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Japanese panda fans gathered Sunday for the final public viewing at Tokyo’s Ueno zoo before twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei return to China this week.

Their departure on Tuesday will leave Japan with no pandas for the first time in half a century, and the chances of getting a replacement are poor, with Tokyo’s relations with Beijing at their lowest point in years.

China first sent pandas to Japan in 1972, a gift meant to mark the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two wary neighbors. The cuddly black-and-white bears immediately won Japanese hearts, and a dozen successors have become national celebrities.

The latest departing panda twins have attracted massive crowds despite a one-minute viewing limit per visitor in the panda zone set by the zoo. 

Visitors, many of them carrying panda-themed toys, call out the bears’ names and use smartphones to capture them as they nibble bamboo and stroll around. Many of those who couldn’t get panda viewing tickets still came to the zoo anyway to mark the last day.

Longtime panda fan Michiko Seki, in a panda-patterned black-and-white shirt, said she was happy to see and photograph the twins looking healthy and eating well. She was using the same camera she had bought when she started taking photos of their elder sister Xian Xian that left Japan two years ago.

Seki says she doesn’t want to see pandas stuck in the diplomatic row. “They are the animals that can provide tremendous comfort,” she said. “Japan needs pandas, and (I) hope politicians will work something out.”

Beijing lends pandas to other countries but maintains ownership, including over any cubs they produce. Xiao Xiao and his sister Lei Lei were born in the Ueno zoo in 2021.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, asked about China sending new pandas to Japan, said: “I know giant pandas are loved by many in Japan, and we welcome Japanese friends to come visit them in China.”

Devoted panda fan takes millions of photos

Web engineer Takahiro Takauji’s days revolve around pandas.

It started 15 years ago when he visited the Ueno Zoological Gardens and fell in love with the twin pandas’ parents, Shin Shin and Ri Ri, soon after their arrival from China.

“Their shape and the way they move are honestly so cute and funny,” he told The Associated Press in a recent interview at his home near Tokyo. “Sometimes they are baby-like; at other times they act like an old man.”

A daily zoo visit has since become essential. He has taken more than 10 million photos of the pandas, and published a number of panda photo books.

On a recent afternoon, Takauji was among thousands who entered a competitive online booking system to see the pandas one last time.

During the one-minute viewing session, Takauji held his camera high above the other fans and took as many as 5,000 still shots to capture every motion of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei.

Back at home, in a room adorned with dozens of panda mascots and ornaments, Takauji carefully went through his fresh photos from the day and uploaded them on his blog, “Every Day Pandas.”

Having seen the twins since birth, he considers them “just like my own children.”

“I never imagined there would come a day when pandas would be gone from Japan,” he says.

Ties are strained between Tokyo and Beijing

Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remarks that potential Chinese action against Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island Beijing claims as its own, could spark Japanese intervention.

Ties between Japan and China have been fraught since the Japanese aggression in the 19th century. There are still territorial disputes in the East China Sea as China’s rise is accompanied by security threats and increasing economic influence in the region.

Japan’s top government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, acknowledged on Thursday that the Japanese Consulate in Chongqing has been without a consul for a month because China has delayed approval of a replacement.

Pandas have long been part of Chinese diplomacy

Giant pandas, native to southwestern China, serve as an unofficial mascot. Beijing lends them to other countries as a sign of goodwill and as part of research and conservation programs.

The first pair of pandas, Kang Kang and Lan Lan, that China gifted to Japan arrived in Ueno on Oct. 28, 1972. It was one month after Japan’s prime minister at the time, Kakuei Tanaka, and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai signed a joint communique normalizing ties between the countries. Japan noted it “fully understands and respects” China’s claim on Taiwan as “an inalienable part” of its territory.

China also gifted the first giant pandas around that time to other Western nations, including the United States, France, Britain and Germany.

China switched to leasing programs in the 1980s, with participating overseas zoos paying annual fees for habitat conservation or scientific research to benefit the species.

Japan has seen panda diplomacy turn political. A plan to bring a panda to Japan’s northern city of Sendai after the 2011 quake and tsunami disaster was shelved in the wake of a 2012 territorial dispute.

Pandas are beloved in Japan

Panda images appear in and outside of the Ueno zoo on cookies and sweets, stuffed dolls, stationery and photo books. Panda statues sit outside a train station. A department store has a section dedicated to panda goods.

