this is bbc news, i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 7pm: the struggling department store chain house of fraser is bought by mike ashley's sports direct for £90 million, but what it means for its 16,000 staff is still unclear. i think we're alljust trying to keep each other up, we're all trying to stay motivated and hope for a good outcome. we hope they're going to find some solution, finally. you know, there's nothing finished yet. 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. a muslim convert is facing life injailfor a plot to kill 1000 people in a terror attack outside the disney store on oxford street. 1600 people have been evacuated from camp sites after flash floods hit the south of france. a 70—year—old german man is missing after his caravan was swept away. a nine—year—old chess prodigy and his family have been allowed to stay in the uk. his father's work visa was due

to expire next month. and despite billions invested into new tv programmes, a 24—year—old sitcom is the most popular show across streaming services. we'll be discussing the timeless appeal of friends. 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. 31 of them had been earmarked 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. i don't think i have an understanding of it yet. 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. now this one, where we going to shop?

at ourage? but by the time the doors opened across the country, this 169—year—old chain had a new owner. 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 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 already 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 own some premium brands, but this gives him access to the tommy hilfigers, hugo bosses 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. 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 affectjobs, yes, it could affect the suppliers and sadly we could seek supplies go bankrupt because 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 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 turn it around. emma simpson, bbc news. we can speak now to lord randall, whojoins me down the line from uxbridge. lord randall is a former department store owner, and he was also the conservative mp for uxbridge and south ruislip. thank you very much for being with

us. thank you very much for being with us. your fellow business credit for how long? about 120 years. and what changed? i think retailing and customers have changed what they want, what they expect have changed. they has happened is at a rate that retailers have been slow to catch up with it. obviously, online has made the biggest and most a dramatic effect, i think, the biggest and most a dramatic effect, ithink, on the biggest and most a dramatic effect, i think, on retailing. the biggest and most a dramatic effect, ithink, on retailing. and certainly in department stores, the old idea that the grace brothers movie were often likened it to no longer something that people actually enjoy it, apart from, and you had it in your package, some of the older generation are not so keen on online shopping. not so keen on the new ways, they want a bit of

service but unfortunately, those old—fashioned types service but unfortunately, those old —fashioned types of service but unfortunately, those old—fashioned types of stores are being squeezed out. it is interesting because, because the store you're running, you had lots of different products, but really all in the andy murray curating. it seems to have vanished. in modern department stores, the best weight seem to be large spaces in which lots of concessions, lots of brands seem lots of concessions, lots of brands seem to run almost their own within. that was a model for quite a few yea rs that was a model for quite a few years ago. in fact, we ourselves suggested looking at doing something like that. but you do not really have full control of it. and i think the other problem is that what we ended up doing was actually being a showroom for goods when people could then go online and order them. sema, have a look, get the benefit of service and the go order it somewhere else? that is our happen

to us with furniture. and i always thought that we would carry on it because people would want to actually touch, feel, have the advice. but of course, now you get that on reviews, not that reviews are always that great. or impartial. it just be people are always that great. or impartial. itjust be people who had a problem, maybe, but that is the way of the world at the moment. if i could be optimistic, i have a feeling they will all come around again. in retailing, there are cycles, but it may not be for a while. i can imagine that in 20 years' time, the online giants will say we have evidence to guide, a little blazer you can actually get with these products in order them there. but it's really tough in my heart goes out to all those house of fraser employees because it is devastating for them, this news. ijust hope the

new owner will be able to pull it around. london is probably as difficult as anywhere, and the cities, the smaller towns still have a volume, but i have a bad feeling that something is not going to just be pulled out of the hat for them. let me ask you, finally, what was the knock on effect of a kind of agribusiness like yours disappearing from the high street? didn't have a knock on effect on uxbridge?” from the high street? didn't have a knock on effect on uxbridge? i do not know whether it did for uxbridge because i think it already happened with lots of other stores... i have a dog about tojoin in here. hopefully, that will work. nope. it does mean that there is less it is for people moving into the town. thank you very much, i think the dog knows it is time for its wall.|j think the dog wins. thank you very

