Latest news with #ABV
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Death of boy, 10, who fell down manhole 'could have been avoided', inquiry rules
Shea Ryan, 10, climbed through an unsecured fence at a building site in Glasgow and fell 20ft down an incomplete manhole, suffering a catastrophic head injury, an inquiry heard A 10-year-old boy tragically fell down a manhole at a building site in a death that could have been avoided, an inquiry ruled. Shea Ryan, 10, died on July 16, 2020, after he climbed through an unsecured fence within the Garscadden Burn Outfall building site in Drumchapel, Glasgow, and fell 20ft down an incomplete manhole. The youngster suffered a catastrophic head injury and in April, 2023, contractor RJ McLeod was fined £800,000 for health and safety failings in relation to his death. Now a ruling from Sheriff Stuart Reid, presiding over a Fatal Accident Inquiry at Glasgow Sheriff Court, concluded that both the main contractor RJ McLeod (RJM) and joint venture Amey Black & Veatch (ABV) failed to take 'reasonable and sufficient measures' to protect the public from danger at the site. It comes after a mum a left 16-month-old home alone to die when she went on holiday. The sheriff identified multiple precautions that could 'realistically have resulted in the accident and Shea's death being avoided". On July 2 2020, before the site was temporarily transferred from ABV to RJM, a heavy ballast bag full of building material known as 'Grano' placed on top of the manhole to prevent access was removed. ABV never notified RJM of this change, despite the repeated incidents of unauthorised access by kids or damage to perimeter fencing at the site. RJM also never took action to replace the ballast bag or secure, weigh down or fasten the cast-iron lid on top of the manhole. They also failed to inspect the manhole at the end of each working day. Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks said: 'Shea Ryan's tragic death has been a catastrophic loss for his family. They have my deepest sympathy as they continue to deal with the pain they have suffered. 'Shea's death occurred in circumstances giving rise to significant public concern and as such a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry was instructed. The sheriff's determination is detailed and notes recommendations in relation to reasonable precautions that could have been taken to avoid Shea's death and identified learning to help avoid such incidents happening to other children in the future. 'This FAI followed a thorough and comprehensive investigation by the Procurator Fiscal who ensured that the full facts and circumstances of Shea's death were presented in evidence.' In light of the findings, Sheriff Reid made eight recommendations, reported the Daily Record. Seven were for the Health and Safety Executive in respect of reviewing existing practices, policies and procedure and to consider revising them. These included a review of published guidance to protect children, record incidents of perimeter breaches, prevent unauthorised access to incomplete manholes and promote cooperation and information sharing between principal contractors. The eighth recommendation was that Glasgow City Council and other local authorities should review and consider revising practices, procedures and policies to ensure that risk assessments are carried out for children's play parks where there are nearby construction sites. Shea's mum Joanne Ferguson paid tribute in a statement in 2023: "My son is not here and that destroys me every day. That totally avoidable accident has ruined my life and my kid's lives – I don't even feel human anymore at times because of the grief. Wee Shea is missed every second of every day and his family and friends will always love and miss him."