“Pandas are a symbol of Ueno, a star,” said Asao Ezure, manager of a souvenir shop. “We worry how the pandas’ absence will affect us.”

Showing a cartoon of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei on a shop signboard, Ezure says he believes that pandas will come back. “So we are not going to change the signboard.”

The absence of pandas at the zoo would cause an annual loss of about 20 billion yen ($128 million), according to Katsuhiro Miyamoto, an economics professor at Kansai University.

“If the situation continues for several years, the negative economic impact of having no pandas is expected to reach tens of billions of yen,” Miyamoto said in a statement. “For panda-loving Japanese, including myself, I hope they return as soon as possible.”

Source: adaderana.lk

A suspect was arrested in the Wathugedara area of Ambalangoda after Special Task Force (STF) officers discovered a concealed micro pistol and live rounds inside a room of a house.

The operation was carried out by personnel from the Akmeemana STF camp following information received through a tip-off. During the search, officers located the firearm and ammunition hidden within the premises.

Police identified the suspect as a 33-year-old resident of Wathugedara. Initial inquiries indicate that he was allegedly planning to sell the weapon to another group.

Further investigations into the incident are being conducted by the Ambalangoda Police.

A foreign tourist from Russia has lost her life following a drowning incident at Bentota Beach, police confirmed.

The woman was reportedly swimming in the sea together with a group of other foreign nationals when she ran into difficulty. Despite efforts to assist her, she was later pronounced dead.

The deceased has been identified as a 49-year-old Russian citizen. Bentota Police have initiated further inquiries to establish the exact cause of the incident.

A Sri Lankan national has been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for allegedly attempting to bring a large quantity of ‘Kush’ cannabis into the country, with an estimated street value of Rs. 82.2 million.

The arrest was made early this morning (25) by officers attached to the Airport Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB). During a detailed inspection, authorities discovered 8 kilograms and 220 grams of the narcotic hidden in eight separate packets inside two pieces of hand luggage.

Police said the suspect had arrived in Sri Lanka from Muscat, Oman. He has been identified as a 37-year-old man employed as a private security guard at a nightclub.

The suspect, along with the seized drugs, is expected to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court as further investigations are carried out by the authorities.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, has announced a major investment initiative worth US$166 million to support Sri Lankan businesses and help move the economy from stabilization toward sustainable expansion.

In a statement, the IFC said the funding underscores its continued commitment to strengthening Sri Lanka’s private sector. The country-focused financing program is designed to widen access to credit for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly women-owned businesses and companies operating in the agri-business sector, with the aim of promoting inclusive growth and job creation.

The investment has been channeled through three leading private commercial banks in Sri Lanka and includes a US$50 million loan, US$80 million in Risk-Sharing Facilities, and US$36 million allocated for trade finance support.

Although SMEs make up more than 75 percent of businesses in Sri Lanka and provide around 45 percent of total employment, limited access to financing continues to constrain their growth. The IFC noted that this initiative aligns with national development priorities and World Bank Group objectives, offering targeted solutions to help SMEs overcome financing challenges and enhance economic resilience.

The IFC also highlighted its recent contribution to strengthening the country’s financial framework through the launch of a Secured Transactions Registry, which is expected to further improve credit access for small and medium-sized businesses.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would impose a 100% tariff on Canada if it follows through on a trade deal with China and warned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that a deal would endanger his country.

“China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”
In a video on Saturday, Carney urged Canadians to buy domestic products, but did not directly mention Trump’s tariff threat.

“With our economy under threat from abroad, Canadians have made a choice to focus on what we can control,” Carney said. “We can’t control what other nations do, we can be our own best customer.”

The Canadian prime minister this month traveled to China to reset the countries’ strained relationship and reached a trade deal with Canada’s second-biggest trading partner after the U.S.

Immediately after Carney’s China trip, Trump sounded supportive. “It’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House on January 16. “If you can get a deal with China, you should do that.”

“There is no pursuit of a free trade deal with China. What was achieved was resolution on several important tariff issues,” Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, said on Saturday in a post on X.

The Chinese embassy in Canada said in a statement to Reuters that China was ready to work with Canada to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries.

U.S.-Canada tensions have grown in recent days following Carney’s criticism of Trump’s pursuit of Greenland.

