Our daily nature walk around the world

🇨🇳🐼 Panda Diplomacy is back: China agreed to send pandas back to Washington, DC, after a months-long hiatus. Yesterday, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo announced a new agreement with China’s government that will see the zoo receive a pair of pandas, called Bao Li and Qing Bao, by the end of this year. The announcement comes six months after China, which is known for its “panda diplomacy,” opted to take three of the animals back from the National Zoo, leaving America’s capital city panda-less.

🇰🇵🇰🇷 North Korea flew hundreds of balloons filled with trash and feces into South Korea. At least 260 trash balloons were flown across North Korea’s southern border between Tuesday and Wednesday, with their contents ending up scattered across eight of nine South Korean provinces. North Korean officials say the move is retaliation against South Korean activists who previously flew balloons to the North containing anti-regime leaflets, USB sticks filled with K-pop music/TV shows, and other supplies.

🇮🇳 India is in the midst of a record-setting heat wave. A weather station in the capital city of Delhi measured a high of 126.1°F yesterday – which, if confirmed, would represent the highest temperature ever recorded in India. At least three deaths have been reported in connection with this week’s weather, which comes during the peak of India’s heat wave season.