Officials for the delayed Tokyo Olympics are hoping that the return of the giant rings to the city's waterfront will help people get excited next summer's Games.
Tokyo 2020 was postponed by 12 months in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but promising vaccine trials and an additional year to prepare have boosted hopes that the Games can go ahead without interruption.
In a sign that Tokyo is once again getting itself ready to host the Olympics, the 69-ton interlocking rings were reinstalled in the Odaiba bay area after maintenance and inspections. They returned on Tuesday with a fresh coat of paint and plans to light them up at night.
"We are working very hard so that we can hold an Olympic Games in which people will feel safe," Tokyo city government official Atsushi Yanashimizu told reporters.
"With the installation of the Olympic symbol, we would like more people to feel that the event is approaching soon and to feel excited about it."
The rings will stay in place until the end of the Olympics, and will then be replaced by the Paralympics symbol in mid-August.
A poll in July showed that just one in four people in Japan wanted to see the Games held in 2021, with most backing either a further delay or a cancellation.
Olympic and Japanese officials have said they remain committed to holding the Games next year, and International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach said in Tokyo last month he was "very, very confident" that spectators will be able to attend.
"We would like many people to come here and see it and feel the momentum, while being cautious about virus prevention" said Yanashimizu.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
