the struggling department store chain house of fraser is bought by sports direct. it agreed to pay £90 million for the business, just hours after it went into administration. sports direct‘s billionaire owner, mike ashley, says he wants to turn the chain into the harrods of the high street. sports directjust seems like quite a jump from house of fraser, it doesn't really, in my mind, really fit together very well. we'll ask what the move means for house of fraser's 17,000 staff, and its customers. also tonight: england cricketer ben stokes tells the jury at his trial he doesn't remember knocking a man unconscious during a fight outside a nightclub last year. flash floods in the south of france force hundreds of locals and holiday—makers to flee towns and villages — at least one person is missing. an immigration reprieve for a nine—year—old chess progidy. we meet the boy who's just been told he doesn't have to leave

the uk with his family in a matter of weeks. and, is britain's katerina johnson thompson on course for a heptathlon medal at the european championships? there's one event to go. and coming up on bbc news, the new premier league season starts just a few hours but can anyone stop manchester city doing this again? good evening, and welcome to the bbc news at six. the struggling department store house of fraser has been bought, just hours after going into administration — by sports direct. its owner, mike ashley, says he wants to turn the chain into the harrods of the high street.

sports direct is paying £90 million for the business, which is 169 years old. house of fraser has 59 stores across the country — administrators had earmarked 31 for closure, but mike ashley said in a statement he'll be doing his best to keep as many open as possible. so, this evening, the 17,500 strong staff wait to find out exactly what he plans to do with his acquisition. our first report is from our business correspondent emma simpson. glasgow, where house of fraser began. it's early doors and staff are fearing the worst. began. it's early doors and staff are fearing the worstlj began. it's early doors and staff are fearing the worst. i don't think i have an understanding of it here. it's not really been explained to us at all. i think we're all trying to keep each other up, stay motivated and hope for a good outcome. today, shoppers had to wait. in hull, many

worried about losing one of their favourite stores. edwin davis, british owned stores are now this one, where we going to shop? at our age? but, by the time the doors opened across the country there is 161—year—old chain had a new owner. what happened to house of fraser todayis what happened to house of fraser today is the most shocking example yet of the distress that is currently playing out on our high streets. it's now in the hands of one of retail‘s most controversial and colourful bosses, who made his fortune with a chain known for stacking it high and selling it cheap. mike ashley is never far from the headlines, often for all the wrong reasons. a lot of cash there. yes, i've been to the casino. he has certainly done well. his business empire includes newcastle united football clu b empire includes newcastle united

football club and that controlling sta ke football club and that controlling stake in sports direct, with nearly 500 stores, employing nearly 18,000 people. he owns the premium casual wear chain flannels and he has also taken a big stake in debenhams, french connection and owned 11% already house of fraser. so, what is he up to? he likes to gamble and i wouldn't bet against him. this retail expert has worked closely with him. sports direct tried to buy house of fraser in 2014, so they have always had a long held ambition to own department stores. they already holds premium brands but this gives him access to the tommy hilfiger hugo boss of the world in a more meaningful way. the question remains, how many of the 59 stores he wants to trade but this is a once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. he wants to trade but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. mike ashley says he will do his best to keep as many open as possible. 31 had already been due to close, like this one in darlington, and then there are other suppliers. this

nottingham menswear company is one of many who are worried they won't be getting paid. the impact is, yes it will affect jobs, yes, be getting paid. the impact is, yes it will affectjobs, yes, it could affect the suppliers and sadly we could seek supplies to buy tropical is of it. challenging times. the chairman of this department store is a retail veteran and speaks for the industry. it is a perfect storm, where retailers are faced with quite big cost pressures at the same time the consumer is choosing to shop in different ways. as a result, we've seen quite a lot of this over the la st seen quite a lot of this over the last six months or so. i fear there is more to come. the chancellor hinted again today that he is considering a tax on online retailers to level the playing field. many of house of fraser's problems, though, were self—inflicted, a weak business loaded with debt. it will take skill and an awful lot of investment to turnit and an awful lot of investment to turn it around. emma samms,

