hello. welcome to 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 firecrews have spent weeks battling wildfires. the ground around me is smoking. there's smouldering embers here which very easily can be whipped up into yet another fire. one person is killed and dozens injured when high winds cause part of a stage to collapse at a dance music festival in spain. and more embarrassment for manchester united as they lose 4—0 to brentford in the premier league.

hello. 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 iranian 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. sir salman rushdie remains very ill in hospital. he is still on a ventilator. this hospitals has some of the most advanced facilities in the country when it comes to dealing with trauma. the 24—year—old man is in custody, has been denied bail and charged with the intended murder and assault of an author who has spent a major part of his life living under the threat of extremist attacks. nomia iqbal, bbc

news, pennsylvania. we can now speak to jay rajiva who's an author and associate professor and director of literary studies at georgia state university. an appalling attack. can i get your initial thoughts and reaction to it?— reaction to it? just unbelievable, - reaction to it? just - unbelievable, tragedy. to reaction to it? jut unbelievable, tragedy. to think that this could happen in 20 something years after the satanic verses, rushdie is somebody who has had a transformative impact on the field of literature, postcolonial literature, thinking of rushdie and his accomplishments, and our thoughts are with him for his recovery. thoughts are with him for his recovery-— thoughts are with him for his recove . ., ,. , ., , recovery. you described him as transformative. _ recovery. you described him as transformative. what _ recovery. you described him as transformative. what is - recovery. you described him as transformative. what is he - recovery. you described him as transformative. what is he to l transformative. what is he to you? what impact has his work had on you and those you teach? everything. he inaugurated so much of what we consider contemporary post—modern magic realist writing, showing that this could be twined to the subject of the president of

india. midnight's children resonates with me most. that style, unforgettable, has had an impact, you can trace connection to all kinds of writers. he has had an impact on tradition. pm writers. he has had an impact on tradition.— writers. he has had an impact on tradition. an attack on him but also on — on tradition. an attack on him but also on writers _ on tradition. an attack on him | but also on writers everywhere and freedom of speech generally. and freedom of speech generally-— and freedom of speech generally. and freedom of speech uenerall. , , �*, generally. yes. exactly. it's funny because _ generally. yes. exactly. it's funny because rushdie - generally. yes. exactly. it's| funny because rushdie was, generally. yes. exactly. it's. funny because rushdie was, is generally. yes. exactly. it's- funny because rushdie was, is a very outspoken and i don't always agree with what he has had to say but in this case you have to consider the impact of writers everywhere, somebody is getting stabbed, somebody viciously assaulted, for putting words on a page, is unconscionable. this is something that we in solidarity should all rally around.- should all rally around. should be a wake-up _ should all rally around. should be a wake-up call— should all rally around. should be a wake-up call about - should all rally around. should be a wake-up call about the i be a wake—up call about the dangers writers face worldwide? it's a wake—up call for the dangers that marginalised people, people of colour, all

kinds of people face worldwide. we talk about cancel culture, a bit of a spectre, this is the real danger of cancel culture, somebody facing physical violence, being targeted because someone disagreed with their interpretation of a religious component in attacks, it is a huge wake—up call and also sadly quite continuous with the sort of apparent violence in america, the regular shootings and violence that happens here, also something that needs to be addressed in this country. almost a danger that's becoming normalised because we see so much. what more can be done to protect people like salman rushdie all those who are controversial who might be divisive? can anything be done that isn't being done at the moment?— that isn't being done at the moment? ~ ~ ., moment? we can think about makin: moment? we can think about making it. — moment? we can think about making it, from _ moment? we can think about making it, from the _ moment? we can think about | making it, from the standpoint of violence, or difficult people to obtain weapons to do this, but there is no 1—stop solution. a broadening of

empathy, a willingness to acknowledge positions that are difficult, rushdie is a difficult, rushdie is a difficult, and because of that, genius writer, a willingness to do that is what will help us move forward and stop us from being in our own little bubbles. but there is no wonder, unfortunately, solution. but we hope the literature has that effect. yes, it's a tragic story and incident. jay rajiva, that's all we have time for, live from atlanta, thanks forjoining us. thank you. 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. 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

