SPIEGEL cover story about the collapse of the governing Great Coalition between the CDU and the SPD in Berlin. New elections are likely to be called; the question is whether the PDS, the successor to the former governing socialist party of East Germany will join in a governing coalition with the SPD. A number of signs indicate that the PDS is for the first time be considered fit to govern.

DER SPIEGEL continues its reportage about the "Protokoll-Affair", the leaking of the secret report of a meeting between Chancellor Schröder and President Bush written by the German ambassador to the US, Jürgen Chrobog and Schröder's advisor Michael Steiner. During that meeting, Gaddafi allegedly admitted to Libyan participation in the bombing of the LaBelle discotheque in Berlin.

The German business world is divided in its assessment of the new take-over laws. Chancellor Schröder wants to make it possible for managing boards to arm themselves with so-called stockpile decisions as a precaution; when threatened by take-over the managers could take evasive action without having to ask the shareholders. Schröder has already snubbed his EU partners with the new directives.

Germany wants to export nuclear waste to Russia. At present, the import of foreign atomic waste is forbidden by Russian law; the plan is stirring up a controversy also for environmental reasons.

"Scharping Alone at Home"

German Armed Forces: In the foreseeable future, Germany is likely to remain a dwarf in military - and therefore also foreign political - terms. The chancellor is more concerned with his cost-cutting agenda than with fulfilling his own international promises. No matter how often the defence minister Rudolf Scharping insisted that reforming and modernising the Armed Forces was "not an end in itself", but served to fulfil Germany's obligations towards Nato, the European Union and the UN - in the struggle between Scharping and finance minister Hans Eichel, Schröder stood by the cost-cutting watchdog. The army of Europe's most weighty industrial nation has every appearance of a company scheduled for demolition, rather than an army emerging from a process of reform and restructuring. The defence minister claims that as a result of the delayed reforms and empty coffers, the army is only in "limited readiness for the alliance and as yet unready for Europe".

"We're Sitting on a Volcano"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Saudi Arabian crown prince Abdullah on the threat of war in the Middle East, the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and the dangers of fundamentalism:

"Washington must listen to both parties to the conflict, remaining strictly neutral and not favouring one party over another … Israel will never manage to hold onto the land and yet still achieve peace. But we should also bear in mind the progress that has already been made: for over 50 years, no Arab ever thought it would be possible to coexist with Israel. Today we have reached the point where Arabs and Israelis can start a new life together. … However difficult we may find it to forget Sadam Hussein's offences, we are striving for one thing in particular: we want to live in peace and friendship with our Iraqi brothers. … Every culture and civilisation in this world can be misused by fundamentalism. But the tolerant parts of mankind must stand together so that there is no room for fundamentalism."

"Dying in a Hail of Bullets"

Interview with Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on military strikes against the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, the battle against poverty and the trial of her predecessor Joseph Estrada:

"The previous government made a mistake in paying millions of dollars in ransom. We are certainly not going to show any weakness any more. … We need to satisfy the poor quickly, we need to put up a safety net against the negative effects of globalisation and take precautions against the continued exploitation of nature. … The Estrada case was not an issue of democracy or dictatorship. The Filipinos brought down their president because he was corruptible. … The public prosecutor believes that the evidence for the prosecution as regards corruption, embezzlement and plundering the state is extensive enough to bring about a conviction."

"Hardly Understood by Younger People"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt on his youth under "Adolf Nazi", his own path to the social democrats, and on Germany's role within Europe:

"I had just turned 14 when the Nazi's took the helm. I was a boy at the beginning of puberty, and at that stage you have no conception of anything. … Since the government needed soldiers, our schooling was cut short. At Easter I was sent to do labour service, and in the autumn I was drafted to the German airforce. In spite of the idiotic barrack square duty I still felt as though I was at last in a decent organisation, a long way from the Nazis. It may sound grotesque, but that's the way it was. … In the POW camp I met a wonderful man. He was a religious socialist, also one of those who felt they had to do their duty as a soldier. He not only taught me what democracy is, he also made me a socialist. … The symbiosis with France must continue to play a central role in the imaginations of German politicians - something that will probably be true throughout the entire 21st century."

Biotechnology: Israel is one of the leading countries in biotechnology because it permits research and applications in many areas that European countries forbid.

"We Tried Everything"

Nuclear power: Just two years after the biggest disaster in the Japanese nuclear industry, a doctor reports about his desperate struggle to save the lives of two victims. With the help of highly sophisticated diagnostic equipment the doctors were able to document every stage of their illness more thoroughly than ever before in a radiation victim. Tokaimura has deeply shaken the confidence of the future-fixated nation. The ongoing court proceedings have stirred up resistance against Tokyo's ambitious nuclear programme - to date, 53 nuclear power plants supply more than 35 percent of all Japan's electricity.

"Web of Lies and Legends"

Adoption: During the turmoil of the civil war in Rwanda, 41 children were brought to Italy where they were given homes by new parents. Now the African country wants the children back. The Italians are trying to prevent this, sometimes even resorting to dishonest means. For years, aunts and uncles, fathers and grandfathers tried in vain to get in touch with the kidnapped children, but their letters disappeared. The Italian juvenile court which eventually gave them up for adoption also claims not to have heard anything from the relatives or about their search for the children. Since the Rwandan government learnt of the adoptions in Italy, a custody war has broken out between the two countries, just as bitter as the one that raged between Cuba and the United States over the six-year-old shipwreck survivor Elián Gonzáles.

"Roulette with Cow-pats"

Media spectacular: A gaga event has incited the wrath of the "Jiggling Princess" Gloria von Thurn und Taxis - and is in fact the latest coup by a Weimar professor who stages media events. The university is the former East German "College of Architecture and Building" in Weimar, which was renamed the "Bauhaus University" in 1995. The idea at the time was to continue the Bauhaus tradition and breathe new life into the "unity of art and technology". Since 1996, the university has had a "Media" department, in which 12 professors now teach over 600 students. But the "Chair for Media Events" that was set up there a year ago is a complete novelty in the world of science. It may sound like late Dada actionism - but firstly it is meant entirely seriously, and secondly it has a thorough theoretical underpinning.