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☆ American Airlines traveler was restrained with duct tape after trying to open emergency exit door mid-flight: passengers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewAn American Airlines flight descended into chaos on Tuesday when a traveler tried to open an emergency exit door mid-air, forcing other passengers to restrain him before he was duct-taped and zip-tied, witnesses said. "He ripped down the handle where it exposed some of the emergency exit and all the wind came rushing down," Ritz told the news outlet. Blaze Ward, one of the fliers who helped subdue the man, told KOAT-TV that the man "was resisting, but there were no punches, at least not to me." This guy opened the emergency exit door. "This guy opened the emergency exit door.

Persons: —, Zach Etkind, Etkind, …, Don, @DonnieDoesWorld, Emma Ritz, Daniel Lewis, Blaze Ward, Ward, we’ve, we've Organizations: Service, American Airlines, Business, Boeing, Albuquerque, CNN, Panda, Sports, Twitter, Fox News Digital, Ritz, KOAT, Federal Aviation Administration, United States Attorney's Office, District Locations: Chicago, Albuquerque , New Mexico, Albuquerque, ABQ, New Mexico

But the blog does offer insight into how U.S. geopolitical rivals have been using large-language models to expand their ability to more effectively breach networks and conduct influence operations. But criminals and offensive hackers use it as well, and the introduction of large-language models led by OpenAI's ChatGPT upped that game of cat-and-mouse. — Iran's Revolutionary Guard has used large-language models to assist in social engineering, in troubleshooting software errors, and even in studying how intruders might evade detection in a compromised network. “Of course bad actors are using large-language models — that decision was made when Pandora’s Box was opened," said Amit Yoran, CEO of the cybersecurity firm Tenable. Some cybersecurity professionals complain about Microsoft's creation and hawking of tools to address vulnerabilities in large-language models when it might more responsibly focus on making them more secure.

Persons: —, OpenAI, ”, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Malaysia —, Amit Yoran, Gary McGraw, Edward Amoroso Organizations: BOSTON, — Microsoft, Microsoft, Korean, Guard, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, Google, Meta, Berryville Institute of Machine Learning, NYU, T Locations: Iran, North Korea, Russia, China, Redmond, Washington, OpenAI, Russian, Ukraine, France, Malaysia

☆ I ordered the same meal at Panda Express and P.F. Chang's. The fast-food chain had my favorite dish in nearly every category.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Amena Ahmed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

I started at Panda Express and ordered spring rolls, one side, and two entrées. Panda Express and P.F. Amena AhmedAt Panda Express, I could choose between a plate with a side and one, two, or three entrées. I also added an order of two spring rolls and a fountain drink. I ended up waiting about 15 minutes, but another employee gave me a complimentary box of honey-walnut shrimp — which is actually one of my favorite dishes from the chain.

Persons: Amena Ahmed Organizations: Panda Express

☆ You might be paying twice as much by ordering takeout food on DoorDash or Postmates, new study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Besides tips and service fees, restaurants often also charge higher menu prices for delivery orders. AdvertisementOrdering takeout food for delivery might cost you twice as much as picking it up yourself, depending on the delivery service you use, according to a new study. AdvertisementFinanceBuzz compiled its data by ordering food from various national restaurant chains on DoorDash, Grubhub, Postmates, and Uber Eats. Delivery orders from the fried chicken chain were between 82% and 149% more expensive than pickup, depending on which delivery service customers ordered from. AdvertisementDo you work for Instacart, DoorDash, Walmart Spark, or another delivery service and have a story idea?

Persons: —, FinanceBuzz, DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber, Gruhub Organizations: Service, Uber, Panda Express, Walmart Locations: Southern California, DoorDash

☆ Here's how Singapore Airlines airlifted a giant panda cub and sent it on its journey home to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Singapore's first giant panda cub, Le Le, traveled to China on Tuesday. AdvertisementSingapore Airlines was given a monumental task in January: They were put in charge of sending Le Le, a 2.5-year-old giant panda cub, to China. Born in August 2021, Le Le was Singapore's first giant panda cub. Le Le, however, has to be separated from his parents. The giant panda cub was also served a special in-flight meal during his journey — bamboo, bamboo shoots, fruit, pellets, and water.