MORE PRESSURE ON CANADIAN INDUSTRIES

On Saturday, Trump suggested China would try to use Canada to evade U.S. tariffs.
“If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” Trump said, using a title for Carney that refers to Trump’s past calls for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state.

In a second Saturday post, Trump said, “The last thing the World needs is to have China take over Canada. It’s NOT going to happen, or even come close to happening!”
If Trump makes good on Saturday’s threat, the new tariff would greatly increase U.S. duties on its northern neighbor, adding pressure to Canadian industrial sectors such as metal manufacturing, autos and machinery.

Relations between Carney and Trump seemed relatively placid until the Canadian leader this week spoke out forcefully against Trump’s pursuit of Greenland.

Carney subsequently at the World Economic Forum called on nations to accept that a rules-based global order was over and pointed to Canada as an example of how “middle powers” might act together to avoid being victimized by American hegemony.

Carney, during his speech in Davos, Switzerland, did not directly call out Trump or the U.S. by name. However, the prime minister said “middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.”

Many world leaders and industry titans present at the Switzerland confab responded with a standing ovation.

Trump shot back in his own Davos speech and said Canada “lives because of the United States,” a statement that Carney rejected on Thursday.

“Canada and the United States have built a remarkable partnership in the economy, in security and in rich cultural exchange,” Carney said in Quebec. “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”

Since then, Trump has dug in against Canada, revoking its invitation to his Board of Peace that he wants to deal with international conflicts and Gaza’s future.

After Carney’s election last year, Trump and Carney shared a congenial tone. “I think the relationship is going to be very strong,” Trump said at the time.

But Trump this month dismissed the mega trade deal between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — up for renegotiation in July — as “irrelevant.”

Trump has issued many tariff threats since returning to the presidency, though in several cases he has paused them during negotiations or relented entirely. This week, Trump backed off his recent threat to impose stiff tariffs on European allies after the NATO chief and other leaders promised to step up security in the Arctic.

“We hope the two governments can come to a better understanding quickly that can alleviate further concerns for businesses who face the immediate consequences of torqued up uncertainty,” the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Matthew Holmes said in a statement.
 
Source: adaderana.lk

The Department of Meteorology has predicted intermittent rainfall in the Northern, North-Central, Eastern and Uva provinces, as well as in the Matale and Nuwara-Eliya districts today (25).

The North-Western Province may experience several rounds of showers, while other parts of the country could see showers or thundershowers developing after 2.00 p.m.Early morning misty conditions are also likely in parts of the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces, along with the Galle and Matara districts.

Authorities urge the public to take necessary safety measures to reduce the risk of damage caused by sudden strong winds and lightning associated with thundershowers.

Today marks 28 years since the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carried out a devastating bomb attack on the revered Sri Dalada Maligawa, one of Sri Lanka’s most sacred religious sites.

The attack occurred in the early hours of January 25, 1998, at approximately 6:05 a.m., when a lorry packed with explosives was detonated near the Sri Natha Devalaya area in Kandy. The blast caused extensive damage to the temple complex and its surroundings.

Sixteen civilians lost their lives in the attack, while three LTTE members later arrested in connection with the incident were sentenced to death. Although several sections of the temple sustained severe damage, the Sacred Tooth Relic itself was not harmed.

Restoration work on the damaged areas was later completed at an estimated cost of Rs. 150 million.

To mark the anniversary, multiple organizations conducted Bodhi Puja ceremonies at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic today, paying homage to the victims and offering prayers in remembrance of those who perished in the tragic incident.

Three Sri Lankan leopard cubs were born in the zoo on Jan 1, bringing the population of the rare animal at Mandai Wildlife Reserve to seven.

The last time the leopard had a cub in Mandai was nearly 30 years ago, in 1997. The Singapore Zoo is now home to six Sri Lankan leopards. One more leopard is at the Night Safari.

Mandai Wildlife Reserve, in a Jan 23 post on social media platform Instagram, said the cubs and their mum are enjoying their time together behind closed doors.

However, a sneak peek of the cubs is available on the live cam at the Singapore Zoo leopard exhibit, it added.

Mr Anand Kumar, Mandai Wildlife Group’s curator for animal care (operations), said it was the first litter for proud parents Asanka and Yala, with Yala’s pregnancy confirmed in October 2025.

He added that Yala has been “an exceptional mother”.

“She’s attentive, calm, and constantly keeping an eye on her lively triplets as they nurse, chirp with playful squeaks, and explore their nest box with growing curiosity,” Mr Kumar said.

