this is bbc news broadcasting throughout the uk and around the globe. sir salman rushdie is said to be "talking and joking" again in hospital after being stabbed. we will be live in kyiv. firefighters in france they are huge forest fire is now being contained after overnight rain. warnings in the uk over disposable barbecues after a weekend of wildfires over parts of england.

the author sir salman rushdie has reportedly been taken off a ventilator and is able to speak again after he was stabbed in new york state. there's been no official confirmation from the hospital in pennsylvania where he's being treated although us media outlets say the news was confirmed by his agent. our north america correspondent nomia iqbal reports. a day after sir salman rushdie was stabbed, he is now said to be awake and off a ventilator. the author's condition has not yet been fully updated, but fellow writers have been tweeting their relief at finding out he's able to talk. michael hill, the president of the chautaqua institution where mr rushdie was attacked, tweeted his happiness at the news. this comes as the man

accused of attempting to murder him appeared in court. 24—year—old hadi matar was arrested at the literary event. he had bought a ticket to attend. onlookers had held the suspect down as the author lay on the stage injured. i've been coming here for 31 years and chautauqua is one of the most peaceful, quiet places i've ever been in my life. and, you know, the guy has a price on his head from 1989. and, of all the places he might be attacked or hurt or, god forbid, die, this would be the last place i would think of. inside court, wearing handcuffs and prison clothing. hadi matar pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault. 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, but in recent years shunned the high levels of security, saying he wanted to be able to live freely. ever since the attack on friday, world leaders have been issuing words of solidarity for sir salman rushdie. president biden released a statement praising the author for his refusal to be intimidated or silenced. nomia iqbal, bbc news, pennsylvania. president zelensky says that every russian soldier who shoots at the zaporyzhzhia nuclear plant or uses it as a base to shoot from will himself become a target for ukrainian soldiers. he said russians involved in what he called "nuclear blackmail" must be tried by an international court. translation: every russian soldier who strikes the _ translation: every russian soldier

who strikes the set _ translation: every russian soldier who strikes the set n _ translation: every russian soldier who strikes the set n p _ translation: every russian soldier who strikes the set n p p _ translation: every russian soldier who strikes the set n p p must - who strikes the set n p p must realise that he will become a special target for our intelligence, special target for our intelligence, special services and our army. let's cross live to kyiv, and speak to the bbc�*s hugo bachega. are strong words from president zelensky underlining the concern around the situation at zaporizhzhia.— around the situation at za orizhzhia. , ., , ., zaporizhzhia. tensions remain high around the separate _ zaporizhzhia. tensions remain high around the separate chart - zaporizhzhia. tensions remain high around the separate chart power. around the separate chart power complex. russia and ukraine have traded accusations of who's to blame for shelling the complex, yesterday there was another round of accusations with claims that the city where this complex is located was shelled. the background to this is that russia has been occupying this complex since the beginning of march, although ukrainian technicians are still operating this facility. the ukrainians accuse russian forces of essentially turning this nuclear facility into a

military base. using it to launch attacks against ukrainian targets, knowing that ukrainian forces are unlikely to retaliate. now, the russians reject these accusations. they say that russian troops out there to protect this facility, and calls are growing for international monitors to visit this complex. the un secretary general called for the introduction of a demilitarised zone around this complex. we are hearing similar calls in kyiv, but so far it is very unlikely that any kind of deal is going to be reached, at least for now.— deal is going to be reached, at least for now. a, , , ., , least for now. more broadly, what is the latest of — least for now. more broadly, what is the latest of the _ least for now. more broadly, what is the latest of the situation _ least for now. more broadly, what is the latest of the situation on - least for now. more broadly, what is the latest of the situation on the - the latest of the situation on the ground because —— the latest of the situation on the ground because -- bath the latest of the situation on the ground because --_ the latest of the situation on the ground because -- both ukraine and russia have — ground because -- both ukraine and russia have claims _ ground because -- both ukraine and russia have claims on _

ground because -- both ukraine and russia have claims on gains - ground because -- both ukraine and russia have claims on gains in - ground because -- both ukraine and russia have claims on gains in the l russia have claims on gains in the east, even though we have not seen any kind of military change in terms of position there. yesterday, president zelensky in his nightly address said that the situation in the donbas region was brutal, and thatis the donbas region was brutal, and that is where russia has been trying to capture the regents of donetsk and le hanscombe. in the occupied region of kherson, there is attempts to occupy a bridge. and that would mean that all four bridges used to supply russian troops on the western bank of the river are damaged or destroyed. the ukrainians, four weeks, have been targeting supply lines and infrastructure used by the russians there. kherson has been under russian occupation since the

beginning of march, and the ukrainians have said they are going to launch an offensive to recapture this region of southern ukraine, even though it seems that, so far, the ukrainians do not have the capacity or the weapons needed to go ahead with this major offensive. 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. authorities in france say the monster fire south of bordeaux has now been contained although firefighters remain vigilant. our correspondent bethany belljoins us from the gironde region. what is the latest? we've been told, as ou what is the latest? we've been told, as you say. — what is the latest? we've been told, as you say. that _ what is the latest? we've been told, as you say, that the _ what is the latest? we've been told, as you say, that the fire _ what is the latest? we've been told,

as you say, that the fire has - what is the latest? we've been told, as you say, that the fire has been . as you say, that the fire has been contained but is not over yet. we here at the logistic centre not very far from that fire, which here at the logistic centre not very farfrom that fire, which is here at the logistic centre not very far from that fire, which is where firefighters from germany and romania havejoined their firefighters from germany and romania have joined their french colleagues to try to deal with the situation. they were helped overnight because there was some rain, finally, here, after a lot of drought. the situation still remains volatile, and we sawjust before we came on air an area where we watched firefighters put out, but despite the rain, the area was still smoking. the soil here is quite rich with peat, and there are burning embers which keep on smouldering despite being hosed down by fire crews, and despite the rain. this makes things quite difficult here, and nobody is putting the guard

down. �* , ., , and nobody is putting the guard down. , , down. are people becoming quite ractice down. are people becoming quite practice that _ down. are people becoming quite practice that this? _ down. are people becoming quite practice that this? this _ down. are people becoming quite practice that this? this has - down. are people becoming quite practice that this? this has been l down. are people becoming quite| practice that this? this has been a very difficult _ practice that this? this has been a very difficult summer, _ practice that this? this has been a very difficult summer, particularly| very difficult summer, particularly for the french firefighters in this region. there was a massive fire here injuly, and then last week, what they call a monster fire came up what they call a monster fire came up again. one of the firefighters here told me, that in some places, the fire had kept on burning since july because of the embers underground, the peat rich soil. there have been heatwave after heatwave here, all of which have combined to make this, in the words of one firefighter, the perfect conditions for big fires. cooler temperatures are forecast for the next few days, today, for example is expected to be around 10 degrees cooler than yesterday. as we know,

they are still out there trying to tackle this fire, we know that they want to make fire breaks in areas clearly undergrowth and make sure that sparks don't continue to fly, and this doesn't grow any more. the hot weather has already seen several wildfires erupt across england. firefighters say a huge fire which tore through a popular nature reserve at studland heath in dorset and forced the evacuation of a beach was most likely caused by a disposable barbecue. the hot weather and drought conditions have led the met office to issue its highest alert forfire severity over the weekend, warning there is an "exceptional" risk of blazes spreading. will batchelor reports. the true cost of a disposable barbecue. firefighters say this huge blaze which tore across studland heath in dorset was almost certainly caused by picnickers trying to cook food on the tinder dry beauty spot. after battling the flames all night, they found a disposable barbecue among the ashes.

we really are appealing to members of the public to consider what you're doing. if it is going to start a fire, try to avoid it if possibly can. this field fire was one of 75 in essex. it covered 91 acres, and containing it required the help of local farmers. if you are downwind you wouldn't have kept up with it running. luckily, the wind direction was away from the houses, and so it wasjust a question of stopping it spreading back towards the houses again, but when the wind changed direction, suddenly it would move towards you and, yes, it is frightening. in north london, this grassfire billowed smoke across the busy m25 motorway. in surrey, a different problem. near guildford, residents queued up for bottled water after their taps ran dry. thames water said there

were technical issues at one of its treatment works, and that fixing it was taking longer than they'd hoped. and it isn'tjust humans who need hydration. one farmer in suffolk has been filling 70 water troughs each day to make sure the wildlife have enough to drink. an amber heat alert is still in place today and the drought in parts of england could potentially last into next year. with me now is andrew harvey, a helicopter pilot trained to do airdrops on wildfires. thank you forjoining us. how challenging is that work? from a oint of challenging is that work? from a point of view _ challenging is that work? from a point of view of _ challenging is that work? from a point of view of even _ challenging is that work? from a point of view of even getting - challenging is that work? from a point of view of even getting to i challenging is that work? from a i point of view of even getting to the fire, and then actually try to sort it out, invariably we almost get calls too late when things have got too far out of hand, unfortunately. it's very depressing, you get there, and find that actually, most of this

