Tag: fears
South Africa launches operation at illegal gold mine amid fears many dead
Phone video shared by mining NGO appears to show dozens of wrapped bodies in underground tunnel The South African government has launched a mission to bring to the surface potentially hundreds of people in an illegal mine who last year had supplies of food, water and medicine blocked by police in an attempt to force…
Israel’s Campaign in Syrian Border Area Prompts Fears It Plans to Stay
Syria’s Civil War Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s order for Israeli troops to “take over” a buffer zone with Syria upended decades of relative calm along the de facto border between the two countries. By Aaron Boxerman Reporting from Jerusalem Israeli soldiers have raided Syrian border villages, prompting nervous residents to huddle in their homes. They…
Fears of ‘rogue rewilding’ in Scottish Highlands after further lynx sightings
Environmentalists condemn unauthorised releases as ‘reckless’ and ‘highly irresponsible’ For a brief moment this week, lynx have been roaming the Scottish Highlands once again. But this was not the way conservationists had hoped to end their 1,000-year absence. On Wednesday, Police Scotland received reports of two lynx in a forest in the Cairngorms national park,…
Fears over UK borrowing costs as US jobs figures prompt stock market volatility
Pound falls against the dollar and bond yields rise amid concerns over high UK inflation and interest rates Concerns over the UK government’s borrowing costs were revived on Friday after stronger-than expected US jobs figures triggered volatile conditions in global financial markets. In an accelerating global bond market sell-off, investors warned that the UK was…
Israeli Hostage Declared Killed in Gaza as Fears for Captives Mount
Middle East Crisis Hamza Ziyadne, 23, was abducted in the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel alongside his siblings and father, whose body was also recovered this week. By Aaron Boxerman Reporting from Jerusalem The Israeli military said on Friday that Hamza Ziyadne, an Arab citizen of Israel held hostage in Gaza, had been killed in…
Lloyds to let customers use Halifax and BoS branches, raising job cut fears
Account holders at the group’s three brands will be able to use any of their locations, but unions fear site closures Lloyds Banking Group will allow customers to use any of its Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Lloyds branches as part of a shake-up that has sparked fears of job cuts and site closures, weeks…
UK long-term borrowing costs at highest since 1998 amid fears over weak growth
Yield rises above peak reached when Liz Truss’s mini-budget in 2022 caused turmoil in markets The UK government’s long-term borrowing costs have reached the highest level since 1998 amid investor concerns over Britain’s sluggish growth prospects and stubbornly high inflation. The yield – in effect the interest rate – on UK 30-year government debt rose…
China’s yuan hits 16-month low amid fears over Trump tariffs
CSI 300 blue-chip stock index also trades weakly, hitting its lowest point since September China’s currency hit a 16-month low on Monday, despite efforts by the central bank and stock exchanges to soothe investor worries about impending US tariffs under a Donald Trump presidency. The tightly controlled yuan reached 7.3301 per US dollar, its weakest…
Fears grow for voting rights as Trump plots to reshape US justice department
Experts warn that incoming president could direct DoJ officials to scale back enforcement of Voting Rights Act Donald Trump could use a second term atop the justice department to gut enforcement of US federal voting laws and deploy an agency that is supposed to protect the right to vote to undermine it, experts have warned.…
Confidence of firms hit by tax fears, says business group
Confidence among UK firms has “slumped” as they face a “pressure cooker of rising costs and taxes”, according to a business group. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said its survey of more than 4,800 firms suggested confidence had fallen to its lowest level for two years. Nearly two-thirds told the BCC they were worried…
Fears for hiker in ‘bloody tough country’ as Kosciuszko search enters day 11
Hot and humid conditions increase difficulty of finding Hadi Nazari, 23, after he failed to show up at campsite More specialist rescue crews have joined the search for a bushwalker missing in dense and challenging terrain for 11 days. As many as 50 specialist search operators from across New South Wales have been deployed to…
Fears of unrest as PM considers open prisons for more offenders
Unions concerned about potential rise in violence, drug abuse and the threat of riots at low-security facilities in England and Wales The government is considering relaxing the restrictions on inmates who can be sent to open prisons, despite warnings that the move could increase violence, drug abuse and the potential for riots. Under an unannounced…
Labour retreats on rape courts pledge amid fears over shortage of lawyers
Labour pledged during the election campaign to use vacant rooms and buildings on crown court sites to fast-track rape cases and reduce the numbers awaiting trial. In its manifesto, Labour said specifically it would “fast-track rape cases through specialist courts at every crown court location in England and Wales”, suggesting it was an urgent priority…
Fears Australia may face GP shortage as figures reveal almost 10% now aged over 70
GPs’ peak body is concerned a proposed new medical test for older doctors could force them from the system Almost 10% of Australia’s GPs are aged over 70, new figures have revealed, with concerns that a proposal to introduce health checks for older doctors may worsen workforce shortages. According to data from the Australian Health…