Sun, Sep 10, 2023 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  CRIME

  Taichung driver sentenced

  The Taichung District Court said it had imposed a “severe punishment” — a prison term of 16 months — on a bus driver who hit and killed a woman and her infant son on a crosswalk. The verdict, which was released on Thursday last week, can be appealed. The Fengyuan Bus Transportation Co driver, surnamed Chen (陳), ran over and killed a woman, surnamed Lee (李), and her one-year-old son, who had right of way on a crosswalk at an intersection in Taichung on Dec. 27 last year. Lee’s husband, an Iraqi national, sustained minor injuries. The verdict said the collision occurred because Chen failed to slow down or stop as was required when making a legal left turn at the intersection. Chen admitted his negligence and said he had not seen the family, the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office said. The prosecutors’ office invoked the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) when requesting a heavier sentence for Chen. The driver was convicted of manslaughter, but his sentence was partially reduced because he turned himself in, the verdict said.

  ASTRONOMY

  Comet to be visible

  A newly discovered comet is set to pass through Earth’s skies this month for the first time in about 300 years and those hoping to catch a glimpse of it should use binoculars, the Tainan City Bureau of Education said on Friday. Comet C/2023 P1, also known as Comet Nishimura, was discovered by Japanese astronomer Hideo Nishimura last month, and is set to reach its closest position to Earth on Tuesday, the bureau said. In the early morning hours, it would be around 10° above the horizon near the constellation Leo, the bureau said, adding that the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle would be more visible if binoculars are used. The comet would be closest to the sun on Sunday next week, the bureau said, adding that it would be easiest to see at dusk. Meanwhile, the Tainan Astronomical Education Area said a lunar occultation of Antares — a double super-giant star in the Scorpius constellation — is set to happen on Sept. 21. The moon would pass in front of Antares at 3:56pm, and the star would be visible again at 5:17pm, it said. Sept. 22 before sunrise would be a great time for stargazers to see Mercury, as it would be at its greatest elongation, it added.

  CRIME

  Canadian man arrested

  A Canadian national has been arrested for growing cannabis in his rented apartment in Miaoli County, the National Police Agency (NPA) said on Friday. The man, identified only by the surname Chen (陳), arrived in Taiwan earlier this year to work as a foreign language teacher, the NPA said in a news release. Working in collaboration with Miaoli prosecutors, authorities raided the man’s residence last month and seized four marijuana plants, 472g of finished cannabis products, fertilizer, cannabis seeds and equipment, police said. Chen brought the seeds with him from Canada and learned how to grow cannabis plants through the Internet, police said. He denied growing the marijuana to sell, saying that it was for the personal use of himself and his Indonesian girlfriend in Taiwan, police said. The seized marijuana plants and cannabis products are estimated to have a street value of about NT$2.5 million (US$78,105). The case is being investigated by the Miaoli District Prosecutors’ Office pending charges of contravening the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例).
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