hello. this is bbc news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: the man suspected of stabbing author salman rushdie pleads not guilty to attempted murder and assault. fires, drought and heatwaves. we report from france, where exhausted fire crews have spent weeks battling wildfires. the ground around me is smoking. there is smouldering embers hue which very easily can be whipped up into yet another fire. one person is killed and dozens injured when high winds cause parts of a stage to collapse at a dance music festival in spain. and child poverty seen up close. researchers attach body cameras to children to assess the level of deprivation in new zealand.

hello and welcome to bbc news. the man accused of stabbing the author sir salman rushdie has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault. hadi matar was formally charged in a court in new york state. sir salman remains on a ventilator in hospital, after being attacked at an event yesterday. he's been the subject of death threats ever since the publication in 1988 of his controversial book, the satanic verses, which some muslims considered blasphemous. this report from our correspondent, nomia iqbal. sir salman rushdie remains on a ventilator inside this hospital after undergoing emergency surgery. his agent has said the author is in bad shape. he faces losing an eye, the nerves in one of his arms are severed and his liver is damaged. sir salman was flown here from the neighbouring state of new york.

it was there at a literary event where the attack happened in full view of a large audience. a man in a black mask jumped onto the stage, stabbing him at least once in the neck and several times in the abdomen. guests held the suspect down as others tried to help the author, who lay injured on the stage. i've been coming here for 31 years. this is one of the most peaceful, quiet places i have ever been in my life. you know, the guy has a price on his head from 1989. of all the places he might be attacked or hurt or, god forbid, die, chautauqua would be the last place i would think of. the suspect in custody is 24—year—old hadi matar from newjersey, whose parents migrated from lebanon. reports say that a law enforcement review of his social media accounts found he was sympathetic to the causes of the iranians revolutionary guards, a major military and political

force in iran. it was in 1989 when iran's spiritual leader at the time placed a death sentence on sir salman. his book, the satanic verses, was considered an insult to islam and led to global riots which killed 45 people. he went into hiding for nearly a decade. questions are now being asked about the level of security precautions at the event where sir salman was attacked. but in recent years, he expressed discomfort about high levels of security, saying he wanted to be able to live his life freely. nomia iqbal, bbc news, pennsylvania. suzanne nossel is chief executive of the free expression organisation, pen america. she is also a friend and former colleague of salman rushdie who partnered with her to help champion persecuted writers worldwide. thanks forjoining us, suzanne. you are clearly close with sir salman rushdie so thoughts with you. what's your reaction to

the awful attack? absolutely stunned and _ the awful attack? absolutely stunned and horrified. - the awful attack? absolutely i stunned and horrified. salman is actively involved in pen, a frequent and reliable presence at our events. he is a speaker who has moved around freely in new york for decades at this point, so for this to happen in broad daylight, a premeditated attack, so brittle, clearly intended to kill, lethal, was just a shock to the conscience for all of us. pm just a shock to the conscience for all of us.— for all of us. an attack on sir salman but _ for all of us. an attack on sir salman but also _ for all of us. an attack on sir salman but also an - for all of us. an attack on sir salman but also an attack. for all of us. an attack on sirj salman but also an attack on free speech�*s absolutely. he salman but also an attack on free speech's absolutely. he is not the only — free speech's absolutely. he is not the only endangered - free speech's absolutely. he is| not the only endangered writer. we document an annual freedom to write index at pen america. salman is a great champion of other writers who are in peril because of the crime of

expressing themselves and telling stories, of speaking the truth, as they see it. and so this is emblematic in our minds of a threat to free expression worldwide and salman has been a crucible of that. that's how he has lived his life, in defiance of those threats, he has been the most outspoken and forthright opponent of those threats, and so, to see him attacked in this way is just a wake—up call for everybody of how approximate these dangers are and that if his three speech is in peril, so is that of all of us. he has been warning _ so is that of all of us. he has been warning about - so is that of all of us. he has been warning about this - so is that of all of us. he has been warning about this kind so is that of all of us. he has i been warning about this kind of thing for quite a while himself, as have you and your organisation, the writers across the world face threats and dangers like this?- and dangers like this? yes, they d0- — and dangers like this? yes, they d0- if— and dangers like this? yes, they do. if you _ and dangers like this? yes, they do. if you think- and dangers like this? yes, they do. if you think is - and dangers like this? yes, they do. if you think is the l they do. if you think is the writers as the canaries in the coalmine, they are the forefront of expression, but we all face risks for speaking our mind, expressing our opinions,

