firefighters in france say a huge forest fire in the gironde region is now being contained after overnight rain. and warnings in the uk over the use of disposable barbecues after a weekend of wildfires in parts of england. hello, welcome if you re watching in the uk or around the world. 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
i don t know that the president and i differ on issues. but we may differ on focus. i truly do believe that elections are about the future. it is absolutely essential at a time when so many americans are hurting, so many families are struggling that we don t give way to the temptation to look back. mike pence just spoke about an hour or so ago. the former president himself is speaking this afternoon to a crowd of loyal supporters one day after president biden slammed his predecessor for his actions on january 6. for three hours, the defeated former president of the united states watched it all happen as he sat in the comfort of the private dining room next to the oval office. while he was doing that, brave law enforcement officers were subject to the medieval hell for three hours, dripping in blood, surrounded by carnage, face to face with crazed mob that believes the lies of the defeated president. the police were heroes that day. donald trump lacked the courage to act.
today, the show averages between 4 and 6 million per episode, much of it through iplayer. so do soaps matter any more? what s their place in the cultural landscape? are we going through a messy den and angie divorce with them? or is it still enduring love, like scott and charlene? i m joined by sir phil redmond, creator of three of the biggest british soaps of all time grange hill, brookside and hollyoa ks. daniel kilkenny is soaps editor for entertainment news website digital spy. tv critic and soap fan emma bullimore is here, and charles collingwood, who s been farming, flirting and digging into his wife s venison pie for a whopping 47 years as brian in the archers. welcome to you all and thanks for coming on the show. phil, if we start with you, all the big soaps eastenders, coronation street, emmerdale have seen huge drops in audience numbers in recent years. you ve criticised soaps for not tackling big social issues like they used to. do you think it s the end of t
the prime minister of singapore has announced his country will end its ban on sex between men, but says it ll take steps to defend the institution of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. lee hsein loong said singaporean society was becoming more accepting of gay people and said the law banning gay sex, which came from the days of british colonial rule, was out of date. the law has long been criticised by lgbt activists, even though it s not been actively enforced for many years. many more conservative citizens still support the legislation. the government will repeal section 377a and de criminalise sex between men. i believe it s the right thing to do and something most singaporeans will accept. remy choo is a lawyer and lgbt activist in singapore. he s been involved in pink dot, singapore s pride event, and he s previously mounted legal challenges in court against this colonial era law. a very good morning to you in singapore, thanks for being with us. what is your