i and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Jeffrey Mo.

Today, we'll be talking about platform screen doors, and some mysterious UFO
files released by the Pentagon.

And for News Flash, we'll explain what 'transparent' means.

Stay tuned to learn more.
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台灣高鐵將全面加裝月台門
Taiwan High Speed Rail to Add Platform Doors

Have you ever stood on a train platform and felt a strong gust of wind as a
train rushed by?

That's one reason Taiwan High Speed Rail (台灣高鐵) is adding platform doors
(月台門) at all stations across Taiwan.

The company recently announced that every THSR station will eventually have
these safety doors installed.

Hsinchu Station and Banqiao Station will be the first to begin construction.
新竹站和板橋站將率先安裝月台門。

The new platform doors are expected to be finished there by the end of the
year.

The rest of the stations will be completed in stages.
其它高鐵站也會分階段安裝月台門。

The entire project is expected to finish by early 2028.

Platform doors are barriers placed between passengers and the train tracks.

The doors only open when a train arrives at the correct spot.

THSR said it wants to make its stations safer.

These doors can help prevent people or objects from accidentally falling onto
the tracks.

TSHR said the new doors will be half-height (半高式) and transparent (透明的).
高鐵表示，新設的月台門會採用半高式透明設計。

The doors can also withstand strong winds from typhoons (颱風) and the air
pressure (氣壓) from trains entering stations.

The platform-screen doors are designed for future trains too!

THSR is planning to add a new fleet of trains called the 'N700ST', which are
expected to arrive by 2028.

These new trains will have doors in slightly different positions from the
current 700T trains.

To make sure both types of trains can use the stations, the new platform
doors will have wider openings that work with both train fleets.

The company says the project is part of what it calls 'High Speed Rail 2.0'.

In other words, improving not only speed and convenience, but also safety and
passenger experience.
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五角大廈公開幽浮檔案
Pentagon Releases UFO Files

Do you believe in unidentified flying objects, i.e. UFOs (不明飛行物)?

The U.S. Pentagon (五角大廈) has released hundreds of files related to UFO
sightings (幽浮目擊事件).

And many people around the world are paying attention.

The new release includes over 160 files.

These contain old FBI documents, government cables (政府電報), NASA transcripts
(逐字紀錄), photographs, and military videos.

Some have never been seen by the public before.
其中有些資料是首次公開。

One of the most talked-about images comes from the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

The NASA photo shows three dots in a triangular formation (三角形排列).

Officials said there is still "no consensus (共識)" about what the object might
be.

However, an early analysis (分析) suggested it could have been a real physical
object.

The files were released after U.S. President Donald Trump promised that
interesting UFO documents would soon become public.

The Pentagon says the goal is to provide "maximum transparency (透明度)" so
people can examine (檢視) the information themselves.

也就是讓民眾可以自己查看這些資料。

Its website includes black-and-white military photos and videos of strange
flying objects.

Some videos show tiny fast-moving dots.

Others show larger shapes captured by military sensors (軍事感測器).

One object was described as being shaped like an American football.

Another document describes an unusual sighting (目擊事件) from 1994.

A pilot and several Americans flying over Kazakhstan reported seeing a
brightly lit object in the sky.

According to the report, the object made sudden 90-degree turns and moved in
circles at very high speeds.

There are even older stories in the files.

In a 1969 interview, astronaut Buzz Aldrin talked about seeing unusual lights
while traveling near the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.

Still, none of this proves aliens exist.

The Pentagon says there is currently no evidence (證據) that the U.S.
government has confirmed alien technology.
五角大廈表示，目前沒有證據顯示美國政府已證實外星科技的存在。

So why release the files now?

In 2022, the U.S. Congress ordered the Pentagon to begin declassifying (解密)
old UFO records.

Lawmakers wanted more openness about unexplained sightings in the sky.

Some military pilots had also reported strange encounters (遭遇) over the years.

The government later created a special office to study these unidentified
anomalous phenomena (不明異常現象), or UAPs.

That's the newer official term for UFOs.

Some scientists believe many sightings can eventually be explained by
weather, technology, or human mistakes.

Others think a small number of cases remain mysterious (神秘的).
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So in today's News Bites,

Taiwan High Speed Rail announced that all stations will eventually install
platform doors.

The new doors are designed to improve passenger safety and handle strong
winds and future train systems.

Hsinchu and Banqiao stations will be the first to complete construction.
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And the U.S. Pentagon released hundreds of UFO-related files.

The documents include photos, videos, and reports of unusual flying objects
seen over many years.

However, officials say there is still no proof of alien technology.
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In today's News Flash, let's talk about the word 'transparent'.

'Transparent' usually means something you can see through, like the new
platform-screen doors in today's Taiwan story.

But it can also mean being open and honest with information.

In the UFO story, the Pentagon said it wanted more 'transparency (透明度)' by
releasing secret files to the public.
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If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to
share with us, record your message and send your Bite-Sized Break to
newsbites@icrt.com.tw. You might hear it in an episode!

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites.