"The Blood of Atonement"

Cover story: One of the foundations of occidental culture is a brutal story of betrayal, torture and murder. The case of Jesus Christ, which has been made into a film once again by Mel Gibson, still captivates people: a charlatan, a saviour, or a product of the imagination? Who actually killed him?

"The Subsidiary Foreign Minister"

Government: While Joschka Fischer is contemplating European foreign policy, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has taken over large areas of the diplomatic business. The minister assumes the role of a visionary; but he is finding it increasingly difficult to make his strategies comprehensible.

"Good Intentions Are Not Enough"

SPIEGEL interview with Geesung Choi, top manager of the Korean group Samsung Electronics, about the changes in his company and the battle for supremacy in consumers' living rooms:

"We virtually created a new company because we recognised that it's not particularly attractive to offer only imitation products. ... Today, more than 50 percent of our Korean staff are employed in research and development, and 20 percent are in marketing. ... Our competitors have their domains either in computer technology or in consumer electronics. We are familiar with both areas and that makes us ideally prepared for the forthcoming battle for consumers' living rooms."

"More Dangerous than Saddam"

SPIEGEL interview with Sunni leader Sheikh Ahmad Abdul Ghaffur about the resistance of his brothers in faith against the Americans:

"Muktada al-Sadr's 'Army of Mahdi' came to the aid of Sunnis who were being pressurised, and the Sunnis stand by the Shiites if they in turn are attacked by the occupying forces. There are no formal agreements, let alone a common strategic leadership. ... Like all Sunni preachers I know, I condemn the use of force in any form. As yet we have not declared a fatwa, which would send Sunnis into battle. In Falluja, for example, they are fighting on their own initiative. ... The American presence in Iraq is far more dangerous for the future of the country and the entire region than Saddam Hussein's regime. ... Beyond this, I'm convinced that the Americans themselves are involved in certain attacks. They will resort to any means to provoke a civil war. ... There will be no free Iraqi government until the last American soldier has left Iraq."

"Anatomy of an Affair"

German Federal Bank: The president of the Federal bank, Ernst Welteke, has left behind a total shambles, not only in the headquarters of the Frankfurt monetary watchdogs. Who is to lead the one-time guardian of the economic miracle now? What role can this institution still play in Euroland?

"St. George in the Pits"

UK: Tony Blair's Labour government is not only struggling with the war against terrorism. There is a growing frustration about the ailing civil services, and the claims to global leadership are paired with bizarre anxieties about Europe among the populace. Hospitals are understaffed, gaols overcrowded. Despite injecting billions into the decrepit health care system, there is a lack of doctors. The country is experiencing the biggest economic boom since the 1950s, but the cultural discomfort is growing. Productivity is lower than in France or Germany.

"The Laboratory Rats of Sport"

SPIEGEL interview with Bengt Saltin, an investigator into performance-enhancing drugs, about the renaissance of autohaemotransfusions, the fraudulent mentality of many professional cyclists, and the new test procedures at the Olympic Games in Athens:

"Epo is a substance that forms red blood corpuscles, so it improves oxygen transport in the blood. And the more oxygen that travels through the arteries, the greater the potential performance of a person. It's the same case with autohaemotransfusion. ... The probability that there will be no drug abuse in Athens is zero percent. Firstly I'm firmly convinced that following the steroid THG, which was discovered last autumn in the USA, a new designer drug has long reached the market. Secondly, I doubt that we will be able to prove abuses using growth hormones in a way that will stand up in a court of law. And thirdly the athletes have found a way of cheating using epo at the Olympic Games without their being able to be punished for it. ... What we desperately need is comprehensive databases on a national level. The sports associations must determine certain blood counts of their athletes, especially those of up-and-coming athletes: haemoglobin, epo, growth hormone. That would give us a detailed blood profile which we could compare with later test results."

"A Crumple Zone for Heads"

Cars: In future, pedestrians are to be offered a better chance of surviving car accidents. As of next year, a new European Union directive obliges manufacturers to build cars with softer front ends. For the industry, these regulations mean an investment of millions. No existing car is able to pass the tests.

"The Hour of the Charlatans"

Aids: Gangsters and quacks have discovered the 28 million people in Africa who are infected with HIV as potential customers: the black market for alleged wonder drugs is flourishing everywhere. Meanwhile, Nairobi's doctors feel bitter. The source of the supposed drugs is as unclear as their quality. No one knows whether the pills are genuine or mixed together by quacks. And buyers are not informed about the correct dosage.