The push by Asia-Pacific leaders to establish a trading bloc that would cover almost one-third of the global economy threatens to overshadow Washington’s plans for a trans-Pacific economic partnership. The WSJ’s Patrick Barta has the story.

Auckland Law Professor Jane Kelsey says TPP critics will welcome Thailand’s participation, as it will make an already complex deal even more difficult to conclude and bring Thailand’s well-informed analysts, politicians and NGOs into the multi-country campaign to stop the TPP”. Kelsey said the Thai government’s announcement that it wishes to join the Trans-Pacific partnership negotiations during a visit byPresident Obama …

Reggie Brown – Obama personator – has the moves. Here’s the English lyrics – if you can be bothered. Oppa is Gangnam style Gangnam style A girl who is warm and humanly during the day A classy girl who know how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee A girl whose heart gets hotter when night comes A …

President Obama  extended “the hand of friendship” as the country emerges from five decades of harsh authoritarian rule, but cautioned that the young democracy has “much further to go.” “Instead of being repressed, the right of people to assemble together must now be fully respected,” the president told a subdued crowd at a well-maintained auditorium in an otherwise crumbling building …

Federated Farmers Grain & Seed is upbeat about the sale of Solid Energy’s agribusiness division of Biodiesel New Zealand which has resulted in the formation of a new company, Pure Oil New Zealand. “After hearing a few weeks ago it was possible Solid Energy could simply shut the doors of Biodiesel, this is the news oilseed rape growers have been …

Asia Society’s Suzanne DiMaggio says Beijing will closely monitor Barack Obama’s Asia trip to get a sense of how much the U.S. hopes to increase its influence in the region.

Barack Obama, the US president, is on his first foreign policy trip since his re-election. His southeast Asian tour will take him to Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia. The US hopes to increase its influence in the region. But as Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane reports, it is the historic visit to Myanmar that has divided opinion.

The panellists (L-R): Professor Paul Spoonley, AsiaNZ’s Dr Andrew Butcher, Terence O’Brien and Fran O’Sullivan  focused on what impact Obama’s re-election will have on the US’ relations with Asia, and how that, in turn, will affect New Zealand.  asianz-us-elections.mp3

Israeli military says its “Iron Dome” defense system intercepted 13 rockets fired from Gaza on Wednesday in what appears to be retaliation for Israeli airstrikes that reportedly killed 10, including the commander of the Hamas military wing. The Israeli military said the some 20 airstrikes were part of a major offensive dubbed “Operation Pillar of Defense,” Reuters reports. “All options …

Israel has chosen to attack Gaza in order to avoid reaching a longer-term peace settlement than was being negotiated with the help of Hamas’ military leader Ahmen Jabari, who was assassinated in an Israeli attack Wednesday, says Israeli activist. Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin spoke to RT confirming that Ahmen Jabari was involved in peace settlement negotiations with Israel and …