a rescue deal for house of fraser, one of britain's biggest and oldest department store chains. mike ashley, the business tycoon and owner of sports direct, buys it for £90 million. for now house of fraser stores around the country are still open, but 17,000 staff wait to find out what the future holds for them. i think we'rejust i think we're just all doing to keep each other up, we are all trying to stay motivated and hope for good outcome. we hope they will find some solution. finally. nothing is finished yet. we'll be analsying what today's deal means for the house of fraser, and the future of the high street. also this lunchtime. britain's feel—good summer boosts the economy. the warm weather and the world cup bring improved growth figures of 0.4%. hundreds of holiday—makers evacuated as flash floods hit the south of france. the england cricketer ben stokes tells his trial in bristol he can't remember knocking out a man in alleged brawl, but he does admit to throwing several punches. and still friends

after all these years. more than a decade after it ended, the sitcom is the most popular show for streaming in the uk. and coming up on bbc news: england make a brilliant start to the second test at lord's, jimmy anderson removing both openers inside the first four overs. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. mike ashley's sports direct has agreed a deal to rescue the struggling department store chain, house of fraser. sports direct are paying £90 million to buy the business, which had gone into administration earlier on today, putting 17,000 jobs at risk.

staff are now waiting to find out what mr ashley plans to do with the 59 house of fraser stores he's now bought. here's our business correspondent, rob young. house of fraser has a long, proud history. it started in glasgow in 1849 history. it started in glasgow in 18119 and has been on a high—street ever since. but early this morning, the company collapsed into administration. it is the biggest shock to british retail in over a decade. just yesterday, house of fraser warned it needed an injection of cash within ten days. the rescue wheel with the owner of hamleys fell through last week leaving the chain ina through last week leaving the chain in a precarious state. within hours of the collapse this morning, the controversial tycoon mike ashley swooped. i have been to the casino. sports direct has bought substantially all of house of fraser, for £90 million. before he

could about a tenth of that. despite its troubles, there are loyal calum fraser customers. we have been here since the 70s, you can't have everything. very shocked. can't believe it could have happened to such a famous name in glasgow. stores were closed for time this morning while staff were being briefed on the fast moving developments. it is an uncertain time for the company's 17,000 time for the company's17,000 workers. i don't really have an understanding of it yet, it has not been explained to us at all. there was a meeting so we will be out of that meeting, and i don't really know much about the situation. think we're just all trying to keep each otherup and we're just all trying to keep each other up and stay motivated. and just hope for a good outcome. we hope they will find some solution. finally, you know, nothing is finished yet. but christmas is coming, maybe it's going to be a christmas surprise. sports direct is keeping us waiting. it has not revealed anything about its plans

for house of fraser. the administration has said today's deal preserve as many of the jobs as possible but it hasn't said how many. i would guess, possible but it hasn't said how many. iwould guess, and i don't have any inside information, he would probably continue the reduction by a roundabout half. he will look at the stores and the sales per square that and pick the ones who have the highest sales. it's been a terrible few years for the high streets. either branches shutting all brands going to the wall entirely, down to a toxic cocktail of circumstances, unaffordable rent, business rates and cash strapped shops. house of fraser is the latest and biggest casualty of the more. but unlike the others, it will survive in some form. catriona renton is in glasgow for us. this is where house of fraser began, what is the mood there? this is

almost exactly the same site where it opened in 18119, almost exactly the same site where it opened in 1819, just on that side of the street, a little drapers shop called arthur and fraser was opened. and look what it has become. they have owned that buildings of the 19505 so this is an institution for people in glasgow. there was a crowd outside the store this morning as it opened a little later than usual, we presume because staff were being briefed on what has been happening this morning. that sparked the interest of shoppers who have been asking what was going on, and reminiscing about the store that has been there for decades, many of them recounting when they were little children getting lost in the future department store. 0thers talking about going there for christmas. this is an important part of the high street in glasgow, it is one of the key jewels in high street in glasgow, it is one of the keyjewels in the crown of glasgow's style mile, said it important to the economy of the high—street here, as it is to the high—street here, as it is to the high street in edinburgh. jenners in edinburgh isa

