China
Giant panda Meng Meng enjoyed a special cake to celebrate her 9th birthday at Xi'an Qinling Wildlife Park in northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Friday.
To mark the special day, keepers crafted a bamboo flower basket decorated with fresh fruits, vegetables and toys.
Meng Meng is known for her lively and playful personality. She loves climbing trees and rolling around, delighting visitors with her entertaining antics.
Giant panda Meng Meng enjoys special cake for 9th birthday
The Trump administration has initiated procedures to pay 725 million U.S. dollars toward U.S. arrears owed to the United Nations, according to a State Department notification to Congress on Thursday.
The payment is expected to be completed before President Trump travels to New York next month to attend the UN General Assembly and deliver an address.
However, the 725 million U.S. dollars represents less than 20 percent of the total amount the United States owes.
In May, the United Nations said U.S. arrears exceeded 4 billion U.S. dollars. The U.S. side maintains that the actual total is lower than that figure.
Under the UN Charter, a member state may lose its voting rights in the General Assembly if its arrears equal or exceed the total assessments due for the preceding two years.
The United States is the largest contributor to the UN budget. The Trump administration had previously refused to pay some mandatory assessments for the UN regular budget and peacekeeping budget, cut voluntary funding to multiple UN agencies, and withdrawn from several international organizations.
US to pay 725 million dollars in overdue UN arrears
