Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's stories…
A big year-end party, and a special honor for K-pop stars.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Nobody likes being stuck in a traffic jam, but this one would really DRIVE you nuts. Stay tuned to find out what we mean!
________________________________
高雄聖誕跨年嘉年華12月登場
Kaohsiung Year End Party with Fireworks Show
Kaohsiung is ending the year with a big party!
The Kaohsiung City government says this year, it is combining Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Officials say Christmas decorations will be put up in Kaohsiung's Central Park.
There will be a big reindeer that's more than 5 meters tall.
And the main Christmas tree at the park will be 20 meters tall.
That's about as tall as a 5-story building!
The city government says there will be Christmas events there on December 22nd and 23rd.
And visitors can also enjoy the Christmas market there, with more than 250 stalls and performances.
Roads and shopping areas close by will also be decorated.
There will be lots of Christmas lights, and a festive atmosphere (節日氣氛).
Officials say the holiday fun will continue into New Year's Eve.
That night, Kaohsiung will put on one of its biggest ever fireworks displays!
The city government says the New Year's Eve party will start at 6:30pm on December 31st.
And at midnight, everyone will see a big fireworks show that is four minutes long!
Officials say that is 60 seconds longer than last year.
And this time, more than 7,000 fireworks will be set off!
高雄市政府宣布，12月31日跨年晚會倒數後施放240秒跨年煙火，迎接2024年。
________________________________
BLACKPINK獲英國皇室授勳
Blackpink Presented with Honorary MBEs
Stardom for K-pop supergroup Blackpink has taken a royal turn.
The UK's King Charles III gave Rose, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa a special honor.
They were made honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire.
This honor is for people who have done great things for arts and sciences, or served the public.
In Blackpink's case, the honor was for their work in helping fight climate change.
The women were ambassadors for the COP climate change summit held in Glasgow in 2021.
The king said they help "millions of young people" care more about the environment.
英王查爾斯三世頒發「大英帝國員佐勳章」給韓國女團BLACKPINK成員，表揚她們支持環保的努力。
And he said that he admires the women for working on these important issues, and being global superstars at the same time.
The king gave each member a medal.
This happened at a special ceremony, held at Buckingham Palace.
Jennie, Jisoo, and Lisa received honorary MBEs.
Rose was given a traditional MBE, because she is a citizen of New Zealand.
And King Charles is officially the head of state (國家元首) in New Zealand.
South Korea's president Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady, Kim Keon Hee were also at the ceremony.
They were on a state visit to the UK.
Blackpink was also invited to a state banquet (國宴) at the palace.
They ate pheasant (野雞), and a dessert made with mango ice cream.
At the banquet, King Charles talked about how South Korean pop culture has reached the world.
He talked about BTS, Squid Games, and of course, Blackpink.
The king also said that he has visited South Korea before.
But he joked that he did not develop much "Gangnam Style."
The famous K-pop song was also played outside the palace earlier in the day.
Many people visit Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard (衛兵交接儀式).
Most of the time, the band plays marching songs for the changing of the guard.
But that day, they played many South Korean pop songs, including "Gangnam Style".
The band also played Blackpink's "DDU-DU DDU-DU".
What an exciting day for the group!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The Kaohsiung City government says this year, it is combining Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Officials say Christmas decorations will be put up in Kaohsiung's Central Park.
And on New Year's Eve, Kaohsiung will put on one of its biggest ever fireworks displays!
More than 7,000 fireworks will be set off!
________________________________
And,
The members of Blackpink have been made honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire.
The UK's King Charles III gave Rose, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa special medals.
The honor was for their work in helping fight climate change.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you ever been stuck in a traffic jam? Traffic jams can last for hours, but how about one that lasted 12 days? That's how long the longest traffic jam in history lasted! It happened in Beijing, China, in 2010. People were waiting in their cars for so long that some drivers fell asleep. Others started selling food and water to people stuck in their cars.
Traffic jams are so annoying. What's something else that drives you nuts?
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 newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!