much. former owner of randall's of uxbridge, which was part of middlesex from the 1890s to about 2015. 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 at 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 england 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. the prosecutor said... the cricketer admitted drinking two or three beers, six or seven vodkas and seven jagerbombs as well. the england star was shown the phone footage of a fight in which he knocked the men out, but again insisted he was acting in self—defence. "absolutely not," said the cricketer. the england star was asked whether he misheard what was being said, if he got the wrong end of the stick. no, he said, he felt the gay men 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 and ben stokes will return on monday to hear closing speeches before the jury is sent out later next week to consider its verdict. phil mackie, bbc news, bristol crown court. 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. hundreds of people, many of them foreign holiday—makers, have been moved to safety in the south of france after flash flooding tourists 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. well, on the line now from vallon pon dark in the ardeche region is patrick hallworth, who is the owner of an adventure sports company in the area. he has been part of the evacuation mission. what was it like? it was pretty extreme. it was pretty unexpected, i think that was the biggest problem. yeah, it was pretty sudden. that gorgeous very deep anyway, is it not? yes, pretty inaccessible. we we re not? yes, pretty inaccessible. we were pa rt of not? yes, pretty inaccessible. we were part of the evacuation, some of my guests but also about 150 of the

forests in the area were all trapped in the gorge basically. we had to walk about to the top where the road was, but it was closed as well. can you give us a was, but it was closed as well. can you give us a sense was, but it was closed as well. can you give us a sense of how quickly the water was rising yesterday when the water was rising yesterday when the rain began? it was extremely fast. it started rising slowly to start with but talking about five aem, but by ten aem or noon, it was rising a couple of metres every minute coast so pretty intense. and you had a guest you have to go and rescue, but there are also a lot of other people who are actually holidaying in the area anyway. yes, there was another company that i think would have had a school group and they would have had about 120, just forests. it really has been a summer of extremes in france. yes, it has been extremely warm. the last

couple of ways, about 42 degrees, so it has been very warm. how has it affected your business, i assume he has not been typical and am assured that most affected the activities you been able to run equipment i had to cancel all of my torso this weekend. and day. and also not the greatest experience of this season. six weeks for the school holiday. but ever since going back to normal already weird and we should be back on the river by monday. really, that quick? esther medicaid is a has—been, it is literally melting away. they have been negative. usually we get flooding in september. they have been very good at clearing it. me and my staff to go down tomorrow and get it down just to ensure there are no boats and trees along the river so we can

basically get our guests down there. there we go. thank you very much, patrick, for telling us about what you and your guests have been through. good to hear everyone has been saying. no problem, everything is fine. the headlines on bbc news: mike ashley's sports direct agrees to buy house of fraser for £90 million pounds, but what it means for its 16,000 staff is still unclear. 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. a muslim convert is facing life injailfor a plot to kill 100 people in a terror attack outside the disney store on 0xford street. 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 why the cbi says eu immigration matters. then there are nurses, software engineers, builders, architects, with the cbi claiming that they constitute between 11% and 30% of different sectors' workforces. so it says after brexit the government must abandon caps on numbers and let firms recruit from the eu, but it recommends controls, limiting those without a job to a three—month stay, unless they are studying or financially independent. eu citizens would 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 areas, unemployment is creeping up it feels wrong to have immigration creeping up in 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 approaches 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. 0n the one hand, keeping enough access to labour to support the economy. 0n 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.