and an awful lot of investment to turn itaround. emma samms, bbc news. emma samms, bbc news. well, in belfast, house of fraser opened in 2008 as part of a major redevelopment — a flagship department store for the city centre after a history of troubles. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy is there now. won't have people been saying to you today? there is some relief that a deal has been done but also a bit of trepidation over how this store may change under the new ownership. when house of fraser opened here ten yea rs house of fraser opened here ten years ago, along with a brand—new shopping centre there was great celebration because back then it signified that belfast was becoming a more modern city. it brought much more than designer shoes and handbags, this was a sign that belfast was leaving behind its violent past. the opening of house of fraser came at a time of widespread change for northern ireland. since then, belfast has welcomed increasing numbers of shoppers and tourists. the arrival of this store is still remembered as a moment when the city felt revived. i think it was the beginning

of things improving in belfast and you saw a lot of lines there that he did not get in other stores. and rather than being overshadowed, independent retailers in the city say they rely on house of fraser's success. it is inevitable, it is such a huge draw, for locals, for tourists and also for the huge amount of staff that work there, you know, you think about the disposable income that we, as the smaller retailers, depend on. belfast‘s house of fraser escaped the cull when half the uk's stores were earmarked for closure last month, but now, under the sports direct takeover, plans for its future are unclear. but the deal has been cautiously welcomed here, if it means that any possibility of losing a store that is so key to the city can be avoided. i think we have always been very careful to say, look, the high street is not dying, the high street is going through a creative reconstruction, like any reconstruction process, that is not without its casualties. so, can sports direct‘s mike ashley breathe new life into the brand?

sports direct seems quite a jump from house of fraser. it doesn't really, in my mind, really fit together very well. house of fraser has kind of pitched itself as a high end brand, i don't know whether that would maybe devalue it slightly or change its market, or, ultimately, if it keeps the employees in a job, i think it is a good thing. in the short term at least, people here still have theirjobs and belfast still has its flagship department store. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. our business correspondent emma simpson joins me. how much do we know about what happens now? that is a good question. we have no real details tonight about what he is going to do and crucially how many stores mike ashley is going to keep. all he is saying is he wants to turn house of

fraser into the harrods of the high street. a lot of people are wondering, has he bitten off more than he can chew? this is a big, complex business to run and dare i say it, it won't be long before the countdown to the crucial christmas trading, where department stores in particular have to be at the top of their game, particular have to be at the top of theirgame, and particular have to be at the top of their game, and house of fraser has suffered from chronic underinvestment for many years, lots of different owners. will this new owner really deliver? there are 17,500 jobs riding on it. emma, thank you. emma simpson. the england cricketer, ben stokes, has denied being very drunk and enraged when he got into a fight outside a nightclub in bristol last september. ben stokes has been giving evidence for a second day at his trial. the 27—year—old admitted throwing several punches, but said he didn't remember knocking a man unconscious. he denies affray. the man he's accused of hitting is on trial alongside him. phil mackie reports from bristol crown court. ben stokes arrived in court

for the fifth day of his trial and his second in the witness box. he was shown cctv footage filmed outside the club on the night of the fight. he denied offering £300 to a doorman who would not let him in, saying he would not even pay that to get into the best club in london. the english star also refuted claims he made fun of a gay couple in an offensive manner and had thrown a cigarette at them. mr stokes said he punched two men because they were abusing the gay men and had threatened him. but he said he couldn't remember what they'd said. prosecutors said... the cricketer admitted drinking two or three beers... six or seven vodkas and seven jagerbombss as well. the english style was shown the phone footage of a fight style was shown the phone footage of afight in style was shown the phone footage of a fight in which he knocked the men out but again insisted he was acting