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 hasjust a 1% 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. ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky says that every russian soldier

who shoots at the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant or uses it as a base to shoot from will himself become a target for ukrainian soldiers and intelligence officers. in his nightly video address, mr zelenzky said all those russians involved in what he called nuclear blackmail must be tried by an international court. he accuses russian troops of cynically using the power plant to shell the nearby cities of nikopol and translation: every russian soldier who _ translation: every russian soldier who either _ translation: every russian soldier who either strikes - translation: every russian soldier who either strikes the znvp or schwarzmann surgery must realise he will become a special target for our intelligence, social services and army. margaret kosal is professor of international affairs at georgia institute of technology. she was a senior advisor at the us department of defense. she's in atlanta. your reaction to the fact that someone, one side of the other, is shelling this plant, it seems?—

is shelling this plant, it seems? ., ~ ., ., ~ seems? thank you for taking the time to speak — seems? thank you for taking the time to speak with _ seems? thank you for taking the time to speak with me. - seems? thank you for taking the time to speak with me. my - time to speak with me. my reaction is that this is something that should not be going on. there has been unilateral condemnation, including calls by states like china to allow international observers and international inspectors into the zaporizhzhia plant. inspectors into the zaorizhzhia lant. ~ , ., zaporizhzhia plant. why do you think either— zaporizhzhia plant. why do you think either side _ zaporizhzhia plant. why do you think either side would - zaporizhzhia plant. why do you think either side would be - think either side would be shelling this plant? is there a logical exhalation you can think of? it doesn't seem like there be any winners. you are correct. there be any winners. you are correct if _ there be any winners. you are correct. if there _ there be any winners. you are correct. if there was - there be any winners. you are correct. if there was a - correct. if there was a catastrophic incident at the plant, there would be no winners, and because of the prevailing winds, it would potentially contaminate russia, just as much as it would contaminate area in ukraine. now, as to why it might be being used as nuclear

blackmail, is likely geopolitically, it likely reflects that russia is not doing well in the rest of the campaign. we are hearing unverified rumours that the russian military operations have pulled out of kherson, to the south—west, so the uptake and activity around the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant likely reflects the lack of co—ordination, the lack of command and control and general failure on the side of the russians. it is the largest nuclear plant in europe, should we be worried and further afield? and further afield ? well, anytime and further afield? well, anytime a military conflict is going on next to or at a nuclear power plant that is certainly of concern.

now, one does need to recognise that it would take a missile directly hitting the nuclear reactor to cause a major catastrophic event. now, that is at the far end of possibilities. there certainly are great deal of concern around the spent fuel which is less well protected, less well insulated, hitting one of the cooling facilities that brings in the water. right now they continue to be two of the six reactors that are continuing to run and i needed to produce electricity, but the greatest likelihood of risk is due to safety from the exhausted workers who are being forced to continue under a very stressful

situation, and some potential safety concerns. margaret kosal, that is all we have time for, thank you very much for bringing us up to date there. margaret kosal there from atlanta. we have this interview from bbc five live, speaking about how sir salman rushdie faced the dangers. he didn't want it to be secretive more than necessary, he wanted to be a free man, he wanted to live a normal life, and he was able to live a normal live in the us and he was very happy for that, so i am certain this is part of his