“It has been a joy for all of us to watch them grow stronger each day.”

There are fewer than 800 Sri Lankan leopards in the wild, where they feed on animals like deer and wild boar.

The big cats live between 10 and 12 years in the wild, but can reach up to 20 years in captivity.

The Sri Lankan leopard can see well both in the dark and during the day. Its fur makes it a master of camouflage amid foliage, helping it to stay hidden from its biggest threats – poachers who hunt it for its fur.

Mandai appears to be in the grip of a small baby boom.

Just a few days after New Year’s Day, two capybara pups were born, the first in about a decade. The two pups, which have not been named, bring capybara numbers at Mandai to 13.

Capybaras are the world’s largest rodents, and the two pups and their mother can be seen near the Amazon River Quest boat ride in the River Wonders part of the wildlife park.

Visitors can also see the capybaras at the Once Upon A River presentation and the Amazonia Encounters walk-through exhibit.

(Source - straitstimes)

Three individuals attempting to illegally bring a large stock of narcotics into Sri Lanka were arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) early this morning (25) by Airport Customs officers and personnel from the Customs Narcotics Control Unit.

The arrests took place at the arrivals terminal’s Green Channel, which is reserved for passengers declaring no goods. During inspections, officers detected suspicious luggage belonging to the passengers.

Authorities identified the suspects as a 29-year-old bricklayer from Nattandiya, a 29-year-old businessman also from Nattandiya, and a 32-year-old businessman from Grandpass, Colombo. The trio had arrived from Muscat, Oman at around 4:00 a.m. on SalamAir flight OV 437.

A detailed search of five pieces of luggage led to the seizure of 10.394 kilograms of Kush concealed in 10 packets, along with 1.912 kilograms of Hashish hidden in 18 packets. The total estimated street value of the drugs is Rs. 133.94 million.

The suspects and the seized narcotics have been transferred to the Katunayake Airport Police Narcotics Bureau for further investigations.

In 2026, Colombo has earned an unwelcome global distinction: it is now officially the most unaffordable city in the world for its own residents to buy property.

According to the latest Numbeo Property Investment Index, Sri Lanka’s commercial capital recorded a staggering price-to-income ratio of 55.1, the highest among 395 cities worldwide. In simple terms, this means an average household would need more than 55 years of its entire income with no spending at all to buy a standard apartment. No other city on the list comes close.

This places Colombo ahead of global property pressure-cookers such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Mumbai, making homeownership statistically more distant for Sri Lankans than for residents of many famously expensive cities. Kathmandu follows far behind in second place with a ratio of 39.2, while Manila stands at 35.9. Mumbai ranks eighth at 33.3, and even Singapore often associated with luxury real estate records a comparatively lower 22.1, making it mathematically more attainable for locals than Colombo is for its own people.

At the heart of this crisis is a dramatic mismatch between what people earn and what homes cost.

The data shows that the average monthly net salary in Colombo is about Rs.70,452. Meanwhile, the price per square foot of an apartment in the city centre averages Rs.108,442. In effect, an entire month’s salary cannot buy even a single square foot of prime residential space. Outside the city centre, prices ease but remain punishing around Rs.36,238 per square foot, still consuming more than half of an average monthly income.

Buying property is further complicated by the cost of borrowing. Mortgage interest rates for a 20-year fixed loan average 12.94 percent, adding another heavy layer to an already unreachable market. Together, high prices and double-digit interest rates have pushed the middle class almost entirely out of the homeownership equation.

As a result, Colombo’s real estate market appears increasingly detached from local demand, relying instead on foreign investors, expatriates, or a small group of ultra-wealthy local buyers to sustain prices.

The strain has spilled over into the rental market. A one-bedroom apartment in the city centre rents for about Rs.131,386 per month, nearly twice the average net salary. Even a three-bedroom apartment outside the city centre costs around Rs.112,200. For many workers, living independently in Colombo is no longer realistic, forcing shared housing arrangements or long commutes from distant suburbs.

Ironically, while Colombo continues to rank as a cost-effective city for foreigners earning in stronger currencies, the property investment index reveals a very different reality for locals one of extreme housing inflation and shrinking access to the city they work in.

In 2026, Colombo may still be growing upward with cranes and towers but for the average citizen, the door to homeownership has never felt further away.

(Source - lankanews.lk)