"A Ring of Lies"

The general public is outraged since it has become known that the Americans apparently used the threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction as a pretext for their military campaign. But the opponents of the war in Berlin and Paris are remaining silent in order to get back talking to Washington once again.

"Serial Breaching of Taboos"

A package of economy-boosting instead of cost-cutting measures? Minister of Finance Hans Eichel wants to bring the tax reform forward and lower social security payments, in order to stimulate consumers and the economy.

"Back to the Beginning"

Television companies: The game of poker for half of German private television is wide open once again following the withdrawal of US billionaire Haim Saban. This is not the first flop of an American media giant in Germany. But the network, which includes ProSieben and Sat.1, desperately needs the situation to be clarified.

Transatlantic relations. Report on the continued tension in the relationship between Europe and the United States.

"America Is Biased"

SPIEGEL interview with Iraqi Shiite leader Mohammed Bakir al-Hakim on the disarming of his militia, the influence of Iran and the demand for an end to American occupation:

"As long as we were fighting the existing unlawful regime of Saddam Hussein, our Badr Corps was heavily armed. Saddam's regime has gone, so there is no need for us to maintain tanks and artillery. Of course we will continue to carry light arms. ... We don't want a dictatorship, no one-man or one-party rule. Iraq will be a democratic state whose government will include representatives from all groups within society. And it will be a state that respects and serves the values of Islam and of all other religions. ... Of course we will call upon all women to cover their heads in line with Muslim rules. But the decision is ultimately up to each woman herself. ... We want to established freedom and the rule of law. There will be parties, the right of free expression, and freedom of the press. Criminals, such as the henchmen of the old regime, must be called to account - but based on the law, not in the sense of taking revenge."

"A Big Bluff"

SPIEGEL interview with UN weapons inspector Peter Franck about the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq:

"We took our job incredibly seriously. We believed that there still was a small chance of preventing the war. With hindsight it has to be said, of course, that that was a mistake."

"Everything Was Found to Be Legal"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with billionaire Michail Khodorkovsky about his ambitious aim of getting involved in the global game of the big oil companies, the dependence of the Russian economy on the sale of raw materials, and his controversial rise to become the richest man in the country:

"My aims are very pragmatic. Most of all it's a matter of increasing our company's market capitalisation. And to achieve that we have to increase our profits. The size of the company is secondary to me. I'm only interested in that to the extent that it increases its stock market value. ... The percentage of the gross domestic product due to oil revenues is far higher in Venezuela than in Russia. But of course oil resources allow certain reforms to be delayed ... If Russia didn't have that kind of resource, the reforms would have been carried out much more quickly. But perhaps there wouldn't be any Russia at all any more. ... It's only possible to understand all this if you think yourself back to the year 1995/1996. The state budget had zero income at that time - not least because the oil industry didn't pay any taxes. The government saw no possibility of removing the Red directors from their offices. In this situation, something had to be done quickly. In Eastern Europe, too, and in East Germany, things didn't all go the way you would expect them to in a more mature economy. ... Yukos was offered to all the large companies. Foreign investors were also invited. But they couldn't make up their minds."

Paradigm shift in German fiscal policy. The German government is opening the floodgates for investments.

"A God Gone Astray"

Turkmenistan: After an attempted coup d'etat in Ashgabat, the desert nation is drifting into total isolation. President Niyazov is hunting down the opposition, while the West looks on helplessly. The country, which lies at the intersection between Russia, Iran and Afghanistan and is swimming on a sea of natural gas, is a third larger than Germany and has a putative population of five million - and it is gradually turning into a gulag of Stalinist dimensions. The paranoid dictator has ordered the relatives of rebels to be arrested and their houses torn down. He has thrown out his minister of the interior and general chief of staff, tightened entry regulations for foreigners, discontinued flight connections to the West and Moscow. Turkmens are only allowed to leave the country with special permits. In addition, Niyazov has urged Russia to annul the treaty on dual citizenship.

"The Jessica Lynch Show"

Heroes: Just a few weeks after the end of the war in Iraq, the first of the campaign's legends are already beginning to crumble. The most spectacular story, the heroic, Hollywood-style rescue of a young female soldier from Iraqi captivity is turning out to have been staged.

"Alexandria in the Far East"

Architecture: For many architects, the ancient dream of planning entire cities is currently coming true in China. German teams have also won large-scale competitions between Beijing and Shanghai. The functionaries want to turn Shanghai and the surrounding region into a driving force for China's economic growth. They are willing to resort to virtually any means to achieve this. Luchao is just one of nine new towns to be founded in the vicinity of future industrial centres on the outskirts of Shanghai. Architects and urban planners from all over the world are laying plans for countless residential houses, exhibition centres, airports and railway stations in the Middle Kingdom. But so far nobody knows which of these plans the Beijing functionaries will pick, or when. Meanwhile powerful interest groups, consisting of politicians and real estate companies, are creating faits accomplis, tearing down old houses, putting up shopping malls and office high-rises, and bulldozing roads through residential areas. So China is not an entirely comfortable place for German architects to work in, and in financial terms, too, the Germans assert, involvement in China does not always pay off.

"Madonna from a New Angle"

Art: Francesco Bonami is making his debut as the director of the Biennial Venice Art Festival and wants to turn the famous exhibition into a place of renewal - with the help of newcomers such as the Iranian Shirana Shahbazi. Bonami is planning a total of ten parallel art exhibitions, has hired eleven co-organisers and is otherwise busy keeping people on the hop. The official motto of the festival - "Dictatorship of the Viewer" - is intended as a sideswipe at the art guru Szeenmann. Bonami has announced that he wants "to redefine the figure of the visitor". because he regards the visitors as being more important than the person who puts together an exhibition.

"Underwater Windmills"

Power supply: Researchers are developing new types of tidal power stations. Underwater propellers and aerofoils are to turn sea currents into electric current. The first prototype is now feeding power into the grid. Experts estimate that tidal currents could produce 450 terawatt-hours a year world-wide - corresponding to the annual output of about 40 large nuclear power stations. Europe alone, according to an EU study, has 106 marine locations in which tidal power stations may be viable. The advantage of the new technology is that, unlike conventional tidal power stations, the new plants are positioned directly in the current and can generate electricity continuously. Compared with wind turbines, on the other hand, they do not clutter the countryside. And their efficiency is very high as well. However, it could be some time before the submarine powerhouses contribute to solving the world's energy problems. Because it is as yet uncertain whether tidal electricity will ever be generated at competitive prices.

"A World Full of Strangers"

Brain research: People with prosopagnosia don't even recognise their nearest relatives. According to a new study, millions of Germans may suffer from birth from this perceptual disorder.

"Simply Nature"

Track and field: At the age of 43, sprinter Merlene Ottey wants to win a medal once again at this summer's world championships. The Jamaican will be competing on the Slovenian team, but has remained what she always was: a self-assured diva. Ottey's sprinting prowess is genetically determined. Eighty percent of her leg muscles consist of white muscle fibres, which are responsible for propulsive force - the normal proportion is 20 percent. What particularly distinguishes Merlene Ottey from other women of her age is her talent for continually motivating herself anew.