Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said yesterday that the Taipei City Government will not lift its ban on the slaughtering of fowl in traditional markets even if the H7N9 influenza outbreak abates.

Taipei prosecutors yesterday said they will investigate claims made by a magazine that three Taipei city councilors may be involved in the Twin Towers bidding scandal, a charge that all three have rejected.

The Maokong Gondola will be closed from May 13 to 31 to undergo annual maintenance, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) announced yesterday.

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 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.

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.

Hollywood superstar Will Smith is scheduled to arrive in Taipei Thursday, along with his 15-year-old son Jaden, to promote their new film “After Earth,” Sony Pictures said yesterday.

Following in the footsteps of Keelung and Taichung, Taipei Harbor will launch a direct passenger service between Taiwan and China on May 13, Taiwan International Ports Corp. (TIPC) said yesterday.

“Tung flowers are blossoming all over New Taipei City.” This was the message yesterday from Pong Huey-yuan (彭惠圓), New Taipei's Hakka Affairs commissioner, who added that there are 19 trails offering scenic tung flower viewing throughout the city's 10 districts.

The Taipei City Government's Traffic Engineering Office (TEO, 交通管制工程處) will create 170 new pedestrian-only lanes over the next two years.