we can now get the perspective of sanwar ali, editor of the migration advice website workpermit.com, who provide provide inofrmation to both employers and applicants across a number of countries. hejoins me now from riga. thank you very much for being with us. thank you very much for being with us. what do you make of this call? there are some people here, not least british politicians, saying employers are not even bothering to look for potential employees in the uk. there are just recruit someone from overseas. i don't think that is accurate at all. it is very expensive and difficult. if you want to get someone from outside the eu into the uk, it is a very expensive, difficult and bureaucratic process. it is very easy to get wrong. so i think employers only take people on from outside the eu is they have got no choice because it is really

expensive. to be fair, he was saying eu workers they are trying to get rid of and nine eu workers. but at the point you make about nine eu workers and the difficulties there. and for example, india, who complains regularly about this and says it is unfair that because of the freedom of movement of eu workers, our workers are seated under permit. 0nce britain is out of the eu, are you expecting a certificate chains? i think the system has to change. the current system has to change. the current system is not suitable after britain leads the eu. the problem is that without eu migrants being able to comment freely into the uk, it has to be made easierfor... at least away from the comment, which is even the current two—year visa system which is very bureaucratic. and

still, we have not actually got a new system which is suitable. government says it has a migration advisory committee that regularly reviews all of this and offers advice to ministers about how i might change. with the things they seem very might change. with the things they seem very keen might change. with the things they seem very keen on might change. with the things they seem very keen on is the talk of the australian point system. you do with migrants coming from countries like australia. is that a more attractive system, is that easier to navigate? i think that is very misleading. the uk also has a point system, the uk has had a point system for many, many years. so does australia. i think this sounds... it sounds good, but i do not think there is much substance in that. both countries already have a type of point system. the uk has a type of point system which the government thought was suitable for the uk, australia has one as well. so i do not think or

really understand what they are saying. you could have perhaps a different type of point system, but you really already have one anyway. isn't this already our own fall? the cbi says we do not have enough nurses and we should be able to recruit enough outside the eu. but actually, we cut train places enter now try to catch up. british people who would like to have been trained to be nurses but were not able to train so we bring nurses are in a train so we bring nurses are in a train from elsewhere. it is a bit bonkers, is it not? there is some truth in that. however, i would say that it truth in that. however, i would say thatitis truth in that. however, i would say that it is very difficult to predict demand. you have to try and meet demand. you have to try and meet demand which may be years in the future. and another thing is how many... i suppose you also have an issue that perhaps some of these occupations perhaps, the locals or

whatever you might call it, do not wa nt to whatever you might call it, do not want to do these jobs. so you have got to, to some extent, because u nfortu nately got to, to some extent, because unfortunately people in the uk, citizens or residents, there is not enough of them who want to do the work that you have to bring people in from outside the eu. and while it isa in from outside the eu. and while it is a delay the know will continue, thank you very much for being with us. thank you very much for being with us. the editor of the website workpermit. com. us president donald trump intensified his feud with turkey on friday as he doubled tariffs on turkish steel and aluminium. the turkish lira has lost around 20% of its value in the last 2a hours, having already fallen more than 40% in the last year. the decrease comes after president trump published a tweet which said that us tariffs on turkish aluminium would be raised to 20% and steel to 50%. well, we can go live to washington now to speak to our correspondent gary 0'donoghue. this is more than a war of words, is

it not? yes, and it's been spiralling in this direction, really downwards for some days now. you recall that just last week the americans froze the assets of two of president erdogan's government members, hisjustice president erdogan's government members, his justice minister and his interior minister. i think that was the first time that one nato ally has done that sort of thing to another. now these extra tariffs on aluminium and steel, via sensible reason for this is the reason for discussion, the row they are having about the detention an american priest, american preacher in turkey. he is ina priest, american preacher in turkey. he is in a metallurgical and evangelicals are really important to donald trump here, bitterly to his vice president here. he has been on the phone several times to get this preacher released, accused of espionage by the turks. without success. this is a standoff now. espionage by the turks. without

success. this is a standoff nowm is very different than the past but should between the us and turkey to say other countries so that the terrorist like china or indeed those countries that are currently feeling the heat from america like iran. how on earth do they row back from this because mr erdogan is regarded as no more column instrument then donald trump? and of course, he has been relu cta nt trump? and of course, he has been reluctant with enhanced powers as well. truly, the americans believe the economic situation in turkey, the economic situation in turkey, the currency there has tanking frankly. another has been increasing inflation. they believe that so the pressure is the pressure that really will pay on the president of turkey. but there are other issues apart from the preacher of course underlying this tension at the moment. turkey for a long time as an very unhappy about america's support for those syrian kurds in northern

syria there. and another issues around some russian defence systems in turkey. this is a cavalcade and complex relationship. and on the other hand, the turks are infuriated by america's review so to deport an islamic preacher here who the turks claim stirred up and brought about the attempted coup in turkey in 2016. just finally, on a somewhat happier note and in time for thanksgiving dinner, the white house 01’ thanksgiving dinner, the white house or maybe down in florida, the deal also come to the states and are staying. yes, melania tripods that pa rents staying. yes, melania tripods that parents have received american citizenship. the ceremony in front ofa citizenship. the ceremony in front of a judge in new york. the only problem is the mechanism that used

to get that is something called family reunification, or if you are donald trump, called chain migration. if you are donald trump, us or something like this on twitter, as he did last november, chain migration must end. some come in and bring their whole family with them who can be truly evil, not at asa them who can be truly evil, not at as a goal. it is a one of the totemic elements of his immigration appeal to his base, this whole business of chain migration. and here he is, his wife and her parents using that very mechanism. i saw one syria on television just today justifying what you might call the apparent controversy of this by saying well, with a long changes then we would not have done it but while you can do it, then everybody should be able to do it. family values, i guess. many thanks, gary. the government in zimbabwe has said that president emmerson mnangagwa's inauguration ceremony planned for sunday has been postponed.

the opposition mdc has mounted a legal challenge to the election result. the court could decide to order a recount or nullify the result. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello, good evening, a very changeable weekend on the way. more places will have a dry day on saturday, more places will have some rain at times on sunday. and we've had some very heavy rain earlier on today, some localised flooding, and all that wet weather is moving out into the north sea. so things are calming down slowly but surely. clear skies means it's going to be pretty chilly tonight, except in the south—west where'll we'll keep more cloud. away from here, though, a lot of dry and sunny weather to greet the start of the weekend. it's going to cloud over gradually, and we'll see a bit more rain and drizzle coming into the south—west, into wales, maybe later in the day towards northern ireland, too. further north and east, while the cloud amounts will tend to increase, it's probably going to be dry. temperatures may be a shade up on today, so 22, maybe 23 degrees at best.

as we head into the second half of the weekend, things look very different. we've got outbreaks of rain coming into england and wales, pushing slowly northwards across scotland. maybe a little bit drier outside of the showers in northern ireland and perhaps in the south—east corner of england. quite muggy air, though, so despite the rain, those temperatures again — 20—22 celsius. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. the struggling department—store chain house of fraser is bought by mike ashley's sports direct for £90 million, but what it means for its 16,000 staff is still unclear. i think were all destroyed to keep each up. we are all trying to stay motivated and hope for a good outcome. we hope that they are going to be fine, there is some sort of solution. finally. there is nothing finished yet. 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

a muslim convert is facing life injailfor a plot to kill 100 people in a terror attack outside the disney store on 0xford street. 1600 people have been evacuated from camp sites after flash floods hit the south of france. let's get more now on our top story. 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. there are 59 stores across the country. and 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. here's our ireland correspondent emma va rdy. 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 the city felt revived. i think it was the beginning of things improving in belfast and we saw a lot of lines go that you 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's incredible because it is such a huge draw for locals, for tourists and also for the future amount of staff that work there. you normally think about the disposable income that we as the smaller retailers depend on. belfast house of fraserescaped the cull when half the uk stores were earmarked for closure last month. but now, under the 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 the high street is not dying.

