Economic concerns are not factored into the yet-to-be-announced interpretation by the Council of Grand Justices of whether the Cabinet's decision to ax the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant project violated the constitution, according to one of the justices.
Justice Wang Che-chien (王澤鑑) said the deliberations of 15-member council had focused on whether the cabinet had adhered to procedure stated in the constitution and not economic or politcal factors related to the issue.
"The economic and social impact of the nuclear power plant will be left to the government and the Legislative Yuan to decide," Wang said. He added that the council would announce its decision on Monday at 3pm.
Heavy economic losses by the government and shaken confidence in the business sector in the nation's ability to maintain its supply of electricy if the 2,700-megawatt plant is cancelled was reported by some local media to have been weighing on the council's deliberations.
But Wang denied the reports, saying that the ruling would be a "very good example of judicial independence. None of my collegaues had any pressure from anyone, including the government." The final outcome of the nuclear plant project, which was axed by the Cabinet in October, has received the sharply focused attention of the nation's industry leaders. Fears among business leaders that cancellation of the plant would lead to power shortages have not been eased by the government's plan to make up the shortfall by encouraging the expansion of independent power production.
A ruling by the council that cancellation of the plant, which is already more than 30 percent complete, was in violation of the constitution could precipitate a cabinet reshuffle only four months after the last one over the same issue.
According to George Hsu (
The political symbolism of a decision by the council to rule the cabinet's action as unconstitutional, undermining the executive authority of the cabinet, would cause further "turmoil in the economy," Hsu said.
Hsu's sentiments were echoed by Chen Tien-jy (陳添枝), and economics professor at National Taiwan University, who said a "clear cut" decision in favor of the cabinet's action would be the best outcome from an economic standpoint. He said that an ambigious ruling would lead to widely differing interpretations and escalate the current conflict between the government and opposition parties.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
RECORD-BREAKING: TSMC’s net profit last quarter beat market expectations by expanding 8.9% and it was the best first-quarter profit in the chipmaker’s history Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which counts Nvidia Corp as a key customer, yesterday said that artificial intelligence (AI) server chip revenue is set to more than double this year from last year amid rising demand. The chipmaker expects the growth momentum to continue in the next five years with an annual compound growth rate of 50 percent, TSMC chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) told investors yesterday. By 2028, AI chips’ contribution to revenue would climb to about 20 percent from a percentage in the low teens, Wei said. “Almost all the AI innovators are working with TSMC to address the
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”