is people being stupid with barbecues, so it is very challenging, quite dangerous and especially if it gets into the trees, that becomes a real problem for us. just the sheer quantity of water we have to drop on trees to try to put them out. can water we have to drop on trees to try to put them out.— water we have to drop on trees to try to put them out. can you explain a bit more about _ try to put them out. can you explain a bit more about what _ try to put them out. can you explain a bit more about what the _ try to put them out. can you explain a bit more about what the dangers l a bit more about what the dangers are, and what goes through your mind whilst you are doing that work? the first thin whilst you are doing that work? tue: first thing is whilst you are doing that work? tte: first thing is actually whilst you are doing that work? tt2 first thing is actually trying to pick up the water. you're never quite sure how deep the water sources, whether there will be any snags,in sources, whether there will be any snags, in most cases we use a bucket system which is in some cases 50 or 100 feet below the helicopter. we have put it down below the trees to a water source. quite recently we had to put it into the sea, which is very entertaining in a big swell. then you've actually got to try and place it exactly where the fire guys

wanted, subject to the wind, the heat, where the fire is, and you've got to try and run in and hit the fire with 1000 litres of water, depending on the size of the helicopter. taste depending on the size of the helic0pter-— depending on the size of the helico ter. ~ , , . , helicopter. we 'ust saw the pictures ofthe helicopter. we 'ust saw the pictures of the water — helicopter. we just saw the pictures of the water going _ helicopter. we just saw the pictures of the water going down _ helicopter. we just saw the pictures of the water going down at - helicopter. we just saw the pictures of the water going down at the - of the water going down at the ground, it is not a small amount, but in terms of the size of a wildfire, it can feel like a tiny fraction of what is required every time? �* a ., fraction of what is required every time? �* a, ., ., , time? and maria doing fires three ears time? and maria doing fires three years ago. — time? and maria doing fires three years ago. we _ time? and maria doing fires three years ago, we were _ time? and maria doing fires three years ago, we were putting - time? and maria doing fires three years ago, we were putting 900 l years ago, we were putting 900 litres of water on a fire every two and a half to three minutes. multiply that by ten or 11 hours of flying per day, it is absolutely exhausting. the mental concentration, because as i say, that helicopter is doing the maximum it can possibly do, and you're trying to avoid dropping water on some of the firefighters who are very close to the fire, because you're trying to support them as

well. ., , you're trying to support them as well. . , , ., , well. there are very few pilots in the country _ well. there are very few pilots in the country trained _ well. there are very few pilots in the country trained to _ well. there are very few pilots in the country trained to do - well. there are very few pilots in the country trained to do what i well. there are very few pilots in i the country trained to do what you do, you are one of ten or so, what made you want to do it? t do, you are one of ten or so, what made you want to do it?— do, you are one of ten or so, what made you want to do it? i have never been asked — made you want to do it? i have never been asked that _ made you want to do it? i have never been asked that question _ made you want to do it? i have never been asked that question before! - been asked that question before! principally, it was because we had a massive fire which got within 400 metres of my house, and i was a helicopter pilot then, thinking, it was published 15 years ago now, and there was almost no resource in the united kingdom to deal with helicopter fires. united kingdom to deal with helicopterfires. friends of united kingdom to deal with helicopter fires. friends of mine have been doing it in the states for years, so that's what kicked it off. we need to think about this more in the united kingdom, because it is a very ad hoc system of calling out a helicopter. it can be really effective if the rest of the fire brigades and everything else are communicating with us for resources and water and anything else. that's

how i got into it, my house nearly went up. howl got into it, my house nearly went u. �* ., ~ howl got into it, my house nearly wentu.�* ., ~ ,, howl got into it, my house nearly wentu. ., ~ ,, ., went up. and thank goodness, i am assumin: went up. and thank goodness, i am assuming that _ went up. and thank goodness, i am assuming that it _ went up. and thank goodness, i am assuming that it didn't? _ went up. and thank goodness, i am assuming that it didn't? yes - went up. and thank goodness, i am assuming that it didn't? yes it - went up. and thank goodness, i am assuming that it didn't? yes it was | assuming that it didn't? yes it was fine. assuming that it didn't? yes it was fine- thank— assuming that it didn't? yes it was fine. thank you _ assuming that it didn't? yes it was fine. thank you for _ assuming that it didn't? yes it was fine. thank you for the _ assuming that it didn't? yes it was fine. thank you for the work - assuming that it didn't? yes it was fine. thank you for the work you i assuming that it didn't? yes it was l fine. thank you for the work you are doinu. you're watching bbc world news — a reminder of our top stories. reports in the us say salman rushdie, who was stabbed at an event in new york state, has been taken off a ventilator and is able to talk. ukraine's president has warned that any russian soldiers, who shoot at the besieged zaporizhzhia nuclear plant will be targeted by security services. here in the uk, the labour leader, sir keir starmer, will use a speech tomorrow to call for a freeze to the energy price cap in the autumn. analysts believe the cap will rise to around £3,500 in october — sir keir wants to keep the current price cap atjust under £2,000 for the average household. our political correspondent, david wallace lockhart is here in the studio. that is a big suggestion in terms of

