TRAVEL
Asiana 747 makes last stop
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday became the final overseas stop for Asiana Airlines’ last Boeing 747-400 plane, as the South Korean carrier prepares to retire the giant commercial jet known as the Queen of the Skies. The 747-400, registered as HL7428, touched down in Taiwan at 11:24am after taking off from Incheon International Airport at 10:15am and was greeted by firetrucks festively spraying it with jets of water as it taxied its way to Gate D6. The gate was chosen for its symbolism, having been the same gate where China Airlines retired its last passenger 747-400 on March 20, 2021. At 1:34pm, HL7428 took off from Taoyuan for its final trip in the skies back to Incheon before it was set to be retired. The plane’s final voyage drew the attention and attendance of many aviation aficionados and fans of the airline, completely selling out. A Hong Kong-based South Korean passenger said he was taking his mother on the final voyage to remember a trip he took with his parents to the US 15 years ago on the same plane. Another traveler, a Japanese student enrolled at a Taiwanese university, said he bought a ticket to Incheon on the plane out of interest in the model. All passengers who flew on either leg of the 747-400’s final flight were presented with commemorative luggage tags, Taoyuan ground crew personnel said.
SOCIETY
Crosswalk changes planned
People would see more green-and-white pedestrian crossings and more distance allotted for turning vehicles at intersections if a planned traffic amendment focused on improving pedestrian safety is implemented, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said. If passed, the amendment to the Regulations for Road Traffic Signs, Markings and Signals would give clear protocols for local governments to follow, ministry official Chu Da-ching (朱大慶) said. The amendment advises local governments to redesign pedestrian crossings to reduce the number of traffic accidents around intersections, the ministry said. Measures include moving crossings further away from intersections and painting crossings white and green. The eye-catching green is meant to warn approaching vehicles to slow down as they approach the crossings, Chu said. Crosswalks should be designed 3m to 5m from intersections to give drivers turning longer to react to moving pedestrians and avoid blind spots, the measures say. Local municipalities currently only have a guideline introduced last year advising them how to improve pedestrian safety. Several cities and counties have already implemented some of the new traffic regulations and said they have had positive results.
SPACE
Taiwan joins satellite show
Taiwan last week took part in this year’s Satellite Exhibition in Washington, with a pavilion displaying the nation’s achievements in the fields of microwave antennas, key satellite components and materials. The Taiwan Space Pavilion aimed to showcase the nation’s satellite innovations and capabilities, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US said. It was set up by Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), the Industrial Technology Research Institute and industry players. Tsai Hsin-hsuan (蔡欣璇), a TASA specialist in industry promotion, said that one of the highlights of the Taiwan pavilion was the TASA-developed Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) employed by the domestically developed weather satellite Triton to collect GNSS signals reflected by the Earth’s surface. As for the Formosat-7 constellation, which was launched in 2019, Tsai said the combination of observation data collected by the GNSS reflectometry and the data provided by Formosat-7 can help improve the accuracy of severe weather forecasts. Participating Taiwanese manufacturer YTTEK Technology showcased its new product — a high- speed satellite modem — while Min Chun Precision exhibited a ground-based weather radar system. The Satellite Conference and Exhibition is the largest annual gathering for the satellite and space communities.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
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