Co-op marking commonly stolen items with forensic spray to track reselling

Co-op is secretly marking commonly stolen items including alcohol and laundry detergents with invisible “forensic spray” to track them, in the latest crackdown on shoplifting as a new law on retail crime kicks in.The supermarket aims to use the technique across the country having tested it in Manchester and London since last year.The spray, whichhelps the Co-op identify where stolen items are being resold and report it to the police, contains a unique forensic code for a particular location where the items were sold, which also include sweets. Police can then identify which Co-op store the items originated from when investigating physical shops or online stores suspected of reselling stolen goods.Police forces have used similar tactics to track down stolen bikes and valuables, and protect domestic abuse victims

Another RBA rate rise won’t fix inflation – it will just smash households already hit by soaring fuel costs | Greg Jericho

With the release of the March inflation figures on Tuesday showing a big jump, the likelihood of a rate rise next week has become all but certain. Admittedly it was all but certain before the release of the figures, because the Reserve Bank is determined to smash households even though the cause of inflation is overwhelmingly due to international events.A month ago I noted of the February inflation figures that they were out of date the moment they were released given they did not take into account the impact of the rise in prices from the war on Iran.And so it has come to pass. In the month of March alone, inflation rose 1

Reliance on Chinese green tech poses ‘serious’ risk for Europe, experts say

Europe is “sleepwalking” into a series of economic and national security problems because of an over-reliance on Chinese green technology, according to experts.A report co-authored by Michael Collins, a former deputy head of national security strategy at the UK Cabinet Office, described the risks of depending on China for green tech as “serious”.“Europe risks sleepwalking into a series of economic and geopolitical national security problems because of over-reliance on Chinese low-carbon technology,” he said.The report said Europe was heavily dependent on Chinese green technology, with China supplying 98% of the continent’s solar panels; 88% of imports of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in smartphones, electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage; and 61% of imports of inverters, which integrate renewable energy with a power grid. Chinese EV brands are also increasingly popular across Europe

Barclay family avoids bankruptcy after deal with HSBC over £143m debt

The former owners of the Telegraph have avoided bankruptcy after reaching an 11th-hour agreement with HSBC over more than £140m in overdue debts.At a high court hearing on Tuesday, a lawyer for Europe’s biggest bank said it was seeking to dismiss the petitions against Aidan and Howard Barclay, whose family lost control of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph in 2023 over £1.16bn of unpaid debts owed to Lloyds Bank.HSBC filed bankruptcy petitions against the brothers last year amid large debts owed by the Logistics Group, the parent company of the Barclay family’s brands Yodel and ArrowXL.The bank was owed £143

UK refineries asked to maximise jet fuel production amid supply fears

British refineries have been asked to maximise jet fuel supply as part of government contingency planning, amid growing fears the Iran war will force planes to be grounded.The energy minister Michael Shanks said the government is closely monitoring UK jet fuel stocks and working with airlines, airports, fuel suppliers and other governments, as carriers face rocketing fuel costs as a result of the conflict.Normal flows of fossil fuels from the Gulf have effectively been at a standstill since the war broke out, after the de facto closure of the important shipping channel, the strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows.“UK airlines typically buy fuel months in advance, and aviation fuel suppliers hold bunkered stocks. The UK imports jet fuel supplies from a range of countries not reliant on the strait, including the United States,” wrote Shanks in a ministerial statement

UK firms in ‘critical financial stress’ jump by a third as costs rise, report finds

The number of UK businesses in “critical financial distress” has risen by more than a third over the past year, as companies contend with a “slew of increased taxes” and the impact of the Middle East conflict.Hospitality and leisure firms have been faring particularly badly because of shaky consumer confidence, and rising taxes and staff costs, according to research by the restructuring company BTG.It said the number of firms in financial distress had risen by 36.9% in the first three months of this year, compared with the same period in 2025. Its research showed 62,193 companies were affected, up from 45,416 the previous year