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Daily Record
Tragic schoolboy who fell down Glasgow building site manhole 'could have been avoided'
Shea Ryan, 10, died in the Garscadden Burn Outfall building site in Drumchapel after falling down an incomplete manhole. The tragic death of a schoolboy at a Glasgow building site could have been avoided, a Fatal Accident Inquiry has ruled. Shea Ryan, 10, died on July 16, 2020 after he climbed through an unsecured fence within the Garscadden Burn Outfall building site in Drumchapel, Glasgow, and fell 20ft down an incomplete manhole. The youngster died from a catastrophic head injury after the fall and in April 2023 contractor RJ McLeod were fined £800,000 for health and safety failings in relation to his death. Now a ruling from Sheriff Stuart Reid, presiding over the inquiry at Glasgow Sheriff Court, concluded that both the main contractor RJ McLeod (RJM) and joint venture Amey Black & Veatch (ABV) failed to take 'reasonable and sufficient measures' to protect the public from danger at the site. The sheriff identified multiple precautions that could 'realistically have resulted in the accident and Shea's death being avoided". On July 2 2020, before the site was temporarily transferred from ABV to RJM, a heavy ballast bag full of building material known as 'Grano' placed on top of the manhole to prevent access was removed. ABV never notified RJM of this change, despite the repeated incidents of unauthorised access by kids or damage to perimeter fencing at the site. RJM also never took action to replace the ballast bag or secure, weigh down or fasten the cast-iron lid on top of the manhole. They also failed to inspect the manhole at the end of each working day. Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks said: 'Shea Ryan's tragic death has been a catastrophic loss for his family. They have my deepest sympathy as they continue to deal with the pain they have suffered. 'Shea's death occurred in circumstances giving rise to significant public concern and as such a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry was instructed. 'The sheriff's determination is detailed and notes recommendations in relation to reasonable precautions that could have been taken to avoid Shea's death and identified learning to help avoid such incidents happening to other children in the future. 'This FAI followed a thorough and comprehensive investigation by the Procurator Fiscal who ensured that the full facts and circumstances of Shea's death were presented in evidence.' In light of the findings, Sheriff Reid made eight recommendations. Seven were for the Health and Safety Executive in respect of reviewing existing practices, policies and procedure and to consider revising them. These included a review of published guidance to protect children, record incidents of perimeter breaches, prevent unauthorised access to incomplete manholes and promote cooperation and information sharing between principal contractors. The eighth recommendation was that Glasgow City Council and other local authorities should review and consider revising practices, procedures and policies to ensure that risk assessments are carried out for children's play parks where there are nearby construction sites. Shea's mum Joanne Ferguson paid tribute in a statement in 2023: "My son is not here and that destroys me every day. That totally avoidable accident has ruined my life and my kid's lives – I don't even feel human anymore at times because of the grief. 'Wee Shea is missed every second of every day and his family and friends will always love and miss him." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK wine duty: Are hotter countries really being taxed more on their wine?
In February 2025, the UK government updated their alcohol duty rates and ended a temporary concession on wine that had been in place since 1 August 2023. The reprieve had been an 18-month-long move to help wine producers adjust to a new way of calculating alcohol duties. Namely, tariffs are now calculated by alcohol strength (ABV), rather than volume. This could be seen as a gentle push for consumers to more closely consider the strength of what they're drinking, and it aligns with a wider, societal trend towards moderating consumption. 'This approach is supported by public health experts including clinical advisors to the Department of Health and Social Care,' HM Treasury told Euronews. In 2024, the UK wine market, including fortified wine, was worth around £12.3 billion (€14.3bn), according to data from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA). Although the UK does produce some wine domestically, it only accounts for around 1% of consumption by volume — roughly 12-15 million bottles per year. As such, the country relies heavily on imports to feed wine habits. Just over five months after the end of the government's grace period, how is the new duty system affecting the alcohol industry in Europe? And what knock-on effect has it had on consumer pricing? Are the UK's new rules affecting European wine producers? The end of the reprieve in the UK has meant that wine with an alcohol strength of 11.5-14.5% ABV will no longer be charged one flat duty rate as if it were 12.5% ABV. Whilst this means that the duty on 11.5-12.4% wine is cheaper, the duty on wines at 12.5-14.5% has increased. Taking into account the Retail Price Index (RPI) uprating, a bottle of 13% wine now pays £2.88 (€3.34) in tax, 21p more than before 1 February. 