and it's writers like salman who are courageous who pushed at the boundaries, who are edgy. at the boundaries, who are edgy, who are fearless and taking on those in positions of authority, to really create that space for the rest of us to be able to speak in discourse freely. we need writers to challenge us, to push us and we need to have their backs when they do so. what more can and should be done to protect writers following this attack? there is a lot that can _ following this attack? there is a lot that can be _ following this attack? there is a lot that can be done. - following this attack? there is a lot that can be done. there l a lot that can be done. there are authoritarian regimes around the world that target and minister writers, punished with the crime of dissent, and the international community, western governments, multilateral organisations, all those who believe in democracy need to speak out about free expression as the fundamental foundation of democracy, the cornerstone, without which elections and press freedom do not survive. and so we got to recognise that free expression,

in any dialogue, whether it's about climate change, women's rights, environmental rates, lgbtqi rights, all those causes depend upon the foundation of freedom of expression. everybody who is championing those movements needs to consider themselves a free expression defender. suzanne nossel, that's _ expression defender. suzanne nossel, that's all _ expression defender. suzanne nossel, that's all we - expression defender. suzanne nossel, that's all we have - expression defender. suzanne| nossel, that's all we have time for but thank you forjoining us. a difficult time for you but thanks for taking the time. suzanne nossel, live from new york. —— nantucket. several european countries have seen a wave of deadly wildfires, triggered by record temperatures and drought across the continent. here you can see there are currently major fires in much of western europe. officials are concerned that windy conditions could make the situation worse. firefighters in france are continuing to battle what they're calling a monster fire south of bordeaux, which has forced thousands to evacuate their homes. bethany bell reports from the gironde. the woods near bordeaux are still burning. this area was hit by a massive fire

injuly and another blaze this week. fire crews from across europe have come here to help their french colleagues, many of whom are exhausted. the pine forests and the peat rich soil are like a tinderbox. even when the big fires are out, the danger still remains. even when the big fires are out, the danger still remains. as you can see, the ground around me is smoking. there's smouldering embers here, which very easily can be whipped up into yet another fire. the blaze breaks out in the bushes. firefighters rush to put it out. but it's a constant struggle. last night, the flames reached the edge of this village, threatening several houses. we met the mayor as he supervised a truck spraying water into the woods. translation: we've never known a summer like this. |

it's a catastrophe, an environmental catastrophe, and also a climate catastrophe. the sun and wind need to be replaced by clouds and rain as quickly as possible. 10,000 people have been evacuated from their home region. at a shelter in the town of sal, christian told me it's the second time he's had to flee this summer. they are more out of money to think about now. translation: i'm fed up with it mentally and physically. - it's time to go home, but itjust doesn't stop. it's a very serious fire the first time there's been such a big fire in our region. christian hopes he'll be able to go home soon. cooler temperatures are forecast for next week. but he, like everyone here, is worried about the future. bethany bell, bbc news in the gironde. the uk environment agency has warned that the drought declared in many parts of england could last into next year. the official declaration yesterday is expected

to trigger stricter controls on water use, such as hosepipe bans. the drought announcement covers much of the south—west, and parts of southern, central and eastern england. angus crawford reports. no more summer paddling here for debbie, brian and anne. water levels on this part of the basingstoke canal in surrey are just too low. it's going to be hard work because we've got to load the boats onto trailers or onto cars and take them and find somewhere else to go. it is frustrating, yes. in the winter, the water comes up to the top of the rust line. in a normal summer, halfway up. but now it's completely dry and there's so little water in the main channel that, from monday, all boats are going to be banned. this drought — changing lives and landscapes. ladybower reservoir in derbyshire, now half full. i think we've got forecast extremes of weather and that's the thing that we're now seeing become

the new normal with the climate emergency. and in west wales, fields of crops threatened by wildfires. in may, the perfect playing surface, but look now. the outfield burnt yellow. odiham in hampshire has gone more than a0 days without a drop of rain, longer than anywhere else in the country. it's dangerous. they slip when they're bowling. they can fall over trying to field a ball and it's dangerous. so we've gone from having to water our square maybe once a week, twice a week to keep it in good nick to now doing it at least once a day. rain is on the way, but the authorities warn the drought could be with us for months to come. angus crawford, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. the two main candidates in kenya's presidential election are said to be running neck and neck with more than a third of the results now confirmed.

