"Bagpipers greet pandas arriving in Scotland" December 05, 2011|Associated Press
LONDON - Two giant pandas from China landed yesterday in Scotland, where they will become the first to live in Britain in nearly two decades.
The 8-year-old pair, named Tian Tian and Yang Guang - or Sweetie and Sunshine - were welcomed by bagpipe players and a host of dignitaries as they touched down at Edinburgh Airport on a chartered Boeing 777 flight called the “Panda Express.’’
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The loan marked the beginning of a United Kingdom-China research program on the animals, and both sides have described it as a signal of a growing friendship between Scotland and China. China sometimes gives or lends pandas - considered a Chinese national treasure - to other countries to boost relations.
“It shows that we can cooperate closely not only on commerce, but on a broad range of environmental and cultural issues as well,’’ said British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg....
And that means no war, right?
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