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South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Burglar ram-raided petrol station for cigarettes and alcohol
Ryan Thomas appeared at Swansea Crown Court after admitting a spree of burglaries in Carmarthenshire which saw him steal cars from two homes before ram-raiding a garage. Thomas broke in to a home on Broad Street in Llandovery in the early hours of April 1, 2023, by reaching through a disused cat flap to open the door, prosecutor Dean Pulling said. He stole a box of Budweiser and the keys to a Toyota Yaris, and a neighbour reported hearing the car driving off at around 1.30am. Thomas drove the car some 18.5 miles, and it was found abandoned in the Llandybie area having sustained 'some damage'. After ditching the car, Thomas broke in to a nearby home on Ammanford Road and stole the keys to a Volvo S80. The court heard Thomas drove the Volvo to Petro Express petrol station on Cwmamman Road in Glanaman, where he committed 'a ram-raid style burglary' at just after 4am. Mr Pulling said Thomas was seen putting what appeared to be plastic bags over his hands and head, before attempting to lift the shutter to the garage's shop. After being unable to lift it, he reversed the car into the shutter 'a number of times', before turning around and driving into it front-on twice. This smashed through the shutter, and Thomas went inside and swiped cigarettes, alcohol, and cash from the tills. After around 40 minutes, the defendant fled in the Volvo. The car was recovered in the Swansea area, Mr Pulling said it had extensive damage and an attempt had been made to set fire to the interior. The ram raid had caused damage worth £17,820 to the petrol station. Thomas' fingerprints were found on the door and cat flap of the first home, as well as on the empty beer bottles left in the abandoned Yaris. He was seen entering the second home on the doorbell camera. However by the time officers were able to link him to the burglaries, he had been jailed for unrelated offences. The defendant, who is currently a serving prisoner at HMP Cardiff, pleaded guilty to three charges of burglary and one of aggravated vehicle taking. The court heard that Thomas, from the Merthyr Tydfil area, had 54 previous convictions and was subject to a suspended sentence and banned from driving at the time of these offences. 'The best mitigation in this case is his credit for a guilty plea,' said Hywel Davies, appearing for Thomas. Mr Davies said it was 'accepted and unavoidable' that the defendant would face a lengthy prison sentence for his offending. He said there had been a year-long delay in the defendant being interviewed, which had also led to a delay in the case coming to court. Mr Davies added that Thomas was now working to address his substance misuse issues in prison and was undergoing weekly drug testing. The judge, Recorder Christopher Felstead, sentenced Thomas to a total of 31 months. He was also banned from driving for five years and three months, and must pass an extended re-test.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Fans gobsmacked by price of pint at Premier League Darts final and are instead left ‘chugging water'
Some fans were irked by another aspect of the finale BEER WE GO AGAIN BEER WE GO AGAIN Fans gobsmacked by price of pint at Premier League Darts final and are instead left 'chugging water' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DARTS fans have been left gobsmacked over the price of a pint at the Premier League Darts finale. Luke Humphries got payback over Luke Littler, beating the youngster in the final to avenge last year's defeat. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Fans were annoyed at the price of a pint at the Premier League finale Credit: Getty 2 There were big price hikes on a number of beers It was an action-packed night as Littler had earlier come from behind to beat Gerwyn Price before Humphries brushed Nathan Aspinall aside. However some punters were left unimpressed because of the sky-high price of alcoholic beverages. The cheapest beer on offer was a Budweiser, coming in at £9.25. Other pints were priced at £9.80, including Camden Pale Ale and Camden Hells Lager, which increased by 55p and 35p respectively on last year. READ MORE ON DARTS LUK OUT Luke Littler narrowly avoids being hit by object thrown onto O2 stage Fans were in uproar over the prices and made their feelings clear. One reacted saying: "£9.25 British pounds for a f***ing Budweiser, Games gone, hope there's a 9 darter to make up for it." Another added: "£9.50 for a pint of BUDWEISER at the O2 tonight. Turned back round and chugged my water." A third wrote: "The O2 is far too big for the Premier League Darts. Void of any true atmosphere, much like it is when there's a gig there. £9.80 a pint, too." JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Some darts fans were also left frustrated by the Premier League final format following Littler's defeat. Many argued it was unfair Littler had dominated the competition for the previous 16 weeks only to lose. Luke Littler narrowly avoids being hit by object thrown onto O2 stage during Premier League Darts finals One wrote on X: "Fair play to Humphries and I'm glad he won, but I really don't see the point in playing a 16-week league phase for it to come down to one game." Another said: "Format isn't great. What's the point of dominating for 16 weeks, for it to come down to one night? [It] seems a bit forced, IMO."
