US media: Rushdie off ventilator and able to talk

US media outlets are reporting that the internationally-acclaimed author Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed during a literary event in New York State, has been taken off the ventilator and is able to talk.

There has been international condemnation of the attack on Salman Rushdie, with many writers, celebrities and politicians expressing their support for him.

Also, we hear about the wildfires that continue to wreak havoc in France.

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Maria Margaronis, a British journalist of Greek descent and radio documentary maker; and Bilal Sarwary, Afghan journalist living in exile in Canada.

(Image: Salman Rushdie at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in England. Credit: David Levenson/Getty Images)