Northern Ireland, Kathryn Stockett and Mum's poem in son's exam

Northern Ireland, Kathryn Stockett and Mum's poem in son's exam

On Tuesday violence broke out across Belfast following a knife attack in the city. Stephen Ogilvie is in hospital with serious wounds after the attack, and a 30-year-old Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder. Ogilvie's family, politicians and police have called for calm after people took to the streets, with some reporting that residents were targeted based on their skin colour. Anita Rani speaks to Louise Cullen, BBC Correspondent in Northern Ireland and Twasul Mohammed, who came to Northern Ireland as a refugee from Sudan in 2016 and has been helping families affected by the violence. It’s been 17 years since The Help was published, Kathryn’s Stockett’s first novel that sold 15 million copies worldwide, was translated into 38 languages and made into a successful film with Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis. Kathryn has now written her second novel, The Calamity Club. She joins Anita. Have you ever had one of those moments when life feels so circular that you just can’t believe it? A 'once-in-a-lifetime synchronicity' is what the poet Emily Cullen called it when she discovered that a poem she had written seven years ago, inspired by her eight year old son, turned up on the English exam paper he was sitting in Ireland. Anita catches up with them both. Acclaimed horror film Under the Shadow is set in Tehran during the 1980’s Iran Iraq war and explores the boundaries between rational and irrational as fear encroaches. As a new play adaptation opens in London, Anita speaks to the director Nadia Latif and lead actor Leila Farzad. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones

Kanye West allegations, SEND, Author Doireann Ní Ghríofa

A model who alleges Kanye West choked her on a music video set has told the BBC she was left feeling "suffocated, unsure and scared". Jennifer An, a former contestant on America's Next Top Model, is suing the rapper, now known as Ye, over an encounter she alleges took place in 2010. Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, presenter of BBC podcast Fame Under Fire, has interviewed Jennifer An and joins us to explain the story. A British woman has become the first ever to cross the Atlantic in a hydrogen gas balloon. Alicia Hempleman-Adams, from near Bath, set off from Maine in the US late on Wednesday and landed in Luxembourg on Sunday with her teammates Bert Padelt and Peter Cuneo. Alicia Hempleman-Adams took the spot on the crew of her father David, who has completed the flight twice before. She joins us live. The government has just announced how it is planning to roll out quicker and easier access to educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists for SEND families. Nuala speaks to the Schools Minister Georgia Gould plus Principal Educational Psychologist for Salford Claire Jackson about the upcoming Experts at Hand programme. And the award-winning writer and poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa devoted three years of her life to researching and imagining the lives of the women who once inhabited the Victorian asylum in Cork. In her immersive work of creative non-fiction, Said the Dead, we meet some of the women who lived and worked in that institution between the 1890s and the 1920s. Doireann Ní Ghríofa joins Nuala to explain how she went about writing these vulnerable, often voiceless women back to life. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Simon Richardson

Clare Connor, Archers BRCA storyline, Yassmin Abdel-Magied

The Women’s T20 cricket world cup begins on Friday. Nuala McGovern talks to Clare Connor, former England women’s captain, now the outgoing Managing Director of England Women. Over her 18 years in the job Clare has overseen the professionalisation of the women’s game as well as a big boost in the grassroots participation. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch is arguing that the Public Sector Equality Duty should be scrapped. This duty exists to make public authorities think about things like discrimination and the needs of people who are disadvantaged, or suffer inequality, when they make decisions about how they provide their services. This is in addition to their legal obligation not to discriminate against protected groups, including women, under the Equality Act. We speak to BBC political correspondent Alex Forsyth. The Archers on BBC Radio 4 has been exploring cancer genetics. When Pip discovered a lump in her breast, old fears were revived for her mother Ruth, who survived breast cancer many years earlier. BRCA genes can lead to a higher chance of developing cancer and Pip begins to worry she may be at risk. Felicity Finch, who plays Ruth Archer, joins Nuala along with Julian Barwell, Professor in Genomic Medicine at The University of Leicester. Sudanese-Australian writer Yassmin Abdel-Magied has written her first novel for adults, At Sea. It’s set on an oil rig in the middle of international waters, and is so detailed on the lifestyle and logistics that it’s perhaps no surprise that Yassmin worked in the industry after studying mechanical engineering at university. She joins Nuala.

Nottingham Inquiry, Female sexual pleasure, Serena Williams

Almost three years ago, Valdo Calocane – who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia – killed Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates. After three months of hearing evidence at the Nottingham Inquiry, Nuala McGovern talks to Emma Webber and Sinead O’Malley-Kumar, the mothers of Barnaby and Grace, about what they believe must change and what they want to see happen now. Serena Williams - who after nearly four years is making her return to competitive tennis, playing in the doubles event, alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko. Serena - a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion - has said she has 'nothing to prove', and her main motivation is the prospect of her daughters seeing her play again. BBC Sports reporter Karthi Gnanasegaram joins Nuala to discuss. BBC Radio 4 has announced its latest cohort of New Generation Thinkers—early-career academics selected for a year-long residency run in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council. As part of the scheme, participants contribute research-led insights and historical context to programmes across the network, including Woman’s Hour. Nuala speaks to a PHD researcher at Oxford University about her academic work. The history of female pleasure has often been misunderstood, according to the historian and broadcaster Dr Kate Lister. In her new book, Flick: The Story of Female Pleasure, she traces the history—from Ancient Mesopotamian sex goddesses to today—examining how women’s sexual pleasure has been feared and controlled, but also celebrated, persistently fought for, and enjoyed. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Dianne McGregor

Emergency C-sections, Hannah Murray, Strip clubs

The way women give birth is changing, according to BBC analysis, which has discovered that one in four births in England are now emergency caesareans. The current figure is 26% - an increase of 8% in the past five years - and the rate of elective caesareans has also gone up. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists say the system is struggling to cope with this increased level of unplanned surgeries. To discuss what's behind the rise and the potential impact on women, presenter Kylie Pentelow is joined by BBC Health Correspondent Catherine Burns, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Dr Alison Wright, and Helen Cheyne who’s a Professor of Maternal and Infant Health Research at the University of Stirling. Hannah Murray was at the height of her fame as an actor in 2016, having found fame as the much-loved Cassie in E4’s teen drama Skins, she was now a regular in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones as Gilly. But behind the scenes Hannah was struggling with her mental health, and she found herself involved in an organisation which offered courses in magical healing. The following year, Hannah was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She’s since retired from acting and written a memoir about those turbulent times, called The Make-Believe – A Memoir of Magic and Madness. Women’s rights charity FiLiA has launched a new national campaign to get Sexual Entertainment Venues, commonly referred to as strip clubs, off the streets. This is informed by new research examining how the venues are viewed and experienced by women living, working and moving nearby. They spoke to more than 700 women across Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester, with 55% of women opposed to the venues, and 8% expressing supportive views. Dr Laura Favaro, Director of Research at FiLiA, joins Kylie to discuss their report. The female CEO of dating app Hinge has said that Gen Z "need AI to start conversations on dating apps because they lack the confidence of older generations". Jackie Jantos told the BBC that daters in their 20s are spending less time with other people, compared to two decades ago, has affected their ability to meet and chat in person. To discuss whether AI could help or hinder dating, and the challenges of meeting people IRL, Kylie is joined by author and journalist Olivia Petter and Jessica Evans, founder of events company BODA, which stands for Bored of Dating Apps. And BBC Music correspondent Mark Savage joins us to discuss the breaking news that Kayna King, the entrepreneur and founder of the Mobo awards, has died aged 57 from colon cancer. The Mobo Organisation called her one of the UK music industry's "most fearless champions". Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths