Women in Afghanistan, Alison Goldfrapp, VJ Day, High St shopping

Woman's Hour

BBC

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Personal Journals

4.2 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 15 August 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Four years after Taliban fighters retook the capital Kabul on 15 August 2021, UN Women, the gender equality agency, is warning that the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan is increasingly untenable. They say without urgent action, this untenable reality will become normalised and women and girls will be fully excluded. To discuss further Anita Rani is joined by Fawzia Koofi, former deputy speaker of the Afghan Parliament & peace negotiator, and BBC senior Afghan reporter Mahjooba Nowrouzi, recently returned from Afghanistan. The synth-pop visionary Alison Goldfrapp has had multi-platinum album sales, unforgettable Glastonbury performances, Brit and Grammy nominations. She received an Ivor Novello for Strict Machine as well as the Ivor’s Inspiration Award in 2021. Last year she completed a sold-out UK headline tour, cementing her reputation as one of the most compelling, dynamic and hypnotising live acts. Alison talks about her solo career and the idea behind her latest album Flux.

Topshop is relaunching this weekend with Cara Delevigne walking a catwalk show in Trafalgar Square. But with River Island closing stores around the country and Claire's Accessories also under threat, how healthy is the high street as a fashion shopping destination? Retail analyst Catherine Shuttleworth looks at what high street shopping is really like these days, how brands are diversifying, and whether Topshop can make a success of a relaunch.

Eighty years ago today, Japan unconditionally surrendered, following the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The war in Asia and Pacific ended, and World War Two was finally over. Tens of thousands of British, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers from across Britain’s empire had fought Japan. Thousands were taken as prisoners of war and held in appalling conditions. British civilians were also captured and interned. We learn about Shelagh Brown who was held captive for three and a half years, after fleeing her home in Singapore, then a British colony, when the Japanese invaded.

The Women's Rugby World Cup, being held in England, starts a week today. The BBC's Rugby Correspondent Sara Orchard runs us through everything we need to know.

Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Kirsty Starkey Editor: Karen Dalziel

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Anita Rani and welcome to Woman's Hour from BBC Radio 4.
0:04.9	Just to say that for rights reasons, the music in the original radio broadcast has been removed for this podcast.
0:11.3	Good morning and welcome to the programme.
0:14.0	Alison Goldfrapp has a new album out.
0:16.6	It's released today.
0:17.5	It's called Flux.
0:18.4	She's going to be here to tell us all about it.
0:20.7	And ahead of the Women's Rugby World Cup, which starts a week today, we'll be bringing you up to speed with everything you need to know.
0:27.7	On VJ Day, you'll be hearing never before broadcast cassette recordings of a woman who spent three and a half years as a prisoner of war.
0:36.3	And we'll be discussing the High Street as Topshop is set to return. It's an interview I actually did yesterday and me and the retail expert, Catherine Shottler, found ourselves reminiscing about our Saturday jobs. So this morning, I'd like you to get in touch with me to tell me about your Saturday jobs. I've worked from a very young age because, you know, family business, just being an Asian kid and never getting any pocket money. I've done it a lot. Petrol stations, worked in bars, retail waitress. But when I was in the sixth form, I know, actually uni, I had three jobs. The best was working behind the bar at the West Yorkshire Playhouse because I got to see all the plays for free. At the worst data inputting at a credit, a company. That was definitely clock watching that one. How about you? What Saturday jobs did you do? What were the perks? And are your kids as keen to get out there and earn their keep? Whatever your thoughts on Saturday jobs, 84844, reminisce. Take me down memory lane, tell me all about it. Where were
1:29.3	you? What were you up to? The best bits, the worst bits. You can email the program by going to the website,
1:34.3	and of course the WhatsApp number is 0-3-700-100-400-44. Looking forward to reading those. The text message,
1:41.5	though, once again, text number 84844. First, though,
1:46.7	four years after Taliban fighters retook the capital Kabul on the 15th of August 2021, UN Women,
1:54.2	the Gender Equality Agency, is warning that the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan is
1:59.0	increasingly untenable. They say without urgent action,
2:03.7	this untenable reality will become normalized and women and girls will be fully excluded. The report
2:10.3	says after four years and waves of directives, Afghan women and girls have been stripped of their rights.
2:16.4	Women are living shorter,
2:18.1	less healthy lives. Maternal mortality risks and child marriage rates are rising and violence
2:24.1	against women is growing unchecked. The state of women's rights in Afghanistan has made it
2:29.5	the country with the second widest gender cap in the world, second only to the Yemen.
	...

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