Sports Direct says first-half earnings rise

LONDON (Reuters) - Sports Direct , the British sportswear retailer controlled by founder Mike Ashley, reported a 22% rise in first-half core earnings, helped by an improvement in its premium House of Fraser unit and its European retail business.The group said on Monday its underlying earnings (EBITDA) including acquisitions came in at 181.2 million pounds in the six months to Oct. 27, compared to the 148.8 million pounds it made in the same period last year. In July the group revealed it had..