13.5% wine pays £2.99 (€3.46), 32p more. The biggest rise is for 14.5% wine which now pays £3.21 (€3.72), 54p more than before the end of the grace period. While this might not seem like a huge rise, it follows the key taxation change in August 2023, which saw 11.5-14.5% ABV wine pay 44p more tax, rising from £2.23 (€2.58) per bottle of still wine to £2.67 (€3.09). Added to this, upcoming EPR charges — based on packaging weight — will add extra expense that cannot always be passed on to consumers. Related The Big Question: Will CBD drinks be the new way to relax and socialise? Some suggest this change in duty is disproportionately affecting some producers, as their climates are more suited to certain wine styles. 'The hotter the climate, the higher the strength of the wine,' explained Stannard. Sunny climates produce grapes with more sugar, sugar ferments into alcohol and therefore the more sugar, the stronger the ABV. For example, medium to low alcohol white wines in the 10-11.5% ABV category, such as Muscadet, Soave and Pinot Grigio often come from cooler regions like France, Northern Italy and Germany. Wines with an ABV of 13.5-15% are those most affected by the end of the wine reprieve and typically come from warmer climates like Spain and southern Italy, as well as further afield, like Argentina, USA and Australia. This category includes wines such as Grenache (Garnacha), Shiraz (Syrah) and US Chardonnay. Some Californian reds have even become famous for being over 15% ABV. The wineries themselves are not responsible for paying the alcohol duty; that falls to the importers. While it's too soon to have concrete data on producer sales, the long term effect is predicted to manifest in numerous ways. Freddie Long, export manager at Spain's Long Wines, told Euronews that he expects a decrease in sales for high-alcohol Spanish red wines this year. On the other hand, Jessica Marzo, Director at Italica, a specialist importer of Italian wines said: 'We expect the demand for Italian wines will remain the same as previous years. The demand in general has remained steady however we are expecting more sales of lower ABV wines in comparison to the higher.' One UK-based wine seller told Euronews: 'European wines continue to be successful. Value [can be] found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian wines, but South Africa still stands as better value.' This continued value in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian wines is perhaps best explained by lower labour costs and therefore lower priced bottles to start with. Italy has no official minimum wage and the legal salary thresholds in both Spain and Portugal are significantly lower than France's monthly €1,767, at €1,323 and €957 respectively. In South Africa, the minimum wage was set in March 2025 at R28.79 per hour (€1.39), which scaling up to a 40 hour week, totals around €240/ month. Related Cost of living: Which are the cheapest and most expensive countries in Europe? Europe's iPhone price gap: Where you'll pay the most and least How are the UK's new duty rates affecting customers? Many importers stockpiled ahead of the 1 February change so much of the wine sold in the UK over the past few months will not have paid the increased duty rates. However, the impact on consumer habits may be visible in the year ahead. 'Within the Treasury, their modelling is a straight assumption that if you increase taxes by 3-4% there will be no impact on consumer behaviour so you can assume your revenue will go up by 3-4% too. There is plenty of evidence that that isn't true,' Stannard told Euronews. It's at a retailer's discretion if they choose to absorb extra costs. If 100% of charges have been passed down to the customer, here's how they might be affecting your glass. A 250ml glass of 11% still wine would be 3p more expensive. A 250ml glass of 11.5% still wine would be 5p cheaper. A 250ml glass of 13% still wine will be 8p more expensive. Hardly a bank-breaking increase, but if everyone in the supply chain adds a bit extra for profit, it may lead to much bigger price hikes. Related Which European economy stands to suffer the most from US tariffs? Future of the wine industry The US is the biggest importer of wine in the world by value. Germany is the largest by volume, closely followed by the UK which comes second in both measurements. Australia, France and Italy are the UK's favourite wine producers, with Spain coming in fourth, by volume and by value. In 2024, the UK imported 1.6 billion litres of wine. Much of that is imported in bulk, from new world producers like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, bottled in the UK and redistributed. Around 20% of the bulk wine is re-exported in bottles to northern Europe. For