A giant panda has been captured in an adorable moment on camera as he enjoyed a refreshing late summer snack, munching down some bamboo shoots and repeatedly scraping away at some frozen fruit which was served on a tray of ice.
The footage was filmed late last month at the Chengdu Research Base in southwest China's Sichuan Province, and features a cute panda called Dan Honggao or 'Egg Cake', who is named after a popular snack in the city of Chengdu.
He is seen chewing away on the bamboo shoots while struggling to retrieve a piece of fruit which has been frozen onto the surface of a slippery block of ice, which slides around on the ground to the panda's bemusement as he tries to grab his snack.
Born in March 2020, the playful panda was one of a pair cubs born to mother Maomao. He has a twin brother Re Ganmian, or 'Hot dry Noodles', a popular local dish in the city of Wuhan, who was named in support of the city during the early stages of the pandemic.
The twins are notable as the first pair of captive giant panda twins born globally in 2020 and are also the earliest-born twins ever recorded at the research base, with births normally coming later in a calendar year.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is a world-renowned institution for the conservation of giant pandas. The base is famous for its work in protecting and breeding giant pandas, red pandas and other endangered wild animals exclusive to China as well as its educational outreach programs and its role as a major tourist attraction.
Charming footage shows giant panda struggling to retrieve frozen fruit snack
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that his country has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemen's Houthi group.
The president made the remarks at a press conference in Tehran, in response to a question from an Al Jazeera news network reporter who quoted political experts saying that Iran has supplied hypersonic missiles, or the technology to develop them, to the Houthis.
Iran has hypersonic missiles, but not of the same kind that the Houthis possess, Pezeshkian said, adding that the Houthis themselves had developed the missiles over time.
It is impossible for Iran to send missiles to Yemen covertly when it takes more than a week just to send solely human forces to the country, he said.
Pezeshkian said that Iran and the Houthis have worked together against Israel's "genocide" in Gaza, and stressed that the international community should condemn the crimes against humanity committed by Israel.
"If [the Western] countries are worried about the security of Israel, why are they not concerned about the security of Gaza Strip, the security of Palestine and innocent people? Civilized countries and supporters of human rights should not allow power to bomb and kill innocent civilians while simultaneously accusing Iran of supplying missiles to Yemen's Houthis," said Pezeshkian.
On Iran-U.S. relations, Pezeshkian emphasized Iran's pursuit of peace over conflict and clarified that Iran has no intentions of building nuclear weapons.
However, he said, the U.S. has chosen to abandon the Iran nuclear deal and made threats against Iran. The possibility of a relaxation in strained relations between the two sides hinges on the U.S. dropping its animosity towards Iran and revoking its extensive sanctions against the country, he said.
"We don't want to start a war, but the U.S. wants to impose wars on us. If the U.S. is willing to respect Iran's rights, we will not engage in conflict with the U.S. or any other party. We hope to develop safely in our own country without the U.S. undermining Iran's security or threaten and humiliate Iran. we will never accept humiliation," Pezeshkian said.
Iran has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemen's Houthis: President Pezeshkian
