About 3,000 visitors to a theme park in western Japan attended a farewell ceremony for four giant pandas on Friday, the day before their departure for China.
The four female pandas are part of a joint conservation project with China that is set to expire. They are scheduled to be sent to China from the park in the town of Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, on Saturday.
Mexico's Congress on Thursday approved a ban on entertainment shows involving dolphins and other marine mammals, the lower house announced, delighting animal rights campaigners.
The reform, which won unanimous support, has already been passed by the upper house and now goes to the president to be signed into law. It means that dolphinariums will be phased out in Mexico, which is home to eight percent of the world's captive dolphins, according to figures published by Congress.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has floated the idea of cooperating with Asia to promote rules-based free trade. She says it could serve as the basis for redesigning the World Trade Organization.
India Defence Minister held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Admiral on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers meet in Qingdao, China. The discussion centered on maintaining peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control. Both ministers agreed to continue consultations at various diplomatic and military levels to make progress on disengagement, de-escalation and delimitation.
mitv