in self defence. nick kroll sirles said, we see on this footage and angry man who has lost control. absolutely not, said the cricketer. the england star was asked whether he misheard what was being said, if he misheard what was being said, if he got the wrong end of the stick. no, he said, he felt the gay men we re no, he said, he felt the gay men were being threatened and so was he. 0ne were being threatened and so was he. one of the men he knocked out, his co—defendant ryan ali, also gave evidence today. he denied arming himself with a bottle to use as a weapon during the fight. he told the court mr stokes had been very angry and looking for someone to pick on. he still suffers from double vision after his eye socket was fractured. all the witnesses and both defendants have finished giving evidence. ryan ali ben stokes will return on monday to hear closing speeches before the jury is sent out later next week to consider its verdict. a man has pleaded guilty to plotting a terrorist attack in central london, and raising money to fund terrorism. 26—year—old lewis ludlow from kent had planned to hire a van and target pedestrians on oxford street, at madame tussauds

and at st paul's cathedral. he'd hoped to kill up to 100 people. he'll be sentenced in november. bowel cancer screening in england is to be offered to men and women earlier, from the age of 50, rather than the current 60. the move brings england into line with scotland. public health england says screening people younger allows the disease to be detected earlier. business leaders have called on the government to scrap its targets for net migration after britain leaves the european union. the confederation of british industry said the targets should be replaced with a new system that ensures people coming to the uk make a positive contribution to the economy. the home office said it's committed to reducing net migration to tens of thousands. warmer weather, the football world cup and the royal wedding — all helped lift economic growth in the three months tojune. the office for national statistics says britan's economy grew by 0.4% in that period,

compared with a rate of 0.2% in the first quarter of the year. but, the 0ns added, that underlying growth remained modest, and crucial exports were down — as our economics correspondent andy verity reports. a hot, dry summer, nice while it lasts, and the same applies to the economic climate, which warmed up in the second quarter of the year and forgot all about the beast from the east. this brtish—made crop sprayer uses cutting edge technology so farmers can avoid re—spraying the same ground to an accuracy of an inch. and it has prospered on investment and exports. we have been out of able to expand the site, making the site fit for purpose for going forward because we see whatever happens with brexit, we export 40% of our product around the world, to many different countries and so we have people wanting our product. the heat may have helped

the economy, but it is far from a bumper harvest. in the eight years before the financial crisis, the economy grew by on average to 2.8% per year. but in the eight years since then, it has been far slower, just 1.9%. and the chancellor philip hammond is aware that growth overall in the year tojune was just 1.3%. are you really satisfied with that growth rate? obviously, we want our economic growth to be higher and we do that by investing in skills and infrastructure and technology. there is no alternative but to keep investing in our economy, to improve our performance and deliver the sustainably higher wages that we want to see in this country. the bank of england is convinced that the economy is now growing fast enough that there is a danger that wages take off. but that's highly controversial. although pay has grown more than inflation, the average pay rise is still much smaller than it was before

the financial crash. if the economy is growing fast enough, many of us are not obviously reaping the benefits. we were looking for a bounce in second quarter after that weak first quarter with all the snow, but actually, the bounce that we got was quite small in our view, given all the supportive factors that you had like the good weather. and that goes back to a weak underlying picture. household spending growth has slowed quite a lot since 2016 because real wages are not rising, people do not feel any richer and they are not growing theirspending. while some companies has picked up, successful exporters like this firm are the exception, not the rule. manufacturing is shrinking, consumer spending is weak and share prices fell today. to traders, there is one big grey cloud forming on the economic horizon, the risk of aa no—deal brexit. the time is quarter past six. our top story this evening. the struggling department store chain house of fraser

is bought by sports direct. it agreed to pay 90 million pounds for the business, just hours after it went into administration. british divers jack laugher and chris mears win a silver medal in the 3 metre synchronised diving at the european championships. and later in the hour we will have all the latest reports, interviews and features from the bbc sport centre. hundreds of people, many of them foreign holidaymakers, have been moved to safety in the south of france after flash flooding tore through towns and villages. police are searching for a 70 year old man who went missing while looking after children at a camp site near the river ardeche. the storms followed a period of unusually hot weather across much of europe. richard lister reports. after the heatwave, the deluge.

