It's time for today's episode of News Bites.

I'm Nancy Sun…

And I'm Hope Ngo.

In today's news:

One of the best cities in Asia, and Paris' six-legged problem…

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…

There's something you may not know about Taiwan's achievements at the Asian Games this year. Stay tuned to find out more!

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全球最佳城市，台北排名亞洲第11

Taipei Ranked 11th Best City in Asia.

A while ago, we mentioned that Taiwan was voted "Top Adventure Destination" by Trazee website.

This time, Taipei has been ranked 11th in 2024's "Best Cities of Asia".

A company called Resonance Consultancy has been ranking the world's cities for many years.

The company does work in real estate, travel, and financial development.

For ranking cities, it looks at three key factors: livability, lovability, and prosperity.

This year, Taipei ranked 42nd in the world.

And it was 11th in Asia.

1st place went to London.

And 1st in Asia went to Tokyo.

全球百大最佳城市排名第一的是倫敦，在亞洲城市方面，第一是東京。

Taiwan's ranking this year was better than last year's.

Last year, Taiwan was 61st globally and 13th in Asia.

The company says Taipei has a "dual landscape", with an urban jungle, and real jungles.

Taipei is a metropolis (大都會) surrounded by natural scenery.

Whether it's Daan Forest Park, Maokong, Yangmingshan or Beitou hot springs, it's all a ride away on public transportation.

The company also says Taipei is "a trove (寶庫) of tasty treasures."

Taipei was ranked 9th in the world for restaurants.

Resonance said that Taipei has "dynamic (活躍的) culinary scenes."

In the shopping category, Taipei rated 12th globally.

Resonance pointed out that computer makers such as Acer and Asus are in Taipei.

This means there are a lot of electronic goods here to buy.

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巴黎臭蟲危機引發國際恐慌

Paris's Bedbug Problem Sparks Worries Worldwide

Have you ever seen a bedbug?

It is an insect that lives mostly in beds and feeds on people's blood.

They're very small, about 5 to 7 millimeters, and they mainly come out to feed at night

They can also be found on clothing, furniture, plane seats and movie theater seats.

The history of bedbugs dates back to ancient Egypt.

This means they have been sucking on human blood for thousands of years.

During the 1950s, bedbugs were eradicated (剷除) in the developed world.

That's all thanks to new pest control products, vacuums and washing machines.

But in the late 1990s, bed bugs started to come back.

That was because more people were traveling to other countries, and many people didn't know much about bedbugs.

Recently, Paris has been struggling with a bedbug problem.

There have been reports of people finding bedbugs in many places in the French city.

The city has just hosted 2 international event, Paris Fashion Week and the Rugby World Cup.

These events brought thousands of visitors to the city.

Some people worry that they may go home with an unwelcome souvenir (紀念品), bedbugs.

People in the UK are also worried about bedbugs.

15 Eurostar trains from Paris reach the UK every day.

There's also been a jump in Google searches for information about "bedbugs"

Experts say many people have asked about how to protect themselves from bedbugs.

But so far, there is no evidence that the bedbugs have spread to other places.

The experts are still suggesting that people take some precautions (預防).

You can check your bed for bedbugs.

If there are bedbugs in your bed, you will probably find bedbug feces (糞便) on the mattress.

Keep an eye out for them, check your furniture regularly and you'll be just fine.

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So, in today's News Bites:

Taipei has been ranked 11th in 2024's "Best Cities of Asia".

Resonance Consultancy has been ranking the world's cities for many years, and this year, Taipei ranked 42nd in the world.

The company says Taipei has a "dual landscape", with an urban jungle, and real jungles

The company also says Taipei is "a trove of tasty treasures."

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And,

Paris has been struggling with a bedbug problem.

Some people worry that they may go home with an unwelcome souvenir.

So far, there is no evidence that the bedbugs have spread to other places.

But experts are still suggesting that people take some precautions.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

For today's Tasty Tidbit, let's start with some fun to get the ball rolling…

You ready?

Why can't Cinderella play soccer?

Because she's always running away from the ball!

Okay okay, here's 12-year-old Shawn from Yang Ming Junior High School in Kaohsiung, with something you may not know about the Asian Games.

…

If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [email protected], and you might hear it at the end of an episode!

Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!