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Saudi Taekwondo Champion Dunya AbuTaleb Soars to Fourth in World Rankings

File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.
File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.
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Saudi Taekwondo Champion Dunya AbuTaleb Soars to Fourth in World Rankings

File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.
File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.

Dunya AbuTaleb, the Saudi taekwondo champion, continues to shine on the global stage as she has secured the fourth place in the international rankings for the -53 kg weight category for June, a historic achievement for any Saudi athlete in the sport's history, SPA reported.
AbuTaleb, already the first Saudi woman to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, has her sights set even higher. With her recent Asian Championship gold medal (another first for Saudi women's taekwondo), she's considered a strong contender for the World Championship bronze medal.
Meanwhile, on the men's side, Riyad Hamdi, a member of the Saudi Taekwondo national team, has also made significant strides. Thanks to his impressive international and continental victories, including the 2024 Asian Championship gold medal, he is now ranked among the top 10 players globally in the -54 kg weight category.

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Japan’s Beloved Panda Couple Return Home after Heartfelt Farewell

19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)
19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)
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Japan’s Beloved Panda Couple Return Home after Heartfelt Farewell

19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)
19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)

Japan's beloved elderly giant pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri were safely returned to China on Sunday, Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Garden reported on its website.

The two pandas arrived at the Ueno zoo in 2011, bringing a little lightness to the country just months after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11 of that year, and continued to draw fans of all ages over the years.

When it was announced a month ago that the elderly pandas would soon be returned to China to be treated for high blood pressure, visitors flocked to see the pair before they left.

Hiyori Sakurai, an artist in her 30s, said she has been visiting the zoo every Sunday and even some weekdays when she could take time off from work.

"Whenever I go through a hard time, I would go see Ri Ri and Shin Shin, and they always cheered me up," she said.

Etsuko Tokuda, a self-employed woman in her 60s, has been going to the zoo almost everyday since the return announcement.

"Each day was important to me. I wanted to see them even if they were sleeping."

Native to China, pandas have through the years become "envoys of friendship" and China's offer of pandas to other countries has been dubbed panda diplomacy.

Saturday was the last chance to see Shin Shin and Ri Ri at the Ueno zoo, but their twins, born in June 2021, will remain.

While sad to see the panda couple go, retiree Harumi Iteguchi took some comfort.

"Knowing that Ri Ri and Shin Shin will go back together as a couple to their home country cheered me up a bit."