The streets of Zimbabwe's main cities were deserted during a nationwide strike to protest at the lack of jobs and unpaid wages. The protests were organised through the messaging site WhatsApp but it is not clear which group is behind it. The BBC's Brian Hungwe in Harare says it was one of the biggest protests in many years. Protesters also set up burning barricades in Harare. Some of the messages calling for a stay away also called on President Mugabe, who has governed the country since independence in 1980, to step down. On Twitter, activists used the hashtag #ShutDownZimbabwe2016 to mobilise support. Many civil servants have not been paid in more than a month: they went on strike on Tuesday. On Monday, taxi drivers complaining about police extortion clashed with the security forces in parts of Harare. The economy has also been hit by currency shortages and a severe drought.

Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina announced two days of national mourning after an attack on a café in Dhaka left 28 people dead - twenty hostages, six militants and two police officers. In a televised address to the nation she called for unity against criminal elements following the attack in the diplomatic quarter of Bangladesh’s capital.  Also, thirteen people were rescued after more than a hundred commandos stormed a bakery early on Saturday after a twelve-hour siege. 'I request everyone to unite against these handful of criminals,' said Hasina. She earlier said one of the gunmen had been captured alive in the dawn raid. A senior minister said the jihadists were members of a homegrown Bangladeshi militant outfit, the Jamaeytul Mujahdeen Bangladesh. 'They have no connections with IS', he stated.

The Jesus film, which is often used as an evangelistic tool and has drawn many to Christ around the world, has been translated into eight new languages, which means that 6.5 million more people can be reached with the Gospel in their own language. Jesus Film Project spokesman Joe Class said that people from all eight language groups have been given a screening of the film in their respective language. ‘It was utterly amazing to go to this location and have community members from eight different language groups gathered together. All of us thanked God for what He's done - to Him be the glory. Our hope and our prayer is that there will be transformation and that churches will be started as a result of this’, said Class.

After four months as slave labour on fishing boats, 54 men are finally home. International Justice Mission (IJM) started a project earlier this year to combat a slave trafficking crisis in Cambodia. Traffickers use deception, threats or violence to trap people into forced labour slavery. Men are trafficked across borders and trapped on fishing or shrimp vessels. In this case, 54 Cambodian men took jobs to work ‘legally’ on Thai ships fishing in Malaysia. Instead they were carried into Indonesian waters. Authorities seized and detained them for illegally poaching fish. They were bewildered, hungry, and stripped of their phones and documentation papers, in a cramped detention centre. One month later, in June, a coordinated multi-organisational effort repatriated the men. IJM is working with authorities to trace the Cambodian recruiter who might still be preying on impoverished men and women seeking work outside the country, and to ensure that all the men are reunited with their families and find safe jobs.

The WPC writes, ‘We are at a historical moment as a nation. We may be entering a long period of political and economic uncertainty. We also believe we are at a very significant moment spiritually. Jesus is Sovereign! Colossians 1 says, 'In Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities and authorities.’ Some in the WPC team backed Remain, others backed Exit, but all are united in saying we have prayed ‘Your will be done’, and we have a deep peace that it has been. We have prayed so often for God's spirit to break out. There have been extraordinary signs of this as God visits towns and cities, stirs up prayer, and uses ordinary people to take the gospel onto the streets, into the schools, workplaces and universities. So this is a time for renewed prayer for the protection and blessing of our United Kingdom and Europe.’

The Work and Pensions Secretary, Stephen Crabb, who is a committed Christian, is one of five Conservative MPs who are bidding for the party leadership. He has teamed up with Business Secretary Sajid Javid in what Mr Crabb dubbed a ‘blue collar ticket’. Mr Crabb has lined up Attorney General Jeremy Wright to act as the manager for his campaign. Hugely popular among colleagues, Mr Crabb comes from an ordinary background that chimes with many voters. Mr Crabb has said God's care for widows and orphans in the Bible is his ‘guiding star for social policy.’ In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, he said, ‘There's something unattractive about politicians who wave a flag called faith, but at a personal level it's important for me.’ He received criticism for his links to the Christian lobby group CARE, and for voting against same-sex marriage in 2013. The new Tory leader will be in place by 9 September.

A new government focussed on leaving the EU will have many things on its plate. Those are exactly the conditions in which corruption can take hold in public institutions and the private sector. Once it takes root, eradication is much more difficult . Transparency International have outlined possible Brexit consequences and pitfalls that we can ask God to intervene in, such as directives on anti-money-laundering and transparency over corporate reporting. Without the EU backstop the UK will rely on the quality of its government. Pray that the Government will allocate resources wisely. Exports will rise, raising the risk of bribery and undesirable partners and companies eager for investment in an emerging infrastructure with corrupt assets. Pray for leaders to put ethics over economic gain. During the financial crisis senior corporate managers and directors cut ethical corners. In economic uncertainty, this attitude could return. Pray for stability and honesty in the banking sector. The Government will have challenges ahead on the corruption front. Pray for political will to prevent slipping standards.

Following the referendum result the Bishop of Exeter said, ‘We are at a real tipping point in the life of our nation, in terms of our place in Europe and in terms of what we want our country to be.’ He added that whether we are elated or depressed we need to unite and move forward against a background of a divided nation. Large numbers of ordinary people feel that their concerns have been ignored. There is a divide between London and Northern England, and between England and Scotland. Our largest political parties are ripping themselves apart in acrimony and recrimination. The cost is being counted, and not just in finance.’ However, he also said that first and foremost we must resist being controlled by fears, continue to make this country a place of tolerance and welcome, and work across national boundaries to build a safer, more united future.

At this time of uncertainty we can pray. ‘Father, we ask You in the name of Jesus to release a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation over our land. We ask for Your anointing on the Church as never before so that we can declare your blessings upon the United Kingdom. We pray that You will bring about forgiveness in people’s hearts for the words that caused offence, fear or anger and in the name of Jesus, we speak healing and reconciliation into every generational and political divide, either historical or recent. Father, we ask You to pour out a new spirit of respect, love and cooperation across political and generational divisions. We pray for the Church to carry and model Your message of reconciliation and unity with sensitivity; and we call out the spiritual fathers and the mothers God has prepared for such a time as this.’

The National Police Chiefs Council said that hate crime has increased by 57% since the referendum. Cardinal Vincent Nichols said Catholics must stand together with migrants to create and fashion a society that works toward the common good. There are 850,000 Polish people in Britain. Racist graffiti was left on the entrance of the Polish Social and Cultural Association in west London. In Cambridgeshire laminated cards saying ‘No more Polish vermin’ have been posted through letterboxes. In Newcastle people have been confronted by racist banners. The cardinal said, ‘If a victory in a referendum remains a point of division, then we become weaker as a nation and do not play a part on the international scene tackling the world’s problems, which are great and challenging.’ The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has called for people to respect the outcome of the referendum and to act with ‘mutual respect and civility’.