the high street is going through a bit of reconstruction. like any reconstruction process, that is not without its casualties. so, can sports direct might actually breathe new life into the brand? and sports direct, it seems quite a jump from house of fraser. it doesn't really, in my mind, really fit together very well. the house of fraser is kind of pitches itself as a high—end brand, although i don't know if that would devalue it slightly or change its market, but ultimately, if he keeps employees and a job, i think it is a good thing. in the short term at least, it appears there will have theirjobs and belfast still has its flagship department store. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. well, house of fraser isn't the only high street retailer under pressure. m&s stores in northampton, kettering and newmarket will close for good tomorrow. the firm has made the decision to close 100 shops around the country over the next four years, after a drop in clothing and food sales.

sam read has been to northampton to find out what the closure will mean for a town centre, which is already struggling. for 111 years, m&s has been a stalwart of northampton town centre. that ends tomorrow. it really is the end of an era. disgusted, disappointed and sad. yeah. been brought up with m&s. i have a friend and a lot of her customers in the cafe she works in only come to town for marks & spencer's. she could lose herjob. older people have got to get out and get over to milton keynes or rushden lakes, and you have not got a car, people do not want to go on a bus. this is the latest closure in a town centre that is seen by some as being in decline. but business leaders expect a short and not long—term impact. there is concern. there is no point in being in denial about that. but we're very positive.

we have had a few entrepreneurs approach us who are interested in taking some of the empty retail space, not necessarily the marks & spencer store but looking to do different things with it the town centre so we are very encouraged that there is some very positive attitude. latest profits at the chain have fallen by a third, plus food and clothing sales both declined again. the store is closing tomorrow in northampton. kettering and newmarket were amongst 100 set to shut by 2022. in a statement, the company said it had been a difficult decision to close these stores and it think its customers. it asked them to travel to the nearest clothes shop that is the at the out of town centre at rushden lakes. this place, which opened last year, was always seen as a threat to town centres. in kettering, the council says it wants more people in the centre through more housing. kettering council have to work with the retailers, which is what we are doing. we want to get more shops back

into town and getting a lot more people living in town. that is the important thing so we have got people and shoppers here. back in northampton, a marketing expert say it is midsized towns which are being hit the hardest. cities can attract, be a destination for a day out. smaller centres are able to be a convenience, so mid—range towns are particularly disproportionately affected. the situation at m&s may be a sign of decline of town centres. or maybe just a change. sam read reporting. here, a nine—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. 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. a strike by ryanair pilots in five countries has forced the cancellation of about 400 flights. around 75,000 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. 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 has been two years since decent rain fell here. but this army family is determined to beat the drought.

keeping its beef herd alive is exhausting and expensive. crops have failed and the monthly fee bill is £25,000. it is the daily grind that is taking its toll. everybody is a bit stressed and under more pressure financially and therefore you're stressed and your relationships, and you try to keep it together. we can see the 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. they should be some of australia's prime cultural land. in good times, these fields would have crops ofjourneys. but just look at it fields would have crops ofjourneys. butjust look at it now. the earth is bone dry and barren. and many farming communities are struggling like never before. as the big dry in eastern australia strengthened 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 officially in drought. for many, it is a disaster. the small town of manila is in the heart of the drought zone. at the local school, the children are farming families, share the community's pain and uncertainty. there is a lot of soi’i’ow. uncertainty. there is a lot of sorrow. you since the sorrow when they are talking about home and talking about this. it is pretty ha rd talking about this. it is pretty hard braking to them, so slowly but surely starve to death in front of them. it is pretty stressful for me. i have got to do a lot of study, so i had to keep on top of that as well. so everything gets done. and looked after. the money is held very tightly. we are not spending on unnecessary things. sort of making sure we can count every dollar that we spend. australia capricious climate can be ruled. it can turn

