Giant panda Qing Bao spent her fifth birthday at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. on Saturday with a fruit ice cake, sweet potatoes and a 1970s-themed celebration that drew crowds of visitors.
Keepers presented Qing Bao with a fruitsicle cake made from pineapple, beet and apple juices, topped with blueberries, strawberries and peaches. The female panda also tucked into cooked sweet potatoes, one of her favorites.
Visitors gathered at the panda enclosure as Qing Bao inspected her birthday meal. The celebration featured panda-themed decorations and a sign reading, "Let's get groovy with QB," in keeping with the retro theme.
Born in China on September 12, 2021, Qing Bao arrived in the United States with male giant panda Bao Li in October 2024, after the previous three Smithsonian pandas returned to China in late 2023. The pair made their public debut at the American zoo in January 2025.
Giant panda Qing Bao spends fifth birthday at Smithsonian zoo
A passenger ship that had lost contact in Indonesia's Java Sea has sunk, the country's National Search and Rescue Agency said Sunday.
The passenger ship, Virgo Transport 8, was carrying about 240 people when it lost contact at around 02:00 local time on Sunday after encountering bad weather, according to the search and rescue agency.
A total of 119 people have been rescued and six have died, according to the latest available figures.
The Chinese Consulate General in Surabaya confirmed that no Chinese nationals were aboard the ship, citing information verified with relevant authorities of the Surabaya city government.
The vessel departed from Surabaya in East Java province on Saturday and was heading to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province.
The cause of the accident remains unclear. Indonesian search and rescue authorities have deployed personnel, ships and a helicopter to waters near the vessel's last known position to conduct search and rescue operations.
Indonesia, an archipelagic country of around 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries and other maritime transport to connect its regions and facilitate travel. Maritime accidents occur periodically due to weather and sea conditions, as well as vessel safety issues.
Passenger ship sinks in Indonesia, around 130 still missing
