today at six... author salman rushdie has been stabbed during an event in the united states. he's been treated in hospitalfor what police described as a stab wound to the neck. a has been detained. the condition of the author of controversial book the satanic verses is unknown. we'll bring you what we know. the other main stories... drought is officially declared across large parts of england after the driestjuly in 50 years. we've had weeks and weeks of dry weather and we'll need weeks of rain, probably above average rainfall this autumn and this winter to replenish our water supplies.

as official figures show the economy shrank slightly between april and june, the chancellor says he recognises the difficulties people are facing. we are looking at all the options of what additional help we need to bring in later on in the winter months, in december and january, work those up so they are ready to go. and the shortlist of uk cities that could host next year's eurovision song contest has been revealed, with seven left in the running. and coming up on the bbc news channel... great britain have won their first medals in the track cycling at the european championships in munich, with the bronze in the men's team pursuit getting the team on the board. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six.

police in new york state say the author salman rushdie has suffered a stab wound to the neck. his condition is not met your own. police said a man have been taken into custody stop mr rushdie received death threats after writing his book the satanic verses in 1988 and went into hiding for nearly a decade. our culture editor, katie razzall, reports. salman rushdie was flown by air ambulance to hospital after the attack in new york state. the prize—winning author, the target of his limited death threats for decades, was about to give a lecture a man assaulted him on stage. local police that he had suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck. other reports suggested multiple wounds. because tomorrow we saw somebody onto the stage. from where i was sitting, it was to my left, so stage right, perhaps from behind. and repeatedly stabbed salman rushdie. it was a horrible thing to

witness. he rushdie. it was a horrible thing to witness. ., , ., ., rushdie. it was a horrible thing to witness. . , . ., ., witness. he has an individualwho has sent witness. he has an individualwho has spent decades _ witness. he has an individualwho has spent decades speaking - witness. he has an individualwho has spent decades speaking truth | witness. he has an individual who i has spent decades speaking truth to power. _ has spent decades speaking truth to power, someone who has been out there _ power, someone who has been out there unafraid, despite the threats that have — there unafraid, despite the threats that have followed him this entire adult _ that have followed him this entire adult life — that have followed him this entire adult life. ., �* , that have followed him this entire adult life. . �* , , , ., adult life. iran's then spiritual leader, ayatollah _ adult life. iran's then spiritual leader, ayatollah khamenei, | adult life. iran's then spiritual| leader, ayatollah khamenei, if adult life. iran's then spiritual- leader, ayatollah khamenei, if the day fatwa against a novelist in 1989 of the publication of his fourth novel, the satanic verses stop there had been mass protest by muslims across the world against a book inspired by the life of the prophet muhammad. he went into hiding for ten years, burned in effigy in the streets of his lover back to london. in recent is, he has been visible presence after the reigning government distanced itself from the patois put up what happened today is a stark reminder that threat of violence never went away. let's cross to our north america correspondent, john sudworth, in

washington. this is a developing story, but what more do we know about the attack?— story, but what more do we know about the attack? there has been a reaction, about the attack? there has been a reaction. as — about the attack? there has been a reaction. as you — about the attack? there has been a reaction, as you might _ about the attack? there has been a reaction, as you might expect, - about the attack? there has been a reaction, as you might expect, of i reaction, as you might expect, of stunt shop here, both to those distressing images of mr rushdie injured on stage, and the news from the police that he has suffered an apparent stab wound to his neck and has been rushed to hospital by helicopter. we don't yet know the motive for this attack, but that the threat that mr rushdie has spent decades living under will of course be a key focus of any investigation. there has been a reaction of sympathy from the world of literature, from politics, from human rights. one group described mr rushdie as having underscored in the way he lived the importance of free speech. and the new york state governor, kathy hochul, talking of the fact that she found this news heartbreaking and she said that, at the time of the press conference a