fertile ground into a wasteland. money from the government is helping but what is really needed is rain and lots of it. but the forecast for the months ahead does not look good. phil mercer, bbc news, new south wales. now, something we don't see very often , it's new video showing just how far and how fast china is developing its military facilities in disputed territory in the south china sea. specifically, in the spratlys, a chain of islands which lie between vietnam and the philippines, with china to the far north. all three countries have claims on the spratly islands, but it is china that has been building on them to such a huge scale. rupert wingfield hayes joined a us navy surveillance flight over the islands, and has sent us this report. right now i am at the airbase on the island. and this is a us navy aircraft. it is anti—summary and

surveillance plane. today we are going does do something amazing. we're going to get on board here and fly with a crew down over the south china see. two and half hours of south, we get our first view of the huge chinese artificial islands. this one is called reef. it is clear they know we were coming. can i have they know we were coming. can i have the sovereignty of the land and the agenda? . it is a routine occurrence for us, it happens throughout the flight for us, it happens throughout the flight and when they come over and we just send flight and when they come over and wejust send a flight and when they come over and we just send a response and it has no affect on any operations. so what we are seeing on the screen here is a live pictures of a place called mischief reef, last time i flew over

here two and half years ago it was just a large pile of sand. now you can see it has been extensive construction. you can see runways, hangar facilities, construction. you can see runways, hangarfacilities, radarfacilities. three reese out here now have been turned into naval and air bases. with sophisticated facilities. several of the island, you can see facilities that are as tall as six stories. all seem to be well man—made building. there are several what could possibly be military facilities which looks similar to our aircraft hangars, as well as radar stations and enable ports as well. next, we overhear the navy warning of philippine aircraft. this time they are not nearly as polite. so what we heard then is the chinese navy challenging a philippine

aircraft. we have been challenged five or six times by the chinese navy. each time it is the same command, telling us to turn away immediately and the crew here have responded saying we are carrying out legitimate fly in international airspace. these flights are supposed to show that the us will not sit by and allow beijing to take over the south china sea. but china has succeeded in creating these new fa cts o n succeeded in creating these new facts on the ground. it is very clear they are here to stay. the headlines on bbc news... mike ashley's sports direct agrees to buy house of fraser for £90 million but what it means for its 16,000 staff is still unclear. 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. a muslim convert is facing life injailfor a plot to kill a hundred people in a terror attack outside the disney store on oxford street.

the family of a nine—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 four in the world for his age group — but his family was told their visa wouldn't be extended unless shreyas's father earned £120,000 a year. but today the home secretary sajid javid said he had taken personal charge of their case. our correspondent chi chi izundu has been to meet the family. this, he is only nine but he is ranked fourth in his age group. he isa ranked fourth in his age group. he is a silver medallist and according to old former chess grandmaster, the greatest chess prospect in a generation. he only started playing chess three years ago but told he

would have to turn to india with his family unless his dad could get his work visa renewed by next month. immigration rules state that can only happen if he earns £120,000 per year. which he does not. he grew up here and when he heard that, it is very sad for us and surprising for us. very sad for us and surprising for us. his dad appeals to the home office saying yes his son has shown immense promise, it did not mean this family could stay in the uk. mps have backed the case and with a letter to the home secretary, they said he performs outstandingly in competitions, breaking uk records in the process. if he is forced to leave the uk and returned to india, the country will lose an exceptional talent. the home secretary personally look into the case and has extended the right to remain on the current visa. how did you react when you heard you had been given leave to extend visa? i wasjumping.

i was really happy. the home office says it considered every application on its merits, but for now, he is concentrating on competing in the chess championships. concentrating on competing in the chess championshipslj concentrating on competing in the chess championships. i want to be the best comic and become a champion at the age of 18. it's been 14 years since it ended, but the sit—com friends seems to have won over a whole new generation of fans. the 90s 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, reports. it is 14 years since friends ended.

