Half-brother boosts Obama's standing in China

A half-brother, Mark Ndesandjo, has, it seems, been based in the southern boomtown of Shenzhen for six years, teaching orphans the piano and studying calligraphy.

Chinese television has proudly trumpeted the presence of Mr Obama's half-brother in the city just across the border from Hong Kong, where he also runs an internet company. Local media have hailed the fact that he is slim, a vegetarian and more than six feet tall.