contest will be announced at the end ofjuly. jonathan blake, bbc news, cambridge. it's 30 years since the publication of the book the satanic verses sparked protests right around the world. some muslims believed its author, salman rushdie, blasphemed the prophet muhammad. the controversy prompted a vigorous debate about freedom of speech and respect for religious sensitivities that resonates today. they are themes that will be explored at the bradford literature festival, which opened tonight — in a city where a copy of the satanic verses was burned in public in 1989. our arts editor, will gompertz, has more. this is the centre of bradford, the heart of bradford. 30 years ago, this was also where some rather momentous events took place. crowd chants. this is where the satanic verses was burnt. it's the image that became seared in the national consciousness and became associated with this city. for muslims collectively, it was a moment of crystallisation of identity. prior to that, you know, everybody was asian,

there wasn't really the religious nuance, but what you see at that moment is people saying, actually i live here, this is my country, i belong here, i'm going to spend the rest of my life here and my children are going to grow up here, so if i don't like something i'm going to raise my voice. the festival is hosting a series of events, with contemporary authors reflecting on the politics of writing three decades on from salman rushdie‘s controversial novel. would your books, which are about muslim dating and putting a mosque in a british village — would those have been published, 30 years ago, and would they have created a reaction if they were? no, i don't think they would have been published and certainly not a book about a mosque in a village, because that conversation wasn't even happening and i don't think we were part of things in that way. i think a writer should be allowed to write whatever they want to write about, that is just categorical. what i do think, though, is that you have a responsibility. i don't believe in censorship when it comes to writing, but i do think that you have to bear the consequences of what you write. it was a despicable attack that

i condemn completely. not good enough, not good enough was quite a new play, imam imran, which is part of the festival programme. it explores issues of identity, perception, protest and faith. so if you go back 30 years to the burning of the satanic verses and that moment and everything that happened since, where does this play bring us to? i think it brings us to a place where the confidence to protest is more present now i think than it was then. i think the protest now is more articulate, more subtle and more nuanced. i think also particularly in the way the play deals with these issues, there's the confidence to use satire, to use humour, to use other ways of addressing the issues other than naked anger and frustration. this is why i'm doing this, to break down this anger. the subject of protest is extended to the festival itself. some authors have pulled out

of events after discovering a government counter—extremism scheme had provided funding, proving once again that art and politics are not strange bedfellows, but are intimately connected. art can unite everyone. will gompertz, bbc news, bradford. that's it. here on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm lizzie greenwood—hughes, here's what's coming—up on the show tonight. england will play the usa in the women's world cup semi—finals after the defending champions beat france tonight. bees stop play at the cricket world cup as south africa go on to thrash sri lanka at chester—le—street. and kyle edmund's final wimbledon warm—up ends in defeat in the semi—finals of eastbourne.

welcome to the programme, we're starting at the women's world cup where the match billed as the game of the tournament lived—up to its billing, as the usa beat hosts france 2—1 to set—up a semi—final match with england in lyon on tuesday. let's go live to paris where our reporter sarah mulkerrins has been following the action. hi, sarah, we'll talk about what this means for england in a moment but first can we talk about tonight's match because even though it was 2—nil for most of the game — france put up a really good fight and it was genuinely exciting the whole game wasn't it? yes, absolutely. i do not think that

2-0 yes, absolutely. i do not think that 2—0 lead, told the whole story. the host u nfortu nately for 2—0 lead, told the whole story. the host unfortunately for that young fan from france, his young tournament is over because they are defeated by the defending champions. this was billed as the biggest ever world cup game, because it at the number one team of america versus france's number two team. the atmosphere was electric but those hosts, it was dampened earlier with a woman that has been in the headlines about her comments about the white house and calling this a crazy circus. she was five minutes and and she scored with that free kick. and then, the first half has to be said was mostly the usa as france struggled to break through that sharp defence as the usa sat back. the second half was much better, wave after wave of french attack, but they cannot finish the

shots, which has been the story of this team and again it was megan who stepped up to the mark, got on a lovely ball, defending and in fairness, bernard went missing and the atmosphere really sunk around the atmosphere really sunk around the stadium the fans are wondering what this team could do and there it was. wendy, nine minutes from time went in and she scored a header and just set the place of light again. the noise was something special. they really thought they could launch something, unfortunately, it was not to be. a late shout for handball we have seen given in incidents in this tournament. and the usa go marching on, but the hosts, france, are out. what next what this means is if they are going to win the first ever world cup,

they are going to have to beat the usa but they looked fallible tonight, didn't they? there are questions about this usa site, they had a very easy progression to the group stages, the quality of opposition was not quite there but i think in the round to the group stages, the quality of my position was not quite thereby think in the round 16 game and even the one with the penalties to get through, tonight, france definitely asked questions of that defence and when england come up against them, england come up against them, england has been far more clinical when they are given an opportunity to attack, far more able to take those chances to convert them. that is what france could not do tonight, so is what france could not do tonight, so if england can continue to build and build, they can take those chances and interestingly, yet the sta rstruck chances and interestingly, yet the starstruck for england and also five goals in the race for the golden boot, set to be a titanic tussle, i think. but the usa would have to

probably be the favourites based on their pedigree. they are three—time champions, they are on a roll they are the number one team in the world and they just have are the number one team in the world and theyjust have a way of getting things done. interestingly though, with france going out in the usa going through, it does mean that england have ta ken going through, it does mean that england have taken a qualification spot for team gb for the olympics in tokyo next year. so that is a big result as well for the players in great britain. we will be talking to you on tuesday, what a game that is going to be. today's cricket world cup match in durham will be remembered for two things — a swarm of bees that briefly stopped play and also a 9 wicket win for the already out south africa but which really helps england because sri lanka are one of the sides who can deny them a place in the semi—finals. adam wild reports. for south africa, all that is left to play for in this world cup is

pride. the competition has been a sobering experience and may rank as the worst in the country's history. what they needed was a spark, something to cling onto and this was the very first ball of the day. the worst possible start. before anyone really got started. 0thers fared just a little better, sri lanka, the sta kes a re just a little better, sri lanka, the stakes are rising with every match. still, within touching distance of the semifinal. but they did not need was this. hard to come by, too often wea k was this. hard to come by, too often weak it's being given away, slow sri lankan progress with only brief fleeting rest bite. they eventually stopped altogether. an entirely swarm of bees, but it was only a minor invasion, not enough to stop them from falling for long. all out forjust 203. them from falling for long. all out for just 203. but them from falling for long. all out forjust 203. but given the kind of performance south africa have managed with this world cup, even

that seem to challenge, even particularly the latest batsman. but south africa do have more to offer, leading the charge. victory for the ms. swift and comfortable as it was overdue. for south africa finally, a little pride restored. well here's a quick look at the table after that match. south africa down in 8th after only two wins so they can't reach the semi finals. sri lanka just above them needing to win theirfinal two games to make the top 4. 0nto tennis and after saying he believes he's good enough to win wimbledon — british number one kyle edmund has been drawn against spain's jaume munar in the first round next week. but he fell short today as he lost in straight sets to the unseeded american taylor fritz in the semi—finals at eastbourne. nick parrott reports. kyle said he is living the dream going to wimbledon is british