Bidens Host Final Halloween Trick-or-treat Event. First Lady Comes as Giant Panda

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in a giant panda costume, host the annual Halloween celebration at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in a giant panda costume, host the annual Halloween celebration at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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Bidens Host Final Halloween Trick-or-treat Event. First Lady Comes as Giant Panda

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in a giant panda costume, host the annual Halloween celebration at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in a giant panda costume, host the annual Halloween celebration at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

US President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, who dressed as a giant panda, hosted trick-or-treaters on the White House South Lawn on Wednesday for the last time.
The first lady had participated in the National Zoo's announcement earlier this year that pandas would be returning to Washington. They arrived in the nation's capital in mid-October and Jill Biden donned the panda suit Wednesday as a “welcoming gesture,” the White House said.
Jill Biden added an educational theme to the event and named it “Hallo-Read” to help encourage reading. She has been a teacher for 40 years. Earlier Wednesday, she read a short story about spooky pumpkins to a group of costumed children gathered on the lawn, The Associated Press reported.
She and the president later ventured outside at sunset and spent about an hour handing out treats. Biden, in a suit and tie, dropped boxes of White House Hershey's Kisses chocolates in the kids' tote bags while the first lady handed out copies of “10 Spooky Pumpkins.”
Up to 8,000 people, including students and children tied to the military, were expected to pass through the White House gates during the day.
A large orange moon and a sign that said “Hallow-Read at the White House” decorated the south face of the executive mansion. The decorations also included cardboard representations of Willow, the family cat who is rarely seen in public, and stacks of books. Giant pumpkin decorations flanked the door.
Biden dropped his bid for reelection in July. He leaves office in January.



King Salman bin Abdulaziz Reserve, Desertification Combat Association Sign MoU to Boost Environmental Awareness

The MoU seeks to foster cooperation between the two entities in safeguarding vegetation cover and preserving wildlife within the reserve. SPA
The MoU seeks to foster cooperation between the two entities in safeguarding vegetation cover and preserving wildlife within the reserve. SPA
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King Salman bin Abdulaziz Reserve, Desertification Combat Association Sign MoU to Boost Environmental Awareness

The MoU seeks to foster cooperation between the two entities in safeguarding vegetation cover and preserving wildlife within the reserve. SPA
The MoU seeks to foster cooperation between the two entities in safeguarding vegetation cover and preserving wildlife within the reserve. SPA

The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Environment and Desertification Combat association to raise environmental awareness within local communities.

The MoU seeks to foster cooperation between the two entities in safeguarding vegetation cover and preserving wildlife within the reserve.

The initiative aligns with the developmental strategy pursued by the authority, actively contributing, along a range of initiatives, to rehabilitating natural habitats.

Such efforts helped transform natural habitats into fertile environments conducive to vegetation growth and reproduction of wildlife, including locally and internationally rare and endangered species.