attitude, not to be in top security the whole time. how ou saw security the whole time. how you saw that _ security the whole time. how you saw that unfolded - security the whole time. how you saw that unfolded last night, obviously in hindsight security was needed, but it is hard living your life with security around all the time, right? security around all the time, riuht? ~ . security around all the time, riaht? ., , right? we have absolutely the same attitude, _ right? we have absolutely the same attitude, we _ right? we have absolutely the same attitude, we want - right? we have absolutely the same attitude, we want to - right? we have absolutely the | same attitude, we want to live normal lives and his presentations and speeches and so forth of course are a special occasion, and i am certain that they tried to secure him but indistinct speech i— secure him but indistinct speech | can _ secure him but indistinct speech i can remember i secure him but indistinct. speech i can remember that secure him but momma- speech i can remember that we are always tried to have top security at all time for our own sake, for his sake he wanted to be a free man so he cared a kind of combination of indistinct speech yourself or

indistinct speech yourselfor or shot times outside of your home in 1993, salman rushdie now in hospital and we don't know how long he will be there. when you are in hospital, did you have any regrets taking the risk you did when you were ill and hold up in a hospital? no, no, if you are a publisher if you believe in your profession. i am very proud that we were able to publish the satanic verses, and we would have done it again, of course we would.— would have done it again, of course we would. you must be very worried — course we would. you must be very worried about _ course we would. you must be very worried about emma. - very worried about emma. 0f very worried about emma. of course, that is the main thing in the situation. we hope that he recovers, and of course we are informed this isn't a good sign, we are trying to get in touch with his agent and so forth. we worried. he was so generous and fantastic when i was in his possession, so we

want — was in his possession, so we want - , ,, ,, want - indistinct speech we would like — want - indistinct speech we would like to _ want - indistinct speech we would like to support - want - indistinct speech we would like to support them i want - indistinct speech we i would like to support them and we really hope that interesting back we really have that he is a symbol of freedom of expression around that. 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 winds whipping through the festival's site. thousands attended this dance

music event and the combination of hot temperatures and the sudden arrival of fast—moving air caused 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. with the festival suspended, people began heading home. the party ending in the worst possible way. "we were caught at the campsite, suddenly there "was a lot of wind, very hot air, all the sand "sta rted to move. "we saw tents flying." "it was chaos," this

woman said. "the party is least important thing," said this man. "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. 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 haeri has travelled across afghanistan over the past year, documenting stories 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 ten 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. it may only bethe second weekend of the premier league season in england but already the size of the job facing 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 humilated 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, 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 stuff. this time it doesn't make it easier. but still i have to believe to get it in because i have seen good things in the last period and we have had two games, disappointed. swimming, and romania's david popovici has broken the 100—metre freestyle record at the european aquatic championships in rome. 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 mir—essi finishing third. some exciting new additions have made their debut at a zoo in gaza city, three extremely cute lion cubs. the animals, born on friday evening, are said to be in excellent health. but zookeepers admit a lack of medication and food might make them difficult to care for. one visitor to the zoo said

the cubs were wonderful. more showers in the forecast. in the short—term we have the met office amber warning for extreme heat in, valid until the end of the day on sunday. i likely disease summer bay dunheved. across england and wales, showers developing across northern ireland, pushing their way across scotland, heavy infantry. wanted to showers across parts of wales in south—west england, most will be dry. mist and low cloud clinging to the north—eastern coast. temperatures will be the talking point. 35 or 36 the top, across parts of south—east england. widely in the high 20s

or low 30s. showers start to become more active as we go through sunday evening and overnight. they are starting to develop across north—west england, wales and south—west england, wales and south—west england, still heavy and foundry but falling onto dry ground. they may be problems with flash flooding in places. still a muggy night, parts of southern england could have a tropical night again. temperatures not falling below 20 degrees. as we had through monday, the low pressure starts to become more dominant, we will start to see more frequent showers developing on. on monday, the main focus will be across scotland and northern ireland. again they will be heavy and foundry, merging to give a longer spell of rain. but a greater chance of those showers pushing the way across england and wales. not everyone will see them but there is a chance because he rain from the showers as we head through monday. cool across scotland and northern ireland on monday. still very muggy and warm across much of england and

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

hello. 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

would take "weeks' worth of rain" to replenish water