Taipei - The Taipei 101, currently the world's tallest building, went dark for one hour Saturday evening to observe Earth Hour, the global campaign to raise awareness about global warming.

The 508-metre-tall Taipei 101 turned off all its exterior lights - except its red aircraft warning lights - and all the interior lights from the 6th to the 89th floors, which are occupied by private firms and offices.

The lights in the basement shopping mall and from the first to the 5th floors containing shops and restaurants remained on.

Taipei - Taiwan said Friday it is still waiting for China's invitation to attend the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, as time is running out for Taiwan to build the Taiwan Pavilion.

"Some countries have already begun to build their pavilions, but we are still waiting for the invitation from the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination," Chao Yung-chuan, secretary-general of the China External Trade Development Council, told the German Press Agency dpa.

Taipei - Taiwan posted s slump of 22 per cent in export orders in February for the fifth straight month, as deteriorating economic conditions further eroded overseas demand, the Economics Ministry said Tuesday.

In February, the island received orders worth 20.12 billion US dollars, down 22.27 per cent year-on-year, but a marked increase from a record contraction of 41.67 per cent registered in January, the ministry said in a statement.

Taipei - Taiwan's stocks ended 2.3 per cent higher Tuesday, bolstered by Wall Street's overnight rally, dealers said.

The main TAIEX stock index opened higher and extended its upward trend to close at 5,242.18 points, up 118 points or 2.3 per cent from Monday's trade.

Dealers said the US government's announcement of its plan to absorb bad debts of major US banks brought forth a bullish sentiment in the local stock market, igniting strong buying in the financial and construction sectors.

Taipei - The number of foreigners visiting Taiwan fell more than 5 per cent in January and February, but the number of Chinese tourists surged more than 100 per cent, the Tourism Bureau said Tuesday.

In the first two months of the year, 580,196 foreigners as well as people from China, Hong Kong and Macau visited Taiwan, down 5.29 per cent from the same period a year earlier, the bureau said.

Two-thirds of those visitors were tourists while one-third were business travellers.

Taipei - Taiwan's jobless rate skyrocketed to 5.75 per cent to a record high in February, as sharply reduced global demand seriously battered the local manufacturing industry, a government agency said Monday.

Some 624,000 Taiwanese were officially classified as out of work, 46,000 more than in January, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said in a press statement.