few hours ago, she had been told that mr rushdie is still alive. thank you, john sudworth in washington. we will bring you more on this developing story as we get it. a drought has been declared across extensive parts of england, after the driest summer for 50 years. it comes in the middle of a four—day amber warning for extreme heat from the met office, which is in place for much of england and wales until sunday. as you can see here, the areas affected include much of the south west, parts of southern and central england and the east of england. it means more hosepipe bans are likely, and water companies could bring in even stricter measures, including a ban on nonessential water use. four water companies across england and wales have already announced hosepipe bans, and today yorkshire water said it would also be imposing one from august 26th. scientists have warned that heatwaves, like the one we are currently experiencing, are going to become more frequent and more intense as the world's climate begins to warm —

and, when you compare this image of the uk from august last year to this image taken yesterday, you can see the difference in how dry the ground is in the south and east of the country. our correspondent, helena wilkinson, has more. this is one of the areas that is now in drought. like many parts of england, it's seen very little rain in the last six weeks, and take a look at the fields behind me, you can see the impact that has been having. there is some rain forecast for early next week, but the environment agency said today it will take weeks of rain for the drought to come to an end, and we are all being told to do our bit to save water. fields where they are still trying to put out fires. this is west bridgford in nottinghamshire, vast parts of the country now look like this. dried out from the heat,

desperate for water. and reservoirs are low, like this one in derbyshire. after nearly six weeks of dry conditions, a drought has been declared for parts of england. southern, central and eastern areas are affected, including devon and cornwall, kent, london and the east midlands. water companies can now bring in stricter measures to save water. ~ , ., ., ., ., , bring in stricter measures to save water. ~ ., ., ., water. when you turn on a tap or have a shower, _ water. when you turn on a tap or have a shower, that _ water. when you turn on a tap or have a shower, that water - water. when you turn on a tap orj have a shower, that water comes water. when you turn on a tap or - have a shower, that water comes out of rivers like this, so we take it away from the environment or a farmer who could be using it to irrigate or harvest crops we need forfood, so it's about irrigate or harvest crops we need for food, so it's about signalling this is something beyond normal and we all play a role in thinking about where our water comes from and to use water wisely. where our water comes from and to use water wisely-— use water wisely. there are already hose--ie use water wisely. there are already hosepipe bans _ use water wisely. there are already hosepipe bans in — use water wisely. there are already hosepipe bans in place, _ use water wisely. there are already hosepipe bans in place, with - use water wisely. there are already hosepipe bans in place, with morel use water wisely. there are already l hosepipe bans in place, with more on the way to stop from today, nearly 1.5 million south—east water and the way to stop from today, nearly 1.5 million south-east water and in sussex and — 1.5 million south-east water and in sussex and are _ 1.5 million south-east water and in sussex and are banned _ 1.5 million south-east water and in sussex and are banned from - 1.5 million south-east water and in sussex and are banned from using | sussex and are banned from using them for the in some areas, there

are exemptions lawbreakers could be fined £1000. one area band is haywards heath in west sussex. this allotment has suffered after nearly six weeks with little rain and dry conditions. plots are bare, crops and flowers are drying. the cost of living crisis, people turning to this to transport themselves in this way? i this to transport themselves in this wa ? ., ., �* , this to transport themselves in this wa ? ~' ., �* , , this to transport themselves in this wa ? ~ . �*, , ., way? i think that's true. there is a ve real way? i think that's true. there is a very real desire _ way? i think that's true. there is a very real desire to _ way? i think that's true. there is a very real desire to say, _ way? i think that's true. there is a very real desire to say, where - way? i think that's true. there is a very real desire to say, where can| very real desire to say, where can we save _ very real desire to say, where can we save some money and cut some corners? _ we save some money and cut some corners? in— we save some money and cut some corners? ., ., ., , corners? in fife, scotland, farmers are bein: corners? in fife, scotland, farmers are being temporarily _ corners? in fife, scotland, farmers are being temporarily banned - corners? in fife, scotland, farmers are being temporarily banned from | are being temporarily banned from using waterfrom the are being temporarily banned from using water from the river eden on theirfields from midnight using water from the river eden on their fields from midnight tomorrow. although not officially declared a drought area, in barry ireland in droughtarea, in barry ireland in south drought area, in barry ireland in south wales, the warm weather has been good for business.— been good for business. financially it's heled been good for business. financially it's helped immensely. _

