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 …

PROGRESS ON THE FISCAL CLIFF?  Global markets are taking a breather from worrying about Southern Europe . Greece , Spain et al will be back, but in the meantime, headlines regarding the US “fiscal cliff” are grabbing all the attention. On Friday, there were some positive ones that turned market sentiment around. Republican House Speaker John Boehner said his meeting with President Obama …