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.

Labour leader David Shearer is pushing a ‘New Direction’ for New Zealand – with the behind scenes help of broadcasting guru Ian Fraser. His speech at the Labour Party conference was applauded by delegates. Shearer talked of two paths that lie ahead for NZ. “One path leads to disappointment, decline and constant struggle ..That’s our country’s current path, the one …