butjoey it is 14 years since friends ended. but joey and chandler it is 14 years since friends ended. butjoey and chandler bustard had, monica's apartment, the hallway between them, ross's live in rome are familiartoa between them, ross's live in rome are familiar to a whole new generation. subscription script streaming services netflix, amazon prime and net tv now reveal their figures, but industry regulator has released new research and now we know the most streamed shows of 2018. at number five,. maybe all this is happening for reason. stranger things. at three, it has already become tv royalty. the

crowd. at two, you can watch on your pc but it is not pc. the grand tour. and at one, a show which started in 1994, the year before the dvd was invented. friends. so why has endured? who invented. friends. so why has endured ? who better to invented. friends. so why has endured? who better to ask than the friends fast, the show is shown every day. it is touring the uk, selling out wherever it goes. just the characters are hilarious. ross is my favourite. why? just his facial expressions. i grew up watching them. but since i got into them, i thought this was amazing and i have not stop watching it since. why you like it? it makes me laugh.

who is your favourite character? rachel. why? because she is funny. this is the one where friends is still number one. do not worry. he is not using the unknown. let's speak to toby earle, who joins me down the line from southeast london. toby is a tv critic for london live, and can shed some light on the enduring appeal of friends. there is no blanket as warm and comforting as nostalgia. i think it is purely to do with the fact that it harks back to maybe a time where a lot of the viewers were younger and they might now be re—watching it with a different set of eyes. also there is a possibility, as horrific as it might seem, that those people

who watched it are now introducing their own teenagers to the show and it ended 14 years ago. there is no reason why that cannot be the case. it is being passed down from an original generation of fans to the next generation of fans. but there are 236 episodes to go through. the bull lake binging. it is all set there waiting and ready to go all stop it is a big nostalgia trip.l charity challenge to sit through episodes in one sitting. only yesterday, kathleen turner, was an interview, and said her experience of appearing on the show when she played chandler's dad, had not been great because frankly it was all lea ky. great because frankly it was all leaky. and i wonder if it was the very close group that is appealing. we would all like to have a group of

friends like that, and maybe not everybody has got it. there is certainly that and then eat the whole idea was to make use bill part ofa group whole idea was to make use bill part of a group of people. i always sounded faintly depressing that these people lived in great flats even though they probably could not afford to and have a wonderful escapade. i could never quite marry up escapade. i could never quite marry up the reality and fantasy with one another. i can see why kathleen turner was coming from. these group of individuals were at the very centre of pop culture, meaning you might remember when rachel, jennifer aniston had a haircut. that was it. everything was about the rachel cut. they continue to be huge stars, enduring pop—culture sensations. you might watch some of these episodes and thejokes might watch some of these episodes and the jokes and the situations and think that seems a little bit old hat and potentially, there are lines in there that you might not hear

today. certainly set up to my nine year today but continue to be a of fascination because the show ran for so fascination because the show ran for so long that the people did grow up with this and it became an intrinsic pa rt with this and it became an intrinsic part of their lives. it is funny, netflix is spending an estimated $13 billion this year on content and it is an old comedy which is apparently the most streamed show. if you look at the top ten, the sixth one is a black mirror. that originally was a channel 4 show that was transferred. the other two, the crown and stranger things, those are the only two out right originals in the top five or six. it is bringing audiences to the platform but when you're spending billions of dollars on original programming, you would like to think that people are consuming them as much as they were an old sitcom. the implication of this is the bidding not bother. it

still works. the reruns of british comedy shows, the audience is still a p pa re ntly comedy shows, the audience is still apparently loved them. they are still watching various programmes of goal, some things have a timeless appeal even if it is just makes it so appeal even if it is just makes it so comfortable. that is howl appeal even if it is just makes it so comfortable. that is how i was going to return to it. it really is a nostalgia trip. the friends fast, where they recreate the sets, people arejust where they recreate the sets, people are just living out these fantasies they had as youngsters or teenagers, maybe even 20—something, and it is a return to at times they had seen maybe a little bit easier or simpler. and who am i to judge? thank you so much. a tunnel, which is being built under the humber river, has reached the one—kilometre mark. national grid is investing 140 million pounds in the project that will eventually supply a fifth of the nation's gas. only a few dozen people have ever been inside the tunnel, but the bbc‘s amanda white was given

