Woman's Hour

What role does music play in providing hope and solidarity when facing the horrors of war? The concert pianist Anna Fedorova is a member of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra which performed in concerts around the world over the summer. Ahead of a documentary on BBC 2 this Saturday called Ukraine's Musical Freedom Fighters, she joins Emma to talk about the experience, how she is continuing to support musicians from the Ukraine and why she feels it is imperative she continues to play the work of Russian composers. This week President Joe Biden announced that the pandemic is over in the US despite figures showing 400 Americans on average are dying from the virus every day. This comes after the director of the World Health Organisation recently stated that the pandemic remains a global emergency but the end could be in the sight if countries use the tools at their disposal. Here in the UK the latest figures show Covid infections have fallen to their lowest levels since October last year. Fewer than a million people had the virus in the last week of August. So, is the end in sight? And how prepared are we to believe it? Should we accept normality will resume and we can adjust our behaviour accordingly? Emma Barnett is joined by Professor of Epidemiology, Azra Ghani and Professor Pragya Agarwal to discuss. A new study by the charity GambleAware shows that the cost of living crisis could trigger an increase in women gambling. The survey of more than 1600 women shows that one in four women aged 18-49 who gamble expect to gamble more in the coming months, with 12% of those surveyed already having turned to gambling to try and supplement household income. GambleAware are starting a campaign to target women and break the stigma that prevents them from seeking support. Emma is joined by their Chief Executive, Zoe Osmond and Jo who has been "gamble free" for a year. Demonstrations have spread across Iran sparked by the death of a 22 year old woman, Mahsa Amini. She died days after being arrested by morality police for allegedly not complying with strict rules on head coverings. As we reported on Tuesday, eyewitnesses said she was beaten while inside a police van after being picked up in Tehran. There have now been protests for five successive days - with incredibly powerful scenes across Iran - women burning their headscarves and cutting their hair in protest and eight people have died. Could this be a turning point in how Iran polices women? Faranak Amidi is the BBC Near East Women Affairs correspondent. One in three Japanese people under the age of 35 say they have no plans to marry. Women because they enjoy the freedoms of being single and having a career and men because they worry about being able to financially provide for a family. So what is driving this rejection and what will the long term impacts be on Japan? Dr Jennifer Coates is Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield and Emily Itami is the author of Fault Lines, she grew up in Tokyo and now lives in London. Photo of Anna Fedorova: Marco Borggreve