former prime minister raila odinga has just a i% lead over deputy president william ruto. the head of the electoral commission has admitted that announcing the result of tuesday's election is taking too long as frustration grows in the country. colombia's first left—wing president, gustavo petro, has replaced the country's top military and police commanders less than a week after taking office. mr petro said their selection criteria were zero corruption and zero violation of fundamental rights. the former rebel fighter said security success should not be measured in the number of dead, but in promoting rights and liberty. protests have taken place near the ancient inca city of machu picchu, after tourists were unable to access the site. the authorities have been reducing the number of tickets on sale due to fears that visitor numbers were leading to unnecessary wear and tear. both foreign and local tourists were stranded unable to reach the iconic historical site. one person has died and dozens more were injured when high winds caused part of a stage

to collapse at a dance music festival in spain. the incident happened at the medusa festival in cullera — a beachside town south of valencia. the six—day festival has been suspended. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. at times it was hard to tell which was noisier, the pulsating sounds coming from the stage or the wins whipping through the festival's site. thousands attended this dance music event and the combination of hot temperatures and sudden arrival of fast moving air because all sorts of problems. you can see the way streamers and cables were blown away at high speed. a stretch of fencing appears to have been blown over and had to be dragged away as people left the area. look at how these low—flying clouds sped through the night air. eventually,

emergency crews turning up after part of the stage collapsed. here it was in the light of day, the damage nature can cause. the festival suspended, and people headed home. the party ending in the worst possible way. translation: worst possible way. tuna/mom- worst possible way. translation: ~ u, worst possible way. translation: ~ u, ., translation: we were caught at the campsite. _ translation: we were caught at the campsite, suddenly _ translation: we were caught at the campsite, suddenly there - the campsite, suddenly there was a lot of wind, very hot air, all the sand started to move. we saw tense flying. it was chaos. move. we saw tense flying. it was chm-— was chaos. translation: ??forcedblue _ was chaos. translation: ??forcedblue the - was chaos. translation: 2 ?forcedblue the partyl was chaos. translation: l ??forcedblue the party is was chaos. translation: - ? ?forcedblue the party is least important thing. the important thing is someone died. in a statement on social media, organisers said they were devastated and saddened by what happened. what was meant to be a joyous event turning to tragedy. tim allman, bbc news. our top stories: the man accused of stabbing the author sir salman rushdie

has appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault. firefighters have been battling a huge forest fire in the gironde region of france, as drought conditions are experienced across europe. child poverty in new zealand has been captured first hand by researchers who attached body cameras to over 150 children in the country's capital, wellington. the cameras took a photo every seven seconds, capturing a child's eye view of their home and daily routine. louise signal is a senior author of the study and professor in public health from the university of otago. she's in wellington in new zealand. a lot of data gathered here, 1.9 million photos, what were the mainfindings? we compare the lives of children of those who lived in poverty compared to those who lived was privileged, and we found that the children who lived in poverty had a lot less food available to them, so less fruit and vegetables, they

often had quite empty fridges and cupboards. they had less books in their homes, they had less access to technology. they often had to wait for their siblings or parents to finish using the computer before they could do their own homework. they had less sports equipment and toys, so less opportunity to kick a football around in the backyard. sadly they also lived in multi— old, broken, houses that were often overcrowded, and we know from from the covid pandemicjust how problematic it is to live in an overcrowded house. further to that, they had less personal space, less privacy, they actually had nowhere to do their homework in a sense, they didn't have a desk in their own bedroom that they could use. they often worked at the kitchen table with a lot else going on, and finally they also had a lot less opportunity for