exclusive access to take her camera underground. it has been home to man for a millennia. but only now it is revealing its underbelly. and at that project to carry a gas main under the bed, it is already one colour for sure. this is under the bed, it is already one colourfor sure. this is the entrance to the tunnel. we are about to board this multiservice vehicle and head down under, we have artie had an medical. we have been trained on how to use his breathing apparatus and case of an emergency and it is time now to go and see what is happening at the face of these operations. national grid started these excavations in april. working 12 hour shifts, eight engineers grind away at the talk. the progress on this project is going very well. we are now 1000 metres in and 26 metres under the city so progress is really good. it is vital we get this line in to secure the gas supplies for the

future, for yorkshire and beyond. but the face of the tunnel, the advanced three cm each minute. what you can see here is the segment direct, and from the segment feed, we can feed the segments one by one and we can be able to bring injust this area. it is very cramped. there isa this area. it is very cramped. there is a reason we had to a hard hat. but working so far from shore is so dangerous, there is a refuge chamber here with enough food and water for 28 hours. this is about as far as we can see to go down the tunnel. i am around 26 metres. that is around 90 feet below the bed of the river. you can see the fresh air systems working really well and see where the next section of concrete skin is about to be placed. these tunnel boring machine continued itsjourney to port. it is a long journey back

to, but the workers are not even halfway. they have still got seven months and for more co—owners to go. amanda white, bbc news. amanda white reporting. let's ta ke let's take a look at the weather. this week looks very changeable. more places would have some rain at times on sunday. we look out into the atlantic. this is where our weather is coming from. this cloud here will progressively bring the rain and as the weekend goes on. this, a lump of cloud, is torrential rain, and thunderstorms as well. the worst of the rain is moving out towards the continent into the north sea. being replaced by this ridge of high pressure but only briefly at head of those systems bringing clouds from the atlantic. things are slowly coming down. the heaviest

rain into the north sea, skies will tend to clear, and few showers towards scotland. it will be a chilly night. except towards the far southwest what we will keep more clout, and maybe spots of drizzle. tomorrow, it will start dry and sunny if you are up early enough. the southwest will always be cloudy and probably turned a bit wetter throughout the day. the cloud will push its way further north and the cloud over northern ireland and a good part of scotland. away from northern ireland, wales and the southwest is probably going to be a dry day. those temperature should be a little higher than they were today. for the cricket, a little higher than they were today. forthe cricket, he a little higher than they were today. for the cricket, he has not been a good first two days. at least weather—wise, but we should get a full day play, but it will be clouding over. by the evening, there may be some rain, not far away from london as his wetter weather is sporadic and pushes its way further north will stop things are going downhill because pressure is

falling. it looked like it one stage he was going to be quite a blustery weekend. it is less likely because things are slowing down and the weather front there is a slowing down. he keeps rain on and off across england and wales, pushing from the southwest. some rain also across scotland, a few showers for northern ireland, few showers to the southeast and east anglia. there will be some rain around, we are looking at temperatures in the 20th or 22 celsius. into the beginning of next week, we start to dry things off. google still hasn't showers around, especially in the east, and get some weather fronts maybe on tuesday and getting a bit warmer. this is bbc news. the headlines at 8pm.

the struggling department—store chain house of fraser is bought by mike ashley's sports direct for £90 million, but what it means for its 17 and a half thousand staff is still unclear. i think we are just all trying to keep each other up and try to stay motivated and hope for a good outcome. we hope they will find some solution, finally. it is not finished yet. 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. a muslim convert is facing life injailfor a plot to kill a hundred people in a terror attack outside the disney store on oxford street. also this hour, 1600 people have been evacuated from camp sites after flash floods hit the south of france. a 70—year—old german man is missing after his caravan was swept away.