high street in edinburgh. jenners in edinburgh is a very famous store where many people are employed. this isa where many people are employed. this is a place with a very long history where staff and shoppers now are wondering what will be happening in the future. and rob young is with me now. mike ashley has bought it for £90 million, do we have any clear idea what he's going to do with house of fraser? not yet, the company is yet to reveal details of its plans but before today's fast moving events there was plans to close 31 of 59 stores, which would have meant the loss of jobs. we stores, which would have meant the loss ofjobs. we don't know if that plan will continue or whether fewer stores will close or perhaps even a greater number of stores. the liberal democrats have said that today's events highlight the need for big changes, they say there is an uneven plainfield between the high street and online retailers, they want business rates to be scrapped. labour and the unite union have said given the criticism there has been the way sports direct is

accused of treating its workers, staff at house of fraser might have concerns about their wages and conditions. it important to remember mike ashley already employs an awful lot of people, 29,000 in sports direct, he had taken on a load more today, he's a man whose knowing how today, he's a man whose knowing how to make money, he has rescued one of our oldest retailers which makes him one of the most powerful figures in uk retailing. new figures show the recent warm weather has given the uk economy a boost, with growth of 0.4% in the second quarter of the year. economists say both retail sales and construction were helped by the sunshine and high temperatures. it's an improvement on the first three months of the year, where growth slumped amid the cold weather brought in by the beast from the east. here's joe lynam. robin wiley runs a crop spraying company in horsham. he had robin is getting staff in to work over the winter as the beast from the east

but in across the uk but since then the weak pound and good products have meant his exports have boomed. we have been able to make the site fit for purpose going forward, because we see whatever happens with brexit, we export 40% of our product around the world in many different countries so people want our product. and the improved growth figures were welcomed by the chancellor at the launch of a new government fund for technology. we are pleased to see a recovery of the economy in the second quarter, a robust growth figure which points to the underlying fundamental strength of the british economy. and we are not complacent, we're here today for me to announce nearly £1 billion of new investment in high—tech manufacturing and research, to ensure that britain's businesses remain at the cutting edge. after the beast from the east, it appears as if the economy benefited from the royal wedding, amazing weather, and the thrilling world cup. that

allowed consumers to increase their spending. the latest figures from the official statisticians the 0ns show that in the three months till the end ofjune, gdp grew by 0.4%. that's better than the meagre 0.2% growth seen in the first quarter. consumer spending and construction we re consumer spending and construction were the main growth drivers between april and june. we will king for a bounce in the second quarter after that weak first quarter with all the snow, but the bouncer to god was quite small in our view, given all the supporting —— the bounce in the quarter was quite small in our view given all of the supporting evidence. that shows the underlying picture, household growth has slowed since 2016 because real wages are not rising, people do not feel any richer so they do not spend. the bank of england has raised rates until more placental until more ——

bank of england has raised rates until more —— 20.75%. they suggest there will not be any rises until next year, because nobody knows how the brexit situation will impact the economy. more than 1,500 people, many of them campers, have been evacuated after powerful storms and flash floods hit the south of france. hundreds of police and firefighters have been deployed. a 70—year—old german man who was helping supervise children at a summer camp is missing after his caravan was swept away. richard lister reports. after the heatwave, the deluge. there were marble sized hail stones in south—eastern france, as thunderstorms rolled in. torrential rain turned drought hit rivers into raging torrents. lapping at waterside houses, spilling over the road and causing chaos downstream. a string of campsites we re downstream. a string of campsites were quickly overwhelmed. the water

moving through with such force, that possessions were swept away and buried. these german teenagers were ina campsite buried. these german teenagers were in a campsite north of avignon when the flood came. they were among more than 100 people who had to be rescued most of only the clothes they were wearing. we couldn't even ta ke they were wearing. we couldn't even take a suitcase, she said, but the most important thing is that we are all 0k. later, though, it was discovered that a german man in his 705 was missing. the caravan he took refuge in had been swept away. more than 400 police and firemen found out to look for studied holiday—makers and take them to —— stranded holiday—makers and take them to safety. translation: the first thing did i was find people who were clinging to trees, especially the children. they had to be evacuated because some had hypothermia. even driving out of the area was difficult with the roads

flooded and closed. british holiday—makers were among those trying to get to somewhere dry today. the river which was just trying to get to somewhere dry today. the river which wasjust a very shallow river the day before, that our children were paddling in, injusta that our children were paddling in, injust a few that our children were paddling in, in just a few hours turned into a raging torrential winter with river. we hope people are ok, we are fine and very lucky. it was an abrupt and frightening finish to the holiday season for many here. this family's tents were ruined. the deluge in surrounding towns and villages caused damage and left little trapped inside. in ardeche, streets churned with dangerous floodwater, engulfing cars and everything in its path. the wind, rain and hail damaged roofs, broke windows and flooded basement. a violent end to a long, hot summer. richard lister, bbc news. england cricketer ben stokes has told his trial he can't remember knocking out a man in an alleged brawl outside a bristol nightclub last september. stokes, who denys affray, did admit to throwing several pounches.