been good for business. financially it's helped immensely. when - been good for business. financially it's helped immensely. when we i been good for business. financially i it's helped immensely. when we see weather forecasts like this, hitting 30 degrees, we can cope. taste weather forecasts like this, hitting 30 degrees, we can cope.- weather forecasts like this, hitting 30 degrees, we can cope. we are half way through — 30 degrees, we can cope. we are half way through this _ 30 degrees, we can cope. we are half way through this extreme _ 30 degrees, we can cope. we are half way through this extreme and - way through this extreme and there is forecast for some rain early next week but the environment agency says week but the environment agency says we will need weeks of rain to stop the drought affecting parts of england. helena wilkinson, bbc news, surrey. hosepipe bans have come into force for millions of people, as the low water levels and tinder—dry conditions continue across the uk. so which parts of the country are being affected, and what more can people do to conserve water? our climate editor, justin rowlatt, has more details. thanks, tina. this is where drought has been declared — look at that — more than half of the country. and the environment agency says two other big english regions, yorkshire and the west midlands, are likely to be declared in drought by the end of this month. this gives you an idea of why the decision has been made.

these are the areas where hosepipe bans are already in place, and we are being told that more bans are very likely on their way. raising the dial to drought sounds dramatic, and that is the point. the government wants to encourage us all to use the country's scarce water supplies more wisely. so what can we do? don't have a bath, have a shower, and a short one. don't leave taps on, even when you're brushing your teeth. don't put on a small wash — wait till you've got a full load. and finally, fix any leaks. a leaking toilet can waste 400 litres a day. and, of course, we should also be asking what the water companies will do now a drought has been declared. they're going to press ahead with the plans for tackling drought agreed with the government. a desalination plant in london may go into operation. they are now allowed to take more waterfrom rivers — and, as well as additional hosepipe bans, if things get worse they could

order you to stop washing your car. remember 1976 — the water industry is saying it is very unlikely that we'll see the standpipes in the streets and water rationing the uk experienced during the famous drought back then. and i've got more bad news for you — i'm sorry! and look at an experiment by dr rob thompson at the university of reading. this shows just how long it takes for water to soak into parched ground. look, the wet grass has absorbed it all already, but the water level of the cup on dry ground has barely changed. what does that tell us? it shows why heavy rain next week is likely to lead to some flash floods. and we can expect more weather extremes, like what's being felt here and across much of europe at the moment. the climate science is very clear. it says heatwaves will become more frequent and more intense as our atmosphere continues to warm. and, if you are worried about temperatures here in the uk,

spare a thought for the arctic. look at this... it shows how much more rapidly the arctic has warmed than the rest of the world since the industrial revolution a century and a half or so ago. new research suggests it is warming much faster than was previously assumed, four times faster than the global average. it is yet another warning showing why it is so important the world cuts carbon emissions quickly. for more information on the rules on hosepipe bans, and what drought means for you, go to the bbc website at this address. tina. thank you very much, justin rowlatt, our climate editor. the uk economy shrank between april and june, adding to concerns about a darkening economic outlook. it comes after the bank of england forecast the uk will fall into recession towards the end of this year. details were for gross domestic product —

the combined sum of goods and services in the uk. the data from the office for national statistics shows the quarterly contraction was just 0.1% from april tojune, which is smaller than some analysts had predicted, but showed a slowing in consumer spending. and the gdp figures forjune alone showed the economy shrank by 0.6%. here's our business editor, simonjack. here in chester, it's notjust the drinks that are on ice. the whole economy has started to cool. the owner of this bar, kingdom thenga, told me hopes of a post—covid boom had been dashed. we're just surviving right now. it's not about making money, it's not about trying to expand or trying to grow our business, it's just about stabilising the business, especially after the pandemic over the past two years. we thought, we'll get through the pandemic and we'll come back and there will be a massive surge and the roaring �*20s, here we come.

