The increasingly familiar founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange now finds himself confronting two separate potential legal battles.

The first is whether he or his website can be held criminally liable for publishing thousands of documents stolen from the US Defence Department’s classified database.

Few things expose a nation like immigration policy. The debate over who should be allowed in, when and under what circumstances goes right to the heart of national identity.

In Australia, immigration is a controversial issue that has become highly politicised, particularly around the treatment of ‘boat people’.

An immigration nation

Australia has long been a nation of immigrants. From federation in 1901 until 1973, immigration was characterised by a ‘White Australia’ policy.

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

The annual Water Festival in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh on Monday has come to a deadly conclusion.

At least 378 people have been killed after overcrowding and pushing on a bridge late at night turned to panic. Another 755 people have been injured.

The incident took place on Diamond Island in the middle of the Tonle Sap River on the final day of the three-day festival.

An estimated two million people attended the traditional festival which marks the end of the rainy season and the reversal of the river’s flow.

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.

Since 2006, 28,000 people have been killed in Mexico’s brutal turf war over the illegal drugs trade.

But in the past year the violence has gotten a lot worse.

As a result, Mexican President Felipe Calderon is desperately trying to resolve the crisis, but given the root causes, he also needs help from his neighbour to the north. 

The new reality

The Romani people are a controversial ethnic group.

They have a turbulent history and are alienated in many modern societies.

Now in France and other parts of Europe they are being kicked out, which begs the question, why do they find it so difficult to fit in?

Who are the Romani people?

Romani (also referred to as Roma or Gypsies) are believed to have started emigrating from northwest India around the 11th century, moving towards Europe and North Africa, while living a largely nomadic existence.

In times of economic peril and social discontent, it’s often a good opportunity for some fresh thinking about the way things are done. 

So The Casual Truth has come up with a somewhat radical idea that could increase employment and business output, decrease road congestion and provide a permanent three-day weekend for all.

The problem

The world currently works to a five-day working week and a two-day weekend.

Nine months after the huge earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation of Haiti, the country is still battling with rubble.

And although it has been fortunate in avoiding a usually rampant tropical storm season, an outbreak of cholera has now emerged.

Furthermore, a study published on Sunday revealed that the worst may be yet to come for Haiti in a possible new cycle of earthquakes.

The state of play

For the past month, and especially during the past two weeks, millions of French people have been hitting the streets protesting and striking against changes to their government pensions.

And with a fuel crisis looming and a crucial vote today, a fierce standoff with the government has emerged to see who will back down first.

The democratic battle