Reuters World News Summary

There was no official reaction yet in Iran to the attack on Rushdie, who was stabbed in the neck and torso on Friday while onstage at a lecture in New York state. Four Latam nations back Castillo as Peru political crisis continues The governments of Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia on Saturday backed the continuation of Pedro Castillo's presidency in Peru, where he is facing several criminal investigations and constant threats of impeachment.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Salman Rushdie, novelist who drew death threats, on ventilator after New York stabbing

Salman Rushdie, the Indian-born novelist who spent years in hiding after Iran urged Muslims to kill him because of his writing, was stabbed in the neck and torso onstage at a lecture in New York state on Friday and airlifted to a hospital, police said. After hours of surgery, Rushdie was on a ventilator and unable to speak on Friday evening after an attack condemned by writers and politicians around the world as an assault on the freedom of expression.

Veteran opposition leader Odinga ahead in Kenya's presidential race- official results

Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga led Kenya's presidential race, official election results showed on Saturday, pushing Deputy President William Ruto into second place. With just over 26% of votes counted, Odinga had 54% and Ruto had 45%, according to results provided by the Kenyan election commission and displayed on a large screen at a national tallying center in the capital, Nairobi, at midday.

Rushdie told German magazine his life is now 'relatively normal'

In an interview conducted just weeks before he was stabbed and seriously wounded by an attacker in New York state, author Salman Rushdie said his life was now "relatively normal", after having lived in hiding for years because of death threats.

Rushdie talked in the interview with Germany's Stern magazine about the threats he sees to U.S. democracy. He also called himself an optimist, and noted that the fatwa, a religious edict issued in Iran in 1989 that called on Muslims around the world to kill him for blasphemy, was pronounced long ago.

Taiwan says 13 Chinese air force planes crossed Taiwan Strait median line

Thirteen Chinese air force planes crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line on Saturday, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said, as Beijing continues its military activities close to the Chinese-claimed island.

Iran's hardline newspapers praise Salman Rushdie's attacker

Several hardline Iranian newspapers heaped praise on Saturday on the person who attacked and seriously wounded author Salman Rushdie, whose novel "The Satanic Verses" had drawn death threats from Iran since 1989. There was no official reaction yet in Iran to the attack on Rushdie, who was stabbed in the neck and torso on Friday while onstage at a lecture in New York state.

Four Latam nations back Castillo as Peru political crisis continues

The governments of Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia on Saturday backed the continuation of Pedro Castillo's presidency in Peru, where he is facing several criminal investigations and constant threats of impeachment. "We reiterate our solidarity with the legitimately elected authorities," the countries said in a joint statement. "We trust that all (Peruvian) political actors will prioritize building broad consensus."

France halts spread of "monster" wildfire, reopens highway

Firefighters have managed to halt the spread of a "monster" blaze in southwest France, allowing authorities to reopen a stretch of highway to traffic ahead of a busy travel weekend. "The fire did not advance overnight thanks to the significant means employed," the local prefect said in a tweet Saturday.

North Korea criticises U.N. chief's support for the North's denuclearisation

North Korea's foreign ministry on Sunday criticised the United Nations Secretary-General's recent comment on his supports for the North's complete denuclearisation, calling the remarks lack impartiality and fairness. North Korea's state news agency KCNA released a statement from the foreign ministry after U.N. chief Antonio Guterres on Friday said he fully supports efforts to completely denuclearise North Korea when he met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Ukraine says it is targeting Russians shooting at, or from nuclear plant

Ukraine is targeting Russian soldiers who shoot at an occupied nuclear plant in the south of the country or use it as a base to shoot from, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday. Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations over multiple recent incidents of shelling at the Zaporizhzhia facility, Europe's largest nuclear power plant. Russian troops captured the station early in the war.

One killed, dozens injured as high winds cause stage collapse at Spain festival

One person was killed and dozens were injured when high winds caused part of the main stage to collapse at a dance music festival near the Spanish city of Valencia early on Saturday, emergency services said. Other infrastructure was also damaged when gusts battered the Medusa Festival, a huge electronic music festival held over six days in the east coast town of Cullera.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)