the reality is that it's the opposite. judging by your own business, do you think we are already in recession? i would say yes. from energy bills to not going out to the cost of living. itjust seems like that's where we are heading. a few miles away at the airbus factory in north wales, the current chancellor admitted times were tough, but said that £37 billion of support already announced by his predecessor, rishi sunak, would help — and more could be on the way. there is no doubt that these are challenging times. but of course, what we need to do is make sure we do two things. one, deal with the spike in gas prices. the way we do that is to get the £37 billion out of the door. we are midway through that. there's more to do. and then to work up the options available for more help later in the winter, in december and january.

one of the clearest signals yet that the person the chancellor is backing to succeed borisjohnson, liz truss, is accepting more direct support — what she was previously called hand—outs — will be needed. meanwhile, the labour leader said families needed detail of any new help coming sooner rather than later. had the government acted more quickly on the windfall tax, then for many more months families would have been protected under a better scheme by labour. if the government had acted on labour's idea for vat to be reduced, to be eliminated on energy bills, many people would be better off. just a few miles from airbus, greenacres animal park care for creatures that like high temperatures all year round, which means heating bills this winter are a serious concern. we have a lot of exotic animals on site. lemurs, crocodiles, etc, and it's expensive now to look after them. if the prices are going to increase, as is predicted, it's a real worry how we are going to get through the winter.

inflation stoked by these extraordinary energy price rises is sapping the life out of the economy. any hopes of a post—pandemic animal spirits recovery is being crushed by a cost of living and a cost of doing business crisis. companies are seeing their own costs soar while their customers' incomes dive. whoever becomes the next prime minister will have the formidable task of preventing millions feeling financial hardship and thousands of companies from going under. visitors here said they were cutting back. for this summer we've all looked for more free places to go to. we're going to have to start tightening our belts a bit because times are getting harder — everything apart from wages are going up. the economy has not fallen off a cliff — it's only shrunk slightly. but consumer fears are rising and business confidence is falling. simonjack, bbc news, north wales. the prime minister has acknowledged the support available for people

with energy bills already is not enough, and he expects more will be on offer in october and january. our political correspondent, nick eardley, joins us from westminster. what else did borisjohnson say? how significant are these comments? we have had an admission from the prime minister today that the package, only announced three months ago, just is not going to be enough. the prime minister thinks there is going to be more cash needed. what borisjohnson cannot and perhaps will not say is where that money should go. that is because he is going to be replaced injust over three and a half weeks and he says that it three and a half weeks and he says thatitis three and a half weeks and he says that it is his job to make sure the money is available for whoever gets the keys to number 10. the chancellor is drawing up a list of ready to go options for the next prime minister to choose from. but that lack of immediate action

infuriates some. we have heard it called a zombie government, the liberal democrats want the government to cancel the autumn price increase. labour say they are going to sit out a full strategy next week. sir keir starmer has faced some criticism for not doing that earlier. he said today that he wants to bring payments down for people on prepayment metres but fundamentally this will be a choice for the next prime minister. rishi sunak were liz truss. they are having an ideological battle over what that looks like and until that is result, the big decisions are going to have to wait.- is result, the big decisions are going to have to wait. thanks very much. going to have to wait. thanks very much- nick— going to have to wait. thanks very much. nick eardley _ going to have to wait. thanks very much. nick eardley in _ going to have to wait. thanks very i much. nick eardley in westminster. across the country, increases in energy, food and fuel prices are already affecting many people. it's peak holiday season in ilfracombe in north devon, but people there are already feeling the squeeze. jenny kumah reports from a town already worried about the months ahead. the sun is shining and the town is busy with holiday makers.

