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Claims of voter intimidation mar Morant Bay by-election

In recent years, Japan’s most prominent temples and shrines have become increasingly crowded, particularly as surging inbound international tourist numbers create a constant stream of travelers looking for intrinsically Japanese sights to see. We could spend several days debating the pros and cons of this, weighing the loss of solemn quietude against the revitalization of the surrounding communities, and even taking into consideration the secular, sightseeing-like appeals of shrine/temple travel that Japanese domestic travelers have enjoyed for generations. Still, there’s no denying that the most major shrines and temples of Tokyo, Nara and Kyoto in particular have gotten at least a little too crowded for some people’s tastes these days. With the Japan travel boom not showing signs of slowing down anytime soon, it might be time to start exploring places a little farther off the thoroughly beaten tourist path, and that recently took us to Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha in the town of Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture. If those mentions of “Fuji” have you thinking of Mount Fuji, you’re spot-on. Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha is the head shrine of the many Sengan shrines (also sometimes called Asama shrines) that can be found across Japan, and their primary object of worship is Mount Fuji. Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha may not be as opulent or as suited for implementation as social media like-bait as Japan’s more famous shrines, but it has a quiet beauty of its own, and also plenty of cultural significance. The current main building was constructed in 1604 with shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu as its sponsor, but the shrine itself is said to have been founded roughly 2,000 years ago. Sitting to the southwest of Mount Fuji, Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha is along the route pilgrims to the mountain would take on their way from Kyoto, earning it a reputation as the traditional “entrance” to Japan’s tallest mountain before the capital was moved to Kyoto and travel patterns shifted so that more visitors now approach Mt. Fuji from the north and east. Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha is also associated with Konohanasakuya-hime. Konohanasakuya-hime, also known as Sakuya-hime for short, is a goddess who appears in Japanese folklore, where she’s often referred to as one of the most beautiful of all divine beings. When Sakuya-hime became pregnant shortly after her marriage to the god Ninigi-no-Mikoto, in order to prove that the children she was bearing were indeed her husband’s, Sakuya-hime sealed herself in a hut and set it ablaze, asserting that the flames would not harm Ninigi-no-Mikoto’s children, and the subsequent safe birth of three healthy boys led to Konohanasakuya-hime being seen as a source of divine protection against fires and provider of safe births. Near the entrance to the shrine is a stream, and following it just a short ways upriver brings you to Wakutama Pond and its pristinely clear water. The pond formed some 10,000 years ago, carved into the earth by lava flowing from Mount Fuji. Once the basin cooled and hardened, it filled with rain and winter snow melting from the mountain, and pilgrims on their way to summit Fuji would first purify their bodies by bathing in the pond. Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha is especially lovely in the spring, when the hundreds of cherry blossom trees on its grounds flower, and the shrine also holds demonstrations of yabusame (horseback archery) each May. Making an off-season visit, though, allowed us to take in the sights without fighting crowds, something that’s becoming harder to do at many other shrines these days. ▼ This sort of two-story construction is a unique architectural trait of Sengen/Asama shrines. At the same time, Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha is a relatively easily accessible place to visit. It’s just a 15-minute walk from Fujinomiya Station on the Minobu Line (which connects the Mount Fuji area with Kofu, Yamanashi’s prefectural capital city), and about 30 minutes by taxi/bus from Shin Fuji Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen. ▼ The walk from Fujinomiya Station to Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha ▼ The town of Fujinomiya itself also offers adequate travel amenities, like this cafe we found on the approach to the shrine grounds. So should you ever catch yourself sighing, grinding your teeth, or otherwise upset about how crowded some of Japan’s shrines and temples are getting, just remember that there are more to discover with a little extra searching. Related: Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Photos ©SoraNews24 Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- There’s a samurai-era village for you to walk through at this awesome overlooked museum in Japan -- TripAdvisor Japan announces the country’s 10 favorite shrines and temples -- Fujisan beer, made with rice grown by water under Mt. Fuji, may have world’s most beautiful canBy REBECCA SANTANA WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has promised to end birthright citizenship as soon as he gets into office to make good on campaign promises aiming to restrict immigration and redefining what it means to be American. But any efforts to halt the policy would face steep legal hurdles. Birthright citizenship means anyone born in the United States automatically becomes an American citizen. It’s been in place for decades and applies to children born to someone in the country illegally or in the U.S. on a tourist or student visa who plans to return to their home country. It’s not the practice of every country, and Trump and his supporters have argued that the system is being abused and that there should be tougher standards for becoming an American citizen. But others say this is a right enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, it would be extremely difficult to overturn and even if it’s possible, it’s a bad idea. Here’s a look at birthright citizenship, what Trump has said about it and the prospects for ending it: During an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Trump said he “absolutely” planned to halt birthright citizenship once in office. “We’re going to end that because it’s ridiculous,” he said. Trump and other opponents of birthright citizenship have argued that it creates an incentive for people to come to the U.S. illegally or take part in “birth tourism,” in which pregnant women enter the U.S. specifically to give birth so their children can have citizenship before returning to their home countries. “Simply crossing the border and having a child should not entitle anyone to citizenship,” said Eric Ruark, director of research for NumbersUSA, which argues for reducing immigration. The organization supports changes that would require at least one parent to be a permanent legal resident or a U.S. citizen for their children to automatically get citizenship. Others have argued that ending birthright citizenship would profoundly damage the country. “One of our big benefits is that people born here are citizens, are not an illegal underclass. There’s better assimilation and integration of immigrants and their children because of birthright citizenship,” said Alex Nowrasteh, vice president for economic and social policy studies at the pro-immigration Cato Institute. In 2019, the Migration Policy Institute estimated that 5.5 million children under age 18 lived with at least one parent in the country illegally in 2019, representing 7% of the U.S. child population. The vast majority of those children were U.S. citizens. The nonpartisan think tank said during Trump’s campaign for president in 2015 that the number of people in the country illegally would “balloon” if birthright citizenship were repealed, creating “a self-perpetuating class that would be excluded from social membership for generations.” In the aftermath of the Civil War, Congress ratified the 14th Amendment in July 1868. That amendment assured citizenship for all, including Black people. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” the 14th Amendment says. “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” But the 14th Amendment didn’t always translate to everyone being afforded birthright citizenship. For example, it wasn’t until 1924 that Congress finally granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. A key case in the history of birthright citizenship came in 1898, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Wong Kim Ark, born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrants, was a U.S. citizen because he was born in the states. The federal government had tried to deny him reentry into the county after a trip abroad on grounds he wasn’t a citizen under the Chinese Exclusion Act. But some have argued that the 1898 case clearly applied to children born of parents who are both legal immigrants to America but that it’s less clear whether it applies to children born to parents without legal status or, for example, who come for a short-term like a tourist visa. “That is the leading case on this. In fact, it’s the only case on this,” said Andrew Arthur, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports immigration restrictions. “It’s a lot more of an open legal question than most people think.” Some proponents of immigration restrictions have argued the words “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” in the 14th Amendment allows the U.S. to deny citizenship to babies born to those in the country illegally. Trump himself used that language in his 2023 announcement that he would aim to end birthright citizenship if reelected. Trump wasn’t clear in his Sunday interview how he aims to end birthright citizenship. Asked how he could get around the 14th Amendment with an executive action, Trump said: “Well, we’re going to have to get it changed. We’ll maybe have to go back to the people. But we have to end it.” Pressed further on whether he’d use an executive order, Trump said “if we can, through executive action.” He gave a lot more details in a 2023 post on his campaign website . In it, he said he would issue an executive order the first day of his presidency, making it clear that federal agencies “require that at least one parent be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident for their future children to become automatic U.S. citizens.” Related Articles National Politics | Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next National Politics | In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own National Politics | Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results National Politics | Trump taps his attorney Alina Habba to serve as counselor to the president National Politics | With Trump on the way, advocates look to states to pick up medical debt fight Trump wrote that the executive order would make clear that children of people in the U.S. illegally “should not be issued passports, Social Security numbers, or be eligible for certain taxpayer funded welfare benefits.” This would almost certainly end up in litigation. Nowrasteh from the Cato Institute said the law is clear that birthright citizenship can’t be ended by executive order but that Trump may be inclined to take a shot anyway through the courts. “I don’t take his statements very seriously. He has been saying things like this for almost a decade,” Nowrasteh said. “He didn’t do anything to further this agenda when he was president before. The law and judges are near uniformly opposed to his legal theory that the children of illegal immigrants born in the United States are not citizens.” Trump could steer Congress to pass a law to end birthright citizenship but would still face a legal challenge that it violates the Constitution. Associated Press reporter Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.

