HER Ensemble, Dame Margaret Hodge MP, Surrogacy&IVF in Ukraine, Anne Dickson - a podcast by BBC Radio 4

Emma speaks to BBC Ukraine correspondent Zhanna Bezpiatchuk about the situation in Ukraine.
Today the Commons discuss the long-awaited Economic Crimes Bill. A cross party alliance of MPs will be tabling amendments to strengthen the bill. Amongst them is Labour MP, Dame Margaret Hodge who has been calling for tougher anti-corruption laws for many years, and has said there are "worrying loopholes in the bill". She joins EmmaLast year, just 5% of the classical music pieces performed worldwide were written by women. That’s the highest percentage recorded to date. When the violinist Ellie Consta found this out she brought together a string orchestra called Her Ensemble to perform a range of music written by women. Ellie and violinist Sarah Daramy-Williams joins Emma.Anne Dickson's book, A Woman in your own Right: The art of assertive, clear and honest communication, was first published 40 years ago. It has been in print ever since. Anne joins Emma to outline the skills and techniques she pioneered and to discuss why she believes they are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago.
One of the unforeseeable consequences of the war in Ukraine is how it has affected the hundreds of people from the UK and Ireland who visit the country every year to undergo fertility treatment or use Ukrainian surrogates. This has left families in a quandary about whether or not to continue treatment, and worried about the welfare of surrogate mothers and what could happen to any babies born during the conflict. Emma hears from Senator Mary Seery Kearney who is campaigning for surrogate women to be given refuge in Ireland and from Rend Platings who was due to return there this month for her next round of IVF.Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

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