our correspondent, phil mackie, reports. ben stokes arrived at court this morning to spend a second day in the witness box. he has been giving his version of events of the night of the fight, outside the nightclub during which he punched two men, knocking them both unconscious. mr stokes says he was acting in self defence. he is being questioned about what happened after he was refused entry to the embargo club. he denies offering £300 to get in, getting he would —— saying he would not pay that much to get into the better london nightclub. he said he was not rude to the dormant andrew cunningham. the prosecutor said, you have a significant memory blackout, is that because you were really drunk? no, replied the cricketer, although he had admitted having drunk two or three point of beer,

six or seven vodkas and several jagerbombs. he is alleged to have been offensive to a couple outside the club, and throwing a cigarette at them. the prosecutor said... mr stokes denied accusation. the other defendant ryan ali denies threatening to hit the england all wind with a bottle during the brawl. he is expected to give evidence today. ben stokes has defended himself throughout the trial saying he was feeling under threat himself and was protecting a gay couple who he said were being abused. ryan ali's character asked whether he had got the wrong end of the stick, she said, i suggest your belief was mistaken, there was no homophobic abuse. mr stokes said it was clear that there was homophobic abuse. he also denied being rude and aggressive on the cctv outside the

club. the prosecutor said, we see on this that it an angry man who has lost control, and stokes replied, absolutely not. he has left the court with his wife, aged and legal tea m court with his wife, aged and legal team and he will be back in about half an hour for the team and he will be back in about half an hourfor the rest team and he will be back in about half an hour for the rest of the day's proceedings. hundreds of ryanair flights have been cancelled after pilots in five european countries went on strike in a dispute over pay and conditions. more than 50,000 passengers are understood to have been sent flight cancellations via text message. ryanair insists its pilots are paid more than those working for other budget airlines. gavin lee reports. the no—frills airline, with no flights out of one of europe's busiest airports today. at frankfurt the message for passengers was clear, and the same for berlin, with 250 flights grounded in germany and another 150 cancellations in ireland, sweden, and belgium as

well. ryanair ireland, sweden, and belgium as well. rya nair is ireland, sweden, and belgium as well. ryanair is the second—biggest airline and there are usually big queues here to the airport at this time, but 80% of the flights to and from belgium have been cancelled, according to the unions. ryanair says it has texted or e—mailed people so they don't come here today wondering whether their flight is on. laura and her best friend claire from barrow in furness were due to fly with ryanair from manchester with 14 friends for a hen party in germany and they have had to cancel their plans. they didn't offer anything. it said in the e—mail there were a few things you could do, but really with a group of 16 us it is really difficult to try to get something organised, so we have to either try to find another flight, or book our own, but it is just too expensive. at the heart of it, the european pilots are asking for better pay and requesting their

contact be governed by the laws of the nation where they are based, not by irish legislation. all these people, around belgium, travelling to dublin, just for a problem, an issue, especially when you have to deal with legislation not familiar to do, not in a country where you can be defended. ryanair has described the strike is regrettable and unjustified, claiming their pilots are among the best paid in the budget airline market, and who in their view have the least reason to complain. gavin lee, bbc news. the time is 17 minutes past one. our top story this lunchtime: nike ashley, the owner of sports direct, pays £90 million to rescue the department store chain house of fraser from administration. and still to come... a dream start for england in the delayed second test against india before rain stops play again. coming up on bbc news: after extending her heptathlon lead with victory in the long jump, can katarina johnson—thompson

