Giant panda twins Leni and Lotti, known in Chinese as Meng Hao and Meng Tian, were treated to a special ice cake at Zoo Berlin in Germany on Friday, one day before their second birthday.
To celebrate the occasion, the zoo prepared a three-tiered ice cake, tinted with beetroot and carrot juice and decorated with carrot flowers.
The two sisters wasted little time investigating their birthday treat. They nibbled at the carrots, pawed at the ice and occasionally chased each other around the outdoor enclosure.
Born on Aug 22, 2024, the panda twins have become the star at Zoo Berlin over the past two years. Many visitors make special trips to the zoo just to see the twins.
"We made a special trip here from Munich, knowing it was their birthday. We had never seen giant pandas before, and they are absolutely adorable," said Sakina, a visitor.
"I also think pandas are very cute, and I'm really happy to see them for myself," said another visitor Jasmin.
Meng Hao and Meng Tian are the second pair of giant pandas ever born in Germany. Their parents, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, arrived in Berlin from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China in 2017.
In 2019, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing gave birth to twin male cubs named Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan in Berlin. Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan returned to China in 2023.
Zoo Berlin said it will continue to ensure proper husbandry and care to providing good living environment for Meng Hao and Meng Tian.
Germany-born panda twins celebrate 2nd birthday
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday delivered a nationally televised address outlining Canada's position after trade talks with the United States broke down, announcing that Ottawa's "dollar-for-dollar" retaliatory tariffs on 20 billion U.S. dollars' worth of American goods would take effect on Sept 8.
The prime minister said the counter-tariffs will cover a wide range of sectors, including dairy, steel, appliances, pulp and paper, and electronics.
The United States and Canada failed to reach a trade deal on Friday, and the United States imposed a 50-percent tariff on 20 billion U.S. dollars' worth of Canadian goods on Saturday which took effect just after midnight (0400 GMT).
Explaining why negotiations broke down at the last minute, Carney said that while both sides were close to a mutually beneficial agreement earlier this week, the U.S. side introduced last-minute changes that were "unfair, uneconomic and called into question the reliability of any deal."
The U.S. side's repeated disregard for existing free trade agreements, such as the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), sends a bad signal to international businesses and is "certainly not good news" for the agreement's future renewal, Carney warned.
The rift comes as the United States, Mexico and Canada are trying to renew the CUSMA, a trade agreement that Trump negotiated in his first term and once praised as a triumph.
The United States has begun formal talks with Mexico to revamp the agreement, but negotiations with Canada have not yet begun.
The CUSMA is a trilateral trade pact that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement when it took effect on July 1, 2020. On July 1, 2026, the United States officially declined to renew the agreement for another 16-year term, triggering an annual review process until the pact expires in 2036.
When asked why Canada was entering a trade dispute, the prime minister replied flatly: "Because we were attacked."
Carney reiterated his confidence in Canada's economic resilience, pointing out that Canada is creating jobs at four times the rate of the United States, with foreign direct investment reaching a 20-year high.
"Canada is becoming stronger and less dependent on America," he said.
Canadian PM vows "dollar-for-dollar" tariffs against U.S. as trade talks collapse