Persons: Le Le, Le, —, Kai Kai, Jia Jia, Gajandran Sokayan, Riding, Le didn't Organizations: Singapore Airlines, Service, Mandai, Boeing, Cargo, SIA, China Conservation and Research Center Locations: China, Singapore

☆ North Korea appears to have tested a missile tipped with a hypersonic weapon that could evade the air defenses of US bases
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

North Korea claimed Monday to have tested a hypersonic glide missile. North Korea is continuing to menace US allies in the region. AdvertisementNorth Korea claims to have successfully tested a solid-fuel missile tipped with a hypersonic weapon that could be used to target US bases and allies in the region. AdvertisementA previous round of North Korean hypersonic missile tests back in 2021 and 2022 prompted concerns that the weapons could be so sophisticated, they would be a potential game changer. The US and South Korea have increased joint military exercises in the region.

Persons: —, Lionel Fatton, Kim Jong Un Organizations: Service, Korean Central News Agency, Agence, France Presse, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Reuters, Japanese, Webster University, Meiji University, CNN Locations: Korea, North Korea, France, Guam, Japan, Russia, China, Switzerland, Korean, South Korea, Ukraine

☆ How B.J. Novak turned a tribute to chain restaurants into the hottest ticket in Hollywood with a 25,000-person waitlist
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-05 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Chain pays tribute to these restaurants with new interpretations of their most iconic dishes, which are created by Michelin-starred chef Tim Hollingsworth. "We all came up on different chain restaurants and, from a very authentic place, we all got excited about them." Advertisement"Ironically, since we started Chain, these chain restaurants have had sort of this resurgence," Hollingsworth said. How did a comedian, film producer, and Michelin-starred chef help predict the resurgence of chain restaurants? "It's become so hard to capture the attention and interest of a massive amount of people, but chain restaurants have been around for 50 or 60 years.

Persons: —, Jack, B.J, Novak, Friendly's, Nicholas Kraft, Chain, Tim Hollingsworth, Kraft, hadn't, Bell, Mindy Kaling, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, margarita, Rachel Bilson, Dunkin, Chrissy, Red Robin, Let's, Phil Rosenthal, Chef Hollingsworth, Thomas Keller's, Hollingsworth, Ruth De Jong, Oppenheimer, John Mayer, Andy Cohen, lockdowns, Tim Hollingsworth's, Bell's, Taco Bell, De Jong, We're, Finneas, It's Organizations: Service, Michelin, Business, New Americana, ChainFest, Steakhouse, Crunchwrap, Panda Express, Texas Locations: Boston, Los Angeles, Olive, ChainFest, Seattle, LA, Napa, Texas, West Hollywood

☆ From ‘Barbenheimer’ to Taylor Swift, here are the most important films of 2023 and why they worked
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-27 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Hannah Beier | The Washington Post | Getty ImagesCall 2023 an explosive comeback at the box office. Together, those three films contributed more than $1.5 billion to the domestic box office, according to data from Comscore. But in the meantime, here's a look at some of the most important theatrical releases of 2023 — and why they worked. Meanwhile, Disney has seen its animated content lag at the box office in the wake of the pandemic. "His Only Son," a biblical drama released in early 2023, cost $250,000 to make and generated $12.4 million at the box office.

Persons: Barbie, Oppenheimer, Hannah Beier, Mario, Comscore, Greta Gerwig, Christopher Nolan's, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Chris Pratt, Charlie, Luigi, Disney, Kung, Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson's, Buda Mendes, tas23, Swift, Beyoncé, Tim Ballard, Jim Caviezel, Covid, Blumhouse, Cabrini, Saint Francesca Cabrini, Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Organizations: Washington Post, Getty, Warner Bros, Mario Bros, Universal, Disney, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation, Swift, AMC, National Football League, Angel Studios, Century Fox, Roman Catholic, Reich Locations: Somerdale , New Jersey, There's, New York, Universal, Hollywood, Colombia

