Also. . .

* Japan’s current account surplus narrowed a more-than-expected 33.6% in December, as exports fell more than imports, signaling the stronger yen is eating into overseas earnings. The current account surplus narrowed to $6 billion in December, seasonally adjusted, following a 15% decline in November, the Ministry of Finance said. Economists had expected a 6% drop. From a year earlier, the surplus shrank 40%. The trade surplus is shrinking--it dropped 22% last year from 1998--as a return to economic growth draws in imports.

* Mexico plans to construct a 100-megawatt geothermal power plant in the Mexicali Valley to provide electricity to the Baja California peninsula and the state of Sonora, which border the United States, the Federal Electricity Commission said. The Cerro Prieto IV plant “will be the second biggest in the world, consolidating our country’s position as the third-largest producer of this type of energy,” the state-owned CFE said in a news release. No time frame or cost estimates were given.

* SuperShuttle International Inc., the airport transportation service, is implementing a temporary 50-cent per passenger fuel surcharge starting today. All cities and airports served by SuperShuttle’s vans, which include Los Angeles International Airport, Long Beach Airport, John Wayne Airport in Orange County and Ontario International Airport, will be affected. Like the airlines, SuperShuttle said it has decided to add the surcharge in the face of rising fuel costs. Phoenix-based SuperShuttle did not say how long the surcharge would remain in effect.