{"id":310838,"date":"2026-03-03T10:42:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T10:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/310838\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T10:42:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T10:42:28","slug":"a-playful-giant-panda-and-other-news-in-pictures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/310838\/","title":{"rendered":"A playful giant panda \u2014 and other news in pictures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A playful giant panda \u2014 and other news in pictures    <\/p>\n<p>, The Times<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The plughole of Ladybower Reservoir overflowing due to heavy rain.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/47c1d50d-197f-424c-a00f-f5d6fe9ddf56.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>One of two plugholes at Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire, helping to remove the overflow after weeks of heavy rain across the UK<\/p>\n<p>TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES GLOSSOP<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Men in loincloths and headbands splash water at the Konomiya Naked Festival.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/6735e9e7-33f5-4550-9df5-50ac0a1edeed.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>10,000 men dressed in loincloths participate in the 1,250-year-old Konomiya Naked Festival in Japan on Sunday<\/p>\n<p>FRED MERY\/REUTERS<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An Honor prototype robot dances alongside performers at the Mobile World Congress trade show.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/a045c5b5-d144-4363-8912-cf4fe38b0bd5.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The tech company Honor\u2019s first humanoid service robot prototype dances with performers at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain<\/p>\n<p>BRUNA CASAS\/REUTERS<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A large group of king penguins gathered on a sandy beach under a dramatic sky with sun rays breaking through heavy clouds, looking out at the turquoise sea.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/50d2adb1-5d67-4a05-a815-372c38d529d7.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nature\u2019s most disciplined beach party: king penguins line up at Volunteer Point, Falklands Islands, before a perfectly-timed waddle into the sea<\/p>\n<p>SARA JENNER\/TWOPOINTO MEDIA<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Seagull Nebula, NGC 2032, appearing as golden and turquoise clouds against a dark, star-filled sky.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/246c2c8a-a9ca-49ab-9e91-0265eb17601f.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>NGC 2032, also known as the Seagull Nebula, captured from Monterrey, Mexico \u2014 the swirling gold and turquoise clouds form a majestic cosmic bird in deep space<\/p>\n<p>DANIEL BORJA\/TWOPOINTO MEDIA<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A large flying fox bat, with its wings fully extended, flies against a clear light blue sky.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/56b1c913-2174-4471-88af-3b6f7df04341.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>An Indian flying fox stretches its wings mid-flight at the Royal Botanical Gardens near Kandy, Sri Lanka<\/p>\n<p>ROLF HELFENSTEIN\/TWOPOINTO MEDIA<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jager Burton (10) performing a drill at the NFL football scouting combine.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/bf5c4a0f-78b8-47ed-8820-91c84d612cd8.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Kentucky offensive lineman Jager Burton (10) participates in drills at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, an invite-only event where personnel directors evaluate prospective athletes ahead of the NFL draft<\/p>\n<p>ERIC GAY\/AP<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A large waxing moon is seen behind a pod of The London Eye, with people visible inside the pod.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/be4d490e-27bb-4cf6-a249-f984db786b39.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A waxing moon rises behind the London Eye<\/p>\n<p>LUKE MILLER\/ STORY PICTURE AGENCY<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Beau Reddick, son of Tyler Reddick, leaps from the #45 Chumba Casino Toyota in victory lane.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/7f3a7971-b10e-47af-a6b3-c9e6e7a3767e.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Beau Reddick, six, leaps from his dad\u2019s Chumba Casino Toyota after Tyler Reddick secured his third straight NASCAR win at the DuraMax Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas<\/p>\n<p>LOGAN RIELY\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Curator Alexandra Loske carrying a nightgown up the stairs of Preston Manor.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/18836566-f698-4053-a953-8f66efd60689.