BBC Daily Service moving to local radio and BBC Sounds
The BBC has announced that The Daily Service, currently broadcast on Radio 4 Extra, will move to BBC Local Radio while continuing to be available on BBC Sounds. The changes were included in the BBC’s latest announcement of cuts to staff and services, following details first revealed by the BBC Audio NUJ chapel last week. The move is part of wider plans to close the linear broadcast services of BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra in spring 2027.
In a statement, the BBC says: “For background, the rest of Radio 4’s religion and ethics output is not impacted: Sunday Worship, Prayer for the Day, Thought for the Day, Beyond Belief, The Moral Maze, Lent Talks, Christmas Meditation and live worship services for Ascencion, Christmas and Easter are not affected by the savings across Speech. The BBC’s commitment to religion and ethics content remains demonstrably strong. The BBC provides almost 99 per cent of the UK’s broadcast religion programming across a wide variety of content, featuring documentaries, factual entertainment, worship, events and live debate, as well as titles in Children’s, Nations, BBC Bitesize and Education and a dedicated Religion Editor in News. Our flagship religion programmes across TV and radio continue ie Songs of Praise, Thought for the Day, Sunday, Sunday Worship, Prayer for the Day, live worship services for Christmas, Easter and Ascension, Lent Talks, Christmas Meditation and Beyond Belief. We recently announced a slate of programmes for the autumn across tv and radio, as well as a landmark doc on the life and world of Jesus: Ambitious new landmark series on the life and world of Jesus Christ announced”
‘A ministry of tears’: Aberfan remembered 60 years on
Memorial services are being held today to mark the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, when a colliery waste tip engulfed Pantglas Junior School, killing 116 children and 28 adults. The Methodist minister at the scene in 1966, the Rev Irving Penberthy, is still alive today and has given an interview for the Methodist church website, describing the traumatic events of the day. Now aged 96, he remembers the moments when little bodies were brought into the chapel, covered in blankets. He knew many of the children personally because they attended Sunday School and he cried with parents as they lifted the blanket and found their child had been killed: “We couldn’t say anything, it wasn’t the time for words. I called it ‘the ministry of tears’.” Salvation Army members have also recalled their work supporting the community. One, Sheila Davies, remembers a bereaved mother saying happiness had been taken away and a father asking: “Where is your God now?”. Sixty years on, churches are marking the anniversary today with memorial services, including services organised by the Church in Wales and Catholic Church and the Rev Irving Penberthy will return to take part. His son-in-law the Rev Gareth Hill, who is also a Methodist minister, has written a prayer for the people of Aberfan, acknowledging the ongoing pain, loss and anger and the ministry of leaders who have offered pastoral care and encouragement to rebuild lives.
Schools urged to treat antisemitism as distinct category of harm
Schools and colleges in England will be urged to recognise antisemitism as a distinct category of harm and take action against it. The instruction is said to be among 27 recommendations in a government-commissioned review led by former Ofsted chief inspector Sir David Bell, due to be presented to Parliament today. Measures are expected to include teacher training, consistent recording of incidents, better education about Jewish life and antisemitism, and stronger guidance on political impartiality for teachers. The government is expected to accept all the recommendations. The review follows a report from the Community Security Trust, that school related antisemitic incidents reached a record 178 in the first half of 2026, up 59 per cent on the same period last year. The BBC reports that the review has also found Jewish schoolchildren were experiencing regular harassment and abuse and is expected to recommend a hotline for schools seeking advice. Separate reviews have also been commissioned into antisemitism in healthcare, public order and laws around hate crime.
Jains and Christians unite to promote non-violence and peace
Jain leaders in Britain have called for a stronger global commitment to ahimsa, the principle of non-violence, at a conference in Potters Bar organised by the Institute of Jainology and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Dr Mehool Sanghrajka, a trustee of the Institute, said the conference reaffirmed shared their commitments to compassion and peace. The guest speaker was Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, the Vatican’s interreligious dialogue prefect, who is on a visit to the UK to meet Dharmic faith leaders. He warned that the growing influence of AI could threaten peace, and urged dialogue, non-violence and fraternity. He visited the Oshwal Centre’s Jain temple, the first traditional shikharbandhi Jain temple in Europe, and participated in a traditional lamp lighting ceremony, before addressing the gathering.
Muslim Council of Wales criticises Reform Senedd debate on face coverings
A Reform UK member of the Welsh Senedd, Jason O’Connell, is tabling a debate today titled “Full-face coverings are against British values”. The party says the debate will examine public safety, antisocial behaviour and the difficulties of identifying offenders whose faces are deliberately concealed. On 6 October, the party’s deputy leader in the Senedd, Laura Anne Jones, said: “We would ban the burqa and every other full face covering in public.” Now the Muslim Council of Wales has criticised the debate today as a “dog-whistle”, saying it is disappointing to see it take place amid rising hostility towards Muslims, citing an attack in Cardiff in which a woman’s headscarf was pulled off. It says religious freedom is a cornerstone of British values and a cherished Welsh tradition. Wales Times backgrounder and report here
New Catholic Bishop of Arundel and Brighton installed
The new Catholic bishop of Arundel and Brighton, Stephen Wang, has been installed at a Mass of Episcopal Ordination in Arundel Cathedral. He takes on the role after five years as Rector of the Venerable English College in Rome and follows Richard Moth, who was last year appointed as the new Archbishop of Westminster. More here.
Christian organisation publishes ethical fashion guide ahead of Black Friday
Nearly nine in ten clothing brands assessed do not pay garment workers a living wage, according to a new guide published by the Baptist Missionary Society, BMS World Mission. The UK Ethical Fashion Guide 2026 scores 99 companies, covering 336 brands, on workers’ rights and environmental standards. Supermarket ranges scored poorly, with George (Asda) scoring 18 out of 100 and Tu (Sainsbury’s) 27, compared with Adidas 61 and Marks and Spencer 49. The guide includes an online checker to help shoppers compare brands. BMS says responsibility lies with companies, not just consumers, to ensure workers receive fair wages.
Faith leaders to act as poll chaplains in US midterm elections
More than 1,200 faith leaders and volunteers are being trained as poll chaplains and peacekeepers ahead of US midterm elections on 3 November. According to a report in the Associated Press, the interfaith, nonpartisan coalition “Faiths United in Saving Democracy” will deploy volunteers across nine states to reassure voters and help prevent intimidation. Christian ministers, rabbis, imams, Quakers and Buddhist leaders will remain outside polling stations, offering support and de-escalating tensions. Organisers are concerned that fears of political violence and immigration enforcement could deter eligible voters, and participants will receive training in conflict resolution and immigrant rights.
Attempted attack on US Hindu temple highlights risks facing places of worship
Tilak Parek, writing for the Religion News Service, says an attempted mass shooting at a Hindu temple near Chicago has highlighted growing risks facing minority places of worship in the West. Hindu temples are increasingly treated as symbols of immigration and demographic change, he suggests, rather than sacred places of worship. Recent attacks on temples have heightened fears among Hindu communities in the USA with ten reported acts of vandalism or burglary since 2022, including graffiti, bricks through windows, and gunfire on buildings. In the latest attempt near Chicago, Alexandros Paporakis, 19, was arrested on 11 October after his rifle reportedly jammed during an attempted attack at the Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple in Aurora, Illinois, during the popular Hindu festival of Navratri. Prosecutors said he had expressed white supremacist views and threatened to kill Indian people. The writer says the public vocabulary around places of worship can cause resentment, but if temples, mosques, synagogues and churches are spoken of as sacred places of prayer. “it may help show that the people inside are seen for who they are”. RNS article is here
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