Peace at hand
An end to one of the world's bloodiest conflicts is in sight and Sri Lankans rise to the challenge, writes Gamal Nkrumah

Under the weight of violence
Elections for the 87- member state assembly began in Indian- administered Kashmir under a cloud of sporadic violence and mudslinging, writes Iffat Malik from Islamabad

Nepalese nightmare
Maoist insurgents now pose the biggest challenge to the Nepalese authorities, reports Sudhanshu Ranjan from Katmandu

Emotional capitalism
Has the tragedy of 11 September crossed the line from sanctified to commercialised? Nyier Abdou looks through what is solemn and what sold in New York

Truth as casualty
As the US and Britain mobilise their ground troops in and around Iraq the American anti-war movement responds in kind, writes Faiza Rady

Muzzling Möllemann
Will Gerhard Schröder's narrow victory after a nail-biting election race diversify German politics? Sustained efforts to silence even moderate criticism of Israel and the US suggest otherwise, writes Dominic Coldwell

Troubled decisions
Turkey has to choose between EU accession and the lure of US freebies, Michael Jansen writes from Nicosia