the costs and what more he is saying, what can you tell us? tt is saying, what can you tell us? it is a bi saying, what can you tell us? it is a his policy _ saying, what can you tell us? te 3 a big policy announcement that keir starmer is expected to make tomorrow. the price cap is of course the maximum amount someone can be charged for a unit of energy here, and when you extrapolate those figures for the typical household, that will go up to £3500 in october, it is currently sitting about £2000. keir starmer is expecting to say that he does not want that increase to happen, he is due to speak tomorrow and outline his plans for the cost of living. we expect this to be a big part of that, but of course it leaves a big question, there is a funding gap they are, how is that going to be paid for? i imagine that it is detail we will get when he outlines his plans tomorrow. he talks in the newspapers this morning, saying he would like to ring down bills by taxing the oil and gas producers making huge profits. i suspect that will play a role in all of this. we also know

the treasury currently are considering a plan which would remove an allowance that supplies are allowed to pass on to consumers. they think they could save, if it was implemented, consumers around £400 on their bills at the time of the subsequent price cap, after that, which comes injanuary, because they come in every three months in the moment, that may never see the light of day, because although the treasury is coming up with plans to ease the cost of living problems that we are seeing, borisjohnson has been clear that he is not going to make any major decisions while prime minister. he is only an office for another few weeks, and he says that is for his successors, rishi sunak liz truss. liz truss has said she will look at the treasury plans but she prefers the treasury plans but she prefers the idea of tax cuts in order to give people more money in their pockets. rishi sunak has said that he does like the idea of giving the most vulnerable increase payments, he is also talking today about the fact he would like to legislate to

make the uk, what he calls, energy independent. essentially, by 2045 they would be domestically producing all the energy use. rishi they would be domestically producing all the energy use.— all the energy use. rishi sunak has been talking _ all the energy use. rishi sunak has been talking about _ all the energy use. rishi sunak has been talking about sir _ all the energy use. rishi sunak has been talking about sir salman - been talking about sir salman rushdie, what is he saying? he is talkin: rushdie, what is he saying? he is talking about _ rushdie, what is he saying? he is talking about iran _ rushdie, what is he saying? he is talking about iran in _ rushdie, what is he saying? he is talking about iran in the - rushdie, what is he saying? h2 3 talking about iran in the order of execution from the 80s that was issued against salman rushdie. you're quite right, he talks about this being a wake—up call for the west. he has spoken to the telegraph, where you spoken about the iran nuclear deal, who inspects their nuclear activities, an element of easing sanctions in the country, but he is saying now, there needs to be a new strengthen deal, and much tougher sanctions. be a new strengthen deal, and much toughersanctions. he be a new strengthen deal, and much tougher sanctions. he says that iran could pose an existential threat to israel, and endanger the whole of

europe. he is talking about this attack on salman rushdie strengthening the calls for the iranian guard to be recognised as a terrorist organisation. focusing a lot on the next prime minister for domestic issues, but rishi sunak are certainly using the salman rushdie stabbing to talk more about foreign affairs. at least seven people have been injured by gunmen injerusalem. the shooting, which happened in the early hours of the morning, is being treated by israeli police as a terror attack. the attackers opened fire at two locations in the city, targeting a bus as well as people waiting in a car park near the western wall. two of the seven wounded are in a critical condition, and all have been taken to hospitals injerusalem. the shooting comes a week after israeli raids in gaza, which killed more than 40 palestinians. one person has been arrested following a shooting incident at canberra airport. it's been confirmed that there have been no reported injuries and police say they have detained a man

and recovered a firearm. witnesses reported hearing several gunshots, while others have described chaos and confusion at the airport check—in area. some passengers who have been waiting aboard planes on the tarmac have been allowed to disembark and authorities say they are working to resume flights out of canberra airport as soon as possible. almost six months ago, thousands of ukrainian civilians joined the military to fight invading russian forces. among those who signed up were members of one of ukraine's top rock bands, annitteela. they became army medics in kharkiv — helping to treat wounded soldiers. the bbcjoined them as they headed to the front line. it is russian mortarfire. come on, come on, come on. yeah. here. we're here, it's ok. come on. listen. i'm 0k.

