"I Want a Change of Course"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Harry Roels, new board chairman of the energy giant RWE, about the forthcoming restructuring of the Essen-based group, the arguments over a consensus with his local government shareholders and the question of how he intends to reduce his billions of euros in debts:

"The era of major expansion is history. So we have to grow organically. To me this is not so much a question of location as of customer orientation. In that sense it's actually an advantage that some 30 percent of our shares are held by the local government... You're right, not all our areas of business are where they should be. And we have to get away from the debts in a systematic and disciplined fashion. ... Everybody knows now what [the restructuring plan] is about and what it stands for. Exploiting the synergies alone will give us 300 million euros. ... About 1000 jobs [are to be cut,] though I don't see the cuts as a goal in itself. ... Over the coming months, every management position in the group is going to be carefully weighed up."

"Worse Than a Godfather"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Leoluca Orlando, Berlusconi's strongest opponent and Italy's number one Mafia hunter, about the dodges of prime minister Berlusconi, the paralysis of Italian politics and the attempts of European statesmen to curry favour in connection with European Council presidency:

"A lot has been lost again through the Berlusconi government. It has degraded legality to the status of an option - which you can adhere to or not. Would you like your water with or without carbonation, a car with or without a radio, would you like to observe a law or would you prefer not to? That's how to subvert democracy. ... One of the laws effectively stops the falsification of balance-sheets from being a punishable crime and so indirectly legalises corruption. Another one makes it harder to pass on court records within Europe. A third one give him enormous powers in the media sector. And the suspension of on-going lawsuits that has just gone through, protects the five leading politicians of the state: tailor-made immunity for Berlusconi. ... The problem is that the opposition does not offer any really convincing alternative, neither in terms of content nor, particularly, in terms of personalities."

The West Landesbank, already in deep trouble, is facing further losses of 1.5 billion euros.

"Source CI 1"

Justice: With the help of sometimes dubious accusations, US investigators are trying to attribute a key role in the Al Qaida terrorist network to two Yemenis currently in custody in Frankfurt. Sheikh Mohammed al Mojjad, 55, and his secretary Mohammed Zajjid, 29, have been awaiting extradition for half a year now. The Al Mojjad issue is a headache to political and judicial authorities in Germany. Because as US documents show, the principal accusations made against the sheikh from Sana are based almost entirely on the testimony of a dubious contact.

"Post from Germany"

Logistics: Every day, the Americans send some 50 tonnes of letters and parcels to the 130,000 US troops stationed in Iraq. This sensitive cargo is transported, of all things, by the German postal service, Deutsche Post. Two or three times a day, the rickety plane that once belonged to the Soviet army forces its way through the jumble of tanks, helicopters and US soldiers. "That in itself is something of a miracle," says Pete Toghill, who is in charge of Iraq at DHL, the logistics subsidiary of Deutsche Post - because the airport on the outskirts of Baghdad, with its 5 million inhabitants, is in fact meant to be strictly sealed off, a prohibited military zone. The strange cooperation between the US troops and DHL began during the Afghanistan campaign. For a sum of money in the two-digit millions, the company is in the meantime carrying not only the army's post, but also equipment and relief supplies such as clothing for the local population. In addition, the post office subsidiary is the first logistics company in the world that can offer a daily service for normal deliveries within Baghdad.

"Sentinel in No Man's Land"

Astronomy: Radio contact with "Soho" is disrupted. The reconnaissance probe is meant to warn mankind of storms from outer space. When a plume of gas is violently ejected from the surface of the sun, Soho records the event and relays the images to the ground station. The astrophysicists can then issue a warning and so help to prevent millions of dollars worth of damage. Because the high-energy protons can cause considerable disturbances when they arrive at Earth a few days later - radio communication collapses, television programmes suffer strong interference and satellites go out of control.

"Semiramis in a Popping of Flashbulbs"

Archaeology: A coup of antiquities in Baghdad. On Thursday, the US supreme command wants to present to the world the "Treasure of Nimrud" which was believed lost. The precious jewellery, 57 kilograms of pure gold, dates back to a time when Assyria ruled the world. Experts describe the 2800-year-old complex of the Calah excavation as "unique", the goldsmiths of the time were masters of their art.

