Berlin's New Panda Twins Have Been Named

Giant panda twin sisters, Leni and Lotti are presented during their name-giving ceremony in an enclosure at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Giant panda twin sisters, Leni and Lotti are presented during their name-giving ceremony in an enclosure at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
TT
20

Berlin's New Panda Twins Have Been Named

Giant panda twin sisters, Leni and Lotti are presented during their name-giving ceremony in an enclosure at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Giant panda twin sisters, Leni and Lotti are presented during their name-giving ceremony in an enclosure at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Germany's new panda twins now have names — or rather, two names apiece.
The two female cubs, born at the Berlin Zoo on Aug. 22, were introduced Friday as Meng Hao and Meng Tian ("beautiful dreams" and “sweet dreams”). Alternatively, they also answer to the very Berlin names of Leni and Lotti — tributes to Berlin native Marlene Dietrich and the German capital's Charlottenburg district, The Associated Press reported.
The pair, who lay on their bellies on a mattress and peered at photographers as the Chinese ambassador to Germany and Berlin's mayor unveiled their names, are the second pair of giant pandas born in Germany.
The first were their elder brothers Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, who became far better known by the German names Pit and Paule. The cubs were born in August 2019 and were a star attraction in Berlin until they were flown to China nearly a year ago — a trip that was contractually agreed from the start but delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
All are the offspring of mother Meng Meng and father Jiao Qing, who arrived in Berlin in 2017.
Zoo director Andreas Knieriem said the youngsters are growing fast, putting on nearly 100 grams (3.5 ounces) per day and now weighing in at almost 6 kilos (13.2 pounds) each.
Giant pandas have difficulty breeding and births are particularly welcomed. There are about 1,800 pandas living in the wild in China and a few hundred in captivity worldwide.
Meng Meng was artificially inseminated in March. Female pandas are fertile only for a few days per year at most.
China gifted friendly nations with its unofficial mascot for decades as part of a “panda diplomacy″ policy. The country now loans pandas to zoos on commercial terms.



Western Balkans Region Faces Severe Drought and Water Restrictions During Heatwave

A man jumps into the Drinos river to cool off during the heatwave, near Tepelena, Albania. (Reuters file)
A man jumps into the Drinos river to cool off during the heatwave, near Tepelena, Albania. (Reuters file)
TT
20

Western Balkans Region Faces Severe Drought and Water Restrictions During Heatwave

A man jumps into the Drinos river to cool off during the heatwave, near Tepelena, Albania. (Reuters file)
A man jumps into the Drinos river to cool off during the heatwave, near Tepelena, Albania. (Reuters file)

The Western Balkans faces a severe drought after a heatwave hit the region, disrupting daily life and creating issues with agriculture and power.

Temperatures on Thursday in central Albania reached 40 C (104 F) and meteorologists warned that there would be scarce rain until September. Rivers are almost dry because of a lack of rainfall during winter and spring.

The soaring temperatures have pushed Albanian authorities to assist local agriculture with irrigation networks. A project to take water from the northern Mat River to help irrigate around 4,000 hectares (9,885 acres) of agricultural land in the area was completed on Tuesday.

There also has been a negative impact on Albania’s power production, which mostly comes from hydropower stations in the country’s north. The national power corporation spent up to 60 million euros ($70 million) to import energy in the first half of this year.

The state meteorological institute of Serbia has warned that “extreme drought” is affecting the country's crops, while water levels in rivers and lakes have dropped.

Small towns and villages throughout Serbia also face restrictions on drinking water.

In Kosovo, a water shortage closed an open-air pool in the capital, Pristina, used by people to cool off in the summer heat.

The Germia swimming pool on the city's outskirts was built in the late 1980s as a recreational destination and is considered one of the biggest on the continent. At this time last year, the pool had between 4,000 and 5,000 visitors daily.

Germia Park, renowned for its natural beauty and recreation, is located among hills and mountains that provide the pool's natural water resources. But this year, the pool's staff couldn't access the 20,000 cubic meters (5.3 million gallons) of water needed.

In previous years, it has taken six days to fill the pool, but this year will take more than three weeks because of the drought, manager Bardh Krasniqi said.

“Due to the strong heatwave that is currently affecting the country and also the region, unfortunately we have not been able to open the largest pool in the country,” Krasniqi said.

As the temperature was set to reach 35 C (95 F) Thursday, the Health Institute urged people to stay away from direct sun and warned children, older people and anyone who was ill to stay home.

In Bosnia, temperatures in the southern town of Mostar reached 41 C (105.8 F) on Thursday, with the streets almost completely empty in the blazing heat.

During the past week’s heatwave in Europe, scorching temperatures reached as high as 46.6 C (115.9 F) in Mora, Portugal. Wildfires are frequent in the region during the hot, dry summers.