Barack Obama heads to London for European tour

Democratic nominee likely to come under fire for appearing to backtrack on plans to pull out US troops from Iraq Tom Baldwin in Washington and Roger Boyes in Berlin Barack Obama will make his first trip as Democratic presidential nominee to London next week, at the start of a tour of Europe where a warm embrace may be overshadowed by his effort to explain how - and when - America's military should disentangle itself from Iraq. In his debut on the international stage Mr Obama will visit seven countries in as many days, with stops in Britain, France, Germany, Israel and Jordan. He is likely also to make undisclosed trips to Iraq and Afghanistan. His appearance in London is expected to be fleeting, British sources said. Mr Obama's advance team had made plain that he wants to get in and out of the city “as expeditiously as... [read full story]