Three nuclear power stations are operating in Taiwan, accounting for 16 percent of the island's power generation in 2015.

But with increased anti-nuclear opinion following the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan, Tsai Ing-wen won the presidential election with a pledge to phase out nuclear power.

Her administration submitted amendments to the electricity act to end the use of nuclear power by 2025.

The legislature passed the amendments on Wednesday.

The amendments call for greater use of renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind energy, and allow private companies to sell electricity to the main utility company.

Taiwan's administration wants to raise the percentage of renewable energy from the current 4 percent to 20 percent.

But critics say the end of nuclear power is likely to destabilize energy supply and raise utility charges.

Speaking at Mr Trump's first news conference since he was elected in November, Ms Dillon explained that all of the Trump Organization's businesses would be transferred to a trust controlled by his sons and the chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, before Mr Trump takes power on January 20.
"Together, Don, Eric, and Allen will have the authority to manage the Trump Organization and will make decisions for the duration of the presidency without any involvement whatsoever by President-elect Trump," said Ms Dillon, whose firm Morgan, Lewis and Bockius has been instructed by Mr Trump to draw up a structure to keep his business interests separate.
Ms Dillon added that an ethics adviser would be appointed to the management board of the trust to oversee any potential conflicts of interest.
Turning down deals
No new foreign deals will be made during Mr Trump's presidency, according to Ms Dillon, and domestic deals will be subject to a "rigorous vetting process".
And she said the group has cancelled more than 30 pending deals in recent weeks, in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
Earlier in the news conference Mr Trump said he had rejected a $2bn deal in Dubai last weekend, demonstrating he was putting his business activities behind him.
Previous presidents have relinquished control of their business assets by putting them into what is known as a blind trust, run by independent trustees.
Mr Trump spoke last year about dealing with his holdings in this way. However, he then questioned whether it would be a blind trust if his children were in charge of the company.
His daughter Ivanka, whose husband has been named as a senior adviser to the President-elect, will not be involved with the Trump Organization in the future, said Ms Dillon.

This decision was made on the basis of the coal pricing index and the coal market price.

Before this, the Mongolian government and Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi working group revised the agreement with TTJVCo- the operating company East Tsankhi coal mine to raise the average selling price for coal by 85 percent in December 2016. The selling price of coal is projected to remain the same at the East Tsankhi block until the second quarter of 2017.

Erdenes TT plans to extract 1.1 million tonnes of coal at the West Tsankhi block within the first two months of its operation. However, the coal sales of the block has still not yet begun.

It is expected that the East and West Tsankh blocks will help to generate USD 100 million tax revenue in the first half of 2017 and to pay off the loans to Chalco and TT JV Co.

The 6th Ulaanbaatar Burns Supper will take place on 28th January 2017. 
If you wish to join us please book in by 15th January. After this date tickets will no longer be available. http://www.mongolianconsul.com/ulan-bator-burns-supper/

Prosecutors have been checking if Samsung's support for a business and foundations backed by Park's friend, Choi Soon-sil, was connected to a 2015 decision by the national pension service to back a controversial merger of two group affiliates.

Samsung has acknowledged making contributions to two foundations as well as a consulting firm linked to Choi. The prosecution summoned two senior Samsung Group officials this week for questioning, though they were classified as witnesses.

Lee, the vice chairman of flagship affiliate Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, has managed South Korea's top conglomerate after his father and founding patriarch Lee Kun-hee was incapacitated after a May 2014 heart attack.

At a December parliament hearing, the executive denied that the firm paid bribes to pave the way for the 2015 merger.

Lee Kyu-chul, a spokesman for the special prosecution team, told a briefing Lee had been summoned for questioning at 9:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) on Thursday, over suspicions including bribery, but did not elaborate.

"All possibilities are open," the spokesman replied, when asked if the prosecution team would request an arrest warrant for the Samsung Group leader.

A Samsung Group spokeswoman declined to comment.

President Park could become South Korea's first democratically elected leader to leave office early after parliament voted in December to impeach her over the corruption scandal, a decision that must be approved or overturned by the Constitutional Court.

(Reporting by Se Young Lee and Ju-min Park; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

The autonomous region welcomed more than 23 million tourists and tourism revenue reached 33 billion yuan in 2016, annual increases of 14.7 and 17 percent respectively, according to the session.

"The region has fully promoted the standardization of tourism services, and the tourism industry has witnessed growth both in quality and effectiveness," said Losang Gyaltsan, chairman of the regional government, when delivering the annual government work report.

"More than 100,000 residents in the region's rural areas have benefited financially from tourism," Losang Gyaltsan said.

Losang Gyaltsan said the region will encourage big tourism enterprises to set up branch companies in Tibet and train more professional tourism workers in the near future.

The regional government has been making efforts to turn Tibet into a world tourism destination in recent years.

"Along with the progress of turning Tibet into a world tourism destination, the region has carried out a plan of developing regional tourism," said Xu Zhuwu, deputy Party chief of the regional government.

With unique natural landscapes and cultures, Tibet has big advantages and potential to develop tourism, Xu Zhuwu said.

In addition to improving the quality of tourism services, the region's many new plans for airlines, railways, roads and supplies have helped develop the tourism market.

Tibet has decided to build 2,000 toilets across the region in 2017, according to the government work report.

palden_nyima@chinadaily.com.cn