☆ Asia’s year in review: Who had it good — and who had it bad — in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-22 | by ( Curtis Chin | Jose B. Collazo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

As 2023 comes to a close, we take a look at the year that was in Asia and the Pacific region. But who had it good and who had it bad in 2023? Bad year: China's property marketWith millions of Chinese citizens still waiting for homes they put down payments on — but might never be built — 2023 was a particularly bad year for China's property market. A newly built property is seen from the air in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province, China, Dec 15, 2023. Chinese families and individuals who once saw homes as more than somewhere to live but also as investments have reason to fear 2023 won't be the last bad year they face.

Persons: Curtis, Chin, Jose B, —, Vikram, Amit Dave, Narendra Modi, Taylor Swift, Kim Ji, Jennie, Kim Jennie, Roseanne Chae, Lisa, Lalisa, King Charles, Rose, Roseanne Park, Jisoo Kim, Jennie Kim, King Charles III, Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Keon Hee, Victoria Jones, Blackpink, Michelle Yeoh, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, San Francisco —, China Evergrande, Moody's, Asia's Organizations: Asian Development Bank, RiverPeak Group, ISRO —, Indian Space Research, Orbiter, ISRO, Buckingham, Sustainable, COP26, Getty, YG Entertainment, APEC, U.S, International Monetary Fund Locations: U.S, Asia, Turkey, Syria, Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, Pacific, India, Gujarat Science City, Ahmedabad, Korea, British, LONDON, ENGLAND, Glasgow, London, England, South Korea, Malaysian, New Zealand, Thailand, China, San Francisco, United States, Taiwan, South China, Country, Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province

"After these results, it looks like there is no stopping Modi," said Yashwant Deshmukh, poll expert with C-Voter agency, adding that stopping Modi would be a "herculean task". The BJP won the regional votes in three of four major states, including central Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh which were ruled by Congress. One of the challenges facing the opposition are the factious ties within the INDIA alliance. Congress refused to share seats in state polls with key regional ally the Samajwadi Party. "The future of the alliance is good if the Congress party works on it with full commitment," he said.

Persons: India's, Narendra Modi, of Home Affairs Amit Shah, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Yashwant Deshmukh, Rahul Gandhi, Manish Tewari, Manoj Kaka, Gandhi, Baijayant Panda, Saurabh Sharma, Miral Organizations: Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian, Union, of Home Affairs, Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, Voter, Congress, Reuters, Samajwadi Party, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, DELHI, Britain, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, INDIA, Lucknow

☆ Serbia's Vucic says electric Fiat Panda model to be produced in Serbia
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni receives an honour guard, while walking with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in Belgrade, Serbia, December 3, 2023. REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic Acquire Licensing RightsBELGRADE, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday he expects automaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) to produce an electric Fiat Panda city car in the central town Kragujevac. Vucic said that the production of electric Panda would boost trade between Italy and Serbia above the current 4.6 billion euros a year. The current generation of the Fiat Panda is built near Naples in Italy, and the new model is expected around mid-2024. Stellantis, created in 2021 through the merger of France's PSA and Fiat Chrysler, and the Serbian government in 2022 signed a 190 million euro deal to produce electric vehicles in the Kragujevac plant which previously produced the Fiat 500L model.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Aleksandar Vucic, Zorana, Vucic, Stellantis, Ivana Sekularac, Alvise Armellini, Alison Williams Organizations: Serbian, REUTERS, Rights, Fiat Panda, Fiat, France's PSA, Fiat Chrysler, Thomson Locations: Belgrade, Serbia, Serbian, Kragujevac, Italy, Naples

☆ Stream These 16 Movies Before They Leave Netflix in December
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Jason Bailey | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

‘Gladiator’ (Dec. 31)Stream it here. ‘Kung Fu Panda’ (Dec. 31)Stream it here. ‘Mission: Impossible’ 1- 4 (Dec. 31)Stream them here, here, here and here. ‘Role Models’ (Dec. 31)Stream it here. The raw edge yet soft heart of this wildly funny bad-boy comedy from 2008, and the presence of the frequent leading man Paul Rudd, might lead you to assume it’s the work of Judd Apatow.

Persons: ’, Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott’s, Crowe, Maximus, Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix, Scott, Napoleon, ”, Steven Spielberg, Roy Scheider’s, Brody, Kung, Jack Black, Jackie Chan, David Cross, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Angelina Jolie, Randall Duk Kim, Lucy Liu, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, Christopher McQuarrie, Tom Cruise, John Woo, Brian De Palma’s, Brad Bird, Paul Rudd, Judd Apatow, David Wain, Kerri Kenney, Silver, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Rudd, Seann William Scott, J, Thompson, Christopher Mintz Organizations: Netflix Locations: Italy, Phoenix

☆ Britain Says Bye-Bye to Its Only Pandas as They’ll Soon Depart for China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, crowds gathered to say goodbye and catch one final look at Yang Guang and Tian Tian, who for 12 years have enraptured millions of visitors and residents of Edinburgh. “We’ve flown up for the day; we must be mad,” Lauren Darling, who recently visited the zoo, told The Telegraph. But American zoo officials and scientists said that it came down to biology, or “panda time,” since the three pandas should be going back to China because they are at an advanced age. A similar reason was cited by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. The pandas, the zoo said, arrived in Edinburgh in December 2011 as part of a 10-year arrangement between the organization’s charity and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, which allowed them to keep the pandas an extra two years because of the pandemic.

Persons: Yang Guang, Tian Tian, “ We’ve, ” Lauren Darling, It’s, Rebecca Plant Organizations: Telegraph, National Zoo, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: Edinburgh, Britain, Washington, China

If that's your plan, we'll show you how to watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade live stream below. How to watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeNBC is broadcasting the 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade nationally. How to watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from anywhereIf you're not in the United States, you won't be able to access Peacock without a bit of trickery. How to watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with a VPNSign up for a VPN if you don't have one. Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Persons: Pillsbury, Luffy, Leo, Kung Fu, We'll, Cher, Brandi, WWE's Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio, they've, ExpressVPN, you'll, Insider's Organizations: Sesame, NBC, Disney Plus Locations: New York City, United States, Hulu

Neither South Korea, the United States nor Japan, all of which are experiencing increasing military tensions with North Korea, could confirm the satellite had made it into orbit. But South Korea called the launch a “clear violation” of a UN Security Council resolution that prohibits North Korea from using ballistic missile technology. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un celebrates Tuesday night's satellite launch with workers in an image provided by state-run media. Japanese Defense Minister Hiroyuki Miyazawa said his country was still trying to determine whether North Korea’s satellite had reached orbit. In that meeting, Putin signaled a willingness to assist North Korea in developing its space and satellite program.

Persons: “, ”, Kim Jong Un, Fumio Kishida, Hiroyuki Miyazawa, KCNA, Kim Song, ” KCNA, Carl Schuster, Ankit, “ They’re, Leif, Eric Easley, Shin Won, sik, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Panda, “ Let’s Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korean Central News Agency, UN, Korean, Japan’s, US, Pyongyang’s, Japanese, Council, North Korean, North, Korea’s National Aerospace Development, Analysts, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence, Carnegie Endowment, International, Ewha University, Korea’s Defense Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Korea, United States, Japan, Japan’s Okinawa, Japanese, Pyongyang, East China, KCNA . North Korea, Russian, Russia, Koreans

☆ Rival Koreas race to launch first spy satellites this month
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A still photograph shows what appears to be North Korea's new Chollima-1 rocket being launched in Cholsan County, North Korea, May 31, 2023 in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency and taken from video. KCNA via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Both South and North Korea aim to launch their first spy satellites into orbit by the end of the month, entering a race for military capabilities in space. North Korea has notified Japan it plans to launch a satellite between Wednesday and Dec. 1, after two failed attempts to launch spy satellites earlier this year. Seoul plans to use SpaceX to launch four more spy satellites by 2025, and has test launched its own liquid and solid fuel rockets to launch more civilian and military satellites in the future. South Korea's capabilities are more advanced, but it still has to make more progress to see results, Chun said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Kim Hyun, chong, Chun, Panda, Josh Smith, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, SpaceX, California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base, Carnegie Endowment, International, North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration, South Korean, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Cholsan County, North Korea, Rights SEOUL, Japan, South Korea, Seoul, Korea, South, U.S, Pyongyang, United States, Washington

