Taipei city councilors lashed out at the city government on Tuesday for spending NT$15 million of taxpayers' money to apply for a designation given by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) — an honor the city may not even qualify for.

The Pingtung County Government yesterday fined the Yoho Beach Resort NT$120,000 for illegally expanding its hotel's operating area.

Taoyuan led the nation in surging housing prices with a 21-percent jump, according to a study on the index of housing prices conducted by Sinyi Realty Inc. (信義房屋) and National Chengchi University (政治大學).

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) said yesterday that he would be happy to see Liao Liou-yi (廖了以), who recently resigned as chairman of the Association of East Asian Relations (AEAR), run in next year's Taichung mayoral race, which will be held as part of the nationwide seven-in-one elections.

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu said Monday his government will step up efforts to develop the city's Wufeng District into a hub for making movies.

The number of visitors to Taipei Zoo has remained stable despite fears over a possible H7N9 avian flu outbreak, zoo officials said Monday, adding that it has stepped up efforts to prevent contact between visitors and the birds.

Greater Taichung looks set to be a key factor the seven-in-one elections in 2014 as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislators Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), Tsai Chi-chung (蔡其昌) and Su Chia-chuan all expressed yesterday a desire to run for mayor of Taichung.

Interior Minister Lee Hong-yuan yesterday said his ministry will discuss with the Pingtung County Government and the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to see what they should do about the Yoho Beach Resort, but maintained that legally licensed sections of the Kenting hotel will remain open.

Environmental authorities have ordered a beach resort in Kenting to suspend operations and expansion after learning that it has never undergone a mandatory government assessment of its impact to the environment, officials said yesterday.

The British Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (BCCT, 台北市英僑商務協會) held its first ever Corporate Social Responsibility Recognition (CSR) and Idea Sharing Charity Dinner at the Sherwood Hotel in Taipei yesterday.