Taipei  - A Taiwan research institute on Friday revised downward its forecast for the island's 2009 economic growth to 0.89 per cent because of the global economic downturn.

The Taiwan Institute for Economic Research lowered its forecast from 4.11 per cent, which it had made in November.

"Taiwan's economy will contract in the first and second quarter but will grow in the third and fourth quarter," institute researcher Chen Miao said.

Taipei - Dutch firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) beat 135 rivals from 24 countries on Thursday to win the contract to design a world-class performing arts centre in the Taiwan capital Taipei.

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin announced that OMA, designer of many world-famous landmarks including the Central China Television Centre in Beijing, had been chosen to design the Taipei Performing Arts Centre.

OMA will form a consortium with Taiwan's Artech Inc to design the 2.2-hectare centre, which will house a 1,500-seat theatre and two 800-seat theatres.

Taipei- Taiwan's seasonally adjusted jobless rate skyrocketed to 5.01 per

Taipei  - Two Taiwan men have been arrested after being accused of extorting money from racing pigeon owners and using pigeons to pick up the ransoms, a newspaper reported Thursday.

Chung Jung-chi, 46, and Bao Wen-chin, 39, were arrested Wednesday in Taoyuan County in northern Taiwan for allegedly kidnapping nearly 100 racing pigeons and extorting almost 1 million Taiwan dollars (30,000 US dollars), the China Times reported.

Taipei - Three relatives of former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian Wednesday pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering, in the latest development of a high-profile corruption scandal implicating the ex-leader.

Chen's son Chen Chih-chung, daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching and brother-in-law Wu Ching-mao all pleaded guilty in a pre-trial hearing over their alleged roles in laundering money abroad on behalf of Chen during his time as president between 2000 and 2008.

Taipei - Taiwan stocks fell nea