find herform in the javelin to move closer to gold at the european championships? parts of australia are trying to cope with the worst drought in living memory. a warm, dry winter has left many outback farmers in new south wales struggling to survive, and little rain is expected in the months ahead. our correspondent, phil mercer, sent this report from gunnedah, about 260 miles north of sydney. it's been two years since decent rains fell here, but this farming family is determined to beat the drought. keeping its beef herd alive is exhausting and expensive. crops have failed and the monthly food bill is £25,000. a daily grind taking its toll. everyone is

stressed, under more pressure financially and therefore you are stressed and stressed in your relationships, and just trying to keep it together. we can see that our seasons are no longer what we would call normal. we have had the lowest rainfall in 116 years of recording, so this is the worst. this should be some of australia's prime agricultural land. in good times, these fields would have crops up times, these fields would have crops up to your knees, butjust look at it now. the earth is bone dry and barren, and many farming communities are struggling like never before, as the big drive in eastern australia strengthens its grip. the lack of rain has dramatically altered the landscape. all of new south wales is now officially in drought. for many it isa now officially in drought. for many it is a disaster. this small town is in the heart of the drought zone. other local school the children are

farming families and share the sense of uncertainty. you can sense that sorrow of uncertainty. you can sense that sorrow in their voices when talking about home and the forms at the moment. it is pretty heartbreaking for them to watch their stock slowly but surely starve the dress in front of them. pretty stressful for me. i doa of them. pretty stressful for me. i do a lot of study so i wake up earlier, go to bed later, to keep on top of that, keep working on the farm, so everything gets done and the cows are looked after. the money isa very the cows are looked after. the money is a very tightly. we're not spending it on unnecessary things. we are making sure we are counting every dollar we spend. australia's claim it can be cruel. it can turn fertile ground into a wasteland —— australia's climate can be cruel. the government is helping but what is really needed is rain, lots of it, but the forecast for the months ahead doesn't look good. phil mercer, bbc news,

near gunnedah, in new south wales. the employers organisation, the cbi, is calling for a new immigration system to make sure businesses can still attract workers from the eu after brexit. it wants immigration targets to be scrapped. instead, it says people coming to the uk should be asked to prove they can make a positive contribution to the economy. matt cole reports. british agriculture needs 60,000 seasonal farm workers every year, just one reason the cbi says eu immigration matters. then there are nurses, software engineers, builders, architects, with that claim that they constitute between four and 30% of different sectors' workforces. so the government must abandon caps on numbers, but it recommends controls, limiting those without a job to a three—month stay, u nless without a job to a three—month stay, unless they are studying or financially independent. eu citizens will also have to register with the authorities and would be limited to

what in work benefits they can claim. the cbi also said companies must prioritise recruitment of british staff in areas with high unemployment. if in particular area an appointment is creeping up it feels wrong to have immigration creeping up on those areas. we should be able to control that and give priority to the local labour market, and we should be able to support communities with particular pressures by increased investment for example in hospitals and schools. the cbi says the current non—eu immigration system is too bureaucratic to work for the volume of european citizens needed. critics disagree, and insist firms haven't tried hard enough to recruit locally, but the cbi has support, although even supporters highlight the need to back british. we do need to prioritise people who are currently uk residents. obviously, you know, there are different approach is needed. people coming over is one approach but we need to make sure we are committed to upskilling our own people in this country as well. the cbi admits there is a fine balance to be struck

here. on the one hand, keeping enough access to labour to support the economy. on the other, keeping enough control to keep public trust and confidence. the government says the home office will publish its post—brexit immigration plans in due course, but it's promising there will be a system that works for the whole of the uk. matt cole, bbc news, at the home office. police have named the nine—year—old girl who was killed by a rockfall on the north yorkshire coast on wednesday. harriet forster from oxford was visiting the village of staithes with her family when the accident happened. they have described her as "the light of our lives". citizens advice has urged the government to slow down the roll—out of smart meters in england, scotland and wales after receiving thousands of complaints. the charity says some customers have reported aggressive sales practices, while others have complained the meters don't work properly when they switch energy suppliers. the government says it remains committed to the current timetable. katarina johnson—thompson is leading the heptathlon

at the european championships in berlin, with only two events to go. the competition finishes tonight with the 800 metres. our sports correspondent, ade adedoyin, has been watching. well, ben, with a final events to come, katarina johnson—thompson, dubbed the nextjessica ennis—hill, since she broke the junior record, she has just fallen behind since she broke the junior record, she hasjust fallen behind the favourite, thiam belgian, who is the third best heptathlon athlete of all time. three is the magic numberfor kjt. world and commonwealth gold already this year, victory here would top the lot. after reading overnight, an excellent start to the day in the long jump 6.68, a beautifuljump day in the long jump 6.68, a

