Papers query military campaign

Almost two weeks since the start of the American led air strikes on Afghanistan, The Times asks: "Who's winning this war?"

The paper's foreign editor Bronwen Maddox, believes it "inconceivable" that reports that the bombing campaign is going to plan are true.

She says the fact the United States has not found Osama Bin Laden or taken any Afghan cities has caused strains in the international coalition.

The Times's leader writer also voices unease, arguing that while the US may plausibly claim to have command in the skies, it no longer looks as though it is commanding the shots in the military campaign.

The Mirror too has misgivings about the strikes on Afghanistan.

"We are not alone in thinking the massive aerial bombardment of this rubble-strewn country is not a very effective tactic," it says.

But Polly Toynbee, writing in The Guardian, questions whether calls for an end to the bombing should be heeded.

"Leaders cannot draw back from killing civilians if they are pursuing the survival and the freedom of a far greater number," she says.

Gloomy economic forecast

The Financial Times reports on a gloomy forecast for the world's leading economies.

It says leaked figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggest this year is set to be the worst since 1982, with growth among its 30 members expected to be just 1%.

The FT calls on Europe's leaders, who are meeting in the Belgian city of Ghent, to "raise their sights" and develop a comprehensive response to the Afghanistan crisis and its impact on the world economy.

Paper speculates on IRA decommissioning

The Daily Telegraph believes a meeting of the IRA's ruling army convention is taking place this weekend to ratify a decision to begin decommissioning.

It says the meeting which it calls "unprecedented" is being held under the cover of a Sinn Fein Irish language conference at County Meath in the Irish Republic.

The Telegraph says supporters in America have put intense pressure on the IRA since the terrorist attacks on 11 September and thinks decommissioning could help stave off the current political crisis in the peace process.

Children blamed for couple's suicide bid

Several of Friday's papers report on the case of an elderly couple from Greater Manchester, who tried to commit suicide because they were plagued by the noise of children playing near their home.

The Daily Mail publishes the text of a letter in which the couple say that they "no longer wish to be part" of a society that allows anti-social behaviour to take place.

One neighbour is quoted as saying that local residents have been "shocked" by their decision to take an overdose.

But a Greater Manchester police officer points out that although attempts had been made to mediate between the couple and their neighbours, children playing in the street is not a crime.

Modern art is 'rubbish'

The Sun has proof of what some critics have long maintained that modern art is rubbish.

It explains that a cleaner at an art gallery in London threw out a work by Damien Hirst featuring full ashtrays, cola tins and coffee cups because he thought the detritus had been left over from a party.

But Hirst himself does not appear offended by the cleaner's lack of appreciation of his artistic genius.

He describes the faux pas as "fantastic."