☆ Staff at Pure Barre and other boutique gyms say a major franchisee stiffed them on pay, sent bizarre emails, and talked about drinking his own urine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Jake Swearingen | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Staff at some Pure Barre, CycleBar, Row House, and other high-end fitness studios aren't being paid. Outposts of CycleBar, Row House, and other pricey fitness studios have also shut their doors, suddenly and sometimes without explanation. In one call reviewed by Business Insider, Brown spoke about drinking his own urine. In his November 8 email to all studio staff, Brown wrote that he "failed all of you." And unlike the fitness studio employees, they didn't find the message or tone of Brown's November 8 email surprising.

Persons: Mitch Brown, —, Brown, Amy, Xponential, Jaime Miettinen, Miettinen, Mitch, Jason Whitman, Stride, hollowing, we're, Pamela Chatman, CycleBar, Subreddits, Chatman Organizations: Service, Staff, Business, Midwest, Professional Holdings, Employees, Xponential, Research, Holdings, Fitness, Pure Locations: Barre, CycleBar, Pure Barre, Detroit, California, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Brown

☆ China and Saudi Arabia sign a $7 billion currency swap agreement, adding to de-dollarization push
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Aruni Soni | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China and Saudi Arabia signed a currency swap agreement worth around $7 billion. China's o utstanding balance of forex swap lines hit a record 117.1 billion yuan, Bloomberg reported. AdvertisementChina and Saudi Arabia reached a currency swap agreement worth around $7 billion, marking another step in the dedollarization trend as countries around the world shift away from the greenback. The three-year deal allows for a maximum of 50 billion yuan or 26 billion riyals. And although Russia is China's top oil supplier, China imported $65 billion worth of Saudi crude oil in 2022, according to Chinese customs data cited by Reuters.

Persons: — Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, greenback, Reuters, RBC, JPMorgan, Initiative Locations: China, Saudi Arabia, dedollarization, Russia, Argentina, Beijing, Peru, Malaysia

☆ Xi Jinping Revives Hopes for Pandas’ Return to the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( James T. Areddy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Xiao Qi Ji, the 3-year-old male giant panda born at the National Zoo in Washington, was flown to China earlier this month along with his parents. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesChinese leader Xi Jinping ’s suggestion that China would send new pandas to the U.S. was a minor gesture in an otherwise bitter rivalry but symbolic of attempts by both governments to find areas to cooperate. It was also a reminder of how pandas have long occupied a special place in U.S.-China diplomacy.

Persons: Xiao Qi Ji, Anna Moneymaker, Xi Jinping Organizations: National Zoo, Getty Images Locations: Washington, China

Chinese Yuan and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. The surge in their borrowing from Chinese banks has catapulted the yuan past the euro into becoming the second-biggest currency used in global trade finance, providing a fillip to Beijing's ambitions to internationalize the yuan. "Panda bonds are steadily promoting the renminbi's function as a funding currency", the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said a report last month. German automaker Volkswagen Group (VOWG_p.DE) told Reuters it will use its inaugural 1.5 billion yuan panda bond proceeds only for its onshore China business. ($1 = 7.2421 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Samuel Shen and Rae Wee Editing by Vidya Ranganathan and Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yuan, Dado Ruvic, Fiona Lim, Lim, SWIFT, Mercedes, Yuan internationalisation, Mark Williams, It's, Maybank's Lim, Williams, Samuel Shen, Rae Wee, Vidya Ranganathan, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, BMW, Crédit Agricole S.A, National Bank of Canada, People's Bank of China, Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of China's, Volkswagen Group, Reuters, Benz Group, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, China, Hong Kong, Asia, Russia, Argentina, Pakistan, Nigeria

