“Mortars in the Land of the Mosques”

Macedonia: A visit to the Albanian guerrillas of the KLA in the hills above Tetovo, amidst a hail of mortar-fire. Bloody fighting all round Tetovo is bringing back to light the birth defect of the Macedonian state: the largely Slav fighters in the valley and the Albanian rebels up in the hills have nothing in common – except for the front along which they are now confronting each other.

“We Will Take Revenge”

SPIEGEL interview with Albanian leader Imar Imeri on the heightening of the conflict in Macedonia:

“Our party expected this conflict, we never tired of warning the West about it. The Macedonian people are traditionally anti-Albanian. By including the Albanian parties in the government, the West was to be presented with the picture of an intact multi-ethnic society. But our political demands were completely ignored …These Albanian groups are holding a gun in one hand and a dove of peace in the other. They have indicated that they will end this conflict and cease their activities as soon as talks begin. … The number of fighters in the mountains is rapidly increasing. In the meantime, they are meeting with wide popular support. I’m afraid that if our demands continue to be ignored, there will be a major offensive by this spring, and the Albanian population will take up arms too.”

Cigarette smuggling: How managers in the tobacco industry profit from cigarette smuggling. Customs, criminal police and public prosecutors are searching the offices of cigarette manufacturer Reemtsma, suspected of involvement in smuggling operations.

“Lesbians Are the Last Men”

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with fashion designer and confessed bisexual Wolfgang Joop, on the homosexualisation of society, the end of the gay movement and fashion as a substitute for politics:

“The gay world used to be something exotic, today it’s part of the mainstream in the Western industrialised countries. Society has gradually become homosexualised. … Gay prototypes are out-dated today, dinosaurs. When the movement first began, the symbols of the former oppressors became gay fetishes. … Back then it was a matter of displaying the difference between strong and weak men, it was about humiliation, about a violent pose. Nowadays it’s no longer about playing with the insignia of power, today it’s about trust, tenderness, seduction, lust. … People are no longer brought up as family beings any more, but as egotistical individuals. The kick is to consume. Shopping has become the spirituality and faith of all of us. Many people nowadays view a clear political stance and unambiguous morals as being absolutely ridiculous. The substitute religion is fashion, poses are more important than content.”

“Far Too Pessimistic”

SPIEGEL interview with American economist Alan Meltzer on the fears about a recession and the mistakes of head of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan:

“The markets tend towards extremes. I find that exaggerated. We’ll only have a recession in the USA if business declines for two consecutive quarters. It really shows no sign of doing that at the moment. And I don’t think there will be a global crisis originating in the USA. … The markets want something from Greenspan which he doesn’t have the power to give. They want to see the share prices back where they were a year ago – at their absolute peak. But the Federal Reserve cannot breathe new life into one or the other Internet company.”

“The Name of the Can”

Energy drinks: As a drink, Red Bull is an impertinence, as an idea it’s unique. Now the small Austrian company is for the first time attacking its major competitor Coca-Cola in the United States.

“It Would Take a Miracle”

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with German Curial cardinal Walter Kasper on the power struggles in the Vatican, the unity of Christians and the next pope:

“The Vatican is certainly not the monolithic block that it is often represented as being in Germany; it would be quite unnatural if there weren’t any differing trends. Whether you can call that a power struggle is another matter. There are, at least, different movements which are wrestling with one another over the best course to take, but not over the content of our faith, which we all share. But ultimately the Pope has the final say … I doubt whether there will be a pan-Christian church. What I hope there will be is some form of unity in the diversity, in which the churches are able to contribute their different traditions and theologies; but certainly not a homogenised unified church. … I think the next pope will certainly continue the principal lines taken by the current pontificate – the ecumenical intentions of the present Pope, the dialogue with the other religions. He will also continue to fight for human rights and of course be a potent witness of the Gospel. How he will approach the internal problems of the Roman Catholic church remains to be seen.”

“Spirits in the First Light of Dawn”

Psychiatry: Some people encounter copies of themselves. The ghostly figures turn up out of the blue. Now brain researchers are trying to solve the mystery of these hallucinations. The experts believe that the hallucinations revolving around one’s own figure are often caused by psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, depression or hysteria. But contrary to previous assumptions, organic disorders and brain lesions probably also help to bring about the ghostly doubles.

“The Black Hole of Rheydt”

Art: The loner Gregor Schneider is representing Germany at the biennial art festival in Venice from June onwards – and will be transplanting his fantastically convoluted “Haus ur”, half Pharaonic tomb, half Hitchcock motel, from the Rhenish industrial district to Italy for the purpose.

“What a Good Thing That We’re Mortal”

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with writer Harry Mulisch and biologist Ian Wilmut on the dangers of cloning human beings, the creation of life from dead matter and the different creative spirits of researchers and literati:

Mulisch: “One thing’s certain: by cloning the sheep Dolly, Mr. Wilmut has changed the world. Incredible things are going to happen in the decades ahead. If we knew what the world will look like in a hundred years, it would seem so eerie and alien to us that we wouldn’t want to live in it.…” Wilmut: “We’re afraid of new technologies and ideas, because we are limited in the extent to which we can assimilate new developments. Science is shifting the boundaries. Not many people are able to follow it. … Mr. Mulisch is much more creative than I am. His powers of imagination are far greater than those of a researcher. In order for me to be creative, I need to relax; I can’t go to the library and say to myself: Today I’m going to be inventive. … To me personally it’s incredibly important to talk; only then does my subconscious mind come up with an idea. …” Mulisch: “The big distinction that many people draw between the arts and the natural sciences, is nonsense. They think researchers are rational and logical, whereas artists are full of emotions - total nonsense. Before researchers come up with a new theory they have to think just as irrationally and emotionally, as we do. And conversely: when I’m writing a novel I try to write as precisely and sensibly as Mr. Wilmut does when conducting experiments in his laboratory.”