- Sri Lanka level T20 series with record-breaking West Indies win
- French footballer Ben Yedder on trial for sexual assault
- India foreign minister in arch-rival Pakistan for rare visit
- Restored 'Apollo Belvedere' marble back on show in the Vatican
- Lagos festival dances to Nigerian icon Fela Kuti's beat
- Italian PM hails 'courageous' Albania migrant deal
- 'Tragedy in Jabalia' as Israel army tightens siege in north Gaza
- Draft UN climate pact leaves open thorny question of money
- Musiala and Upamecano return to Bayern training
- Wirtz return 'unclear' after injury on Germany duty
- Ghulam says 'wait is over' after century on Pakistan debut
- Two giant pandas arrive in US from China
- Japan hold Australia, S. Korea and China win in World Cup qualifying
- Mbappe's golden-boy image takes a hit amid negative headlines
- Wales lock Jenkins to miss November Tests with 'horrible' injury lay-off
- France to play Israel in Paris and allow fans in
- Twin panda cubs to make public debut at Berlin zoo
- Scotland's Kinghorn maintains Lions 'dream' despite Toulouse clash
- Pakistan debutant Ghulam hits century to defy England in second Test
- Boeing announces intention to raise up to $25 bn
- Tuchel 'in talks with FA' over England manager's job
- Dutch rider Lavreysen targets record at world track championships
- Bangladesh suspend Hathurusingha as coach after alleged assault
- Russian Olympic chief announces surprise resignation
- Ferguson to leave Man Utd ambassador role as club cuts costs
- Turkish govt defends tax plan to fund defence industry
- Eidevall quits as Arsenal Women head coach
- Swedish prosecutor confirms 'rape' probe without naming Mbappe
- England dismiss Ayub but Pakistan reach 173-3 at tea in second Test
- Israel vows to put 'national interest' first in response to Iran attack
- Mbappe-PSG salary row faces hearing as France captain cited in 'rape' report
- K-pop star tells South Korea lawmakers of workplace bullying
- Ex-Wallabies captain Elsom denies wrongdoing after arrest warrant
- Pakistan 79-2 at lunch in second England Test after Leach strikes
- Hopes pinned on peace across Taiwan Strait after drills
- Valencia fans leave Singapore with 'stern warning' after protest
- Falling sales cause sour grapes for iconic Portugal wine
- Belgian pathologist and literary star gives 'voice to the dead'
- Ethiopia's 'korale' recyclers turn waste into money
- Italy row, AI in focus at world's biggest book fair
- US, Philippines launch war games a day after China's Taiwan drills
- Scotland lock Gray signs for Japan's Toyota
- Allen and Bills foil Rodgers, outlast Jets 23-20
- East Timor fights new battles 25 years after independence vote
- Japan election campaigns kick off for Oct 27 vote
- Taiwan detects record 153 Chinese military aircraft after drills
- Oil prices drop on easing fears over Middle East, most markets rise
- Reoxygenating oceans: startups lead the way in Baltic Sea
- North Korea's Kim holds security meeting over drone flights
- Cars, chlamydia threaten Australian koalas
Two giant pandas arrive in US from China aboard 'Panda Express'
Two giant pandas destined for the Washington zoo arrived in the United States from China on Tuesday, the latest in Beijing's campaign of international "panda diplomacy."
Live television images showed the arrival of the pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, on a FedEx cargo plane dubbed the "Panda Express" that landed at Dulles airport in Virginia.
Bao Li, a male panda, and Qing Bao, a female, will be housed at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington under a decade-long breeding and research agreement.
Only a few of the beloved black-and-white bears remain in the United States after almost all were returned to China in recent years under pre-arranged contracts -- including all three of the National Zoo's pandas last November.
The lack of immediate replacements was viewed by many as a symbol of the heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing.
China has been using so-called "panda diplomacy" since 1972, when the first animals were sent to Washington as a gift, following US president Richard Nixon's historic visit to the Communist nation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said after meeting his counterpart Joe Biden at a summit in California last November that China could send new pandas as "envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American people."
In August, the San Diego zoo welcomed two new giant pandas, the first to be sent by China to the United States in 21 years.
Anticipation for the pandas' arrival in Washington has been high, with the National Zoo's website emblazoned with a banner that reads: "The pandas are coming."
The National Zoo will be closed to visitors on Tuesday to allow for an orderly arrival of the three-year-old pandas.
Renovations have been undertaken at the panda habitat "to enhance the safety of the facilities and maximize space for the bears to roam," according to the zoo's website.
The new structures constructed for the pandas include shallow pools to allow them to bathe and bamboo stands that require the bears to mimic the foraging techniques they would use in the wild.
The bears will not be available to the public for more than a month after their arrival as they will need to be quarantined and acclimate to their new habitat.
A.Silveira--PC