this is bbc news. i'm chris rogers — with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the man suspected of stabbing author salman rushdie pleads not guilty to attempted murder and assault. the 75—year—old writer remains on a ventilator in hospital after suffering multiple stab wounds. 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. fires, drought and heatwaves — we report from france, where exhausted firecrews have spent weeks battling wildfires. extreme heat continues in the southern half of the uk as experts warn the drought could last into next year. and more embarrassment

for manchester united as they lose four nil to brentford in the premier league. prosecutors say 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 that 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 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 politicalforce 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. a little earlier i spoke to the nigerian poet and novelist ben okri who won the booker prize in 1991. he is a friend to sir salman and says the attack on him should not deter writers

from continuing with creative expression in their work. i think my immediate reaction is one of shock and outrage. as would be the case with any writer around the world or any artist or anybody have any sensibility. £31 artist or anybody have any sensibility.— sensibility. of course, it's notjust— sensibility. of course, it's notjust an _ sensibility. of course, it's notjust an attack - sensibility. of course, it's notjust an attack on - sensibility. of course, it'sl notjust an attack on hand, sensibility. of course, it's . notjust an attack on hand, is that? it's an attack on free speech, something many politicians and others have been saying in the past 2a hour. been saying in the past 24 hour. , been saying in the past 24 houn , �*, been saying in the past 24 hour. , �* , ., been saying in the past 24 hour. , �*, ., ., ., hour. yes, it's an attack on one of the _ hour. yes, it's an attack on one of the fundamental- hour. yes, it's an attack on i one of the fundamental basics of our civilisation, of any civilisation, freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and of course, the respect that goes along with that. but the

freedom of writers to imagine, to create, to ask questions, and to challenge authority. it's a basic and important to write. ~ , ., ,, ~' it's a basic and important to write. ~ , ., ~ �*, write. why do you think it's happened _ write. why do you think it's happened now? _ write. why do you think it's happened now? do - write. why do you think it's happened now? do you - write. why do you think it's i happened now? do you think write. why do you think it's - happened now? do you think it was always just a case of when not if with mr rushdie. a price on his head for a long time which did increase recently, didn't it?— which did increase recently, didn't it? , , ., didn't it? yes, but there was a feelin: didn't it? yes, but there was a feeling in _ didn't it? yes, but there was a feeling in some _ didn't it? yes, but there was a feeling in some quarters - didn't it? yes, but there was a feeling in some quarters many years had gone past and perhaps theissue years had gone past and perhaps the issue had died away. i personally always felt that there was a danger for as long as he where, as it were, alive and not withdrawn, that the danger was there, but every day that i heard he was travelling and writing and doing stuff, i was very happy for hand and for literature, this has been deeply worrying. i believe that

most writers are undaunted. we are not going to be shaken to our core by this. we will keep on writing, keep on asking questions. {131 on writing, keep on asking questione— on writing, keep on asking questions. on writing, keep on asking cuestions. _, , , ., questions. of course, when you write things _ questions. of course, when you write things nowadays, - questions. of course, when you write things nowadays, they - questions. of course, when you j write things nowadays, they are instantly out there with social media and the internet. it is easier in some respects to have your voice heard. how positive are you that writers like yourself won't think twice about that freedom of speech that we often take for granted? i think many people would be worried. i think many writers would, you know, question whether it's worth risking their lives for a short story or a poem, their lives for a short story ora poem, but, you their lives for a short story or a poem, but, you know, those for whom writing is as natural as breathing, and for whom it's notjust as breathing, and for whom it's not just a as breathing, and for whom it's notjust a cynical as breathing, and for whom it's not just a cynical activity, as breathing, and for whom it's notjust a cynical activity, a positive one, one that is a great value to every society and every individual. we will go on writing and we will have

to draw more courage from this, and if christ we all send thoughts of strength to mr rushdie and pray that he gets better and stronger and gets back to writing. did better and stronger and gets back to writing.— better and stronger and gets back to writing. did he inspire ou? back to writing. did he inspire you? yes. _ back to writing. did he inspire you? yes. he _ back to writing. did he inspire you? yes, he was _ back to writing. did he inspire you? yes, he was and - back to writing. did he inspire | you? yes, he was and remains back to writing. did he inspire i you? yes, he was and remains a friend. i knew— you? yes, he was and remains a friend. i knew him _ you? yes, he was and remains a friend. i knew him well- you? yes, he was and remains a friend. i knew him well when - you? yes, he was and remains a friend. i knew him well when he| friend. i knew him well when he was in england. i knew him well when he was when he was in england. and he was a he was an elderfigure. he's the one that he won the booker prize exactly ten years before i did. and midnight's children was is one of those novels that changed the perception of the novel in england, as well as the possibilities of the booker prize. 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 smoldering 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 the village of louchats, 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. 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 40 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.

on the polish—german border, authorities are rushing to identify what caused a large amount of fish to die, in what gemany�*s environment minister says is likely to be an environmental catastrophe. tonnes of fish have washed up along hundreds of kilometres of the river oder. both countries believe a toxic substance is to blame but have yet to identify it. katzina kajer — a correspondent from polish investigative journalism website oko press — said other animals are also affected. it's really serious. we know about thousands of dead fish as well as beavers and birds. we don't know yet if the contamination does any harm to humans as well. but it's forbidden right now to even get close to the river to swim in it. we also have some reports about ducks who are swimming in the river in broadswathe.

