Русско-англо-русский юридический словарь

A third of managers would rather employ a man in his 20s or 30s over a woman of the same age for fear of maternity leave, according to a new study. (The Guardian)

So the fear would be that Scotland would adopt a new currency whose value would fall, relative to sterling.

Now the biggest anxiety stemming from this foreign exchange risk is that banks lending in Scotland could incur big losses, because they would be receiving repayment of loans in a soft and falling new Scottish currency, and the amount they would receive in repayments would not match what they owe depositors and other creditors in solid and rising sterling. (BBC News)

act of terrorism – the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear (vocabulary.com)

Fears of nuclear war with the Soviet Union had prompted government departments across the UK in the 1980s to plan for the worst, papers released by the national archives have revealed. (BBC News)