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Alexandra Loske, curator at the Royal Pavilion, carries a nightgown as she prepares the bedrooms of Preston Manor in Brighton, where the upstairs-downstairs life of Edwardian society comes alive, ahead of its reopening on March 14<\/p>\n<p>DAVID MCHUGH\/BRIGHTON PICTURES<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Beau the bloodhound puppy licks the face of his handler, North Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper Dustin Pattengale.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/4f66803a-b35f-44c6-960f-61a6f257d051.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Beau, a bloodhound puppy, licks the face of his handler, North Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper Dustin Pattengale<\/p>\n<p>JACK DURA\/AP<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Daniel Hillier of New Zealand being sprayed with champagne after winning the New Zealand Open.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/cc4caff4-1e06-4f05-ad10-e7baec678dec.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Daniel Hillier celebrates winning the 105th New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort \u2014 eight days after getting married!<\/p>\n<p>HANNAH PETERS\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Artist Alice Carter kneels beside her &quot;Good Friday&quot; oil painting, part of the &quot;Ashes to Fire&quot; series displayed in Chichester Cathedral with stained glass windows in the background.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/d5962993-7de8-4c7b-a508-f7f9ab59c4cb.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ashes to Fire: artist Alice Carter\u2019s seven large oil paintings, suspended beneath Chichester Cathedral\u2019s south transept stained glass, tell the Easter story from salvation to resurrection. Free until April 5 (Easter Sunday)<\/p>\n<p>RUSSELL SACH<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A woman smiles, her face covered in multi-colored powder during the Holi festival.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/6fecc175-89a3-4ef6-92f7-d0bc0983994b.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A woman covered in coloured powder celebrates Holi, the Hindu spring festival of colours, in Kathmandu<\/p>\n<p>TAUSEEF MUSTAFA\/AFP\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A young boy in a yellow hardhat surrounded by stacks and piles of colorful plastic sweet tubs.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/f12599e8-7769-49fd-b4af-018ee5f72c56.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Eco-warrior Teddy Michaelides, 7, stands proudly among his collection of 11,233 chocolate tubs, rescued for recycling to protect the environment<\/p>\n<p>SOLENT<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Teyana Taylor and Rue Rose Shumpert pose on the red carpet during the Actor Awards.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/c7520437-d068-4ee5-be23-fe9aff918650.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The singer Teyana Taylor poses on the red carpet at the Actor Awards in Los Angeles with her five-year-old daughter, Rue Rose Shumpert<\/p>\n<p>CAROLINE BREHMAN \/REUTERS<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A red-winged blackbird appears to hitch a ride on the back of a great horned owl mid-flight.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/a61c4011-d0fc-4522-8d94-096893239a14.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A red-winged blackbird hitches a ride on a great horned owl near Boulder, Colorado<\/p>\n<p>MATT CROSSLEY\/SOLENT<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Thousands of cross-country skiers lined up at the start of the Vasaloppet race in Salen, Sweden.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/c4c419bf-b74f-4400-b4b3-5db009adb990.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Going the distance: thousands of skiers tackle the 90km Vasaloppet from Salen to Mora, the world\u2019s oldest and most prestigious cross-country race<\/p>\n<p>TT NEWS AGENCY\/REUTERS<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"People enjoy cherry blossoms at Luolong Park in Kunming, China.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/a5aff614-574a-4cf8-9ddb-77e03fa1bd04.jpg\" class=\"responsive-sc-1nnon4d-0 bAbKns\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Visitors to Luolong Park marvel at the flowering trees during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Chenggong, Kunming, China<\/p>\n<p>LIU RANYANG\/CHINA NEWS SERVICE\/VCG\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n<p class=\"responsive__Paragraph-sc-1pktst5-0 gaEeqC\">For more pictures from The Times, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thetimes\/\" class=\"link__RespLink-sc-1ocvixa-0 csWvlP\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">follow us on Instagram<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/uk\" class=\"link__RespLink-sc-1ocvixa-0 csWvlP\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">UK<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p> <script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A playful giant panda \u2014 and other news in pictures , The Times One of two plugholes at&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310839,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[111,139,69,147,406],"class_list":["post-310838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}