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How did Tokyo make it to the opening ceremony?
They are the Olympic Games that many people thought wouldn’t – or shouldn’t – happen.
However, after a turbulent journey, the Tokyo Games are finally here.
After being put on hold by a pandemic, the most unique Olympic Games in history will officially begin today. Final preparations are taking place, ahead of the opening ceremony.
Shrouded in uncertainty, and marred by controversy and a cost blowout, the lead up to the games has also seen calls for them to be cancelled or delayed again.
“We had doubts every day. We deliberated. We discussed. There were sleepless nights,” according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
However, he claims says cancellation was never an option.
“The IOC never abandons the athletes.”
Thomas bach
But what about the host nation – where most people are opposed to the Games going ahead?
“Japan had an enormous positive output to olympics but that shifted after pandemic started,” Barbara Holthus, the editor of Japan Through the Lens of the Tokyo Olympics, tells Ticker News.
Still, organisers have repeatedly resisted calls to pull the pin.
Simon Denyer is The Washington Post’s bureau chief in Tokyo. He says there’s “indifference and in some cases outright hostility to these games happening here”.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has promised to deliver a “safe and secure” event.
Do Japanese people actually believe that will happen?
Well, according to a recent poll, two-thirds of the population do not.
Some health experts have even expressed concerns that the Olympics could become a COVID-19 super-spreader event.
Sports economist Simon Chadwick wants organisers to embrace simple and clear messaging.
“Whether they like it or not, the organisers have got to strip this right back to some basic essentials and they need to make sure this is about safety, security, trust and respect”, he told Ticker News.
Just a month ago it was decided up to 10,000 fans would be allowed into venues.
That decision was reversed – with all spectators banned.
“There’s fences around venues, streets are closed off, it’s really separated from the population. There isn’t any sense of excitement I can discern in the city about the olympics,” according to Simon Chadwick.
The jam-packed Games will feature 339 medal events across 42 venues with more than 11,000 athletes expected to compete.
Former Olympic swimming champion Grant Hackett hopes once the sports spectacle begins, the magic of the Games will return.
“A lot of people are inspired about what a human being can do and hopefully that inspiration, gives inspiration back to community across the world,” he told Ticker News.
Satellite images reveal that Iran has buried all three tunnel entrances at its Isfahan nuclear complex. Analysts say the move mirrors defensive preparations taken before U.S. airstrikes devastated the facility last year, with no vehicle or personnel activity visible around the entrances.
The burial appears aimed at limiting damage from potential airstrikes and complicating any ground raid targeting enriched uranium stored in the underground facility. Experts suggest equipment or materials may have been moved into the tunnels for protection, though this remains unconfirmed.
The fortification comes amid ongoing U.S.-Iran tensions. President Trump has demanded Iran curb its nuclear program, warning of military action, while Tehran insists halting uranium enrichment is unacceptable. Recent indirect talks in Oman showed little progress toward a new deal.
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Armed figure seen on CCTV as search intensifies for Savannah Guthries mother
CCTV shows armed figure near Nancy Guthrie’s home as search for the missing 84-year-old mother continues into week two.
CCTV shows an armed figure near Nancy Guthrie’s home as the search for the missing 84-year-old mother continues into week two.
New CCTV footage has been released as police intensify the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of US Today show presenter Savannah Guthrie, who vanished in Tucson, Arizona.
The 84-year-old disappeared after returning home on January 31, with authorities now believing she may have been kidnapped during the early hours of February 1.
Investigators say the case has entered a critical phase as public attention grows around the alarming circumstances of her disappearance.
#BreakingNews #USNews #MissingPerson #TrueCrime #SavannahGuthrie #CCTVFootage #CrimeWatch #TickerNews
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Trump hints at military pressure as U.S. and Iran resume nuclear talks
US-Iran restart nuclear talks in Oman amid cautious optimism, while Trump considers military escalation and Israel demands stricter missile terms.
US-Iran restart nuclear talks in Oman amid cautious optimism, while Trump considers military escalation and Israel demands stricter missile terms.
The United States and Iran have returned to the negotiating table in Oman, marking a fresh attempt to ease escalating nuclear tensions between the two long-time rivals. President Donald Trump described the talks as promising, suggesting momentum toward further discussions.
Iran’s Foreign Minister echoed cautious optimism, calling the meetings a positive first step while acknowledging deep-seated trust issues remain unresolved. At the heart of the talks is a major sticking point — the White House’s insistence that Iran dismantle its nuclear capability entirely.
Iran, however, maintains it has a sovereign right to enrich uranium, setting the stage for difficult negotiations ahead as both sides test whether diplomacy can hold.
#USIran #NuclearTalks #MiddleEastPolitics #Trump #IranNuclear #GlobalDiplomacy #WorldNews #TickerNews
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