Pandas Sent by China Arrive in Qatar

Suhail walks in his shelter at the Panda House Garden in Al Khor, near Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. (AP Photo, Lujain Jo)
Suhail walks in his shelter at the Panda House Garden in Al Khor, near Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. (AP Photo, Lujain Jo)
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Pandas Sent by China Arrive in Qatar

Suhail walks in his shelter at the Panda House Garden in Al Khor, near Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. (AP Photo, Lujain Jo)
Suhail walks in his shelter at the Panda House Garden in Al Khor, near Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. (AP Photo, Lujain Jo)

Qatar received on Wednesday Chinese giant pandas Suhail and Soraya ahead of next month's World Cup.

Crowds of children and reporters watched as the four-year-old male and three-year-old female took their first steps in a temporary enclosure in a ceremony at the Al Khor park about 50 kilometers north of Doha.

The Chinese government sent the animals as gift to mark the World Cup that starts November 20.

Suhail, who weighs 130 kilograms, and his female partner, who is 70 kilos, must undergo a 21-day quarantine following their arrival along with two keepers, said Al Khor's zoological director Tim Bouts.

"In a few weeks, or in a month's time, they will be ready to be shown to the world," Bouts added.

Eight hundred kilograms of fresh bamboo will be flown in each week to feed them.

Pandas, which reproduce rarely in the wild and rely on a diet of bamboo in the mountains of western China, remain among the world's most threatened species. An estimated 1,800 pandas live in the wild, while another 500 are in zoos or reserves, mostly in Sichuan.



Saudi Students Compete in 57th International Chemistry Olympiad in Dubai

Saudi Flag / File/Reuters
Saudi Flag / File/Reuters
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Saudi Students Compete in 57th International Chemistry Olympiad in Dubai

Saudi Flag / File/Reuters
Saudi Flag / File/Reuters

Saudi students are participating in the 57th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), the world’s largest high school chemistry competition, currently taking place in Dubai through July 14, bringing together over 300 students from around the world.

The scientific team has finalized the review and translation of the practical exam for the Saudi students, who are preparing to take their first test on Tuesday, SPA reported.

This year, the Kingdom is represented by a team of four male and female students who have undergone thousands of hours of intensive training under the supervision of the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education.

Saudi Arabia has earned a total of 45 awards in its past participations in IChO, which has been held annually in a different country since its launch in 1968. These include 15 silver medals, 28 bronze medals, and two certificates of appreciation.