China to Replace Australia's Popular Giant Pandas

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 16: Wang Wang the panda chews a box as South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and China's Premier Li Qiang listen to a Zoo ranger at Adelaide Zoo on June 16, 2024 in Adelaide, Australia. Asanka Ratnayake/Pool via REUTERS
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 16: Wang Wang the panda chews a box as South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and China's Premier Li Qiang listen to a Zoo ranger at Adelaide Zoo on June 16, 2024 in Adelaide, Australia. Asanka Ratnayake/Pool via REUTERS
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China to Replace Australia's Popular Giant Pandas

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 16: Wang Wang the panda chews a box as South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and China's Premier Li Qiang listen to a Zoo ranger at Adelaide Zoo on June 16, 2024 in Adelaide, Australia. Asanka Ratnayake/Pool via REUTERS
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 16: Wang Wang the panda chews a box as South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and China's Premier Li Qiang listen to a Zoo ranger at Adelaide Zoo on June 16, 2024 in Adelaide, Australia. Asanka Ratnayake/Pool via REUTERS

China will loan Australia new "adorable" giant pandas to replace a popular pair that failed to produce offspring in more than a decade together, visiting Premier Li Qiang announced Sunday.

Adelaide Zoo has been home to Wang Wang and Fu Ni since 2009 when they were loaned by China as part of a global preservation scheme that also serves as a tool of "panda diplomacy".

Breeding panda cubs is a notoriously difficult task for the low-sexed creatures and hopes of a pregnancy in Adelaide, including through the use of artificial insemination, have been repeatedly dashed.

As one of the furry giants played with a strip of tree in the background, Li delivered the news that they will be going home.

"Wang Wang and Fu Ni have been away from home for 15 years -- I guess they must have missed their home a lot -- so they will return to China before the end of the year," the premier said, according to Agence France Presse.

"But what I can tell you is that we will provide a new pair of equally beautiful, lovely and adorable pandas as soon as possible."

China would provide Australia with candidates to choose from, said Li, who landed in Adelaide on Saturday on a four-day fence-mending trip after Beijing withdrew a string of trade sanctions on major Australian exports.

The announcement is a nod to Foreign Minister Penny Wong's efforts to stabilize Australia's relationship with China, following a diplomatic rift with the former conservative government.

Li said he remembered the Australian foreign minister had twice reminded him during a visit to Beijing last November that the panda loan agreement would expire later this year.

"We have made this announcement to fulfil the wishes of the minister," he said.

Adelaide is Wong's hometown, and she said her own children would be "very happy" at the news.

"It's good for the economy, it's good for South Australian jobs, it's good for tourism and it's a symbol of goodwill, and we thank you," she said.

There are an estimated 1,860 giant pandas left in the wild, according to environmental group WWF.

But the animals, which were removed from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's endangered species list in 2016, still face serious threats from loss of habitat and fragmentation.



16 Teams Compete in ‘Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’ Women's Tournament in Riyadh

This year’s edition is the largest in the tournament’s history, featuring 16 teams. (SPA)
This year’s edition is the largest in the tournament’s history, featuring 16 teams. (SPA)
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16 Teams Compete in ‘Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’ Women's Tournament in Riyadh

This year’s edition is the largest in the tournament’s history, featuring 16 teams. (SPA)
This year’s edition is the largest in the tournament’s history, featuring 16 teams. (SPA)

The second week of the Esports World Cup 2025 kicked off in Riyadh on Tuesday featuring the “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” Women’s Invitational (MWI). The tournament is a key event on the competition’s calendar, bringing together top global mobile gaming stars for the second consecutive year, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

Since its release in 2016, “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” has established itself as one of the world’s leading esports titles, thanks to its widely followed international and regional tournaments. With over 110 million monthly active users, it has become one of the most popular mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games globally.

This year’s edition is the largest in the tournament’s history, featuring 16 teams compared to 12 last year, with qualifiers held across 57 regions worldwide, up from 46 regions in the previous edition.

The current edition features 16 teams representing 13 regions from around the world. The participating teams are Team Vitality, ONIC Pertiwi, Natus Vincere PH, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere MY, SFU Serendipity, Falcons Vega MENA, DreamMax Girls, Rising Rage, WAOW GG Esports, Virtus.pro FE, FUT Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, Twisted Minds Orchid, Tidal Legends Gaming, and Terror Queens.

The teams will compete for a total prize pool of $500,000, with an additional $50,000 awarded to the best player. The tournament also offers 3,350 points toward the Club Championship race in the Esports World Cup 2025.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are prominently represented by Twisted Minds Orchid and Falcons Vega MENA, both aiming for their first title in the tournament and carrying the hopes of their supporters for a historic achievement.

Twisted Minds Orchid features Saudi players “Lyrx,” “Lunar,” and “Livin,” while Falcons Vega MENA competes with an all-Egyptian lineup of “Velvet,” “Sunlight,” “Yui,” “Names,” and “Fvvn.”