Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun…

And I'm Hope Ngo.

In today's news:

Bye bye plastic cups, hello edge of space, and this year's Eurovision winner.

Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.

________________________________

台中準備禁用塑膠一次用飲料杯

Taichung to Ban Single Use Plastic Cups

Plastic cups will soon be a thing of the past in Taichung.

Starting from October 1st, drink shops, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants will no longer be allowed to use single-use plastic cups.

今年10月1日起，台中市的「飲料店」將禁止提供塑膠一次用飲料杯。

The city government says there are around 5,000 stores that will change in Taichung.

The government says around 60-percent of these stores use disposable plastic cups.

And when all these stores make this change, the city will use 106 million less plastic cups each year!

Shops that do not follow the rules could be fined up to $6,000 NT!

But cutting down plastic waste is everyone's responsibility (責任).

So how can everyone help?

The city says people should bring their own cup as much as possible.

And to help people remember, shops will give a $5 NT discount to customers who bring their own cup.

Other cities in Taiwan are also moving to cut plastic waste.

Taipei banned (禁止) disposable plastic cups at drink shops in December last year.

New Taipei did the same starting this month.

And all around Taiwan, there are changes to use less plastic bags, straws, and other utensils.

It's an important change that can help protect the environment

________________________________

乘坐氣球享受【太空晚餐】

Eating Out at the Edge of Space

"Eating out" usually means eating at a restaurant.

But in this story, "eating out" means really, really far out…

As in, out at the edge of SPACE!

A company in France wants to take people close to space to have a meal.

Customers will sit in a capsule (太空艙).

The capsule can fit 6 customers and 2 pilots (操作人員).

The capsule will be tied to a big balloon.

They will fly up about 25 kilometers into the sky, at a speed of about 4-meters per second.

The trip will take around 90 minutes.

From there, customers can enjoy amazing views for 3 hours.

They would be high enough to see the curve of our planet Earth.

But they won't be so high that things start floating (漂浮).

The customers will also enjoy a delicious meal.

乘客可以享受太空旅行，觀看地球的同時還可以享用美食。

The company says the food will be very "luxurious" (豪華).

The company says it has already done three test flights with pilots.

They say anyone can buy a ticket.

There are no age limits, and customers do not need training.

But how much would a ticket cost?

The company says a trip will cost around $120,000 euros.

That's about $4 million NT!

The company says the first flight will probably happen in the year 2024.

And it says tickets for that flight are sold out.

________________________________

瑞典女歌手二度奪冠【歐洲歌唱大賽】

Sweden Wins Eurovision

One of the biggest music competitions in the world has its winner!

The Eurovision Song Contest has just wrapped up.

It's an international singing competition that happens every year.

Countries mostly from Europe each send one singer or a group.

And they each sing an original song (全新的單曲).

Judges and voters help choose a winner.

This year, Sweden's Loreen won with her song "Tattoo".

This is actually her second time winning Eurovision, after also taking first place in 2012.

今年的冠軍瑞典歌手羅琳2012年就曾贏過歐洲歌唱大賽。

She said the win was "overwhelming", and she is "so thankful".

Each year, Eurovision is hosted by the country that won the year before.

So this means the Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted by Sweden next year.

________________________________

So, in today's News Bites…

Starting from October 1st, drink shops, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants in Taichung will no longer be allowed to use single-use plastic cups.

The city government says there are around 5,000 stores that will change in Taichung.

And when all these stores make this change, the city will use 106 million less plastic cups each year!

________________________________

A company in France wants to take people close to space to have a meal.

Customers will sit in a capsule, and fly up about 25 kilometers into the sky to enjoy amazing views.

The customers will also enjoy a delicious meal.

________________________________

And,

The Eurovision Song Contest has just wrapped up.

This year, Sweden's Loreen won with her song "Tattoo".

This is actually her second time winning Eurovision, after also taking first place in 2012.

________________________________

And that's today's episode of News Bites!