Innovator Joseph Nguthiru has turned a personal challenge into an award-winning environmental enterprise. In 2021, he and classmates were stranded for hours on Lake Naivasha when water hyacinth, a weed that disrupts fishing, navigation, and irrigation worldwide, blocked their boat. That incident inspired their engineering project to convert the invasive plant into biodegradable products. Nguthiru envisioned ‘one problem solving another’, so launched HyaPak Ecotech Ltd to create eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics, including packaging bags and seedling wrappers. HyaPak has already removed over 700 kilograms of hyacinth and partnered with Kenya’s government in a programme to plant 15 billion trees over ten years. Nguthiru has also invented a solar dryer, reviving Kenya’s pyrethrum farming, and leads Adopt a River, which has cleared more than three tons of river waste while educating communities on climate action. He believes lasting change requires grassroots involvement, proving innovation and community engagement can drive sustainable solutions.

Colombian president Gustavo Petro has condemned recent US airstrikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, calling them an ‘act of tyranny’ and urging criminal proceedings against US officials if Colombians were killed. The strikes, authorised by Donald Trump and reportedly responsible for 17 deaths this month, target vessels suspected of trafficking fentanyl and other narcotics, especially near Venezuela, Colombia’s neighbour. Legal experts and UN officials have questioned the legality of these actions, describing them as possible extrajudicial executions. Petro argued that deadly force is unnecessary, citing Colombia’s long history of cooperative drug interdictions without fatalities. He stressed that the principle of proportionality is violated ‘if you use anything more than a pistol’. The White House maintains that Trump will use ‘every element of American power’ to combat narcotics. He has designated several drug-trafficking organisations and criminal groups in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America as terrorist organisations, and the US military has bolstered its forces in the southern Caribbean over the last two months.

The murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has ignited a surprising spiritual response. In life, he urged people to return to faith, marriage, and family. Now, after his death, many are doing just that. Catholic ministry leaders report church attendance rising by up to 15%, with unfamiliar faces filling pews. On social media, countless testimonies describe families returning to services for the first time in decades. A TikTok user shared how she and her husband brought their children to church after years away, determined to raise them with conviction like Kirk’s. Others spoke of parking streets away from packed sanctuaries, buying Bibles, or recommitting to God. One man admitted he had never believed in God until Kirk’s death stirred him to become a better husband and father. Though tragic, this moment is inspiring many to seek spiritual truth. Pray that God will comfort Kirk’s widow Erika and their children, and use this loss for Kingdom growth.

At New Birth Church in Georgia, Pastor Jamal Bryant recently turned an altar call into an unexpected job fair. During a September service, he invited unemployed members to the altar for prayer, then asked hiring managers present to share opportunities. The response was immediate: directors, supervisors, and business owners stepped forward, resulting in over 300 job offers for struggling congregants. Bryant praised the church’s faith in action, noting the need amid rising black unemployment, which recently reached 7.5%, the highest since late 2021. Economists warn the downturn is hitting black communities disproportionately, particularly as cuts in federal employment take effect. While national leaders debate solutions, New Birth showed what a church family can achieve by caring for one another in practical ways. Stories like this echo the early church’s example of meeting both spiritual and material needs. God is still using His people to bring provision, dignity, and hope.