He was visiting Hall & Woodhouse in Blandford Forum with Queen Camilla

King Charles has pulled a pint in an historic Dorset brewery following England’s World Cup defeat against Argentina.

He and the Queen were visiting Blandford Forum’s Hall & Woodhouse (H&W) Badger Brewery which will turn 250 years old next year.

H&W was founded in 1777 by West Country farmer Charles Hall, who opened a brewery in the village of Ansty. Today the business produces more than nine million pints of beer every year and employs more than 1,500 people across its 140 pubs in the South of England.

Owners Anthony Woodhouse and Tatiana Woodhouse are the company’s seventh and eighth generation stewards.

During the visit, the King and Queen met a number of H&W’s chef and brewing apprentices. King Charles also poured a pint of Fursty Ferret – a 3.4 per cent pale ale.

Anthony Woodhouse, chairman and seventh generation custodian of H&W, said: “It’s an immense privilege to welcome The King and Queen to Blandford during such a remarkable moment for our business.

“We’re celebrating our first 250 years and have our sights firmly set on success for many more generations ahead. We’ve expanded our apprenticeship schemes in recent years, building and growing our team for the future and it was an honour to introduce Their Majesties to some of our apprentices today.

“We are incredibly proud of our heritage and are committed to continuing the success of the company for the benefit of communities now and for generations to come.”

During the visit, head brewer Toby Heasman presented the King with a bottle of coronation ale, which the brewery first produced in 2023 to celebrate His Majesty’s coronation.

The King and Queen also unveiled a commemorative plaque honouring the organisation’s first 250 years. The plaque is displayed in the company’s Brewery Tap bar and café, situated in the Victorian maltings of the original brewery.

In June, H&W celebrated its 249th anniversary, with its annual Founder’s Day celebrations, bringing together team members from across the business to mark the occasion.

The R&A agreement comes as Royal Birkdale hosts the 154th Open this week

Merseyside will host one of golf’s biggest tournaments another three times in the next 25 years, alongside other prestigious championships. A deal has been struck for The Open to return to the Liverpool City Region on multiple occasions between now and 2050.

Royal Birkdale has welcomed the world’s top golfers as it hosts The 154th Open this week. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) alongside Sefton and Wirral Councils has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the sport’s governing body The R&A that would ensure future events would take place in the region.

Hosting The Open drives up visitor numbers during the championship and beyond, with an economic forecast estimating a £200 million boost for businesses and communities from The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. The new agreement replaces an existing partnership with which was expected to end after this year’s event.

The City Region is no stranger to hosting The Open. Alongside this week’s event, which will feature Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood among the contenders, Royal Liverpool staged the tournament in Hoylake three years ago.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “The Open is one of the biggest prizes in world sport, so securing it for the Liverpool City Region at least three more times is fantastic news. It’s a huge vote of confidence in everything our region has to offer – from our world-class courses and spectacular coastline to the warm welcome visitors receive wherever they go.

“With some of the best golf courses in the country on our doorstep, we are undoubtedly the UK’s golf coast and this agreement cements that reputation for decades to come. Every time The Open comes here, it puts our region on the global stage, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors and delivers a major boost for local businesses, jobs and our visitor economy.

“This is about building a long-term partnership that will inspire the next generation, showcase our communities to millions of people around the world and create opportunities that last long after the final putt. We can’t wait to welcome golf’s biggest stars – and fans from across the globe – back to the Liverpool City Region again and again.”

The new agreement lays the groundwork for a detailed, formal partnership to be finalised later this year, ensuring all parties are aligned to maximise the opportunity. Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Chief Championships Officer at The R&A, said: “The Open is one of the world’s great sporting events and has a unique ability to showcase a destination to a global audience while delivering significant long-term economic and community benefits.

“We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with the Liverpool City Region, whose outstanding links courses, passion for golf and commitment to hosting world-class events make it an exceptional home for our championships well into the future.”

Cllr Marion Atkinson, leader of Sefton Council, said: “This is fantastic news for Sefton and for the wider Liverpool City Region. The Open is one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events, and this landmark agreement secures our position at the heart of championship golf for decades to come.

“Hosting The Open at Royal Birkdale and our other world-class links courses brings significant benefits to our communities, attracting visitors from across the globe, supporting local businesses, creating jobs and showcasing everything that makes our area such a great place to visit, live and invest. Just as importantly, this partnership gives us the opportunity to build a lasting legacy, inspiring more people to get involved in golf and ensuring future generations can benefit from the economic and social opportunities these major events create.