hailstones as big as marbles fell in south—eastern france as thunderstorms rolled in. torrential rain turned drought—hit rivers into raging torrents. lapping at waterside homes, spilling over roads and causing chaos downstream. several campsites were quickly overwhelmed. the water moving through with such force that camping gear and picnic tables were swept away. more than 400 police and firefighters fanned out to search for stranded tourists. some were found hypothermic and clinging to trees. these german teenagers were in a campsite near avignon when the floods struck. they were among more than 100 people who had to be rescued, most with only the clothes 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, a german man in his 70s was reported missing. the caravan he took refuge in was swept away. in the ardeche gorge 150 people kayaking and hiking had to be led to safety. it was pretty intense, on the river and on the banks, seeing such devastation. i have witnessed the river come up quite a bit over the last 12 years that i have worked out here, but i have never witnessed it at this time of the year when there are so many tourists here and i think that was the biggest thing that caught people out, was the fact that so many people did not know what they were doing. it was an abrupt and frightening finish to the holiday season for many. but the torrent swept debris through the surrounding towns and villages, causing damage here, too. vaison—la—romaine in provence became a giant water chute. in ardeche, streets churned with dangerous

floodwater engulfing cars. the wind, rain and hail damaged roofs, broke windows and flooded basements. a violent end to a long, hot summer. richard lister, bbc news. here, a 9 year old girl who died from head injuries when a section of cliff collapsed in north yorkshire, has been described as the light of her family's life. harriet forster, from oxford, was on a family holiday visting staithes beach when she was hit on wednesday. her family says it's in ‘indescribable pain'. police are appealing for witnesses who were on the beach at the time. four people, including two police officers, have been killed in a shooting in eastern canada. it happened early this morning in the city of fredericton, the capital of new brunswick province. the circumstances of the shooting remain unclear. local police say one suspect has been taken into custody and is being treated for serious injuries. a strike by ryanair pilots in five countries has

forced the cancellation of about 400 flights. around 75—thousand passengers have been affected; ryanair says most have been put on alternative flights. pilots are protesting about their conditions and pay. rya nair says its pilots are paid more than those at other budget airlines. the family of a 9 year old chess prodigy in south london have been told they no longer have to leave the uk in a matter of weeks. shreyas royal has represented england in international chess championships and is ranked 4 in the world for his age group — but his family was told their visa wouldn't be extended unless shreyas's father earned 120 thousand pounds a year. but today the home secretary sajid javid said he had taken personal charge of their case. 0ur correspondent chi chi izundu has been to meet the family. this is shreyas royal.

he may be only nine, but he is ranked fourth in his age group in the world. he is a silver medallist. and, according to a former chess grand master, the greatest chess prospect in a generation. he only started playing chess three years ago, but was told he would have to return to india with his family, unless his dad could get his work visas renewed by next month. an immigration rule states that that can only happen if he earns £120,000 a year. which he doesn't. he grew up here and when we heard that, it is really sad for us and surprising for us. his dad appealed to the home office and they told him that, yes, while his son has showed immense promise, it did not mean that the family could stay in the uk. two mps have backed shreyas's case. in a joint letter to the home secretary, leeds west mp rachel reeves and greenwich and woolwich mp matthew pencook said, he performed outstandingly in adult competitions, breaking uk records in the process. if shreyas royal is forced to leave the uk and return to india, the country will lose an exceptional talent.

the home secretary personally looked in to the royals case and extended their right to remain on their current visa. how did you react when you heard you had been given leave to extend your current visa? i wasjumping up and down. i was really happy. the home office says it considers every application on its merits, but for now, shreyas is concentrating on competing in the chess championships. i want to be the best and become the world chess champion by the age of 18. chi chi izundu, bbc news. it's been another frustrating day in the second test at lords, as rain dominated day 2, after yesterday's washout. england have had the better of what little play has been possible, taking five wickets, two of them byjames anderson, including murali vijay in the first over of the day.

