New Chinese giant panda pair debut at Zoo Atlanta

A pair of new Chinese giant pandas -- Ping Ping and Fu Shuang -- made their public debut on Friday at Zoo Atlanta in the U.S. state of Georgia.

Before meeting the public, the panda pair spent more than a month in quarantine, adjusting to the new bamboo, new caretakers and new environment.

They arrived in the southern U.S. city on a chartered flight on Sept. 27, marking the return of Chinese giant pandas after nearly two years. The last pair of giant pandas and their offspring returned to China from Zoo Atlanta in October 2024.

The exchange continues a decade-long bond between China and Atlanta.

For some visitors, it was their first time seeing a giant panda.

"I am in love with pandas. I waited so long for this, two years," said Gia, a visitor.

Atlanta has a track record. Its first pandas had seven cubs here, including two sets of twins.

Xie Feng, Chinese Ambassador to the United States, took note.

"It gives me great pleasure to come to the most fertile state in the United States. So glad to see Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and privileged to give them enrichment toys, including apple ice cream," he said.

Ping Ping is bigger, with a Y-shaped mark down his nose. His name means peace.

Fu Shuang has a rounder face and a ridge of fur between her ears. Her name means double happiness.

And they're already drawing fans from abroad.

"We just came from the Bahamas yesterday. We came for a concert and then we saw they were having two new pandas today, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang," said Shellyann, a visitor from the Bahamas.

Raymond B. King, president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta, said the giant pandas serve as a testimony to collaboration between China and the U.S.

"It's truly a collaborative relationship. We learn from each other, we support from each other. So while you read about geopolitics and stuff, that never even comes up in the discussions about pandas, and that's just a breath of fresh air," he said.

With the two beloved bears, Atlanta joins San Diego and Washington as one of only three US zoos with giant pandas.

The two pandas are expected to stay at the zoo for 10 years.

China and Zoo Atlanta have collaborated on giant panda conservation research for more than two decades, including the birth of seven giant panda cubs in five litters.

New Chinese giant panda pair debut at Zoo Atlanta

A fresh wave of bomb threats targeting commercial flights disrupted air travel across Europe on Friday, prompting security checks at airports in several countries.

Nine flights arriving at or departing from Prague Airport were targeted on Friday, including four inbound and five outbound flights, the Czech News Agency reported. Police inspections found no explosives, and airport operations continued without significant disruption.

The incident came a day after four aircraft heading to Prague received similar threats. Czech authorities have launched an investigation into the incidents and their possible links to similar threats elsewhere in Europe.

In Italy, the control tower at Rome's Fiumicino Airport received an anonymous call on Friday saying there was an explosive device on a passenger plane flying from Prague to Rome, according to Italy's ANSA news agency. The flight was then diverted to land in Venice, and police were carrying out security checks on the aircraft.

In France, four aircraft flying over French territory were targeted, with three landing at Paris-Orly Airport and one at Bordeaux. All four landed without incident and were undergoing security inspections by bomb disposal teams, the French prime minister's office said, adding that an investigation was underway to determine the source of the alerts.

Portuguese police said on Friday that they received a bomb threat that day against a Ryanair flight from Lisbon to Rome, Italy. No explosive device was found after a security search.

The latest incidents follow a series of threats reported on Tuesday and Thursday, with more than 20 flights affected on Thursday alone.

The flights that received threats on Thursday involved countries including Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Finland, and airlines including Ryanair, Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines and Aer Lingus. Some airports and airlines received the threats by email, while some flights received security alerts in the air.

On Tuesday, Poland, Spain, Bulgaria and Italy reported in turn that passenger planes had received bomb threats. Seven planes were involved, causing some flights to be diverted and an airport to be briefly closed.

Europe on alert as fresh wave of bomb hoaxes disrupts flights