“We are proud to be working alongside the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Wirral Council and The R&A to secure a golden future for golf in our region and to welcome the world’s best players and spectators back to Sefton for many years to come.”

Cllr Paula Basnett, leader of Wirral Council, added: “The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is one of the most iconic venues in history of golf and has a strong record of hosting memorable Opens which attract visitors and audiences from across the globe. Wirral Council is proud to play a central role in this landmark agreement which secures the future of world-class golf in our city region for decades to come and which recognises our ability to deliver major international events.”

The pact came into force on July 15.

The India-UK CETA was celebrated at the High Commission of India in London with a display of some of the key products already reaping the benefits of the low or no-tariff regime under the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA).

“A few consignments have already arrived under the CETA, which basically covers about 99 per cent of all the tariff lines under which India exports to the UK, and therefore we expect that the benefits will be significant,” said P Kumaran, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK.

Nysa Creations, a London-based importer of jewellery, and Odisha’s Kruti Coffee, which is set to launch its first UK cafe soon, were among the businesses proudly displaying their products that are set to benefit from CETA.

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“We expect to double India-UK trade in goods and services, which is currently about 65 billion dollars, up to 100 billion dollars in the next four years by 2030; and CETA is expected to play a huge role in promoting greater awareness of the opportunities and also to help our businesses compete more effectively in each other’s markets.
“We think that this will help promote the strength of industries, manufacturing ecosystems on both sides, the ability for both to generate more employment and therefore provide larger benefits to societies in both countries,” he said. The agreement’s entry into force (EIF) was marked with a special “CETA EIF” cake-cutting ceremony alongside officials from the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

It also witnessed the formal launch of a new Indian High Commission LinkedIn social media facilitation forum, which will serve as a dedicated platform to help businesses, exporters, importers and investors leverage its full benefits.

“It is a milestone moment for Kruti Retail Ventures as our coffee consignment is the first Indian coffee consignment to the UK under CETA, despatched from Kolkata for the opening of our first international cafe in London on August 1,” said co-founder Jeeta Mona, who presented a symbolic Kruti Coffee tin to officials at India House.

According to DBT estimates, CETA is forecast to increase bilateral trade by 25.5 billion pounds annually in the long run, while boosting India’s GDP by 5.1 billion pounds and the UK’s GDP by 4.8 billion pounds by strengthening supply chains, supporting jobs and opening new opportunities for businesses across both countries.

The event also spotlighted a toolkit collated by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) as a guide for Indian businesses navigating the post-CETA trading regime in the UK.

‘India-UK CETA: A Guide to UK Import Requirements for Indian Exporters’ consolidates information on key UK standards and regulatory requirements to support India’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with their expansion plans in Britain.

ATLANTA — Argentina’s dramatic comeback victory over England in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal produced a celebration that has drawn attention well beyond the scoreline, after players unfurled a banner referencing the disputed Falkland Islands, a move that could expose the team to sanctions from FIFA ahead of Sunday’s championship match against Spain.

Argentina defeated England 2-1 in a match that saw Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez score in the final minutes to complete a comeback, both assisted by Lionel Messi. The result sends Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final, where it will face Spain in pursuit of its fourth championship and its first back-to-back title in more than six decades.

The postgame celebration, however, has become a story of its own. Fans in the stands at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium held a banner reading “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas,” using the Spanish-language name Argentina uses for the islands. The phrase translates to “The Malvinas are Argentine,” a reference to Argentina’s longstanding territorial claim over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic. According to reporting from The Athletic, midfielder Giovani Lo Celso appeared to be the first player to take hold of the banner, unfurling it alongside defender Nicolás Otamendi. By the time the celebration moved toward the section of the stadium occupied by Argentine supporters, nearly the entire Argentina squad had gathered behind the banner as players danced and celebrated with fans.

The islands at the center of the banner’s message have been the subject of a centuries-old territorial dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom, a conflict that escalated into open warfare in 1982. The 74-day Falklands War resulted in the deaths of 649 Argentine service members and 255 British soldiers, along with three civilian deaths among the islands’ residents. The conflict ended with British forces retaining control of the territory, and the islands remain a British overseas territory today, though Argentina continues to assert its historical claim to the area.

