David Lammy given warning after fishing with JD Vance without licence
David Lammy has received a formal warning after reporting himself for fishing without a licence with the US vice-president, JD Vance,The foreign secretary took Vance angling at his official country retreat in Chevening, Kent, on 8 August as he hosted him at the start of a holiday in Britain,It later emerged Lammy did not possess the required licence for rod fishing, with a Foreign Office spokesperson blaming an “administrative oversight” and saying the minister had subsequently bought a licence,Lammy referred himself to the Environment Agency over the incident,Anglers in England and Wales aged 13 or over must have a rod licence to fish for freshwater species such as carp, and can face a fine of up to £2,500 if they do not.
On Friday, an Environment Agency spokesperson said Lammy would not be prosecuted but had received a formal warning, adding: “Everyone who goes fishing needs a licence to help improve our rivers, lakes and the sport anglers love,“As Mr Lammy has confirmed, we have issued a warning letter for fishing without a licence in line with our enforcement and sanctions policy,”The agency’s first response to a breach is usually to issue advice or a warning rather than launch a prosecution, particularly in cases involving inexperienced anglers with no history of fishing without a licence,The Labour MP for Tottenham did not catch anything during his fishing trip, while the US vice-president said he and his children had landed fish that were subsequently returned to the lake,A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “The findings of the Environment Agency draw a line under this matter.
“As soon as it became apparent there had been an administrative oversight, the foreign secretary wrote to the agency so it could consider appropriate action and to thank them for their work protecting Britain’s fisheries.“He also bought the relevant rod licences to ensure there was no repeat of the situation in the future.”
Federal Reserve set to cut interest rates – but still Trump won’t be happy
Stocks soared on Friday following the strongest signal yet that US the Federal Reserve is gearing up to start cutting interest rates again this fall. But how long can this celebration last?While Wall Street cheered the biggest headline from the speech by the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, at the annual Jackson Hole symposium in Wyoming, Powell also delivered a reality check on where interest rates could settle in the longer term.“We cannot say for certain where rates will settle out over the longer run, but their neutral level may now be higher than during the 2010s,” said Powell.In other words: even if the Fed does start cutting interest rates again this year, they may not fall back to their pre-pandemic levels. It’s a signal, despite the short-term optimism on potential rate cuts, that the Fed’s long-term outlook is more unstable
Wall Street jumps after US Fed’s Powell signals possible rate cut – as it happened
US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has nodded to a possible rate cut at the central bank’s September meeting.However, Powell stopped short of committing to cutting rates next months during a speech to policymakers and economists at the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole conference.He acknowledged the tight rope that policymakers have to walk at a time of potential risks for the US jobs market, while there is the possibility that inflation moves higher.Powell said:The stability of the unemployment rate and other labour market measures allows us to proceed carefully as we consider changes to our policy stance. Nonetheless, with policy in restrictive territory, the baseline outlook and the shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance
Expert rejects Met police claim that study backs bias-free live facial recognition use
The Metropolitan police’s claims that their use of live facial recognition is bias-free are not substantiated by the report they cite to support their case, a leading expert on the technology has said.The Met is planning its biggest and most high profile use of LFR yet this bank holiday weekend at Notting Hill carnival in west London.The Guardian understands it will be deployed at two sites on the approaches to the carnival, with the force insisting on its use despite the Equality and Human Rights Commission saying police use of LFR is unlawful.The new claims come from Prof Pete Fussey, who led the only independent academic review of police use of facial recognition, is a former reviewer of LFR for the Met from 2018-19, and currently advises other forces in the UK and abroad on its use.The Met says it has reformed its use of LFR after a 2023 study it commissioned from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and it is now, in effect, bias-free
Trump says Intel has agreed to give US government a 10% stake
The US government has taken an unprecedented 10% stake in Intel under a deal with the struggling chipmaker and is planning more such moves, according to Donald Trump and the commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, the latest extraordinary intervention by the White House in corporate America.Lutnick wrote on X: “BIG NEWS: The United States of America now owns 10% of Intel, one of our great American technology companies. Thanks to Intel CEO @LipBuTan1 for striking a deal that’s fair to Intel and fair to the American People.”Trump met with Lip-Bu Tan on Friday and posed for a photo with Lutnick. The development follows a meeting between Tan and Trump earlier this month that was sparked by the US president’s demand for the Intel chief’s resignation over his ties to Chinese firms
‘Pressure is a privilege’: Braxton Sorensen-McGee on being New Zealand’s youngest star
The 18-year-old is one of several prominent young Black Ferns fighting to retain the title and secure New Zealand’s seventh World CupBack in 2022, Braxton Sorensen-McGee was in the Eden Park crowd to watch the heart-stopping semi-final between France and New Zealand. The then 16-year-old, at the ground with her school team, remembers the moment of relief when a last-minute French penalty goal attempt drifted wide, allowing the Black Ferns to scrape through to the final of the Women’s World Cup. In another gripping contest against arch-rivals England, New Zealand went on to win the tournament.Now, Sorensen-McGee hopes to play a decisive role in retaining the title. After a breakout 2025, the 18-year-old is the youngest member of the Black Ferns squad, who take on Spain on Monday morning (NZT) in their opening act of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, hosted by England
England to ring changes and ‘get everyone started’, says John Mitchell
England should “get everyone started” across their 32-player Rugby World Cup squad in their opening two games, says the head coach, John Mitchell, who all but confirmed there will be a raft of changes to the Red Roses matchday XV to face Samoa next Saturday.The news came after the Red Roses’ thumping win against the USA with Emma Sing and Sarah Bern among the players not to start a match and former captain Marlie Packer among those not yet involved in a matchday squad.Those stars are now more than likely to start the game with Mitchell saying: “We have planned our teams for the early part of the tournament.“Obviously the unpredicted niggles, we have to account for that but we will get everyone started by the end of next week which has been our plan. Hopefully we are able to execute that
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