but ilfracombe is a place where housing is expensive, many people earn lower wages and now they are also dealing with rising inflation. chester sleeps at the bottom... and my bed is at the top of the triple bunk. this family of six are living in one room in grandma's two—bedroom bungalow. it's very cosy, very loud and very hot. mum, lisa, is a mental health nurse whose contract ends in october. she and her husband sold their house last year, and they can't afford to buy or rent locally. we've got one of those smart meters in there and all of the energy prices obviously are increasing ridiculously, so we are constantly monitoring it and constantly seeing it and trying to find ways to do things. it's just really sad. i've got my husband, who earns a good wage, and yet we still have to think about these things and are wary about these things. and then ijust think, oh, my goodness, all these people that aren't in the position that we are in. how do we help them? the town's employment is based

on low—paid seasonal work. the average weekly wage here is just over £400. that's around £100 below the national average. michelle works just up from the harbour. she has lived here all her life and has a 14—year—old daughter at home. while it's busy, she's taking on as many extra shifts as possible. i'll probably have to try and get an extra job to try and get some extra money. and how easy will that be? well, it won't be very easy. not here. because it is a summer town, that's when you make the money. in the winter it's going to be very hard. we are all having to pay more. brian, who owns this shop, says his wholesale prices have gone up by up to 30%. he is trying not to pass those costs on. but he has noticed a change in shopping habits. last year's heatwave, we were selling an average

of 20 big fans a day. this year we were selling three big fans a day. a lot of people just think, we can't actually afford to run that fan, to leave that fan on all night. we can't afford the electricity. people here tell me they are trying to make the most of the sunshine and the trade the summer brings. but they say they are increasingly worried about the months ahead. jenny kumah, bbc news. our top story this evening... author salman rushdie has been stabbed during an event in the united states. he's being treated in hospital. a man has been detained. plans for 7,000 extra hospital beds this winter have been announced by the nhs in england. coming up in sportsday on the bbc news channel... an untimely topple for charlotte worthington in the european bmx championships in munich as she crashes out of the freestyle final, having qualified with the best score.

thousands of train drivers at nine rail companies are striking tomorrow in a dispute over pay. there will be limited service or none at all on lines run by great western, greater anglia and lner among others. the train drivers' union aslef said the strikes were a last resort — but the rising cost of living meant workers faced a real terms pay cut. our business correspondent caroline davies is at euston for us. caroline — what more can you tell us about these strikes and the services affected? tell us about the avanti strikes on sunday. they are running a reduced schedule, too? , ., ' . they are running a reduced schedule, too? , . , . ., too? yes, a difficult time on the railwa s too? yes, a difficult time on the railways and _ too? yes, a difficult time on the railways and over— too? yes, a difficult time on the railways and over the _ too? yes, a difficult time on the railways and over the summer. l railways and over the summer. tomorrow it is a turn of the train drivers to strike, they will walk—out over pay but also terms and

conditions. these are the nine train companies that will be affected so as you can see, avanti west coast, greater anglia, great western, west midlands trains as well. what is to bearin midlands trains as well. what is to bear in mind is some services will bear in mind is some services will be very significantly reduced and some will have no services at all. this is also likely to rumble on into sunday so the advice, as ever, is to make sure you check before you travel. in terms of why these tracks are happening, we know the aslef union which represents train drivers has said they are trying to fight to ensure wages reflect the rise in living costs at the moment, and the cost of living crisis. the company said they want to give drivers more pay but to do that they need the workers to be agreed to have more flexible conditions. at the moment there has been no formal talks between both sides but those first talks are taking place next week, not early enough to stop this strike but the hope is that could avert future strikes because aslef say

they are willing to continue to have strike action or continue this dispute into the winter. the second point is about avanti, they run train services from here in euston station and from sunday they will run a significantly reduced service. that is because avanti relies on about 400 services a week being done by train drivers on their rest days. they are having to significantly reduce services because those individuals have dramatically dropped to only about 50 so that service will start from sunday, so a difficult time on the railways over the course of the summer. caroline, thank you- — an extra 7,000 nhs hospital beds are to be created as the health service in england prepares for what's expected to be a tough winter. it comes after government scientific advisers warned that "high numbers of beds may be needed for respiratory patients". i'm joined by our health editor, hugh pym. a winter plan being announced in august. should we take this as sign that

nhs england is worried? yes, senior health officials are worried about this winter, even in the summer we can see just how stretched the nhs is, a&e and ambulance service is very busy so nhs england is setting out this plan to get hospitals and the rest of the system ready and the aim is to create the equivalent of 7000 extra beds. some of them will be so—called virtual wards with patients at home being monitored remotely and that has been tried out before and was quite successful, freeing up beds for other patients. other beds will come in mobile units, set up on the grounds of hospitals and so on. the worry is if there will be enough staff to run the services. and the threats ahead or possibly another wave of covid but also the flu, we have not had much fillerfor wave of covid but also the flu, we have not had much filler for two years so immunity is low and it is pretty bad in the australian winter so it could be quite nasty here in