i'm the frontman of annitteela, a popular band in ukraine. now me, with my friends, serving in territorial defence forces. we are a paramedical team — paramedical squad. singing we've been playing for more than 12 years. we released seven albums. so we had a lot of big ukrainian tours, and we had three american and canadian tours. here, it is a front line. this is our position. this yacht was destroyed by russian mortar fire.

it's far away. you know, blood smells disgusting for me. and also, when this smell compares with the smell of the shelling, with smell of the explosion, it's the most disgusting smell of my life. after doing my duties, i call my wife and my kids. i have no tears any more. i'm tired to cry. ijust can't wake up, like a dream. i'm in a dream. and i want to wake up. wake up in my home. i don't want to lie that sometimes

the sadness defeat me. i want to create a new album, new antytila album after the war. we will need new kind of songs. songs of happiness. with a smile on our face. if we will survive, we will do this. of course. piero angela — one of italy's most popular writers and television presenters — has died at the age of 93.

he was famous for his work connected to the education of science. he had worked for the italian state broadcaster — rai — for seventy years. last year he was made a knight of the grand cross of the order of merit of the italian republic. a mass has been held in northern mexico to honour the ten miners who remain trapped under ground. the ceremony took place both for them and their families. the men became stuck ten days ago — when a tunnel wall collapsed — triggering flooding. rescue efforts at the mine continued by pumping water out to try and create an exit. 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 zoo—keepers admit a lack of medication and food might make them difficult to care for. one visitor to the zoo said the cubs were wonderful.

there is plenty more on the bbc news website. you are watching bbc news. there could be more disruption for train travellers today, as avanti introduces a new timetable. they say the new timetable is due to severe staff shortages. just a day after the latest industrial dispute to hit the railways, another major disruption is hitting customers who use travel on avanti west coast services. a reduced timetable will see a big drop in services. avanti west coast normally runs seven trains per hour on the west coast main line. now it will run as few as four an hour. london, euston, and manchester services are the worst affected, with trains reduced from three

per hour to just one. avanti west coast blame the timetable reduction on the current industrial relations climate. prior to these cancellations, many of these trains were running as a result of drivers volunteering for overtime, but the number of volunteers has fallen sharply. this has led to an accusation from the transport secretary, grant shapps, that this is an unofficial strike. aslef deny that accusation. it says avanti west coast simply haven't hired enough drivers, and says that train companies in general have lost the goodwill of their employees. the labour mayors of both manchester and london put the blame of the dispute firmly at the door of the train company. all parties are a bit to blame, but for avanti to say that it's all down to the drivers who don't want to work on their rest days is actually pretty outrageous, because the drivers have every right not to work on their rest days, and indeed they get reasonable salaries, so if they don't want to work on their rest day,

yes, it is difficult for avanti but they should have sorted this out when they took over the franchise a couple of years ago. grant shapps has written to the mayors of the cities and he remains adamant that the fault of this lies with the union. he is calling for major reforms of the railways, but that's little comfort to the thousands who will face much tougherjourneys to their destinations. razman karmali, bbc news. lets catch up with the weather. today we are seeing some heavy showers and thunderstorms, particularly across northern ireland and scotland, they will become more widespread over the next couple of days. for here, there is an extreme heat warming and amber warning across england and wales, so health and transport impacts are possible due to those high temperatures that

we are seeing for the seventh day in a row. some heavy showers and thunderstorms are going to be pushing across northern ireland and scotland, and one or two isolated showers across the lake district, snowdonia as well, but towards the south—east and central parts of england, temperatures are around 33 or 34 degrees. another hot day ahead. into the evening hours, so i have heavy downpours towards the north—west creates showers across the north—west, but it is going to be another warm and sticky feeling night. temperatures could be 20 degrees or so, another tropical night across southern england and south wales. into monday, low pressure becomes more established, so more of us are going to see those heavy showers and thunderstorms. if you catch one or two of these really sharp showers, they could be some large hill mixed in, frequent lightning as well is the potential

for localised flooding. there are some heavy showers following on that dry and hard ground. it's going to be another day with temperatures above 30 degrees, that is the eighth consecutive day, but turning cooler in the north—west. some are more persistent, perhaps thundery rain for parts of scotland and northern england, and further south across england, and further south across england and wales. further north —— further on tuesday, tempter starting to come down. typically things will be feeling cooler and fresher, low pressure is not far away, so hopefully we'll see a bit more rain towards the south, but it could be heavy with some potential for localised flooding. then, it looks like things are in a bit drier, critically towards the south later in the week.