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News with a Local Lens

BBC Radio 4 – Woman’s Hour, Childcare, Return to Syria, Inclusive wigs after chemo
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BBC Radio 4 – Woman’s Hour, Childcare, Return to Syria, Inclusive wigs after chemo

Does the unprecedented expansion of state-funded nursery places go far enough?

A new analysis into the quality and quantity of childcare in England has found that the huge expansion of free childcare currently underway may not work for the poorest families, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Save the Children. Report author Jodie Reed and Phoebe Arslanagic-Little, head of the New Deal for Parents at Onward, join Nuala McGovern to discuss it.

In Syria, people continue to celebrate in the streets after the fall of Bashar al-Assad from power this weekend. For many, the change in regime is life-changing, especially for those who fled the country and now feel safe returning home. One of them is Lina Sinjab, the BBC’s Middle East correspondent, who was forced to leave in 2013 after multiple arrests and threats. Today she is back in Damascus, where she works freely as a journalist for the first time in many years. She tells Nuala what it’s like.

A new Spanish-language film, Sujo, examines the life of an orphan in Mexico after the death of his father, a cartel gunman. It is a fictionalized look at the real-life implications of cartel violence for people living in parts of Mexico, and it shows the key role women play in trying to help this young man move forward in his life. Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez are the co-directors and they join Nuala to discuss.

After undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, hairstylist Anastasia Cameron was told at a salon in Wales that they did not offer afro wigs. She joins Nuala to discuss her experience and how she’s now helping other women in similar situations with her own wig business.