4,000 Catholics were beaten by police as they protested against the government allowing the contamination of seventy tons of fish from waste dumped into the sea. The pollution was caused by Formosa Plastic Group, a steel company. Christian fishing families affected by the pollution marched on municipal offices in Ky Anh, but were blocked and beaten by police, leaving several injured by truncheon blows. Officials deny that police used violence, saying people were injured because of the size of the crowd. International Christian Concern noted that the dying fish have left many families in a state of panic as fishing is a vital and important source of income and food. Pollution will also have an impact on the economy if the situation continues without proper counter-measures. Please also pray for an end to Vietnam’s harassment and intimidation of religious minorities as countless Christian pastors remain in prison merely for their beliefs.

For seventy years the Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has helped vulnerable people in hard-to-reach places. Flying onto desert and jungle airstrips, lakes and rivers, tracks and roads, its light aircraft and their mission pilots go the extra miles to provide a lifeline, working in partnership with other Christian and relief organisations. They have now started a new initiative that they hope will increase prayer support for their work. Each month they will produce a short prayer video that brings the needs of those in remote communities into people’s internet mailboxes. This fresh approach highlights the stark differences between life in the west and some of the countries where they serve, prompting people to call on our heavenly Father with thanksgiving and praise, while seeking His provision for others. To watch the video and pray this month for those lacking access to clean water please click the ‘More’ button.

An online pornography ring targeting thousands of Australian schoolgirls has re-emerged after police had closed it down earlier this month. Police and detectives in several states are investigating a website containing sexual images of girls from private and public schools across Australia. The website is in the form of a ‘message chat forum’ and has photos and requests of naked schoolgirls. Seventy Australian schools are mentioned in the requests. Detective Acting Superintendent Marcus Boorman said a number of the images allegedly depict non-consenting or underage girls. The page reportedly features naked photos of teenage girls, some with their names, so that others can rate them. NSW, Queensland, Victoria and ACT police are investigating - as are a number of education departments. However, it is difficult for law enforcement agencies to keep track of online sites, especially those hosted overseas. See also Australian Prayer Network.

In a surprise announcement, Mel Gibson told evangelist Greg Laurie that he is working on a sequel to his film ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ Gibson said, ‘We're talking about that. Of course, that is a huge undertaking. And you know, it's not “The Passion 2”. It's called “The Resurrection”. Of course, that's a very big subject and it needs to be looked at because we don't want to just do a simple rendering of it - you know, read what happened. The Passion is the beginning and there’s a lot more story to tell.’