producers, the major concern is that globally there is an oversupply of wine, WSTA's Simon Stannard told Euronews. Consumption rates are declining and although production rates have dropped a little over the past few years, the supply is still outweighing the demand. Reflecting on various trends impacting wine purchasing, Stannard added: 'Looking at the last 12 months, I think we'll see volume declines but whether those are any more significant than what is a relatively long-term trend [remains to be seen]. Value wise, overall value will be relatively static.' Though not solely caused by changes in taxation, many large producers of all wines, across the world, are looking at how they can produce lower ABV products. This will take time and there are limitations on how much strength can be reduced. This nonetheless aligns with overall market trends as people seek to lower their alcohol consumption. To support the demand for lower alcohol products, the industry is hoping for new reforms in the UK to match EU regulation on what can be labelled as wine. Currently products under a certain ABV must be labelled as a 'wine-based drink', according to UK regulation. This makes it less appealing for European producers as it requires them to produce bespoke packaging for the UK market. Sign in to access your portfolio
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Stray dog bites 3 college students on Madurai campus
Madurai: A stray dog chased and bit three students on the Sri Meenakshi Government Arts College campus in Madurai on Monday afternoon. The students were immediately taken to Government Rajaji Hospital, where doctors administered a dose of anti-rabies vaccine (ABV) for each of them. Officials said the students would be monitored to ensure they are administered the remaining doses of the vaccine. The dog was caught, and it was lactating. The students may have angered the dog by playing with her puppies, said a corporation official. Meanwhile on Monday, the corporation began a 70-day anti-rabies camp to vaccinate dogs. The camp will be conducted daily from 6am to 10am in all wards, and 5,000 doses of vaccination will be administered to dogs in the first phase. The move comes after close to 1,900 patients received treatment for animal-related incidents at the urban primary health centres in the city till June this year. A recent census puts the stray dog population in the city at more than 38,000.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK wine duty: Are hotter countries really being taxed more on their wine?
In February 2025, the UK government updated their alcohol duty rates and ended a temporary concession on wine that had been in place since 1 August 2023. The reprieve had been an 18-month-long move to help wine producers adjust to a new way of calculating alcohol duties. Namely, tariffs are now calculated by alcohol strength (ABV), rather than volume. This could be seen as a gentle push for consumers to more closely consider the strength of what they're drinking, and it aligns with a wider, societal trend towards moderating consumption. 'This approach is supported by public health experts including clinical advisors to the Department of Health and Social Care,' HM Treasury told Euronews. In 2024, the UK wine market, including fortified wine, was worth around £12.3 billion (€14.3bn), according to data from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA). Although the UK does produce some wine domestically, it only accounts for around 1% of consumption by volume — roughly 12-15 million bottles per year. As such, the country relies heavily on imports to feed wine habits. Just over five months after the end of the government's grace period, how is the new duty system affecting the alcohol industry in Europe? And what knock-on effect has it had on consumer pricing? The end of the reprieve in the UK has meant that wine with an alcohol strength of 11.5-14.5% ABV will no longer be charged one flat duty rate as if it were 12.5% ABV. Whilst this means that the duty on 11.5-12.4% wine is cheaper, the duty on wines at 12.5-14.5% has increased. Taking into account the Retail Price Index (RPI) uprating, a bottle of 13% wine now pays £2.88 (€3.34) in tax, 21p more than before 1 February. 13.5% wine pays £2.99 (€3.46), 32p more. The biggest rise is for 14.5% wine which now pays £3.21 (€3.72), 54p more than before the end of the grace period. While this might not seem like a huge rise, it follows the key taxation change in August 2023, which saw 11.5-14.5% ABV wine pay 44p more tax, rising from £2.23 (€2.58) per bottle of still wine to £2.67 (€3.09). Added to this, upcoming EPR charges — based on packaging weight — will add extra expense that cannot always be passed on to consumers. Related The Big Question: Will CBD drinks be the new way to relax and socialise? Some suggest this change in duty is disproportionately affecting some producers, as their climates are more suited to certain wine styles. 