Hong Kong
AP
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Hong Kong’s first locally born giant panda has finally been ordered and introduced as Jia Jia and De De.

The Cubs, known affectionately as “sister” and “brother,” was announced at a ceremony in Ocean Park on Tuesday.

The name was a victory proposal from residents of the naming contest, which portrayed over 35,700 entries.

The kanji “Jia” in the female turnip name “Jia jia” conveys a message of support and is characterized by a family element and an auspicious sense of bounty. The name embodies the prosperity of the family and nation and the happiness of the people, the park said.

The kanji “De” from the Han turnip name means that Hong Kong is successful in everything and means success. De also has the same pronunciation as the Chinese characters for virtue, and the park suggests that giant pandas possess virtues cherished by the Chinese.

Ocean Park Chairman Paulo Pon said he followed the tradition using the pronunciation of mandarin in the English name of panda. He sounds like “jia” sounds like a sister’s Cantonese language, while “de de” sounds like a brother’s Cantonese phrase. Cantonese is the mother language of many Hong Kongers.

“It’s a very positive name pair,” he said. “We have to be a little creative here.”

The twins were born in August, creating mother Iniyin, the world’s oldest first panda mom. Their popularity among residents, visitors and social media has boosted hopes to boost tourism in cities where politicians have promoted commercial opportunities as the “panda economy.”

Observers are looking to see if the park will help bring back business to the pandas, which house six pandas, especially if caring for captive animals. Ocean Park recorded a deficit of $71.6 million ($9.2 million) last fiscal year.

The park said the visitor flow increased by nearly 40% during the five-day holiday in mainland China starting May 1, and overall revenue increased by 40%.

Pandas are considered the unofficial national mascot of China. The country’s huge pandalawn program with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool for Beijing’s soft power diplomacy.

CNN
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India’s financial capital and one of its biggest cities have experienced the wettest May of over a century, with the monsoon season arriving unusually early, and the luxurious downpours of the weekend, turning roads into rivers and flooding newly appointed subway stations.

Mumbai, a city with over 12 million people, recorded more than 400 millimeters of rainfall so far this month, according to data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

The deluge caused disruption and delays throughout the transport network, including the newly launched Worli Metro station.

Videos published by local media showed tourists walking knee-deep in floodwaters, erupting station stairs and pouring water from the ceiling into the train platform.

India’s $4 trillion economy is heavily dependent on the monsoon, bringing the rain that farmers rely on to support the country’s agricultural sector, where farmers employ almost half of the country’s 1.4 billion people.

Rain that usually lasts until June and September is necessary to grow crops, irrigate farmlands and refill Indian reservoirs. But early arrival this year has wreaked havoc across Mumbai, home to India’s financial capital and its proud Bollywood film industry, flood roads and submerged vehicles.

Some experts say global warming is increasing variability in India’s monsoon rains faster than previously predicted.

Sushma Nair, a scientist at the Indian Meteorological Bureau (IMD), told CNN that the Colaba Observatory recorded that May in May since 1918.

The start of Mumbai’s southwest monsoon on May 26 is the city’s oldest progress since 1950, Naia said.

Every year, the monsoon causes chaos throughout Mumbai. Especially for commuters traveling to that busy, busy public transport.

Heavy rain last May caused heavy rain, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Wali Metropolitan Area earlier this month. This is part of an ambitious plan to modernize India’s aging transport network and transform the country’s infrastructure to achieve its goal of transforming it into a developed country by 2047.

More rain is expected this week in the area, IMD said it could cause further flooding.

Southern Kerala also arrived at the unusually early monsoon and provided some rest after experiencing a ruthless heat wave.

India’s capital, New Delhi, also experienced widespread rain, lightning and thunderstorms last week, causing its canopy to collapse from flooding at an airport in the city.

Reuters
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Indian Defense Minister has approved a framework for building the country’s most advanced stealth fighter jet, the Ministry of Defense said Tuesday in a new arms race with Pakistan weeks after the military conflict between neighbors.

The Indian national aviation development agency running the programme will soon invite early interest from defense companies to develop a prototype of the fighter jet, which is supposed to be the fifth generation fighter of the twin engines, the ministry said.

This project is very important for the Indian Air Force, where a squadron of mainly Russian and former Soviet aircraft reduced from 42 approved strength to 31 when rival China was rapidly expanding its air force. Pakistan has the J-10, one of China’s most advanced fighter jets, Arsenal.

