Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said that the possibility of him making a trip to the US in KMT presidential nominee Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) stead would need to be further discussed by the party’s campaign headquarters.
Chu had said Hung might visit the US in August or September, but Hung said it is up to her to decide whether she would make any visit, which local media reports have called “a slap in the face” for Chu.
“[Whether I will be going to the US in Hung’s stead] would have to be first fully discussed within the election campaign headquarters,” Chu said.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
When asked whether that means there is a possibility that he could make the trip, he stressed that the discussion has not yet taken place.
Separately yesterday, the authenticity of Hung’s master’s degree was questioned by radio host Clara Chou (周玉蔻), who said a program Hung attended at what was then called Northeast Missouri State University was merely a summer credit program.
Hung said that the program was indeed a “summer or winter credit program,” but added: “The diploma is real.”
“Although it was not recognized by the Ministry of Education, the study and the diploma are both real,” Hung said.
“It signifies the spirit of life-long learning, which is not done to gain promotion, but to extend my own learning,” she said, adding that a person’s academic qualifications do not indicate their capabilities, while political candidates should emphasize their policy platforms.
The ministry said later yesterday that the university, which is now called Truman State University, is on its listing of US colleges.
Department of Higher Education Director-General Huang Wen-ling (黃雯玲) said only those who plan to apply for higher degree programs or for public office and teaching positions would need the ministry to have their foreign degrees certified, which is a rigorous process.
A master’s degree, for example, would entail a minimum of eight months of full-time study to complete, Huang said.
However, if the degree was conferred by the university, it would be authentic even if it was ineligible for recognition in Taiwan because of the eight-month criterion, Huang added.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique