*Oct rise of 0.1 pct had spurred weak Q4 forecasts. OTTAWA, Jan 31- Canada's economy grew faster than expected in November, rising 0.3 percent after a tepid 0.1 percent rise in October and no gain in September, Statistics Canada said on Thursday.
*MSCI Asia ex- Japan falls 0.4 pct, Nikkei closes up at 33- mth high. Sentiment in Asian markets remained underpinned, however, by positive factory output data in Japan, and strong gross domestic product reports from Taiwan and the Philippines.
WASHINGTON, Jan 30- The White House on Wednesday blamed the surprising contraction of the U.S. economy at the end of last year at least partly on Republican "political brinkmanship" for threatening to let defense cuts take effect.
*Fourth-quarter growth falls at 0.1 percent annual rate. WASHINGTON, Jan 30- The U.S. economy unexpectedly contracted in the fourth quarter, suffering its first decline since the recession ended more than three years ago as businesses scaled back on restocking and government spending plunged.
NEW YORK, Jan 30- An unexpected contraction in the U.S. economy in late 2012 should dispel fears that the Federal Reserve will soon end its aggressive monetary expansion, economists said on Wednesday.