after—school and weekend activities, including organised sport. activities, including organised sort. ., ., ,. , , sport. you have described these results are _ sport. you have described these results are shameful, _ sport. you have described these results are shameful, the - results are shameful, the results are shameful, the result that you gathered. what policy changes do you think i needed based on these results? we have certainly seen some progress here in new zealand from our government in terms of trying to get more money into households, and we know this problem of child poverty as in many developed countries around the world. i think we do need to make sure people have a living wage, that they have benefits that are there for them that are liveable when they are out of work, and that we make sure things like the cost of food which is very high here in new zealand and the cost of housing, which again is extremely high, are kept within a manageable bound so that peoples' incomes can address those goals. i think a lot of attention has been given, rightly so, to the methodology used to collect this data, body cameras worn by hundreds of children. do you think this method of collecting

data should be used more frequently? i do think it has got real value. we have been very lucky with the study, we have been able to do 13 different projects using the data that the children collected, and they were great researchers, they were great researchers, they were great researchers, they were very diligent. they were 12 —year—olds and they collected data from morning to night, and i think it is really important to work with children to get their view of the world, to get their view of the world, to listen to them, to hear from them about what is needed for them about what is needed for them to live long, healthy, satisfactory lives, and i think too often adults make policy decisions about children without really understanding what it is like. i think unless you have lived in poverty it is very hard to understand just how impactful it is in so many different ways. absolutely, and has the data been recognised by the government or local authorities, and do you see it being used to change things for the best in the future? as a researcher you always hope

so but i think in some ways this isn'tjust a government decision but also a decision for society, and i've always been very impressed with sweden where they take the future of the children as the most important policy issue for them as a nation, and i think new zealand could do more in this direction. it zealand could do more in this direction. , zealand could do more in this direction-— direction. it is in the centre of our policy-making - direction. it is in the centre of our policy-making in - direction. it is in the centre of our policy-making in a l direction. it is in the centre l of our policy-making in a way of our policy—making in a way that i think it could be and i think if we took a child—centred approach, as encouraged in international law by the united nations convention on the child, we went to less quality in children more flourishing societies. thank you very much for coming on and explaining how you got that research, and the body cameras, really interesting. members of the taliban have beaten female protesters and fired into the air as they violently dispersed a rare rally in the afghan capital. dozens of women protested against the rolling back of women's rights since the taliban returned to power a year ago. girls have been barred from attending secondary schools in most of the country

and women have only been allowed to work in a few sectors including public health and security. the internationally renowned photographer kiana hayeri has travelled across afghanistan over the past year, documenting storeys of women protests and prisons. she was at the protest in kabul and told us what she saw. we already know that the taliban was going to crack down before the protests started, there was a strong presence of taliban fighters. i probably had about five minutes to photograph, and we actually timed it from the moment the girls stepped on the street, started chanting, to the time that the taliban started firing, it was about 10 minutes — less than ten minutes, actually. no—one has been hurt. a bunch of foreign journalists and a few localjournalists have been arrested. a few people have been beaten up. when i learned they were going to fire, we knew theyjust wanted to intimidate and stop the women. so they've done this in previous protests as well. they fire in the air, just to disperse the crowd.

i wasn't surprised that it actually became violent and they started shooting at... i was very surprised at how quickly it happened. i've attended a few of these protests. these women are extremely brave for putting their face, putting themselves out there. and on top of that, what i found very interesting was, when this happened, when the shooting happened, the shopkeepers on the main street, they started giving refuge to us. i'm a female journalist, right? otherjournalists, foreigners, and also the female protesters, which i found very surprising for afghan culture. but they took us in. they gave us safety. we waited until things calmed down and then we left the shop. let's stay on that topic and look at bargain and cycling with a gun's national de modella telegram's return made the very act of cycling illegal

woman, with the help of former world champion cyclist they escaped to a town in italy where they are now training and hoping to become the first cyclist to represent afg ha n ista n cyclist to represent afghanistan at the back. the bbc visited them to see how they are settling into their new lives. translation: the first time j i rode a bike, it felt amazing. ifeltlikea bird. ifelt like i could fly. training in the foothills of the dolomites. it is a cyclist�*s dream. but for these sisters, it has come at a great cost. translation: when the taliban returned to power, i thought my| dream was over. translation: i never thought i would be a refugee. - i never imagined i would have to leave my country. but along with three team—mates, they have navigated a new home, new country and a new language. quindici, sedici, diciassette. .. despite a warm welcome, it's not been easy.