The San Diego Zoo sent its pandas home in 2019 and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year. Whatever the reason, San Diego Zoo officials were hopeful. "It is a moment with some heartbreak in it,” National Zoo Director Brandie Smith said at the time. The San Diego Zoo has been panda-less for four years and may need to upgrade or refurbish its facilities. The National Zoo had announced plans to renovate its panda house and outdoor enclosure, but the timing on those plans is unclear.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Xi, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji —, ”, Daniel Ashe, ” Dennis Wilder, ” Wilder, Wilder, Gavin Newsom's, Xi’s, Paul A, Baribault, Ling, Hsing, Brandie Smith, Le Le, Didi Tang, Amy Taxin Organizations: WASHINGTON, San Diego Zoo, National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, Veteran, Economic Cooperation, Association of Zoos, Aquariums, Georgetown University’s Initiative, U.S, California Gov, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, “, Zoo, Associated Press Locations: America, California, San Diego, U.S, Memphis , Tennessee, China, Veteran China, People's Republic, Asia, San Francisco, United States, Washington, Memphis, Santa Ana , California

☆ Panda Diplomacy Might Not Be Dead Just Yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Edward Wong | More About Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The fur balls might be coming back to Washington and San Diego. Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said in a speech on Wednesday night that his nation’s best diplomats, giant pandas, might soon return to zoos in the United States that have recently sent bears back to their homeland. “We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation, and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples,” he told a gathering of mostly business executives at a dinner in San Francisco. Mr. Xi pointed out that the pandas are “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”Panda-monium gripped the United States last week when the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington sent its two aging adult pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, or “Little Miracle,” back to China on a 19-hour FedEx flight, the Panda Express.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Mr, Xi, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji Organizations: FedEx, Panda Express Locations: Washington, San Diego, United States, San Francisco, China

☆ US would welcome back any pandas from China, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The United States would welcome back any giant pandas China decides to send, the White House said on Thursday after Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted he might return some of the cuddly-looking black-and-white bears as a friendship gesture. And we respect the sovereign decision that China made to remove some of the pandas," White House spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing. "And certainly should a decision be made by the PRC (People's Republic of China) to restore some of the pandas to the United States, we would absolutely welcome them back." He said he also learned that the San Diego Zoo and people in California look forward to welcoming pandas back. "Pandas have long been envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples," Xi said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, John Kirby, Xi, Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Doina Chiacu, Michael Martina, Chris Reese Organizations: PRC, People's, San, Economic Cooperation, San Diego Zoo, Pandas, World Wildlife Fund, Zoo, Thomson Locations: United, China, People's Republic of China, United States, San Francisco, Asia, California, Washington, Sichuan

Later, Beijing loaned the pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs. The National Zoo’s three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, eight days ago began their long trip to China. After their departure, only four pandas are left in the United States, in the Atlanta Zoo. Unproven allegations that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas, known as China’s “national treasure,” flooded China’s social media. The San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, Xi, Joe Biden, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Biden, Ashraf Khalil Organizations: FRANCISCO, U.S ., National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Garden, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Associated Press Locations: China, United States, California, San Diego, U.S, Beijing, Washington, San Francisco, Memphis , Tennessee

☆ China pandas: Xi Jinping hints he could send new pandas to US as ‘envoys of friendship’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Yong Xiong | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Their departure leaves Zoo Atlanta as the only other US zoo to feature pandas from China. “Recently, the three pandas at Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C. have returned to China. The Chinese leader did not offer additional details on where any future Chinese pandas might be sent, but suggested California would be the most likely destination. The San Diego Zoo returned its last two pandas to China in 2019, after the loan agreement concluded. It’s also the Chinese leader’s first trip to the US in more than six years.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, “, Xi, Joe Biden, Richard Nixon’s, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji –, It’s, Biden Organizations: CNN, San Diego Zoo, Beijing –, Smithsonian National Zoo, Smithsonian National, Zoo, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Locations: China, United States, San Francisco, Beijing, Europe, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Qatar, Washington ,, Zoo Atlanta, Washington, California, Bali , Indonesia

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