Mother panda Yuan Yuan plays with her 3-month-old cub Yuan Zai at Tapei Zoo in Taiwan.An April Fool report claiming that one of Taiwan's beloved pandas had been infected by parasites and could be euthanised went "too far", the upset mayor of Taipei said Wednesday.An April Fool report claiming that one of Taiwan's beloved pandas had been infected by parasites and could be euthanised went "too far", the upset mayor of Taipei said Wednesday.The story, published on the homepages of Next Media websites in Hong Kong and Taiwan, claimed that Yuan Yuan, mother of the first Taiwan-born panda cub Yuan Zai, was seriously ill."Taipei Zoo officials have been discussing euthanizing her... much like Copenhagen Zoo recently did with its giraffe Marius," the story said.The story sparked immediate concern from local media, and saw the concerned Taipei government rush to check with zoo authorities whether it was true."All the three pandas have been in good shape," Taipei mayor Hua Lung-bin said, according to a spokesman. "We don't know the motive of the story. The joke has been taken too far."To help pacify concerns, the zoo released photographs showing an energetic Yuan Yuan at the zoo.Panda-mania swept Taiwan after her cub was delivered on July 6 last year.Since her public debut on January 6, the cub, Yuan Zai, has attracted more than 1.6 million visitors, according to zoo authorities. Afghan policemen secure the site at the main checkpoint leading to the Interior Ministry, after a suicide bomb blast in Kabul.KABUL, April 2 (Reuters) - A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself outside Afghanistan's interior ministry in central Kabul on Wednesday, killing himself and at least six policemen, the latest in a string of attacks ahead of Afghanistan's April 5 presidential election.Taliban insurgents also killed nine civilians including a provincial council candidate in northern Afghanistan, local officials said.The Islamist Taliban have promised to do everything in their power to disrupt the April 5 vote when Afghans elect a successor to the incumbent president, Hamid Karzai, who is barred by the constitution from running again.The Kabul attack came on the last day of campaigning for an election that is intended to mark the first democratic transfer of power in Afghanistan's history."A suicide bomber wearing a military uniform ... detonated his explosives at the main gate of the interior ministry," the ministry said in a statement."As soon as the bomber saw some policemen he detonated his explosives. It was impossible for him to enter the facility with the suicide vest," a ministry spokesman added.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in an e-mail, saying the bomber had penetrated a third ring of security at the ministry before setting off the blast.The Taliban have stepped up the pace of attacks in the run-up to the vote, targeting those organising the election and foreigners, but campaign rallies have been largely undisturbed.In the northern province of Sar-e-Pul, militants shot dead nine people, including provincial council candidate Hussain Nazari, after kidnapping them two days ago, officials said."They were travelling from Balkhab district to central Sar-e-Pul to attend a campaign two days ago