'The hotter the climate, the higher the strength of the wine,' explained Stannard. Sunny climates produce grapes with more sugar, sugar ferments into alcohol and therefore the more sugar, the stronger the ABV. For example, medium to low alcohol white wines in the 10-11.5% ABV category, such as Muscadet, Soave and Pinot Grigio often come from cooler regions like France, Northern Italy and Germany. Wines with an ABV of 13.5-15% are those most affected by the end of the wine reprieve and typically come from warmer climates like Spain and southern Italy, as well as further afield, like Argentina, USA and Australia. This category includes wines such as Grenache (Garnacha), Shiraz (Syrah) and US Chardonnay. Some Californian reds have even become famous for being over 15% ABV. The wineries themselves are not responsible for paying the alcohol duty; that falls to the importers. While it's too soon to have concrete data on producer sales, the long term effect is predicted to manifest in numerous ways. Freddie Long, export manager at Spain's Long Wines, told Euronews that he expects a decrease in sales for high-alcohol Spanish red wines this year. On the other hand, Jessica Marzo, Director at Italica, a specialist importer of Italian wines said: 'We expect the demand for Italian wines will remain the same as previous years. The demand in general has remained steady however we are expecting more sales of lower ABV wines in comparison to the higher.' One UK-based wine seller told Euronews: 'European wines continue to be successful. Value [can be] found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian wines, but South Africa still stands as better value.' This continued value in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian wines is perhaps best explained by lower labour costs and therefore lower priced bottles to start with. Italy has no official minimum wage and the legal salary thresholds in both Spain and Portugal are significantly lower than France's monthly €1,767, at €1,323 and €957 respectively. In South Africa, the minimum wage was set in March 2025 at R28.79 per hour (€1.39), which scaling up to a 40 hour week, totals around €240/ month. Related Cost of living: Which are the cheapest and most expensive countries in Europe? Europe's iPhone price gap: Where you'll pay the most and least Many importers stockpiled ahead of the 1 February change so much of the wine sold in the UK over the past few months will not have paid the increased duty rates. However, the impact on consumer habits may be visible in the year ahead. 'Within the Treasury, their modelling is a straight assumption that if you increase taxes by 3-4% there will be no impact on consumer behaviour so you can assume your revenue will go up by 3-4% too. There is plenty of evidence that that isn't true,' Stannard told Euronews. It's at a retailer's discretion if they choose to absorb extra costs. If 100% of charges have been passed down to the customer, here's how they might be affecting your glass. A 250ml glass of 11% still wine would be 3p more expensive. A 250ml glass of 11.5% still wine would be 5p cheaper. A 250ml glass of 13% still wine will be 8p more expensive. Hardly a bank-breaking increase, but if everyone in the supply chain adds a bit extra for profit, it may lead to much bigger price hikes. Related Which European economy stands to suffer the most from US tariffs? The US is the biggest importer of wine in the world by value. Germany is the largest by volume, closely followed by the UK which comes second in both measurements. Australia, France and Italy are the UK's favourite wine producers, with Spain coming in fourth, by volume and by value. In 2024, the UK imported 1.6 billion litres of wine. Much of that is imported in bulk, from new world producers like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, bottled in the UK and redistributed. Around 20% of the bulk wine is re-exported in bottles to northern Europe. For producers, the major concern is that globally there is an oversupply of wine, WSTA's Simon Stannard told Euronews. Consumption rates are declining and although production rates have dropped a little over the past few years, the supply is still outweighing the demand. Reflecting on various trends impacting wine purchasing, Stannard added: 'Looking at the last 12 months, I think we'll see volume declines but whether those are any more significant than what is a relatively long-term trend [remains to be seen]. Value wise, overall value will be relatively static.' Though not solely caused by changes in taxation, many large producers of all wines, across the world, are looking at how they can produce lower ABV products. This will take time and there are limitations on how much strength can be reduced. This nonetheless aligns with overall market trends as people seek to lower their alcohol consumption. To support the demand for lower alcohol products, the industry is hoping for new reforms in the UK to match EU regulation on what can be labelled as wine. Currently products under a certain ABV must be labelled as a 'wine-based drink', according to UK regulation. This makes it less appealing for European producers as it requires them to produce bespoke packaging for the UK market. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