beautiful jump for johnson—thompson. not short of a lifetime best but not enough to stay ahead of the favourites, thiam belgian. katarina ridgers the best performance, and the long jump, the highjump, ridgers the best performance, and the longjump, the highjump, and the longjump, the highjump, and the shot putt, an event where she's usually weak. it got even better as she raced on them best performance in the 200 metres to keep just ahead of thiam, who hasn't lost in nearly two years. katarina johnson-thompson rests the lead away from thiam! bit gutted about the highjump. i think i probably needed more height. but a solid day. she has pushed thiam at every ru n solid day. she has pushed thiam at every run andjump solid day. she has pushed thiam at every run and jump so far and will need the run of life in the last two events to beat the seemingly unbeatable belgium. a lot of comparisons have been made between

johnson—thompson and jessica ennis—hill. looking for good omens, ennis—hill. looking for good omens, ennis—hill won first back in the stadium into those new name. she has just run a personal best and all she needs to do is stay with within catching distance of thiam and hope to run really fast later and then claim gold in the final event. studio: ade, thank you very much indeed. england's bowlers have have taken full advantage of the overcast conditions in the second test at lord's. they won the toss and put india in to bat and jimmy anderson took two quick wickets before rain stopped play as patrick gearey reports. take ta ke two. take two. after a full day lost to rain, lords resets. hopefully this time they will get to the crease, at least. before we were brutally interrupted this series looked promising. now the weather to match. after the long wait, finally the walk through the long road, to face

a pent—up walk through the long road, to face a pent—uinmmy walk through the long road, to face a pent—up jimmy anderson. walk through the long road, to face a pent—uinmmy anderson. murali vijay‘s five deliveries. anderson, incredible, vijay, indoors. an unsettling thing to be an indian batsmen. it is a quarter of an hour to score a run, the conditions changing again. and this allowed anderson to conjurejust changing again. and this allowed anderson to conjure just enough movement to take an edge... to take a wicket. kl rahul was helpless. o nto a wicket. kl rahul was helpless. onto one of cricket's great stages, virat kohli, one of the great modern batsmen, into the path of andersen. this town ain't big enough for the both of them. drizzling rain. patrick gearey, bbc news, lord's. it's been 14 years since it ended, but the sitcom friends seems to have won over a whole new generation of fans. the ‘905 comedy following the lives of six young new yorkers has topped the list of the uk's most—watched streaming shows. its continuing popularity

is all the more remarkable given the huge sums of money pumped into new blockbusters by streaming services such as netflix and amazon. our entertainment correspondent, colin paterson, takes a look at why so many of us are still hooked on the lives of people in a coffee shop, nearly a quarter of a century after it began. # so no one told you life was going to be this way... #. it's 14 years since friends ended. butjoey and chandler's bachelor pad, monica's apartment, the hallway between them, ross' living room, are very familiar to a whole new generation. pivot! shut up! subscription streaming services netflix, amazon prime and nowtv don't reveal their viewing figures, but the industry regulator ofcom has released new research, and now we know the uk's most streamed shows of 2018. at number five, flat cap thuggery — peaky blinders.

maybe all this is happening for a reason. . . at four, as 805 as a rubik's cube, but far scarier — stranger things. and at three, already tv royalty, the crown. at two, you can watch on your pc, but it's not pc — the grand tour. how you doin'? and at one, a show which started in 1994, the year before the dvd was invented. friends. i, ross... take thee emily. ..take thee rachel. so why has it endured? or better to ask than those at comedy central‘s friendsfest, which is touring the uk and selling at wherever it goes.

rossis and selling at wherever it goes. ross is my favourite character, just brilliant. why? just his facial expressions. ijust watch it over and over. if there's no one's in, that's all i watch. i'm not evenjoking. i grew igrew up i grew up watching fresh prince of bel air but since i watched friends i have never stopped. you were born yea rs i have never stopped. you were born years after friends ended. why do you like it? it makes me laugh. who is your favourite character? rachel. she is funny. to sum up, using the very device that show employed to name each episode, this is the one for friends is still number one. —— where friends is still number one.