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Fans gobsmacked by price of pint at Premier League Darts final and are instead left ‘chugging water'
DARTS fans have been left gobsmacked over the price of a pint at the Premier League Darts finale. Luke Humphries got payback over Luke Littler , beating the youngster in the final to avenge last year's defeat. 2 Fans were annoyed at the price of a pint at the Premier League finale Credit: Getty 2 There were big price hikes on a number of beers It was an action-packed night as Littler had earlier come from behind to beat Gerwyn Price before Humphries brushed Nathan Aspinall aside. However some punters were left unimpressed because of the sky-high price of alcoholic beverages. The cheapest beer on offer was a Budweiser, coming in at £9.25. Other pints were priced at £9.80, including Camden Pale Ale and Camden Hells Lager, which increased by 55p and 35p respectively on last year. READ MORE ON DARTS Fans were in uproar over the prices and made their feelings clear. One reacted saying: "£9.25 British pounds for a f***ing Budweiser, Games gone, hope there's a 9 darter to make up for it." Another added: "£9.50 for a pint of BUDWEISER at the O2 tonight. Turned back round and chugged my water." A third wrote: "The O2 is far too big for the Premier League Darts . Void of any true atmosphere, much like it is when there's a gig there. £9.80 a pint, too." Most read in Darts JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Some darts fans were also left frustrated by the Premier League final format following Littler's defeat. Many argued it was Luke Littler narrowly avoids being hit by object thrown onto O2 stage during Premier League Darts finals One wrote on X: "Fair play to Humphries and I'm glad he won, but I really don't see the point in playing a 16-week league phase for it to come down to one game." Another said: "Format isn't great. What's the point of dominating for 16 weeks, for it to come down to one night? [It] seems a bit forced, IMO."
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Darts fans left stunned by 'astonishing' beer prices as they watch Luke Littler fall at the last hurdle in Premier League final loss at The O2
Darts fans have been left dumbfounded by the astonishing beer prices at the Premier League finals night in The 02 on Thursday night. Fans flocked in their thousands to get a glimpse of golden boy, Luke Littler, as he tried to retain his crown and stamp his authority on the darting world once again. The 18-year-old, who was favourite to win the Premier League for the second year on the spin, managed to weather an early storm against the ever-effervescent Gerwyn Price in the semi-final. It set up a re-run of last year's showpiece with Luke Humphries, with 'Cool Hand' looking to get revenge over the boy who stole his world crown in January. And revenge he got, beating Littler to show why he remains world No1, and in turn disappoint the 15,000 sell-out crowd which was littered with purple shirts - the colour synonymous with the boy wonder. However, the result was not the only thing to leave supporters stunned. The price list of alcoholic beverages left many incensed, with the 'cheapest' pint - a Budweiser - costing £9.25. The price was a 30p increase compared to the year prior, which was already branded 'disgusting' by fans. If you wanted so-called 'premium' beers while enjoying the action, though, you'd have to cough up even more cash. Camden Pale Ale and Camden Hells Lager were both priced at a quite staggering £9.80, a price hike of 55p and 30p respectively. One fan could only laugh at the quality of the pint he had been given at such an expensive price. '£9.80 for a pint at the O2 and that's what you get?' he wrote, followed by three laughing face emojis, and a picture of a flat beer. Another audience member simply couldn't stomach paying the extortionate prices and opted to stick to a much cheaper drink. '£9.50 for a pint of BUDWEISER at the o2 tonight. Turned back round and chugged my water,' the X user wrote. While the price of pints was at the forefront of a lot of fans' minds, the O2 also took a lot