Woman's Hour - 15/10/2009

With Jenn Murray. Handel was one of the greatest creators of female characters in opera. To mark the 250th anniversary of his death, English Touring Opera are putting on a Handelfest: a travelling festival of five of his operas. The Soprano Rachel Nicholls will be performing in two of them and sings live on the programme. From Plato to Foucault, understanding philosophy has never been easy. Complex arguments and unfamiliar terms can make texts seem at best demanding, at worst indecipherable. But this could all be about to change. Dr Angie Hobbs, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Warwick University, has become the first ever UK Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy. It will be her job to bring philosophy to a much wider audience. Jenni asks her whether is it possible to live both a happy life and a virtuous one, and whether ethics and economics really do sit in opposite camps. Tomorrow is the start of Diwali, the five day festival of light. TV chef Anjum Anand comes into studio to serve up some Diwali treats and explains how to make Indian food that is healthy and easy to prepare. South Africa will host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first time the tournament will be played in Africa. The country's tourism industry is expected to benefit from the estimated three million visitors, but there are concerns about the spread of HIV infection and calls are growing for South Africa to legalise prostitution. Jenni Murray finds out more.