Taiwan's Lai sends legislative power bill back to defiant opposition

TAIPEI -- Taiwan's new government is sending a sweeping law that gives legislators significantly more power back to parliament, amid appeals by hundreds of lawyers to reconsider the bill.

President Lai Ching-te, who took office last month, on Tuesday approved the cabinet's request to ask the opposition-led legislature to review the bill on the grounds that it is "unconstitutional" and "difficult to implement." The Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party rushed the bill through last month, resulting in physical sparring with lawmakers from Lai's Democratic Progressive Party as well as large public protests.