From the News, Nation, Dawn, Pakistan Observer, Daily Times, Frontier Post, Nawa-i-Waqt (Urdu) and Jang (Urdu) newspapers                                                                            

14 January, 2009

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

POLITICAL

-          Tokyo (AFP) A senior lawmaker defected from Japan’s ruling party Tuesday, casting a shadow over the struggling government after it pushed ahead with the controversial budget aimed at reviving Asia’s largest economy. (Pakistan Observer, p-3)  

ECONOMIC 

-     Tokyo (Agencies) Japan’s current account surplus shrank 6509 percent in November from a year earlier as exports slumped due to weak demand in recession-hit overseas economies, official figures showed Tuesday. (The Frontier Post, p-8)

-     Tokyo (Agencies) Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. Said Tuesday it hoped to receive more satellite launch orders for its H-2A rocket after it won a South Korean contract, its first deal with a foreign customer. (The Frontier Post, p-5)