translation: when i remember my family, i feelvery sad. _ they wouldn't be here without former world champion cyclist alessa nd ra ca ppellotto. her charity helps female cyclists from developing countries. translation: they asked for help. their lives were in danger. so it's the natural thing to do to help them. the simple act of cycling is banned for women in afghanistan. but these girls are determined to continue the dream they started back home, here in the italian hills. they still have mountains to climb, but these sisters want to make history as the first cyclist to ever represent their country at the olympics. translation: | want| to go to the olympics. i want to win.

i want to show the world what afghan women can achieve. we want to be noticed. translation: i don't think all of them can become - champions, but i believe some of them can do it. cycling is a sport where willpower, the desire to work hard and passion count for a lot, and these girls definitely have all three. they're miles away from home, but these girls are hoping this village can give them the opportunities that afghanistan never could. it may only be the second weekend of the premier league season in england but already the size of the job new manchester united boss erik ten hag has on his plate turning the team around is plain to see. while their big rivals manchester city were strolling to a 4—0 victory to go top of the table. united's new boss saw his team humiliated by the same scoreline away at brentford. all four of the goals coming in a dreadful first half. it means united are currently bottom of the table with the worst goal

difference in the league. and it means the dutchman has become the first manchester united manager in more than 100 years to lose his first two games and knowing his next fixture is against liverpool, who they lost 5—0 against when they last played at old trafford. of course i hoped on the better stock, and this time it doesn't make it, but still i have to believe to get it in because i have seen the good things in the last period and we have two games, disappointed. swimming, and romania's david popovici has broken the 100 metre freestyle record at the european aquatic championships in rome. the 17—year—old double—world champion sliced a 20th of a second off the 13—year—old record, finishing in 16.86 seconds. he beat hungary's kristof milak into second place, with italy's alessandro miressi finishing third.

that is it from me now. they tuned to bbc news. hello. more showers in the forecast. we still have the met office amber warning for extreme heat in places, valid until the end of the day on sunday. we would still like to see some impact on the head on both of an transport as well. good deal of sunshine around through sunday morning, particularly across england and wales. showers developing across northern ireland pushing their way through the day into parts of scotland, likely to be heavy and boundary. wanted showers across parts of wales in south—west england, most will be dry, mist and low cloud clinging to north—eastern coast. temperatures will be the talking point again. 35 or 36 other top across parts of south—east england. widely in

the high 20s or low 30s. showers become more active as we go through sunday evening and overnight. they start to develop across parts of north—west england, wales and south—west england. again, heavy and gundary but falling on dry ground so there could be problems with flash flooding. very muggy overnight, parts of southern england could have a tropical night, temperatures not falling below 20. as we had through monday, the low pressure becomes more dominant, we will see frequent showers developing. on monday the main focus will be across scotland and northern ireland, again they will be heavy and gundary, merging together a longer spell of rain but a greater chance we'll see the showers pushing the way across england and wales. not everyone will see them but we could see some rain from the showers as we had through monday. a cooler fuel across scotland and northern ireland on monday, still very muqqy ireland on monday, still very muggy and warm across much of england and wales but the temperatures will be starting to fall down. as we head into

tuesday, more frequent showers across the north of england and into scotland, but also more frequent showers developing across the southern half of england as well, so a great chance we'll see spells of rain on tuesday. you will notice the temperatures are starting to come down. still warm but closer to where they should be for this time of year. through tuesday and wednesday the low pressure is close by, still a chance we will see some showers and thunderstorms but given how dry the ground as it may well be that we will see problems with flash flooding. certainly in the days ahead things will be turning cooler with a chance of rain. goodbye.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the man suspected of attacking author sir salman rushdie has been charged with attempted murder and assault. hadi matar, of newjersey, pleaded not guilty. the writer remains on a ventilator in hospital. he's been subject to islamist death threats since 1988 following publication of his novel, the satanic verses. french firefighters have been tackling wildfires raging across the country, including a very large blaze near the south—western city of bordeaux. fire crews are exahusted from the unrelenting heat that has driven the worst wildfires for decades. experts say the extreme conditions are being driven by climate change. droughts have been declared in eight areas of england. the environment agency in the uk says that

after the driest summer in nearly 50 years, it