Irish Olympic team to be vaccinated ahead of GamesThe rescheduled Tokyo Olympics now look certain to go ahead. Japan extends Covid-19 restrictions as Olympics draw nearerOfficials have extended the state of emergency in several regions until the end of the month. Town uses £197,000 Covid-19 relief fund to build a giant pink squid statueThe sea creature - which is four metres high and is nine metres long - popped up in Noto, a seaside town in the Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan. It reportedly cost around 30 million yen (£197,000) China’s carrier group conducts exercises in South China SeaAnnouncement comes after Beijing criticised the US for sending Navy ships into the strategic area. Japan's vaccine chief pushes flexibility for rolloutTaro Kono said that the government will consider having students and workers receive shots at their schools and workplaces to make it more convenient for them. Tokyo Olympics organisers’ request for 500 nurses met with backlashThey say they are already near the breaking point dealing with the coronavirus pandemic Did Japan ignore viable alternatives of dumping Fukushima water?Other options included dumping the water into concrete pits or evaporating and releasing it, ideas critics say were not genuinely considered. A new virus variant is infecting millions in India. What could its spread mean for Japan?The Japanese government announced on Monday that it has so far detected a total 21 cases of the Indian variant, including 20 cases confirmed via airport quarantine. DOD expands its bug hunting programme to networks, IoT and more | ZDNetThe US Department of Defense opens the scope of its vulnerability disclosure programme to include all publicly accessible information systems. It’s Probably OK to Be Optimistic About Bands Announcing Fall ToursWith Dinosaur Jr. and more planning shows, vaccination rates need to improve and masks stay necessary if live music comes back this year.