Giant pandas draw crowds in Chongqing during New Year holiday

Giant pandas at the Chongqing Zoo in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality became the star attraction during the New Year holiday, delighting crowds with their adorable antics in specially arranged winter play scenarios.

To involve the giant pandas in the New Year celebrations, the zoo built snowy enclosures surrounded by snow blocks and prepared a fruit feast for them.

After eating their fill, a giant panda climbed into a small wooden car and sat leisurely in the driver's seat, a scene that sparked laughter and prompted visitors to eagerly take pictures.

"Coming to see the pandas was the main reason we visited Chongqing. They're so fluffy, plump, and chubby -- it made me super happy," said a visitor.

On New Year's Day, the first day of the three-day holiday, the Chongqing Zoo has welcomed 28,500 visitors. To enhance the holiday experience, the zoo also organized a series of New Year-themed activities from January 1 to 3, including educational talks about animals, knowledge quizzes, sachet-making workshops, and fun interactive games.

The U.S. dollar weakened in late trading on Friday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, dropped 0.34 percent to 98.982 at 15:00 (2000 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro rose to 1.1606 dollars from 1.1583 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound added to 1.34 dollars from 1.3328 U.S. dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 157.74 Japanese yen, lower than 157.77 Japanese yen in the previous session. The U.S. dollar decreased to 0.777 Swiss francs from 0.7827 Swiss francs, and it declined to 1.3596 Canadian dollars from 1.3697 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar dropped to 9.1855 Swedish Kronor from 9.2657 Swedish Kronor.