Obama arrives in Paris

Barack Obama arrived in Paris today to meet French president Nicolas Sarkozy, after delivering a sweeping speech on US-European relations before a crowd of 200,000 in Berlin. Obama is expected to move on to London today, where he will visit Gordon Brown, his predecessor Tony Blair, and Conservative party leader David Cameron. The young Democratic nominee plans a rare solo press conference outside Downing Street after meeting Brown. Although Sarkozy is known in the US as one of George Bush's closest allies – earning him the nickname "Sarko the American" – he has also signalled open arms for Obama. "Obama? He's my pal," the French president told Le Figaro newspaper today. "Unlike my diplomatic advisers, I never believed in Hillary Clinton's chances. I always said that Obama would be nominated." One Obama priority may not be as... [read full story]