The army of nuclear-armed neighbors in India and Pakistan faced in four days of battle this month. This saw fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery used by both sides before the ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump.

It was the first time a South Asian powerhouse has been trapped in a drone arm race, with both sides using drones on a scale, according to interviews with 15 people, including security officers, industry executives and analysts from both countries.

India will partner with domestic companies in the stealth fighter program, and companies can bid independently or as joint ventures, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement, adding that bids will be open to both private and state-owned businesses.

In March, the Indian Defense Committee recommended the inclusion of the civilian sector in military aircraft production to enhance the capacity of the Indian Air Force and reduce the burden on state-owned Hindustan Airlines Co., Ltd.

Aviation Director Amar Preet Singh has previously criticised Tejas Airlines’ slow Hindustan Airlines, a 4.5-generation fighter jet that denounced the slow delivery of engines from General Electric GE.N due to supply chain issues facing US companies.

CNN
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Germany and other Ukrainian allies said on Monday they lifted restrictions on Kyiv to fire long-range missiles at Russia, days after the Russian prime minister attacked the capital and other regions with massive air attacks.

This indicates a major shift in approaches from major allies. This was a major resistance to Ukraine’s demand for the use of weapons provided by the West deep in Russia.

“There is no longer a limit to the range of weapons supplied to Ukraine,” German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz said at the European Forum in Berlin on Monday. “Not from the British, but from the French, from us, from the Americans.”

“In other words, Ukraine can now defend itself by attacking Russia’s military status,” he added.

The announcement comes in the wake of record-breaking drone and missile attacks in Ukraine over the weekend. Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing international pressure to embrace ceasefire deals from. President Donald Trump is increasingly irritated by the slow progress.

Mertz was appointed prime minister a few weeks ago. His declaration was in stark contrast to his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, who repeatedly refused calls to lift Ukraine’s restrictions.

However, Merz did not say whether Germany would supply Ukraine with its powerful long-range Taurus missiles.

The US lifted restrictions last November, and former President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use US-backed long-range army tactical missile systems (ATACMS) within Russia.

But that was also a controversial decision that had been debated for months to reach. The US refused to even provide ATACM to Ukraine for the first two years of the war, only delivering missiles for the first time in April 2024. Some American officials were worried about expanding the war in their fourth year, while others worried about the Pentagon’s declining stockpile of weapons.

Russia openly threatened that lifting restrictions on long-range weapons meant a war with NATO. Putin considered Moscow to consider nuclear-backed attacks as a joint attack, and warned the West that if Russia was hit with traditional missiles, nuclear weapons could be used.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced Mertz’s announcement on Monday, saying lifting restrictions was “very dangerous,” according to Russian state news agency TASS.

“If such a decision is made, they are against our desires and against the efforts being made within the framework of the settlement,” he said.

Reuters reported that Ukrainian President Voldymeierzelensky is scheduled to visit Berlin on Wednesday, citing several sources.

The weekend Russian attacks killed more than 20 people, including children, as Ukraine urged its western allies to continue pressure on Moscow to end the war.

“There is no really strong pressure on Russian leadership and this atrocity cannot be stopped,” Zelensky said on Sunday.

Trump raised his frustration with Putin on Monday, saying that the Russian leader “absolutely went crazy.” Meanwhile, he criticized Zelensky’s statement for causing “problems.”

Pressure from within Trump’s Republican bases has also urged the president to impose harsh sanctions on Russia, including many lawmakers (Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham), as well as many lawmakers, including Brian Fitzpatrick and Don Bacon.

“It’s an honest time. Peace negotiations have not affected Putin,” Bacon writes in X. “The US and its allies must arm Ukraine with its teeth.”

Rio de Janeiro
AP
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Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva was diagnosed with mazeitis on Monday after suffering from dizziness, hospital officials said.

The 79-year-old left-wing leaders have already returned to the presidential residence of the country where he is resting.

In a statement, Sirio-Libanes Hospital said Lula had undergone imaging and blood tests, with the results being within normal limits. Mazeitis is inflammation of the maze of the inner ear, responsible for hearing and balance.

The fear of health adds to Lula’s recent medical concerns. This is also part of the concerns of his allies ahead of the possibility of a bid for reelection next year.

The most serious was a fall in a toilet in the presidential residence of Brasilia on October 19th.

Almost two months later, he was transferred to Sao Paulo for surgery after suffering a headache caused by a new bleeding in his head.

He was discharged from the hospital on December 15th.