Woolworths shoppers concerned new anti-theft gates may trap them and hit their children

The trial of a security gate in a Woolworths in Sydney has left customers concerned for their safety, with some saying the series of low-height bars have “hit” children in the arms, legs and face.Maria, who was shopping with her two children at Woolworths in Bass Hill in south-west Sydney on Wednesday, told Guardian Australia that she noticed the new entrance “straight away”.“The level that they’ve put it at, is the level of the kids in the pram,” said Maria, who asked that her surname not be published.“If you wanted to enter without hitting your child, you’d have to go in backwards.”Woolworths is trialling the new anti-theft entry gates in six stores, including Sydney’s Bass Hill and Camberwell in Melbourne’s east

War in Middle East ‘could wipe out growth in UK living standards’

The Middle East crisis could trigger an energy price shock that more than wipes out the £300 rise in living standards a typical working-age household could otherwise expect this year, a leading thinktank has warned.The Resolution Foundation said a “decent” one-off increase in average living standards in 2026 and a bumper rise for lower-income households could be reversed by rising oil and gas prices as the Iran conflict disrupts supplies.However, if the recent jump in energy prices persists, the foundation said all the gains could be wiped out.While the effect may not be as large as the increase caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which sent the cost of food, oil and gas soaring, a rise this year in oil and gas prices could add a percentage point to UK inflation and £500 on typical annual energy bills, it said.The UK’s reliance on gas from the Middle East makes it especially vulnerable to an effective blockade of the strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s liquid natural gas is transported

China calls for vessels in strait of Hormuz to be protected amid soaring shipping costs

The Chinese government has called for vessels passing through the strait of Hormuz to be protected by all sides in the escalating Iran conflict, as shipping freight rates soared.Maritime traffic through the strait – a narrow channel on Iran’s southern border that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman – has effectively been closed since the US and Israel launched missile attacks on Iran at the weekend, prompting a retaliation from Tehran.Beijing’s foreign ministry on Tuesday urged “all parties to immediately cease military operations, avoid escalating tensions and safeguard the safety of navigation in the strait of Hormuz”.China is the world’s largest importer of oil and fossil gas and has in recent times been the major buyer of Iranian oil, making it one of the countries most exposed to the interruption to energy shipments.The strait of Hormuz, located on Iran’s southern border, is one of the most important global trade arteries and remained devoid of ships for a fourth day on Tuesday

‘Peak Greggs’? Bakery chain’s profits slump and sales slow

Greggs has reported a slump in profits as it bemoaned “challenging” market conditions hitting consumer confidence and disposable income, amid pressure to prove the UK has not hit “peak Greggs”.The high street bakery chain, known for its sausage rolls and steak bakes, said statutory pre-tax profits fell by 17.9% to £167.4m for the year to 27 December, compared with a year earlier. Total sales rose by 6

Slower UK interest rate cuts likely as some mortgage providers hike rates; oil and gas prices rising again – as it happened

The travel disruption, the higher oil price and the fall in the euro caused by the Iran war has prompted low-cost airline Wizz Air to issue a profits warning.Wizz Air warned investors last night that it believes the current crisis in the Middle East will wipe €50m off its profits this financial years.Wizz had previously predicted that earnings would fall within a profit of €25m to a loss of €25m, so today’s warning means it expects a loss for the year.The company told the City:double quotation markIn terms of the expected impact, approximately one third is a result of the cessation of certain scheduled services to the Middle East, with the remainder from the adverse movement in macroeconomic factors as a result of the Iran conflict.Our assessment of the impact of these macroeconomic factors is based on jet fuel and US$/€ rates as of today, and assumes that these rates will remain at current levels for rest of Fiscal Year 2026

Oil price continues to rise amid Middle East crisis but stock markets rebound across Asia

Stock markets have rebounded in Asia after days of heavy losses driven by the war in the Middle East, but oil and gas prices have continued to climb amid disruption to supplies.South Korea’s KOSPI, which posted its biggest ever fall on Tuesday of 12%, rose by almost 10% on Thursday, while Japan’s Nikkei climbed by 1.9%. MSCI’s Asia-Pacific index excluding Japan jumped by 2.7%