the uk. a government expert modelling committee says that even in an optimistic scenario, the demand for beds will be high. thank ou ve demand for beds will be high. thank you very much- _ the uk contenders vying to host the eurovision song contest next year have been announced. the glitzy event will fall to either birmingham, glasgow, leeds, liverpool, manchester, newcastle or sheffield. the song contest is coming to britain after it came second in this year's contest and organisers decided it wouldn't be safe for the winning country, ukraine, to host. our arts correspondent david sillito is in liverpool — one of the cities on the shortlist. fanfare. katie boyle, 1960. good evening, ladies and gentlemen. on behalf of the bbc, i'd like to welcome you all to the fifth annual eurovision song contest. europe thinks the british are reserved! the uk has a long history of staging the eurovision song contest. london, edinburgh, brighton harrogate and birmingham have all played host.

ok, so we know there are seven cities... and on today's shortlist, announced on radio 2, birmingham was — alphabetically — top of the list. glasgow, which recently hosted the cop climate conference, is also there. it's very, very exciting for the city. it's fantastic news. glasgow from the early days had been down as one of the favourites, but you never know until that shortlist appears. so, too, leeds, manchester, newcastle, sheffield and liverpool — much to the joy of one eurovision star. i am over the moon. my fingers are so crossed that it comes to liverpool. i mean, we tick all the boxes. we've got the arena, we've got the beautiful city. everything's on the doorstep. you know, we'rejust going to have the biggest party ever. and, of course, liverpool does have a little bit of a musical heritage. there is romance to their bid. but the winner will be determined much more about practicalities.

eurovision is, these days, huge. the event is two or three times the size of what it used to be in the �*90s. a cash—strapped bbc will have to bear much of the cost, but there will also be conversations with the government, sponsors and potential host cities — none of whom have much in the way of spare cash, but this year's host, turin, is understood to have spent around £10 million, and feels with the payback in tourism and exposure, eurovision was a good investment. david sillito, bbc news. that's return to the top story. the attack on the novelist salman rushdie, who was stabbed on stage earlier today. our north american correspondentjohn sudworth is in washington for us. what is the latest? ., , .

latest? nothing further since the new york state _ latest? nothing further since the new york state governor - latest? nothing further since the new york state governor gave i latest? nothing further since the new york state governor gave a | latest? nothing further since the - new york state governor gave a press conference within the past hour, where she said that at that stage are understanding was that salman rushdie was still alive. we have no new updates but this will undoubtedly play a much more widely, possibly into politics and foreign policy, with democrats and republicans deeply divided over policy on iran, this could resonate there, but more viscerally in terms of that value of freedom of speech, with this attack being seen as highlighting the importance of it. the worlds of literature, human rights and politics anxiously await further news. rights and politics anxiously await further news-— rights and politics anxiously await further news. john, thank you very much. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. it is set to get even hotter over the weekend? that is right, the peak of the heatwave is tomorrow, temperatures around the mid 30s celsius. another very hot and sunny

day across the board, even across much of the north—west of scotland also. we are into the middle part of the heatwave, tomorrow looks like the heatwave, tomorrow looks like the peak of the heatwave. it could be showers developing across northern and western areas on sunday but southern areas need the rain, look at that, 42 days without rain in oldham. that is a lot for the uk. the amber extreme warning remains in force for saturday and sunday and the heat slowly abating as we head into the start of next week but it will turn more humid as we start to import moisture from the south. through tonight many places stay dry but we will see low cloud and mist affecting eastern scotland, some travelling through the central belt but perhaps affecting glasgow by dawn. most places very warm with clear skies and light winds once again. saturday, a very warm start from the word go as temperatures will be soaring, still low cloud, mist hugging the east coast of

scotland and that is about it.