dentists, pharmacy, laboratories, a nursery, primary school and a 'hope centre' that helps train young people with vocational skills for jobs. Rev Jirjees' parents dedicated him to become a priest as a child, and he served in the Anglican church close to his house as a boy. Pray for the congregation of 300, who worship in a church protected by concrete bollards, security gates, and armed guards. Pray for the Christians fearful of returning to war-torn Iraq.

Chad’s defence minister has said that a landslide at an illegal gold mine had killed about thirty people in a region near the Libyan border early on 24 September, and more victims might still be buried in the rubble. There has been rapid growth in illegal mining in recent years, often by refugees from Sudan looking for quick money to head to Europe or by rebels fighting the army. Unsafe methods and a lack of oversight mean that accidents are common at such mines across Africa, where impoverished communities seek a share of the vast resources that are usually dug up by international companies, processed and sent overseas. As gold surges, so does illegal mining across Chad, South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria - bringing crime, danger and risk to fragile environments.