World Cup host battle goes to the wire

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron flew back to Switzerland last night as England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup received a last-minute boost.

Cameron’s Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin confirmed he would not be travelling to Switzerland for today’s vote.

Prime Minister Putin also claimed Russia faced “unscrupulous competition”, a remark which could be seen as criticism of the bidding process organised by football’s world governing body FIFA.