"Sometimes You Have to Go for It"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with writer Siegfried Lenz, 77, about his latest novel "Fundbüro", loss as a fundamental theme in life, the spirits of the past, and his unusual career - the author has been publishing books for over 50 years, with enormous success:

"After seeing the treks of refugees, people who had lost almost everything, my basic conviction is this: everything that you consider your property can be knocked out of your hands - a reoccurring historic visitation for mankind. This is a traumatic fund of experience that you draw on when you are writing a book such as "Fundbüro" (Lost and Found) - they don't even have to be your own personal experiences. ... There is perhaps some cause for astonishment: all that has emerged over the years in the way of novels, essays, stories and plays - I'm more surprised than anyone else by that. I must tell you that writing can be a very lonely business. You need a lot of staying power."

"The EU Has Two Faces"

SPIEGEL interview with the Portuguese prime minister José Manuel Durrão Barroso, 47, about the anxieties of smaller member states concerning the European constitution and the expansion to the east:

"The equality of member states has got to be preserved, independently of their size, population or economic strength. This is why it's important to maintain the principle of rotation. In the election of a Council president through a qualified majority, as now provided for, the larger nations would always come out on top. I consider that unfair and undemocratic. ... Enlargement is good for the whole of Europe, because it will trigger economic growth and bring about stability. Portugal has to view this competition as a challenge to increase its own performance. Our advantage is that democracy and the rule of law are fully developed here, that we are open to the international markets."

"Drumming Fist"

Balkans: Michael Steiner, the German UN administrator, is leaving Kosovo after 18 months, with nothing to show for it. Albanians and Serbs still hate each other and consider him, too, an enemy. The fact that the UN administration has remained so unsuccessful is, however, not just due to the incompetence of its governors in Pristina. The hands of Michael Steiner's helpers are tied, because UN resolution 1244, on which their mission is based, does not define the final status of Kosovo. So the United Nations officials are caught in a cleft stick between Albanians, urging more and more angrily for independence, and Serbs, fighting hopelessly to regain their influence in the province.

"Now There Are Feelings Involved"

Medicine: An astonishing number of people are scarcely able to feel anger or joy. Researchers are imaging the brains of such emotionally blind people - and learning a great deal about the nature of feelings. The phenomenon occurs in varyingly drastic degrees. Experts are keen to emphasise that "alexithymia", the inability to perceive emotions in oneself and others, and to speak about them, is not so much an illness as a more or less pronounced personality trait. What is remarkable is that people with alexithymia often react to stress and emotional strain not with feelings but with immediate physical symptoms: stomach-aches instead of fear, or dizziness instead of anger - often so pronounced that they go and see a doctor about their complaints. Could it be that such people block off their emotional information precisely because they have never learnt to interpret their body's signals correctly?

"The World Power Nike"

Globalisation: The sports equipment manufacturer Nike is dividing the youth of the world. For some it is a dream factory that dictates what looks good and is cool. For others it is an empire of evil which exploits and oppresses. Some see the good side of America in Nike, others see the bad side.

"Alex in Wonderland"

Golf: The prize money is twice as high as in Europe, the greens are as immaculate as an artificial lawn, and the competition is tougher than anywhere else. Professional golfers who want to achieve true fame have to go to the United States. But for Alex Cejka, the German number one, this first year is a ceaseless slog.

"A Princely Part with a Certain Patina"

Stars: In his new film "Terminator III", Arnold Schwarzenegger has to save the world once again. Not a bad test: because in real life Hollywood's strongest man would soon like to be governing California. He has been campaigning for years - for his fellow Republican George W. Bush, for instance, and in particular for his own cause. Schwarzenegger stands a good chance of becoming the governor of California, and in contrast to earlier times he is now admitting to his ambitions quite openly. According to opinion polls, Schwarzenegger is already the most popular Republican candidate. Schwarzenegger was never the dumb hunk of muscle that many still believe him to be. Nor is he primarily an actor anymore. Instead Schwarzenegger is a highly successful businessman, a clever entrepreneur of himself.