Ademola Lookman fired Atalanta top of Serie A with the late, decisive goal in Friday’s 2-1 win over AC Milan which moved them two points ahead of Napoli. Nigeria forward Lookman continued his superb form by nodding in his 10th goal of the campaign with three minutes remaining at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo. The 27-year-old met Sead Kolasinac’s flick-on from a corner to give Atalanta a club-record equalling ninth straight win in Italy’s top flight and further boost hopes of a first-ever Scudetto for the traditionally small, provincial club. Alvaro Morata had looked to have earned seventh-placed Milan a point in a fiery atmosphere with his 22nd-minute leveller after former Rossoneri flop Charles De Ketelaere had crashed Atalanta ahead in the 12th minute with a thumping header. Napoli host Lazio on Sunday night and Antonio Conte’s team will have to beat the team who knocked them out of the Italian Cup if they are to reclaim their narrow league lead. Atalanta now turn their attentions to Tuesday’s visit of Real Madrid in the Champions League when they can strengthen their case for direct qualification for the last 16 and get revenge for defeat in the European Super Cup in August. Few would be surprised with an Atalanta win over Madrid, who will have Vinicius Junior back from injury, just as no-one would be shocked if they were to be crowned Italian champions come May. – Inter in the hunt – Brilliantly taken goals either side of half-time from Italian internationals Federico Dimarco and Nicolo Barella and Marcus Thuram’s neat volley in the 67th minute were enough for Inter to beat Parma 3-1. The reigning champions are four points behind Atalanta but have a game in hand after having to abandon last weekend’s fixture at Fiorentina due to Edoardo Bove’s harrowing collapse. Inter are unbeaten in 14 matches in all competitions and travel to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday knowing that a win would almost certainly ensure a Champions League last-16 with two matches remaining. “We scored some great goals today... The only disappointing thing is that we conceded. We didn’t deserve to given how we played over the 94 minutes,” said Inzaghi to DAZN. Parma, who netted through a late Matteo Darmian own goal, sit 12th in Serie A, but Inzaghi still picked his best available XI even with a big European fixture around the corner, selecting captain and star striker Lautaro Martinez for his 300th Inter appearance. Martinez has struggled in front of goal this season and as well as having a first-half strike rightly ruled out for offside the Argentina forward also wasted three good opportunities to score. The 27-year-old had his head in his hands when he poked wide a great chance one-on-one with Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, six minutes after Thuram lashed home his 10th league goal of the season. France attacker Thuram was born in Parma where his father Lilian played for five seasons, winning the UEFA Cup and Italian Cup in 1999 as part of a star-studded outfit which also featured Italian icons Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro.

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