Ahead of Wednesday’s match, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni had sought to separate the historical rivalry between the two nations from the football contest itself. Speaking to reporters before kickoff, Scaloni dismissed any connection between the match and the broader geopolitical history, saying, “mixing the two would be crazy.” Once Argentina completed its comeback win, however, the Falklands reference became a central part of the team’s on-field celebration.

The display has raised questions about potential disciplinary action from football’s governing bodies. Both FIFA and the International Football Association Board, which oversees the sport’s rules, prohibit players and teams from displaying political messaging during matches. FIFA’s stadium code of conduct bars materials “of a political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature,” including banners, flags, apparel and other items containing wording or symbols aimed at discrimination based on national origin or a range of other categories. Separately, IFAB’s rulebook states that playing equipment “must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images,” and specifies that “for any offence the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA.”

As of Wednesday evening, FIFA had not issued any public response to the banner’s display, and it remains unclear what, if any, disciplinary action the governing body might pursue. Given that Argentina is next scheduled to face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final, any sanction significant enough to affect the team’s participation in the championship match would represent an unusually drastic step by FIFA. A financial penalty is considered the more likely outcome, based on past precedent. FIFA fined the Argentine Football Association £20,000 in 2014 after players displayed a similar banner referencing the islands ahead of a friendly match against Slovenia that same year.

The banner controversy adds another layer to what was already one of the most emotionally charged matches of this year’s tournament. Wednesday’s semifinal itself carried significant tension between the two footballing nations well before the final whistle, with supporters from both sides exchanging boos during pregame national anthems and players engaging in a physical, foul-heavy contest that saw no shots on goal from either side for the first 30 minutes of play, a stretch not seen at a World Cup since 1966.

England’s exit marks the second consecutive World Cup in which the team has reached the semifinals only to fall short of a place in the final, following a similar result in 2018. England has not appeared in a World Cup final since it won the tournament in 1966. England manager Thomas Tuchel addressed the loss afterward, saying he had no regrets about his team’s approach following Anthony Gordon’s first-half goal, even as England ultimately surrendered its lead in the match’s closing minutes.

For Argentina, Sunday’s final against Spain represents a chance to make history as the first team to win consecutive World Cup titles since Brazil accomplished the feat in 1958 and 1962. The match is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern time and will be broadcast on Fox and Telemundo. Spain enters the final unbeaten through the tournament and is seeking its second World Cup championship, having first won the title in 2010.

Whether Wednesday’s celebration results in any formal action from FIFA is expected to become clearer in the coming days as the sport’s governing body reviews the incident. In the meantime, the banner has added a geopolitical subplot to a tournament already defined by dramatic late-game comebacks, generational storylines involving Messi and Spain’s 19-year-old star Lamine Yamal, and a championship match that organizers expect to draw one of the largest global television audiences in World Cup history.

Group also plans to grow staffing in North West and Northern Ireland

A telecommunications infrastructure firm is planning to grow across the UK after securing a funding package from HSBC UK.

Jet Infrastructure, from Leigh, designs and builds telecoms equipment such as masts and towers, and works with mobile network operators, wireless ISPs and public sector organisations. It will use the funding package, whose value has not been disclosed, to roll out infrastructure in locations including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cambridgeshire and Scotland over the next three years.

The company also plans to grow its acquisition, planning and estate management teams across the North West of England and Northern Ireland as its national development pipeline continues to grow.

Hugh Morgan, managing director at Jet Infrastructure, said: “Demand for mobile connectivity continues to grow, but there are still many areas where infrastructure hasn’t kept pace. This funding gives us the platform to accelerate delivery, expand our portfolio and support operators in bringing better coverage and capacity to communities across the UK. It’s another important step in our growth and we’re excited about what’s ahead.”

Nicola Loat, relationship manager at HSBC UK, said: “Jet Infrastructure has built a strong platform in a rapidly growing sector and has a clear vision for the future. We’re delighted to support the business as it continues to invest in critical digital infrastructure that will benefit communities and businesses across the UK.”

The funding deal was supported by HSBC’s Equipment Finance and Global Trade Solutions team: Kayley Towle, Working Capital Specialist, and Holly Knight, Corporate Account Manager, at HSBC UK. It was brokered by Craig Cheetham, of Fellwood Advisory.

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