it's one of the biggest cities near the oder river. and so the ducks are right now having some major health issues. so we know that it's serious. but as you said, we don't know what it is. it started two weeks ago, in the end ofjuly. and we still don't have any answers about the substance and about the source of the substance. you are watching bbc news, a reminder of our headlines: 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. let's have more on our main story. john mizner is an eerie based lawyer who outlined the charges to which the suspect has pleaded not guilty. he is charged with

second—degree murder, and second—degree murder is usually one of two things. first, either the intentional killing of another or one who is reckless and acts with a depraved indifference to human life. in other words, that they are so reckless that they don't care what happens as a result of this conduct. in other words, that they are so reckless that they don't care what happens as a result of this conduct. this is a very serious charge because the minimum sentence is 15 — 40 years, and the maximum sentence is life without parole, which means just that — life without parole. and this gentleman is going to be tried in the westernmost rural county of new york state. it's a county with a population of only about 125,000 people and one judge.

so i know that people that watch american tv are use to los angeles and new york, but this trial will be conducted in a much, much different setting in a small rural county, a crime that was witnessed by thousands. it isa it is a crime that will fascinate millions around the world. how do you think that trial will be conducted with so much attention, of course, the way crime in court cases reporting in the us is quite different than it is in the rest of the world. it's free and open reporting. {iii rest of the world. it's free and open reporting. of course. the trial will— and open reporting. of course. the trial will be _ and open reporting. of course. the trial will be open _ and open reporting. of course. the trial will be open to - and open reporting. of course. the trial will be open to the . the trial will be open to the public. it will not be televised. it will be conducted in a rural county. thejury will come from that county. i

said earlier it is a onejudge county, and i would suspect thatjudge who is relatively new to the bench will run a pretty tight ship. this will not be something like many remember the oj simpson trial that turned into a circus. i think because of the location of where the crime occurred, you will see a much more disciplined and, focused and straightforward trial of this man. the taliban have been trying to stop women in the afghan capital kabul from protesting on the streets. they fired shots in the air as dozens of women protested against the restriction of women's rights. the demonstration comes a year after the taliban seized power in afghanistan. the internationally renowned photographer, kiana haeri was there. 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. ukraine's 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 and intelligence officers. in his nightly video address, mr zelensky 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 marganets. four days after elections in kenya, there's growing frustration and anxiety over the delay in announcing the results. the head of the electoral commission admitted that the tallying of votes for the presidential poll was moving too slowly. with just over a quarter

of the ballots tallied, the veteran opposition leader, raila odinga, has 54% of the votes — a lead of nearly ten percent over his rival, the current deputy president william ruto. earlier, we heard from elvis ondieki, a reporter at the daily nation newspaper based in nairobi. he began by updating us on where we are with the vote count. so far, they have counted 96. kenya works with 291 constituencies. each of those contributes to the presidential tally, and for this to be an official result, all the results that were posted in the polling station have to be taken to nairobi. the physicalform has to be compared with the form that was sent on election day electronically. and once the process has satisfied that the headquarter is the form is sent, it is verified.

so it's been painfully slow, especially in other parts of kenya, the forms keep coming one by one by the officers who are bringing them, so the process is going slowly and we hope to have our results in the next two or three days. kenyans have this sort of when there is a transfer of power, they have been waiting all over social media because the results keep changing, one moment somebody is leading, the next, they are not, he's been overtaken, so a lot of tension and speculation on who is leading, many think this process should be sped up to get results quicker so canyons can move on with their lives. ——to get results quicker so kenyans can move on with their lives. 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. it's been one year since the taliban returned to power in afghanistan. with their return, women were banned from playing any sport, putting female athletes in danger. but with the help of a former world champion cyclist, five young women from the national cycling team managed to escape to a town in northern italy. some of them are now hoping to become the first cyclists to represent afghanistan at the olympics. the bbc visited them to find out how they're settling in to 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 are embracing their new lives in this rural town. 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. 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. 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 four nil 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 and knowing his next fixture is against liverpool who they lost 5 nil against when they last played at old trafford. i suppose i hoped on a better start, they start doesn't make it this year, so i have to believe, have to get it in, because i've seen good things in the last period, but two games until now, disappointed. squeezing in a bit of swimming for you. romania's david popovici has broken the one—hundred metre freestyle record at the european aquatic championships in rome. the 17—year—old double world champion sliced a twentieth of a second off the 13—year—old record — finishing in 46.86 seconds.

more spirit and the latest news on the bbc website. from now, from the newsroom, thanks for watching. hello. the heat does begin to ease in the week ahead. there'll be more showers in the forecast as well. but in the short term, we still have the met office amber warning for extreme heat in place. it's valid until the end of the day on sunday. still likely to see some impacts from the heat on both health and transport as well. good deal of sunshine around through sunday morning, particularly across england and wales. showers developing though across northern ireland pushing their way through the day up into parts of scotland, likely to be heavy and thundery. could well see one or two showers developing across parts of wales and south west england. most will be dry though, some mist and low cloud still clinging to north eastern coasts. temperatures will be the talking point once again, 35 or 36 celsius the top temperature across parts of south east england and widely in the high 20s or low 30s celsius. and the showers start to become

more active as we go through sunday evening and overnight and starting to develop across parts of north west england, wales and south west england. again, still heavy and thundery, but falling onto dry ground. likely to be some problems with flash flooding in places and still a very muggy night. parts of southern england once again could have a tropical night with temperatures not falling below 20 celsius. but as we head through monday, this area of low pressure starts to become more dominant and we'll start to see more frequent showers developing. now on monday once again, the main focus of the showers will be across scotland and northern ireland where again they'll be heavy and thundery merging to give a longer spell of rain, but a greater chance that we'll see a few of those showers pushing their way across england and wales. not everyone will see them, but there is a chance that we could see some rain from those showers as we head through monday. a cooler feel across scotland and northern ireland on monday. still very muggy and very warm across much of england and wales but the temperatures will be starting to fall down. as we head into tuesday, you can see we see more frequent showers across the north of england and into scotland, but also

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

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