The results reflect a shift in public sentiment following July’s House of Councillors election, with growing concerns about social impact and security. 

When asked to choose from a list of possible effects of having more foreigners living in Japan, 68% said public safety would worsen, while 63% feared difficulties due to cultural and language differences. 

At the same time, however, 61% acknowledged a key benefit: that foreign workers could ease persistent labour shortages in an ageing society .

Younger Japanese appeared especially anxious about safety. Among respondents aged 18 to 39, almost eight in ten said they believed public security would deteriorate if more foreign nationals settled in Japan. That compares with 72% in the 40–59 age group and 59% among those aged 60 and above. 

Yet older people were also more likely to recognise the economic advantages of welcoming migrants: 67% of respondents over 60 said foreign workers help fill labour gaps, compared with 53% in the youngest group.

On the topic of national politics , dissatisfaction remains deep. A record 88% of respondents reported dissatisfaction with the current political situation. For the first time since tracking began in 2018, a majority, or 52%, said they favoured change over stability in national leadership.

Despite this rising discontent, the LDP remains the party most voters want to see in government , backed by 48% of respondents. It was followed by the Democratic Party for the People with 31%, and both the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japan Innovation Party at 25%.

The mail-in survey was conducted nationwide between September 24 and October 31, spanning the end of the Ishiba Cabinet and the start of the Takaichi administration.

Authorities said there were no reports of deaths or injuries, but residents described a dramatic and frightening event, with the ground shaking and a column of smoke rising far above the desert basin.

The Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre reported ash clouds reaching an altitude of about 14 kilometres and drifting across the Red Sea. Plumes were later detected moving towards Yemen and Oman, and further towards India and northern Pakistan.

Locals on the ground spoke of panic as the eruption began without warning. 

Ahmed Abdela, who lives in Afdera, said the explosion “felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown," leaving families running from their homes.

The region attracts visitors heading to the Danakil desert, known for its salt flats and volcanic landscapes. Travel was brought to a standstill, with stranded tourists unable to move through ash-covered roads.

Officials warned that, although human lives were spared, the consequences for pastoral communities could be severe. Local administrator Mohammed Seid said ashfall had smothered grazing land vital for livestock.

“Our animals now have little to eat,” he said, noting fears that herds may perish if conditions do not improve quickly. Most residents rely almost entirely on livestock for income and food.

The volcano stands roughly 500 metres above sea level within the East African Rift Valley, an area shaped by the slow separation of tectonic plates and frequent seismic activity.

According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, Hayli Gubbi has no recorded eruptions during the Holocene – the geological epoch that began around 12,000 years ago – making Sunday’s event the first known in human history .

At least 28 fire trucks were deployed as the fire reached Task Force Bravo at 10:53 p.m. The blaze was declared under control at 2:46 a.m. Sunday and was fully extinguished by 6:01 a.m., authorities said.

No fatalities were reported, but three people were injured in the incident. Damage to property was initially pegged at around P1.5 million ($26,000).

“It’s painful for me to lose our house, and we haven’t saved any of our things because the fire spread quickly, but we are thankful my family is safe,” said Josefa Gidayawan, a resident who lost her home.

A firefighter at the scene said the flames were intensified by the presence of junk shops in the area, causing the fire to spread rapidly.

“It makes me really tearful because I know how much everybody is suffering. This is our fifth fire in less than two years, so nearly everyone in this community has been burned, and now I feel so emotional,” said Jane Walker, CEO of the Upskills+ Foundation.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. City officials have since started distributing aid to the thousands of affected families as relief operations continue in the gutted neighbourhood.

Accommodation at the site starts at 30 yuan (about $4.15 ) per night, with prices rising to 80 yuan (about $11 ) after the fourth day.

The initiative was founded by Chen Yani, known as “Keke.” She said her own negative experiences with men in the workplace encouraged her to establish a space where women could feel at ease.

Her first experiment came during the Lunar New Year, when she invited women through the social media platform Xiaohongshu, also called Rednote. Twelve women arrived for the initial stay.

Some participants said they wanted to escape persistent family questions about marriage and children . Others joined to take a temporary break from caring responsibilities or simply to enjoy a change of surroundings.

“Within the family, women often have to take care of grandparents, children and household chores. Not to mention work responsibilities,” Chen said. “They need a place where they don’t have to play a role and can just be themselves.”

"Personally, I worked in a high-pressure environment for a long time. I hope to have a space where I can fully relax," she added. "When I had the idea [of creating this space], I feel that maybe lots of women are in the same predicament, so they would also need such a place like this."

Social media has played a key role in spreading awareness of alternative lifestyles. Platforms like Rednote are increasingly used to promote communities and connect women with similar interests.

In Beijing, a cultural space called "Half the Sky" has been established to give women a venue for social and creative activities. Its founder, Lilith Jiang, said such projects address a gap in daily life.

“Men have plenty of opportunities to socialise, while drinking or while exercising,” she said. “Women don’t have that.”

Jiang added that women-only communities could also provide a longer-term answer for those worried about ageing alone.

“Women are constantly told: ‘If you don’t get married, what will become of you when you get older?’” she said. “But long-term, all-female shared co-living spaces where women can grow old together could be a solution.”

Despite these strides, the campaign seems to have yielded little as environmental destruction worsens. Illegal miners now dig in the open with no fear of authority.

To counter this menace, President John Dramani Mahama's government has also put in motion an intense war by instituting the Goldbod, a body which is now in charge of everything gold and other precious minerals.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is also not sitting back and has equally rolled out a mining skills programme dubbed the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP), to promote ethical mining.

On the journey to the outdooring of this initiative in Obuasi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, eight precious souls lost their lives.

These eight, including the Minister of Defence, Edward Omane Boamah and the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, were killed in a military helicopter crash on August 6.

Major destruction from galamsey so far

Although illegal mining contributes over one-third of Ghana’s gold production, it costs the state approximately $2 billion annually in lost tax revenue.

Up to 60% of Ghana’s surface water sources, including key rivers like the Ankobra and Pra, are contaminated with hazardous levels of mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals.

Additionally, polluted water has impaired the Ghana Water Company’s capacity by up to 75%, leading to possible reliance on expensive water imports by 2030.

More than 4,726 hectares of forest and riverine areas have been destroyed, affecting 34 out of Ghana’s 288 forest reserves. Over 190,000 acres of cocoa farmland have been lost, either seized by miners or degraded through encroachment.

Current reforms

President John Dramani Mahama, in April 2025, established the Ghana Gold Board (Goldbod) to regulate and check mining in the country.

Under the Goldbod Act, the body is the only powerful, centralised body mandated to oversee the entire gold value chain from licensing and assaying to buying, refining, and exporting gold. GoldBod replaces prior fragmentation to bring structure and control to the sector.

Under the reform, foreigners are barred from directly trading or purchasing gold domestically, and all gold trade must be conducted through GoldBod, in the Ghanaian cedi. This move aims to retain value within national channels and strengthen oversight

Additionally, the Act empowers GoldBod with enhanced monitoring, surveillance, increased penalties, and the establishment of specialised task forces to clamp down on illegal mining and gold smuggling. It also enforces stricter border controls and customs procedures.