Giant panda in Macau gives birth to twins

Giant panda Xin Xin gave birth to the twins on Sunday afternoon

A giant panda in Macau has given birth to twins, the first pandas to be born in the Chinese region.

Xin Xin delivered the two male cubs on Sunday afternoon at the Giant Panda Pavilion in Coloane, said officials.

She and the larger cub were in good health, but the smaller cub was underweight and was taken into intensive care.

Xin Xin and her mate Kai Kai were a gift from the mainland and arrived in Macau last year.

They mated naturally, a government spokeswoman told BBC News, but Xin Xin was also artificially inseminated with sperm from Kai Kai.

In Putonghua 'kai' means open and 'xin' means heart, and 'kai xin' mean happy

Xin Xin and Kai Kai mated naturally, according to a government spokeswoman

The larger cub, weighing 138g (0.3 lb), was born at 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT). The smaller cub, weighing just 53.8g, was born at 16:27 local time.

The panda pavilion has been closed since 14 June to prepare for the delivery.