https://www.scmp.com/rss/500203/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Twin panda cubs made their first public appearance on Wednesday before devoted fans in Tokyo, but they will be on display only briefly for now – over three days – following a spike in Covid-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant. The twins, male cub Xiao Xiao and his sister Lei Lei, which were born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in June, took their first steps as beaming fans held up their smartphones to film the cuddly pair as they played together. In a video released by the zoo on Wednesday, the twin... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/3163113/tokyo-zoos-twin-panda-cubs-make-exclusive-debut-omicron-surge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/3163113/tokyo-zoos-twin-panda-cubs-make-exclusive-debut-omicron-surge?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jan 2022 10:04:10 +0000 A Chinese panda cub born to giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia in Singapore has been named following the results of a public vote announced on Wednesday. The winning name with the highest number of votes was Le Le. According to the public vote website, the word ‘Le’ comes from an old Chinese term ‘Shi Le Po’ which refers to Singapore. “This was in use since our beginnings as a trading port. ‘Shi Le Po’ is a transliteration of the Malay term ‘selat’ which means straits, indicative of our... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3161453/chinese-giant-panda-cub-born-singapore-has-been-named-le?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3161453/chinese-giant-panda-cub-born-singapore-has-been-named-le?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Dec 2021 12:41:43 +0000 Pandas and politics. We went to Chengdu’s Panda Research Base in China to see the bears for ourselves. And yes, they really are that cute and lazy, which explains why so many countries want a panda of their own. Giant pandas are native to China and can only be found in this one specific region of the Tibetan plateau. The bears have only recently gone from endangered to vulnerable after decades of conservation efforts and international support. But, beyond being cute, pandas have also functioned... https://www.scmp.com/videos/pandas-are-cute-friends-and-also-diplomatic-agents/article/2155410?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/pandas-are-cute-friends-and-also-diplomatic-agents/article/2155410?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Jul 2018 04:05:28 +0000