Panda pair debuts at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo, receiving warm welcome

A welcoming ceremony for two Chinese giant pandas was held on Wednesday at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo, one of the world's oldest zoos, marking the official start of their decade-long stay in Austria for scientific research and as ambassadors of friendship.

The pandas, male He Feng and female Lan Yun, arrived in Austria on April 23.

Addressing the welcoming ceremony, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen highlighted that giant pandas are a symbol of the strong friendship between Austria and China.

"Cooperations like these create trust. They bring nations closer together. We shouldn't underestimate the impact of these seemingly small occasions, despite all the differences that may exist. And the giant pandas are a symbol of the Chinese-Austrian [partnership]," said the president.

Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, who led a delegation to Austria from Sunday to Wednesday, also attended the welcoming ceremony.

"Like ambassadors, they will become mascots of friendship between the two countries and their peoples. The giant panda is a national treasure of China, a jewel in the diversity of the earth's species and a precious treasure of ecological civilization," Li said.

As part of the ceremony, the Schoenbrunn Zoo staged a traditional Chinese lion dance performance to celebrate the pandas' arrival, to the cheers of visitors. Among the crowds were dozens of local school children holding signs reading "warmly welcome" to demonstrate their love for the Chinese giant panda.

"It's a very nice moment today to welcome the bears in Austria in Tiergarten Schoenbrunn," said Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in an interview with the China Global Television Network.

The panda pair's arrival marks the latest 10-year round of the scientific collaboration between China and Austria on giant panda conservation, which started in 2003.

The past years of cooperation saw the birth of five panda cubs in Austria, a record for Europe on breeding, alongside achievements made in disease control, staff training and public education.

Panda pair debuts at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo, receiving warm welcome

Panda pair debuts at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo, receiving warm welcome

Both engines of the recently crashed Air India airplane had shut down mid-air within seconds of take-off, showed a preliminary investigation report released on Saturday by the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (ABI).

According to Indian media, the report said that before the Flight AI-171 plane crashed, the switches controlling the fuel flow of the two engines switched from "RUN" to "CUT OFF" within a second of each other, which caused the aircraft engines to stop working. The cockpit voice recorder shows that one of the pilots asked, "Why did you cut off?" and the other pilot replies, "I didn't."

The accident report also showed that both switches were moved back to the "RUN" position and while engine 1 showed signs of recovery, but engine 2 could not.

"The CCTV footage obtained from the airport showed Ram Air Turbine (RAT) getting deployed during the initial climb immediately after lift-off. No significant bird activity is observed in the vicinity of the flight path. The aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall," the report said.

The report noted that the RAT was deployed, indicating a total loss of power and thrust in the aircraft. The report also showed that the flap settings and landing gear positions were normal at the time of the crash.

The report said that these facts will become a focus area for future investigations.

The London-bound Air India aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed on June 12 shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, about 17 km south of Gandhinagar, the capital city of India's western state of Gujarat, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 others on the ground.

Air India crash report shows both engines shut down shortly after takeoff