World Video

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In Sri Lanka tamed elephants are often used as beasts of burden for industries like logging and tourism. This 30-year-old male named Alia takes tourists on rides through the jungle. In the afternoon he lounges in the river, but is on a short leash.

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Religion is a major aspect of life in Sri Lanka, with Buddhism the religion of the majority Sinhalese. Minority Tamils are mostly Hindu. The ancient city of Anuradhapura is home to famous monuments like the Mirisavatiya Dagaba and the Sri Maha Bodi shrine.

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Wild elephants like this one are protected in Sri Lanka, but they can sometimes be a nuisance, destroying grass hut homes in their search for food and water. The government provides loud firecrackers for people in rural areas to scare elephants away.

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The Tamil Tigers run their stronghold of Kilinochchi with structure and efficiency. They have their own uniformed border patrol and customs agents, police, courts and even traffic cops, complete with Tiger shoulder patches.

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Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels are known as one of the most organized, and ruthless, forces in the world. Kevin Sites interviewed four Tigers in the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi.

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The Jaffna Library in northern Sri Lanka housed one of the richest collections in Southeast Asia before it was burned down in 1981. It's been rebuilt, but as the managing librarian tells Kevin Sites, much is lost.

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Years of conflict in Sri Lanka turned the Jaffna Peninsula into a checkerboard of anti-personnel mine fields. Kevin Sites followed the complex process of land mine removal, led by the group completing that task.

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The Protestant Church of Christ, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, destroyed during a government offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in 1995, is one of the most dramatic symbols of past fighting. With the region again on the brink of war, Kevin Sites tours the remains and interviews the caretaker, Arthur.

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Many tourists come and go at Kashmir's Dal Lake, but Mahooda and her family have no choice but to stay. Too poor to live on land, they make their home on four small fishing boats here.

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Security is omnipresent in Kashmir. Four different forces - an estimated total of 500,000 men - patrol the streets, and even the waters of the famous Dal Lake. Yet during Kevin Sites' visit, militant attacks were a daily occurrence.

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Dr. Noor Ahmad Baba has lived the complexities of Kashmir. He was born in Srinagar and has lived there all his life. Now head of Kashmir University's political science department, he has written and lectured extensively about Kashmir.

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In a direct attack against tourists in Kashmir, four young people were killed when a grenade was thrown into their bus. The scene encapsulates the pain of conflict in Kashmir, where such violence, though uncommon recently, is not unprecedented.

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A wave of democratic change is sweeping Nepal. But can new political alliances mark an end to the bloody Maoist insurgency?

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Nepali artists and poets have been a vocal part of the country's pro-democracy movement. A group recently held an event to collaborate, create and sell art to benefit those injured during the nationwide protests in April.

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A group of dancers performs a traditional western Nepali dance at the Nirmaya Rodhi night club in Katmandu. Fleeing violence caused by Nepal's Maoist insurgency, many Nepalese have left their villages for bigger cities.

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A group of dancers performs a traditional eastern Nepali dance at the Nirmaya Rodhi night club in Katmandu. Fleeing violence caused by Nepal's Maoist insurgency, many Nepalese have left their villages for bigger cities.

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Nepali folk singers bring back memories for many villagers who have had to move to Katmandu over the years, due to violence from the Maoist uprising.

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Political prisoners across the country are being released in one result of the dramatic changes in government in Nepal. After these Maoist party prisoners were released they paraded through the streets - exactly the kind of action that would have gotten them arrested by the old royal government.

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The mass nationwide protests that forced Nepal's king to cede absolute power have been replaced by rallies. With the House of Representatives voting for sweeping democratic change, supporters of Nepal's various political parties want to ensure their voices be heard.

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Nepal's Maoist rebels now have a seat at the political bargaining table. Kevin Sites asked Sharad Singh-Bhandari, a party secretary, about the party's philosophy and plans for the future.

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Nepal's Maoist rebels are a key player in the emerging political process. In western Nepal, Kevin Sites was able to arrange a rare meeting with a brigade from the People's Liberation Army. It quickly became apparent the show of force was pre-planned, but the meeting puts a face on these rebels and shows that their convictions are intense.

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In an endless dance of metal and fumes, fourteen-year-old Yubaraj Khakada scrapes out a living as a parking lot attendant in Katmandu. He has no choice; his father died and he must now support his family.

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A unique funeral ceremony happens in Katmandu, in which remains of the dead are cremated along the banks of the Bagmati River, in front of a large temple called the Pashupatinath. Coffins are thrown into the river, where young men wait to retrieve and resell them.

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To help bear each other's mental and physical scars, victims of Maoist rebels in Nepal have formed a group called the Maoist Victims' Association. They also protest what they say is a lack of governmental support for their plight.

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In the Haitian slum of Cite Soleil, people actually make and eat mud pies, using a fine dirt found in central Haiti. It's not so much out of hunger; sometimes, people say, 'you just crave dirt.'

In the Haitian capital, a large estate formerly controlled by a feared militia leader has been transformed into a school. Though strapped for resources, the school offers students a chance to learn from the past, and hopes to help prevent future violence.

Cite Soleil is the worst slum in one of the poorest nations on earth, Haiti. In addition to the poverty, residents now have to deal with lingering violence following the 2004 overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Cesar Lopez leads a group of Colombian artists and musicians turning guns into guitars. They aim not only to make great music but to make a point - and reverse the cycle of violence in Colombia.

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Troops in the 10th Mountain Division on Afghanistan's eastern border with Pakistan, could find themselves in a "kill zone" at any time. From target practice to patrols, preparedness is always the theme.

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Chechnya has suffered through two major wars in a decade. The capital, Grozny, is still largely in ruin. There are signs of progress, but what took two wars to destroy may take two generations to rebuild.

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From identification in the morgue to the funeral, the burial process for Gaza's "martyrs" takes many chaotic turns. Kevin Sites describes the spectacle.

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Sami Al Salem, a Palestinian journalist living and working in Gaza, faces a daily challenge: how to separate his personal life from the story he covers.

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Life in vibrant Tel Aviv is not all about the politics of conflict, as demonstrated by these surfers taking advantage of some good Mediterranean waves.

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From shopping in the market to fishing in the Mediterranean, life in Gaza goes on despite the cycle of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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As a waitress in Tel Aviv, Kinneret Boosany was almost killed in a suicide bomb attack. Here she tells Kevin how she went from tearful desperation to finding joy in just being alive.

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Professor Avi Rivkind is head of the surgery and trauma units at Israel's Hadassah Medical Center. Here he reflects on a case that particularly affected him.

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Syria faces intense political trouble with Lebanon, a confrontation with the U.S. over Iraq and a crisis about its role in the Arab world. But Syria's greatest challenge may be with itself.

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Vendors at the Souk al-Hamediyeh bazaar in old Damascus say business has fallen off recently, as Syria's political problems continue to fester. But the atmosphere in the bazaar and surrounding squares remains vibrant.

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In a country where they assume the regime is always listening, Syrian students speak carefully. But in this tea-house discussion, they express passionately their views on issues such as the war in Iraq and Syria's relations with Lebanon.

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On a rare visit by a Western reporter, Syrian troops are dug in along the border with Iraq, but officers don't give interviews. Despite the show of force, the U.S. questions Syria's effectiveness at stemming the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq.