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Hong Kong's Twin Panda Cubs to Make Public Debut

Twin panda cubs, the first ever born in Hong Kong, are seen in their enclosure on February 7, 2025 ahead of their first highly anticipated public appearance on February 16. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
Twin panda cubs, the first ever born in Hong Kong, are seen in their enclosure on February 7, 2025 ahead of their first highly anticipated public appearance on February 16. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
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Hong Kong's Twin Panda Cubs to Make Public Debut

Twin panda cubs, the first ever born in Hong Kong, are seen in their enclosure on February 7, 2025 ahead of their first highly anticipated public appearance on February 16. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
Twin panda cubs, the first ever born in Hong Kong, are seen in their enclosure on February 7, 2025 ahead of their first highly anticipated public appearance on February 16. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)

Hong Kong's baby panda twins will make their public debut on Sunday, with officials rolling out a full-scale panda marketing campaign to boost tourism.
The pair, one female and one male, were born six months ago and join four other pandas at the city's Ocean Park theme park.
"This is the first pair of giant pandas born in Hong Kong, and the whole city is cheering with excitement," John Lee, the city's leader, said at a ceremony on Saturday.
According to Reuters, he said a naming competition had been launched with the names to be announced in the first half of the year.
Since their mother Ying Ying became the world's oldest giant panda on record to have given birth, just one day shy of her 19th birthday, panda decor and promotions have mushroomed across Hong Kong.
Metro trains and the city's airport express have adopted panda themes and an exhibition with 2,500 panda sculptures has been on display at different locations around the city.
Adding to panda mania has been the arrival of two from Sichuan, An An and Ke Ke, who were gifted by the central Chinese government in September and only put on display in December.

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Saudi Arabia Unveils 8-Million-Year-Old Longest Climate Record

Work of the scientific team at the discovery sites (Heritage Commission)
Work of the scientific team at the discovery sites (Heritage Commission)
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Saudi Arabia Unveils 8-Million-Year-Old Longest Climate Record

Work of the scientific team at the discovery sites (Heritage Commission)
Work of the scientific team at the discovery sites (Heritage Commission)

The Saudi Heritage Commission has unveiled new evidence of recurrent humid periods that shaped the Arabian Peninsula’s climate over the past 8 million years.

The research, conducted under the Green Arabia Project, is based on one of the longest and most precisely dated cave records ever collected from central Arabia.

Dr. Ajab Alotibi, Director of Antiquities at the Heritage Commission, announced the findings during a press conference held in Riyadh on Wednesday. It is worth noting that the study was published in the science journal Nature.

The study’s findings are based on the analysis of 22 cave formations—scientifically known as speleothems—extracted from seven sinkholes located northeast of Riyadh, near the Shuwayyah area in Rumah Governorate.

Locally, these limestone caves are known as Duhool Al-Summan.

The climate record, preserved in the mineral layers of the stalagmites and stalactites, indicates recurring humid phases over the past eight million years. These wet spells created fertile ecosystems across the Arabian Peninsula, starkly contrasting with today’s harsh desert environment.

According to the study, the Saudi desert—currently one of the world’s largest geographic barriers due to its extreme aridity—once served as a natural corridor for animal and human migrations between Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The researchers found that these ancient wet periods played a crucial role in facilitating the movement of species and early humans across the interconnected continents.

The findings also support earlier fossil evidence from the Arabian Desert that points to the presence of water-dependent species, such as crocodiles, horses, and hippopotamuses.

These animals thrived in riverine and lake-rich environments that no longer exist in the modern desert, highlighting the region’s dramatic environmental transformation.