The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Friday that a liquefied gas carrier caught fire earlier in the day after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Ignoring repeated warnings from the Iranian side, the tanker attempted to pass through an unauthorized route in the southern part of the strait, where it hit mines and triggered a violent explosion, said a statement from the public relations department of the IRGC Navy.
The statement said Iran will firmly and rigorously manage and control the Strait of Hormuz, and that any vessel attempting to violate Iran's regulations on the strait, ignore warnings from the IRGC Navy, and enter unauthorized and hazardous waterways will face the same fate.
IRGC says tanker hits mines on unauthorized route in Strait of Hormuz
Zi Rui and Ao Ke, two giant pandas featured in the Chinese television series Panda's Family, are seen lounging on opposite sides of a tree stump piled with bamboo shoots at a conservation base in southwest China.
Zi Rui sits on the left, holding a long shoot in her paws, while Ao Ke leans back across from her. Another clip shows him enjoying the bamboo on his own.
The footage was filmed on Oct 20 at the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda in Sichuan Province and released on Nov 6 and 9.
Both pandas were born in 2023, Zi Rui in July and Ao Ke in August. Ao Ke is known for sticking close to his keepers, and fans have dubbed him the"best-looking" panda among the center's cubs born that year.
The two grew up together, though they are not siblings. Zi Rui's mother, Rui Rui, also cares for Ao Ke while his mother, Xian Xian, raises his twin brother Ao Ran in a program preparing him for possible release into the wild.
Wild training is one part of the center's work to breed and conserve giant pandas. It also collaborates with 18 zoos in 16 countries and regions, 39 animal care institutions in China and more than 10 research institutes.
Panda TV favorites share meal at tree-stump table
