According to Russia, Viktor Bout is just a successful air freight businessman. But according to the United States, he is the world’s most notorious illegal arms dealer.

Nicolas Cage’s character in the movie Lord of War was loosely based on his life.

Now the Russian is facing trial in New York after being captured in Thailand almost three years ago. But some are worried that a few skeletons may come out of the closet as a result.

Viktor Bout

• Hosts of the Football World Cup announced
• International police alert issued for Wikileaks founder
• Details of Irish bailout package confirmed

Hosts of the Football World Cup announced

Emotions were high as the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 Football World Cup tournaments were announced in Zurich, Switzerland yesterday.

Russia will host the 2018 tournament while Qatar will be the host in 2022.

To a lot people in the world, if there’s one thing better than winning the Football World Cup, it’s hosting the Football World Cup.

And today, two winners will be decided to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.

A European country is guaranteed to win the 2018 tournament while the 2022 event is either going to be won by the United States or an Asian-Pacific country, with one surprising front runner.

This week, five newspapers have published the first instalment of a total 251,287 leaked documents from the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks.

The documents, known as cables, are messages between the US government and its 274 embassies throughout the world, mostly from the last decade though dating back to 1966.

But with more to come in the world’s largest classified information release, it could spark a new age of accountability and transparency regarding government behaviour.

Today, trade officials are gathering in Geneva, Switzerland to try and finish what many people have called the single most important step towards ending global poverty.

It is the Doha round of trade negotiations, which have still not been completed 9 years after they began.

• North and South Korea on the brink of war
• Tragic ending for New Zealand miners
• Ireland announces brutal budget to try to calm lenders
• Pope changes rule for condom use

North and South Korea on the brink of war

On Tuesday, missiles fired by North and South Korea at each other have brought the rival nations to the brink of war.

The incident escalated after North Korea warned the South to stop its military training exercise near its sea border.

In today’s modern age of rising oil prices and aggressive competition in the airline industry, the unbundling of airline service fees has been a business masterstroke that has led to a huge rise of profits for most major airlines.

Over the past few years, seat prices have dropped due to heavy competition and the global economic crisis.

While a lot of attention is paid to economically-troubled countries like Greece, Ireland and even America, little mention is made of the countries that are doing well.

Such nations are quietly purring along with reasonable growth rates, low unemployment and healthy governments.

• Ireland refuses assistance from European fund
• Violence in Haiti towards aid workers over cholera outbreak
• High-rise carnage in India and China
• Iraq finally approves new government

Ireland refuses assistance from European fund

Moving online has opened up a world of opportunities.

Clothes, music, movies, and dates can all be found at the click of a button. But friendship? There’s a new one.

Challenging the notion that friendship must be earned is US-based website RentAFriend, where friendship can blossom – for a fee.

Renta-what?

Conceived by American entrepreneur Scott Rosenbaum, RentAFriend is a social networking site for friendship.