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At least 500 workers are being held down a South African gold mine by a rival union, according to the head of the site.

The incident began when miners from the opposing, unregistered union allegedly prevented hundreds of employees leaving after they had finished their night shift on Monday at the Modder East mine to the east of Johannesburg.

Some 15 miners were wounded in the ensuing scuffles, with at least one suffering a serious head injury, the mine’s chief, Jon Hericourt, said.

He claims a paramedic and an officer went into the mine to bring the man to surface, but were also taken captive.

Mr Hericourt, who oversees New Kleynfontein Gold Mine company, which manages the mine, said he did not know exactly how many of the miners were being “held hostage” by those from the other union.

He said there were at least 543 employees underground in various sections of the mine, including engineers.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which is the only recognised union at the mine, said more than 500 of its members, including female workers, were being held by “hooligans.”

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The situation stems from a union dispute.

Miners gather at the top of a goldmine shaft in Springs, South Africa, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. A group of miners from an unregistered, rival union are holding around 500 of their colleagues underground for the second day at the mine over a union dispute. Some 15 miners have been injured in scuffles, the head of the mine said on Tuesday.(AP Photo/Denis Farrell)
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Miners gather at the top of a goldmine shaft in the region. Pic: AP

Mr Hericourt blamed members of the rival Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), saying it had demanded to be the sole syndicate representing the miners at Modder East.

AMCU contested Mr Hericourt’s version of events, saying miners had conducted a sit-in protest in support of the syndicate.

The mine boss listed hammers, picks, shovels and other mining equipment in the depths that could potentially be used as weapons.

NUM called for police intervention to “arrest the hooligans holding [their] members against their will”.

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Police were sent to the mine but have not been able to reach anyone underground despite the use of mine telephones and two-way radios.

The rivalry between NUM and AMCU has been longstanding, having originated upon the latter’s formation in 1998.

The two have been competing for bargaining rights over various South African mines, and their feuding was partially responsible for the Marikana massacre of 2012, when 34 miners on strike were killed by police.

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Ukraine war: Russia launches drone strike on Kyiv – as commander ‘sacked for lying about war progress’

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Ukraine war: Russia launches drone strike on Kyiv - as commander 'sacked for lying about war progress'

Russia launched a large drone attack on Kyiv overnight, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning the attack shows his capital needs better air defences.

Ukraine’s air defence units shot down 50 of 73 Russian drones launched, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries as a result of the attacks.

Russia has used more than 800 guided aerial bombs and around 460 attack drones in the past week.

Warning that Ukraine needs to improve its air defences, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “An air alert has been sounded almost daily across Ukraine this week”.

“Ukraine is not a testing ground for weapons. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state.

“But Russia still continues its efforts to kill our people, spread fear and panic, and weaken us.”

Russia did not comment on the attack.

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It comes as Russian media reported that Colonel General Gennady Anashkin, the commander of the country’s southern military district, had been removed from his role over allegedly providing misleading reports about his troops’ progress.

While Russian forces have advanced at the fastest rate in Ukraine since the start of the invasion, forces have been much slower around Siversk and the eastern region of Donetsk.

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Russian war bloggers have long complained that units there are poorly supported and thrown into deadly battles for little tactical gain.

Russia’s ministry of defence has not commented on the reports.

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Russian forces capture ‘former British soldier’ fighting for Ukraine – reports

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Russian forces capture 'former British soldier' fighting for Ukraine - reports

Russian forces have reportedly captured a British man while he was fighting for Ukraine.

In a widely circulated video posted on Sunday, the man says his name is James Scott Rhys Anderson, aged 22.

He says he is a former British Army soldier who signed up to fight for Ukraine’s International Legion after his job.

He is dressed in army fatigues and speaks with an English accent as he says to camera: “I was in the British Army before, from 2019 to 2023, 22 Signal Regiment.”

He tells the camera he was “just a private”, “a signalman” in “One Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron”.

“When I left… got fired from my job, I applied on the International Legion webpage. I had just lost everything. I just lost my job,” he said.

“My dad was away in prison, I see it on the TV,” he added, shaking his head. “It was a stupid idea.”

In a second video, he is shown with his hands tied and at one point, with tape over his eyes.

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He describes how he had travelled to Ukraine from Britain, saying: “I flew to Krakow, Poland, from London Luton. Bus from there to Medyka in Poland, on the Ukraine border.”

Russian state news agency Tass reported that a military source said a “UK mercenary” had been “taken prisoner in the Kursk area” of Russia.

The UK Foreign Office said it was “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention”.

The Ministry of Defence has declined to comment at this stage.

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Body of missing rabbi Zvi Kogan found in UAE – as Israeli PM says he was murdered in ‘antisemitic terror incident’

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Body of missing rabbi Zvi Kogan found in UAE - as Israeli PM says he was murdered in 'antisemitic terror incident'

The body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been found, Israel has said.

Zvi Kogan, the Chabad representative in the UAE, went missing on Thursday.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office on Sunday said the 28-year-old rabbi was murdered, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terror incident”.

“The state of Israel will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death,” it said.

On Saturday, Israeli intelligence agency Mossad said it was investigating the disappearance as suspicions arose that he had been kidnapped.

The Emirati government gave no immediate acknowledgment that Mr Kogan had been found dead. Its interior ministry has described the rabbi as being “missing and out of contact”.

“Specialised authorities immediately began search and investigation operations upon receiving the report,” the interior ministry said.

Mr Kogan lived in the UAE with his wife Rivky, who is a US citizen. He ran a Kosher grocery store in Dubai, which has been the target of online protests by pro-Palestinian supporters.

The Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of Orthodox Judaism, said Mr Kogan was last seen in Dubai.

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Israeli authorities reissued their recommendation against all non-essential travel to the UAE and said visitors currently there should minimise movement and remain in secure areas.

The rabbi’s disappearance comes as Iran has threatened to retaliate against Israel after the two countries traded fire in October.

While the Israeli statement on Mr Kogan did not mention Iran, Iranian intelligence services have previously carried out kidnappings in the UAE.

The UAE diplomatically recognised Israel in 2020. Since then, synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners have been set up for the burgeoning Jewish community but the unrest in the Middle East has sparked deep anger in the country.

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