captain virat kohli has just been caught for 23, and india are currently 62—5. all eyes will be on heptathlon's katarina johnson—thomson at the european championships this evening. she's currently in silver medal position in berlin — with one event to go. and in glasgow, it was champions from the rio 0lympics who carried british hopes. 0ur correspondent natalie pirks is in glasgow. natalie: the championships are drawing to an end, have they been a success?‘ it certainly seems to be looking like that as these championships come to an end on sunday. it is the first time we have all seven sports come togetherfor first time we have all seven sports come together for the european championships for the purpose of television and organisers say more than 2000 fans have come to events and watch it unfolds at the early

indications are that it has been to the clear benefit of scotland. it has been quiet here today in scotland, but still plenty of familiarfaces going scotland, but still plenty of familiar faces going for gold. remember these guys, jack laugher and christmas won the hearts whether their synchronise goals. they were carrying on where they left off but the russian world champions were hot on their heels. it is stunning! this was a proper ding dong, with their final dive, they needed 79 points to regain the european title they won in 2016. this is going to be mega clothes. just half a point stood between them and what would have been jacked's third gold the championships. the russians are our numberone championships. the russians are our number one rivals. they are our

friends but also massive competitors and it is nice to go head—to—head with them and sometimes beat them. it isa with them and sometimes beat them. it is a fun and healthy competition. the triathlon always looks fun, at least the way alistair brownlee does it, but boy, it is a tough sport. marc austin reminding usjust it, but boy, it is a tough sport. marc austin reminding us just how tough. sticking with the leaders during the 40 kilometres cycle, brownlee was looking to put a bad season behind him with a final kick for gold, but then came the wall. bradley won gold here four years ago, there would be no repeat. he could only finish fourth behind the french competitor. 0ver could only finish fourth behind the french competitor. over in berlin, katarina johnson—thompson began the final day in the lead with some solid work in the heptathlon but throwing is not herforte. despite a personal best of the jab and, world and olympic champion realtor in and over her. it means katarina johnson—thompson may well have to settle for it the silver medal.

time for a look at the weather... here's tomasz schafernaker. really changeable. today and that is how it will stay over the weekend and some of us have had quite a day—to—day. thunder and lightning, downpours as well. the good news is if you are going out this evening you do not want the storms and downpours, they are clearing away. the storm clouds you can see on the satellite image are moving out into the north sea and behind it the skies are appearing and we are in, after what has been a very showery day, a beautiful evening. clear blue skies on the way for many of us and the starry night and a chilly one. yesterday i was saying it was going to be cold, this

coming night might be even colder. in most major towns and cities, temperatures down into single figures. in rural spots it will be colder. saturday morning is chilly but lots of sunshine. it will be a beautiful day before the low pressure upsets the weather. by the time we get to lunchtime, i think it is cloudy with some rain in the west country, wales, perhaps the north—west of england, but by four o'clock in the afternoon, it is still sunny in parts, temperatures rising a little bit tomorrow, wins coming more from the south west, a bit more humid, cloudy tomorrow, but it will not be as chilly because today and tonight, that air has that fresh feel to it. someday, low pressure pirates itself across the uk and after the two days, i think sunday is the day when you might catch rain and i think all of us will at least get a dose of rain. it will at least get a dose of rain. it will not rain all the time, there will not rain all the time, there will be breaks in the rain and there will be breaks in the rain and there will be breaks in the rain and there will be sunshine, but do be prepared to use your umbrella if you're out for any length of time. temperatures in the low 20s and it will feel

humid. avery in the low 20s and it will feel humid. a very changeable picture and that changeable field continues into the start of the week. a reminder of our top story... the struggling department store chain house of fraser is bought by sports direct. it agreed to pay £90 million for the business, just hours after it went into administration. that's all from the bbc news at six. 0n bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. goodbye. hello this is bbc news. the headlines this hour. sports director by house of fraser for £90 million. it remains unclear. i think we are alljust it remains unclear. i think we are all just trying to it remains unclear. i think we are alljust trying to keep each other up alljust trying to keep each other up and stay motivated. we hope they are going to be some sort of option. this is not finished yet. the feel—good summer has boosted the economy the royal wedding and the world cup. a muslim convert is

facing life in prison for a plot to kill 100 people in a care attack outside a disney store on 0xford street. zimbabwe presidential inauguration, which had to do to ta ke inauguration, which had to do to take place on