of heat for its inability to generate sustainable noise throughout the night. Despite the complaints from crowd members, they were still treated to an enjoyable night of entertainment on the oche. Humphries was rocked early as he missed six darts at double to hold. Littler took advantage. Humphries got on the board to make it 3-1 with a nice two-dart combo to take out 66 and a clunky leg with Littler stuck on double one got us back on throw. But these two throw quickly, and before you could blink it was 5-5 at the interval. The 2024 world champ then broke right out the blocks to lead for the first time and once again seemingly had a new lease of life after the interval. The game threatened to race away as the two Lukes threw quicker and better. The game had become a best of six - the format they have been used to in this year's tournament - and it was running away. Crucially, though, Humphries had the break. And it was that break that proved pivotal. Littler continued to hold, but just could not break his arch-rival. A nervy double two took him to one leg away and left Littler needing to win three legs on the trot. He couldn't muster one. Humphries, the 11-8 winner in the final, threw his final dart after pinning a final double worth £275,000. Just the £125,000 for Littler.
NBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- NBC News
Non-alcoholic beer projected to overtake ale as the second-largest beer category worldwide this year
Non-alcoholic beer is on track to overtake ale as the second-largest beer category by volume worldwide this year, according to a new projections from industry tracker IWSR. While overall beer volume fell roughly 1% in 2024, volume for its non-alcoholic counterpart grew 9% worldwide, according to IWSR. The category's growth accelerated in 2018 and has continued to outstrip the broader beer market since then. IWSR is projecting that no-alcohol beer will grow by 8% annually through 2029, while ale's volume is expected to slide 2% annually in that same period. Despite recent growth, no-alcohol beer is far from becoming the top-selling beer category globally and only holds about 2% of worldwide beer market share. With 92% market share, lager is far and away the largest beer category and still growing, albeit at a slower pace than non-alcoholic beer. No-alcohol beer has gained popularity as more consumers cut back on their alcohol consumption, prompting brewers to invest in zero-proof alternatives. The trend is particularly striking across younger age cohorts; Gen Z drinks less than prior generations at the same age, and millennials hold the largest share of no-alcohol drinkers, according to IWSR. Younger drinkers use buzzwords like 'sober curious' and 'damp lifestyle' to describe moderating their alcoholic intake, rather than abstaining entirely. Additional fuel for the trend comes from the companies making non-alcoholic beers, which have gotten better at mimicking the taste of their alcoholic twins. Practically every major beer brand, from Diageo's Guinness to Heineken and Anheuser-Busch InBev's Budweiser, has rolled out a zero-proof version over the last five years. Non-alcoholic beer's worldwide retail sales surpassed $17 billion in 2023, according to Bernstein. Looking at global markets, Germany, Spain and Japan bought the most non-alcoholic beer that year. The U.S. landed in sixth place for its no-alcohol beer sales, although its ranking falls much further when measured by overall sales penetration. Much of the growth in the U.S. is fueled by Athletic Brewing, now the top-selling no-alcohol beer brand. The upstart, which was founded in 2018, holds 17% of the category's volume share, edging out AB InBev's Bud Zero and Heineken's 0.0 version. Just three years earlier, Athletic held only a 4% share. The company was reportedly valued at roughly $800 million in its latest funding round in 2024. Even non-alcoholic beer hasn't been immune from the rash of celebrity-backed alcohol brands. Actor Tom Holland launched Bero, retired basketball star Dwyane Wade co-founded Budweiser Zero with AB InBev and podcast host and actor Dax Shepherd created Ted Segers.
